Brand New! Pick Up Sticks Recycled Charms

What if you had the chance to buy Pick Up Sticks charms that were a completely new concept, but vintage in the truest sense of the word?  One of a kind?  So gorgeous they make your eyes water? And still as affordable as all our other charms?

We heard you when you said you wanted cooler than cool sustainable jewelry. Except that, just as you might expect from Pick Up Sticks, we used something old and intriguing to create it.

Recycled paper photo charms.  Created from actual antique and vintage paper, embellished by the Pick Up Sticks crew, these charms are green works of original art unlike anything we’ve ever created before.

Long ago, before anyone had ever heard of Pick Up Sticks, before Pick Up Stick was even a concept in anyone’s overactive imagination, Sabrina had a thing about paper. Old paper. Postcards. Letters written at the turn of the last century. Envelopes with postmarks from the 20’s and 30’s and onward. She spent her Saturdays scouring estate sales for that box of aging documents. She wasn’t really sure why, except that she felt like she needed to save all those pieces of other people’s lives from the trash bin and ultimate destruction.  “I can’t tell you how many times I have walked into an estate sale asking for old postcards and letters to be told, ‘oh honey, we were going to throw those out in the trash! Here’s a box, I will just give them to you.’”

“I’ve always loved the fingerprints, the delicate penmanship, the funk and smears and water stains and the crazy way old paper looks and feels.” Sabrina says. The Pick Up Sticks logo, a collage of an old envelope, postmark and antique type, is a reflection of that.

She’d take her treasures home with her, going through piles of postcards, and sometimes she’d find one with a wine stain, perhaps carelessly spilled by a tipsy ex-lover who was trying to bolster her courage before she wrote a “Dear John” letter in 1929. She’d find notes that were obviously written with quill pens and notes mailed across town with invitations to Easter Sunday dinner. She was holding personal histories in her hands. And she loved it.

Now, years later, Sabrina and Glena and the Pick Up Sticks crew have decided that we all deserve a chance to hold history in our hands. And to wear it as a charm on a necklace or a bracelet.

The charms in these images are just a sample of the recycled paper photo charms that are brand new to Pick Up Sticks this season. Each one is created from an actual piece of antique paper often with our own Pick Up Sticks hand-embellishment added. Imagine the excitement of finding a postmark over a hundred years old from the early 1900’s encased in glass ready for you to wear!

You might have questions, so we created our own little FAQ section below to better introduce this new line we know you’re going to love.

Frequently Asked Questions (that we dreamed up):

Q:  Yes, in fact, we’re cutting up actual antique and vintage paper.  Is this art of crime?

A:  Of course it’s art! If it were a crime, you’d first have to imprison Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque and dozens of other artists who used pieces of old paper in their works of art.

Q:  I can’t imagine any reason to destroy a perfectly good vintage postcard. Why is this good idea?

A:  We’ve all heard about desirable postcards that fetch big money because of their historical or artistic significance. But that’s not the kind of postcards we use, so don’t panic.

Instead we use postcards that were produced in abundance that aren’t desirable today.  We even take it a step further and only use postcards that are damaged, stained or torn. These are the beauty marks to us

We would never cut on collectible paper. We look for paper and cards that are so damaged even a fanatical collector would refuse to buy them.  Dealers who sell paper will freely admit that common postcards are dumped into the trash daily. Why not repurpose them into something beautiful? Think of it as saving them from the landfill.

And the big question:

Q:  Why don’t you just scan them and print them out? Why are you cutting them up?

A:

1. Because you would be able to tell the difference!  A common desk printer just can’t capture the beautiful printing processes that were used, much less the beauty of age.  Postcards get outrageous handling, bumps, bruises, discoloration, creases, writing, postmarks, stains and smudges. And we love that!
2. We are saving resources by not using ink or new paper. The process of manufacturing both ink and paper is detrimental to the environment and results in tossed away cartridges. We’re working on reducing our carbon footprint here.
3. In this digital age, handwriting is rapidly becoming scarce and people are throwing out documents by the truckload. Let’s save these beauties!
4. Now you get to wear a piece of history.  Imagine where this lovely piece of paper has been and the stories it has to tell.
5. No two are the same!
6. Everyone wants a juicy “story” to tell. We’ll even help.  Just say, “This is a postcard my aunt Bertha sent to her boyfriend while she was dancing at a cabaret in Paris. She was ready to dump him, and did it on a postcard. A postcard! Right there where everyone could read it! I love that!”

Finally:

Q:  When will they be available and can I buy a truckload?

A:  Date of availability RIGHT NOW, but quantities may be a tad scarce.  We hope to have a lot available soon, but maybe not a truckload. These are labor intensive and very unique, requiring hands-on time in the studio.. Despite that, the cost to you will be the same as our other Pick Up Sticks charms.

Find Recycled Charms on our Website!

Pick Up Sticks and Pinterest Part II: How You Can Do It

We promised last week to give you our best ideas for using Pinterest to promote your small business, and in doing our research , decided one way to make this easier for you would be to give you links with descriptions.  We’re not experts by any stretch of the imagination, but we have seen new interest and new customers from our Pinterest boards and we’d love for you to have the same results. 

Before we provide you with the meatier blog posts on how to use Pinterest in your own business, we want to provide links to the most basic of the basics.  For the three or four of you out there that aren’t yet addicted to Pinterest, consider checking out the post from The New Web on how to get started. If you possibly can, take the time to read this post – it has invaluable information on everything from getting your account to how to become a power user. 

If you prefer a video tutorial, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk-SdPubWDs.  And while you’re on YouTube, you can check out this video on using Pinterest for your small business:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKQ5MZlgmAs&feature=related.

 

Pick Up Sticks Pinterest page

 

Once you’re up and running, consider checking out a few of the resources that follow.  While Pinterest isn’t yet as big as Twitter or Facebook, the image-based website is getting plenty of attention, and its followers are proving to be very willing to purchase the things they see and repin.   

In an article from Small Business Computing about using Pinterest for small business promotion, there are great stats (a landscape company that saw their website traffic increase by 30,000 hits a month) and great tips (12 Pinterest  Tips for Small Business). 

Craziest stat we found in this article?  Pinterest users tend to spend an average of 100 minutes per visit on the site. It sounds unbelievable until you get yourself signed in. Once you do, you’ll be thrilled to tear yourself away from the site in that amount of time.

The Huffington Post featured a blogger last week who asked whether Pinterest was more effective than Facebook for small businesses.  The answer?  Pinterest users were found to be 79% more likely to buy a product they saw pinned on a board on the site than something they saw on Facebook (probably because they just spent 100 minutes looking at it, right?). 

If you want to see how larger retailers are using Pinterest, there’s a great post by Hispanic Business that talks about how Victoria’s Secret, Limited and Express are both growing and using their following on Pinterest. One of the suggestions made by a marketer interviewed in the article is for you to view your customer’s life events – weddings, graduations, remodeling – and then give them images to pin on Pinterest that fall within those categories. 

Pinterest even has their own resource for you, and they have a word for businesses using their site – Pinterbiz.  They have templates and ideas for your promotions, tutorials (How to make your Blog Posts Pinworthy caught my eye), graphics you can borrow, and of course, Pinterest for Beginners boards.  In all, there are (today at least) 28 boards for you to explore while you familiarize yourself with Pinterest marketing.

Why do we do it?  Because it’s free and because it works.  Why should you do it?  Because it’s free and because it works and because where else are you also going to find 1,000 new ways to display jewelry in your retail space? 

And it’s fun.  Pinterest is the new social media method for sharing your favorite things with women and men from around the globe.  You just have to get your images of your products out there for them to share.  What could be easier?

Happy pinning!

Pick Up Sticks Girls Tell Their Stories

If you’re a Pick Up Sticks customer, you’ve probably had the good fortune to meet one or more members of our staff, either by phone or at market in the booth.  We don’t use the term employee – these girls are collaborators, customer expectation gurus, internet geniuses, design assistants, managers, and some days at 3:00 p.m., they’re our workout buddies.  Best of all, they’re our friends and they feel like family.

They are what makes Pick Up Sticks tick, and we recently asked each of them to write their own bio to further introduce themselves to our blog readers and website visitors.  This week you get Jalaina, Candace and Brenda; later on you’ll hear from Anna Lee and Bunny.

Here’s what they said:

Jalaina and her husband, Brandon

Jalaina:

Jalaina Foster has been at Pick Up Sticks since 2001, when she came in for an interview after graduating from high school.  Glena had been her 6^th grade teacher, and wanting to dress to impress, Jalaina got herself totally groomed for her job interview.  After they hired her, Sabrina and Glena laughingly instructed her to NEVER dress like that for work.  They still tease her about that interview outfit.

Jalaina has a deep love for the company born from all she’s learned from Glena and Sabrina; she feels like she’s grown up with company.  It also helps that working there is such great fun and she gets to meet people she never would have met otherwise.

Jalaina has been married to the love of her life, Brandon, for five years.  Their son, Braddock, has them both wrapped around his little finger.

Here are some random facts Jalaina wanted to share with you:

-She wears all sorts of hats at Pick Up Sticks which includes office manager, customer service, accounts receivable, returns department, computer tech, QuickBooks nerd. . .

-She has her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Guns Up!!

-She has her Master’s Degree in Communication Disorders from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico

-She loves to pamper myself

Candace and Princess Jemma

Candace:

Candace Sievert was on a cold, wintry Spring Break trip in 2009 when she received the phone call that she was officially a new employee at Pick Up Sticks Jewelry.  Originally from Utah, she landed in eastern New Mexico when her Military Dad was stationed at Clovis.  Before going to work for Pick Up Sticks, she worked for lawyers (bless her heart) and was going to school.

Little did she know that becoming a Pick Up Sticks Girl would change her life. Through the quirky, loving life views of Sabrina, the wise tough lessons of Glena, and the responsibilities required to help promote the amazing business they created, Candace thinks she may have finally settled down.

She married her best friend Joe a couple of years ago and now has a nine-month old daughter, the Princess Jemma. She has two dogs: Luke (shitzu) and Ndomukong (German shepherd) and is learning to cook something new every day from the recipes and advice she receives from the Pick Up Sticks Ladies.

Brenda Bollinger

Brenda:

After a 34 year career in banking, Brenda Bollinger loves that she got the chance to come to work for Pick Up Sticks. Given that her daughter Jalaina had worked for them for years, she already knew Glena and Sabrina and knew they would be great bosses.

Brenda says one of the best things about working for Pick UP Sticks is the customer contact and learning about the operation of a wholesale business.  Getting to meet most of Pick Up Sticks’ retailers at the shows as well as speaking with them on the phone makes the job much more interesting.

Brenda also appreciates the fact that Glena and Sabrina ask their employees for input as new designs are being created. She feels like they consider everyone as part of the creative process, and they really listen to employee suggestions.

It makes for a great corporate culture, and Brenda says “My job has truly been a joy, and the fact that I am able to work with my daughter Jalaina every day is a plus.”

Thanks Jalaina, Candace and Brenda.  Pick Up Sticks wouldn’t be a success without you, and we appreciate you every single day!

Pick Up Sticks Retailer of the Month – SoBo Loft Boutique

This month we have the privilege of featuring SoBo Loft Boutique  at 1820 South Boulevard, Suite 200 in Charlotte, North Carolina (704-333-3422) as our Retailer of the Month.  Once you’ve had a chance to read this post on how SoBo successfully retails Pick Up Sticks, please consider liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter!

When you ask Trudy Green of SoBo Loft Boutique & Gifts in Charlotte, North Carolina, what she thinks of when someone mentions Pick Up Sticks, she’s quick to say, “They’re the ORIGINAL double-sided vintage photo charms. There are no substitutes!”

SoBo Loft looks like the kind of place you’d like to spend an afternoon browsing.  It’s the store that Trudy and her husband dreamed of owning for years – they had done multi-merchant retail in a partnership in a prior store, but she says SoBo Loft is “our own baby – we can shape and mold it into the perfect store.”  Focusing on local art and trying to support local artists, they carry an eclectic blend of merchandise.

“We have local artists making mosaic belt buckles, hand-crafted guitar picks, jewelry, baby apparel and so much more. We carry candle, bath, apparel, accessories, stationery, housewares, baby and bridal. We have a second floor location in an old mill building that was constructed in the 1920’s. We have 20’ ceilings, huge old metal-paned windows, brick walls, hardwood floors and a wooden beamed ceiling. Needless to say…we love it! Most importantly our goal is to create an atmosphere that customers love…like an escape. We want to mold relationships…be more than just a corner store.”

And why did they choose Pick Up Sticks?  “Several years ago I purchased Pick Up Sticks in a really cool retail store. After wearing it…loving it…collecting it…giving it as gifts…I decided to carry it in our store! In the beginning I couldn’t buy it because our territory wasn’t available. I was thrilled when our territory became open!”

Trudy’s advice for displaying Pick Up Sticks is to search for a vintage look.  “Anything old – old hats, old purses, old books, old furniture. We have an antique printer’s tray and old silver scale that we really like.”

And of course, to sell it, Trudy says, “First and foremost…WEAR IT!!! Whatever I’m wearing is what sells. Make a presence with your display…make it look special.”

At SoBo Loft, word candy sells well, and the initial charms are always a hit. Trudy says they’re a safe gift for the most bewildered of buyers.

We asked Trudy if Pick Up Sticks had changed the atmosphere in her store.  “As I mentioned previously, we really focus on original art and Pick Up Sticks falls right into that category. Although y’all aren’t local, we sell your product as a ‘little miniature piece of art’ that you can wear around your neck and when we introduce our customers to the line we say that cousins created the line, and we tell your story.  Customers love to hear stories. So, we definitely feel it enhances and adds character to our store.”

And because Trudy is such an important customer, we asked her how we could improve.  “I’d like to say we really appreciate your loyalty and the protection you provide for your customers. I believe it really makes the product seem special, the fact that you can’t get it on every corner. We love the way you guys are constantly creating new charms.  It keeps it new and fresh! As we both know there are lots of ‘imitators’.  Don’t be influenced by them…too big…too blingy…just too too…stay true to what y’all do best.”

Trudy and her store are both great fun, and we’re happy to feature them as our March Retailer of the Month.  Next time you’re in Charlotte, drop in and say hello. And if you can’t get to Charlotte, check out their website and the YouTube video that gives you a virtual tour of the store. You’re going to love this place!

Pick Up Sticks and Craft Business Heroes

As we told you last week, we’ve been included in a couple of books, Craft Business Heroes and The Craft Business Handbook. These are great books, and we like to think that maybe, just maybe, the info we provided to the author Alison McNicol will be helpful to some crafty creative person out there who’s trying to make their dreams come true.

Pick Up Sticks - the early days (at one of our first retail shows)

The stuff about the early days of Pick Up Sticks is fun to read.  Here’s an excerpt from Craft Business Heroes about that time in our career:

Alison:  You each had your own successful careers before joining forces to launch Pick Up Sticks. Whose idea was it?

Sabrina:  “Glena had already opened a jewelry store, and I told her that I had an idea for how to combine photos and jewelry, and wanted to know if she would be willing to try to sell some of my pieces. She said yes, so I made about 20 photo charms; they got a lot of attention in her store.

At the time, I was living in Arizona and Glena was living in New Mexico, and I heard about a wholesale show. We applied, were accepted, and we quickly realized that we had no idea what we were doing! We didn’t know how to write an order, we used waitress ticket books. We had no displays, so we took antiques from my house.

We didn’t know industry terminology like minimum order, lead time, net 30, or exclusivity, so we had no rules. We wrote a couple of thousand dollars worth of orders, and thought, “we’re rich!” But there was the heavy realization that we now had to make all of this jewelry ourselves! Let’s just say that Glena and I stayed up until 3am for weeks, there was lots of vodka consumed, and we never got out of our pajamas!”

Alison:  Describe the early days of your business?

Sabrina:  “We were flying by the seat of our pants! The learning curve was like a roller-coaster ride. Traveling to cities where we had never been, going to market, it was fun, exciting and terrifying all at the same time!”

Pick Up Sticks girls (and Bunny) in New York in 2003

While the early stories are fun, the practical info provided in Craft Business Heroes and The Craft Business Handbook is invaluable.  Alison presents 30 different crafting entrepreneurs’ take on how to make it out there in the retail and wholesale jungle.  Here’s another excerpt of Sabrina’s interview:

Alison:  What have been your experiences, from your very first show, right up until now? Any tips for those considering their first big trade show?

Sabrina:  “Buyers are at market to make important investment decisions, so provide them with helpful information about your line. These are professional, intelligent business people, and they don’t need to be pressured.

Do not “Sell”—EDUCATE.  When you are tempted to “sell”, ask questions instead. What kind of a store do you have? Have you seen our line before? Do you carry anything similar? I know this seems like suicide, but encourage buyers to comparison shop. Ask them to let you know if they find a product that is similar to yours, that is better than yours. This will give you invaluable feedback on your pricing and quality.

Think of your booth backdrop as a billboard. Use beautiful graphics, showing your company name and clear product photographs. Use handouts sparingly, and think small. We give out a postcard with lovely product photography and contact information. We highlight our online catalog. Printing a full catalog is expensive, damn it. Plus, buyers do not want to carry a lot of bulky paperwork.

Glena and Sabrina with Greg and Dilynn from Language Art, two great vendor friends at the Atlanta market,

Have a current customer list; cut the dead wood out before every tradeshow. Serious buyers need to know if there is someone in their area that already carries your line.

Use the lulls in traffic to network with other exhibitors, and for goodness sake be nice to them. Better yet, make friends with other exhibitors, and refer buyers back and forth. Other exhibitors have become our greatest mentors over the years.”

The interview goes on for several pages in Craft Business Heroes.  We’re pretty sure you’re going to want to grab a copy of both books immediately.

At Pick Up Sticks, we believe every creative person out there should find a way to do what they’re best at, believe deeply in what they’re creating, and then figure out how to profit from that skill.  It worked for us, after a lot of hard work, crazy mistakes and botched ideas. We’re living proof that the goofiest plans, hatched at 3 a.m. over a Corona in Sabrina’s kitchen, can turn into a life’s dream.

Bunny on Why I Love Pick Up Sticks

Glena, Bunny and Sabrina in Central Park, circa 2003

The first day of second grade at Logan Elementary, when I was still an undersized, silly and scrawny mama’s baby who pretended almost every day to have a stomachache so that I could stay at home, I met Shelley Henry (now Shelley Wallin). Shelley was taller and tougher than me (as was everyone else at Logan Elementary), even though she was only starting first grade, and she was ultimately cooler. She showed up for the first day of school with a cast on her arm, which only made her cooler and tougher still. Shelley was already tragically hip in the first grade. And I was a total dweeb.

Shelley, Bunny and Glena, circa 1977

She backed me up against a wall with that arm in a cast and  demanded that I say my name. “Bunny Tewwy,” I told her. She demanded again, and I failed again to get it right, and there may have been some crying and a bit of yelling from Mrs. Smith, the third-grade teacher on recess duty that day. But the next day, Shelley became my friend. And by junior high, although we were a grade apart, we were inseparable.

And yes, for those of you who are worrying about it, by third grade I could pronounce my “R’s”, although there are people who still call me, affectionately, Bunny Tewwy.

Having Shelley as my friend was a life-changing experience for a lot of reasons. She was fun and smart and beautiful and had no fear and we led one another on a number of crazy adventures, all of which I can’t discuss in this post simply because she’s now a high school teacher. But one of the greatest advantages of being Shelley’s friend was that I also got to be, for all practical purposes, a member of her family. I slept at her house several nights a week. I ate lots of meals at the Henry’s table, and, just like a sibling, Anna Lee always made me help with the cleanup.

Glena and Bunny at the Logan High Prom (dorky dates edited out)

All of which meant that I got to be pals with Shelley’s sister, Glena, and eventually, when she finally grew out of her gawky stage, with their cousin, Sabrina. Sabrina is eight years younger than me, and in elementary school she was this incredibly gangly kid wearing headgear and braces and glasses thicker than coke bottles. Glena and Shelley and I used to allow her to ride around in the back of their 1976 Camaro ONLY if she ducked her head when we drove past a car full of boys.

While Glena and I were picking prom dresses, Sabrina was hanging in the background, hoping we’d be at least civil enough to allow her to be present for the corsage-pinning and the picture-taking with the dates. Thank goodness she grew out of her gawkiness (she’s a freaking swan now) and we grew out of our high school girl-nastiness.

Bunny and Sabrina, circa 1978. For once, Sabrina's the shorter one in this photo. . .

Which leads me, in a very roundabout way, to my story of how much I love Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Company. Glena and Sabrina are my lifelong  friends and I’d walk on glass or hot coals for them, but more than that, they are my family. We have an extended history that involves riding in the back of pickups and skiing behind fast boats and dancing with questionable cowboys in honky-tonks and being up to our noses in swimming pools and playing with Great Danes and Poodles and Dalmatians and spending nights in trailer parks and seedy bars in Hell’s Kitchen and about a thousand other things.

They are like sisters to me, just like Shelley is, and they have, by following their hearts, created Pick Up Sticks, a business that is successful and that feeds both their souls every day. They somehow found a way to do exactly the thing that each of them does well, and I am incredibly proud of them for taking what came naturally to them and turning it into a business that makes so many people happy.

They are New Mexico artists and business women who have found their niche and  created a product that’s gorgeous at the same time that it’s profitable.  They are our own Quay County success story.

If you’re a follower of this blog, you probably already know Glena and Sabrina.  You’ve met them at market, or at least on the phone, and you’ve ordered Pick Up Sticks jewelry, and you’ve been thrilled with the response you’ve gotten from the product.

What’s really important for you to know is that the reason this jewelry is so fabulous and sells so well is because of who Glena and Sabrina are and why they get up in the morning.  Pick Up Sticks, like Glena and Sabrina, is all about celebrating the strong and special women in our lives.

When Sabrina sits down to design a charm, she’s not thinking about profit or the bottom line – she’s thinking about what will inspire you, what will make you laugh, what will show you the humor and joy in this side show we call life.

When Glena goes into the office each morning, it’s not to count the number of orders that have come in – it’s to check all the communications and the status of customer requests.  She’s dedicated to making sure everyone who orders, sells and then wears Pick Up Sticks finds the process effortless and profitable.  Her heart is in making sure you’re happy.

That’s why I love these girls, and why I love Pick Up Sticks.  This post (which has previously appeared, in part, in my I love New Mexico Blog) is my celebration of them.  Thanks, Glena and Sabrina, for being the strong and special women in my life and for  creating a company with so much heart.

Do you have your own story about why you love Pick Up Sticks and Glena and Sabrina?  We’d love to hear all about it.  In the next few weeks, we’re going to give you even more insight into the Why of Pick Up Sticks.

We know you have lots of choices when it comes to choosing jewelry for your retail space – we just want to let you know that when you choose Pick Up Sticks, you’re choosing a company that celebrates women, and a company that’s a combination of history, heart, soul and inspiration!  Stay tuned. . .

Pick Up Sticks Retailer of the Month – Pear & Simple

“Fun, chunky, blingy girlfriend gifts!”  That’s the response we got when we asked this month’s Retailer of the Month what they think of when someone says, “Pick Up Sticks Jewelry.”  You know us – we love fun and we love our girlfriends, so we thought that
response deserved top billing in this post.

Our August Retailer of the Month is Pear & Simple, located at 314 Franklin Street in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  It’s the kind of place where you’d want to hang out for an hour or two, trying on their extensive line of accessories, admiring their home goods, choosing a baby gift for someone special, or leafing through their stationery and books.  And if that’s not enough, they offer unique classes and demonstrations to add a little fun and excitement to your shopping experience.

How did they choose Pick Up Sticks for their store?  Here’s what they said:  “The quality of both the actual jewelry and the artwork.  Many companies use stock work and kitchy sayings.  Pick Up Sticks artwork are both the best in the photo jewelry industry.  We love the silver frames around each charm.  You also offer a very nice selection of trinkets and charms that sell well.”

Pear & Simple’s advice is to display your Pick Up Sticks in a manner that’s creative but easy for the customer to search.  If a customer can easily locate a charm and a matching trinket in a hurry, they’re more likely to buy several complimenting pieces.

Pick Up Sticks has proven to be a great addition to Pear & Simple and they’ve served to make folks feel better as well.  “We have lots of folks who buy the inspirational charms after a long illness – say, cancer.”  In their store, Word Candy charms have long been the best sellers, and on Valentine’s Day, they had an expectant dad who came in and brought the candy initial of their soon-to-be-born baby boy for his wife.  That just happens to be one of Pear & Simple’s favorite Pick Up Sticks stories.  And now our’s too.

Check out Pear & Simple if you’re in the neighborhood.  And give them our best for best for doing such a great job displaying and marketing their Pick Up Sticks. 

Pick Up Sticks Gift to You for Enduring this Crazy Winter

New Photo Charms included in special

We’re extending our Show Specials through the end of February – it’s our way of making up for the nasty winter weather we all had to endure!

It’s true – January 2011 was a month for the record books as far as wintry weather goes – Atlanta and New York both received FIVE times as much snow as they usually do – and we were right in the middle of it during show season.

20" and 36" stainless ball chain

If this meant that you were unable to attend market in Atlanta, Dallas or New York, we totally understand. But we missed seeing you, and to prove how much we appreciate you, we’re extending our show specials through the end of February.

What this means is that you can have our top 30 best-selling charms or our new charm collection at a discount. To sweeten the deal, we’re adding a stainless steel chain special as well.

Here’s how it works: Order any of the specials listed below between now and midnight on February 28, and we’ll give you the same discount you would have received if you had ordered in the booth at market. It will be just like going to market, except without the snow boots, scarves and mittens that were required apparel this year.

And as always, if you’re not a retailer, but you’d really like to see Pick Up Sticks at your favorite store, send them to us!

Top 30 Show Special

October Retailer of the Month – Ultimate Impressions of Peosta, Iowa

 

We say it all the time, and of course, it’s true – we love our retailers.  We wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for you.  This month our Retailer of the Month is Ultimate Impressions, 742 Peosta Street, Peosta, IA (563-584-0018), a successful salon and spa operated by Shawn Kluesner for the past 14 years.

Shawn first received a piece of Pick Up Sticks from her husband as a gift.  She says people kept stopping her and asking her where she found her unique necklace – she finally decided it was time to carry the line.  When we asked her the best recommendation she could give other Pick Up Sticks retailers, she replied, “Just wear it!!! This jewelry sells itself.”

Shawn says she associates the words “Pick Up Sticks” with “different, fun and changeable.”  She likes that it adds something to the ambience of her salon – it gives customers something to look at and laugh over while they’re waiting to get their hair done.

Ultimate Impressions’ customers seem to buy more glitter and glam than anything else – they prefer the disco drops, glitter faceted glass charms, box charms and trinkets.  In fact Shawn says that they keep asking for more bling to wear to weddings and special events.

She keeps a necklace rack and shadow box loaded with jewelry on the front desk – when people are paying for their salon or spa services, they have a great excuse to buy a new necklace to go with their new look.  And if they already own a piece of Pick Up Sticks, they’re even more likely to buy something to add to their collection.

If you’re hanging out somewhere near Peosta, Iowa, this month be sure to stop in and congratulate Shawn on being chosen as our Retailer of the Month for October.  Admire her necklace and then buy one for yourself!

Pick Up Sticks and Gorgeous Girls!

They’re all friends and family!  And we’re proud to see them wearing Pick Up Sticks!