Casual Living Blogs
How to sell more grills: don't be a twin!
I just finished talking with a retailer whom I thought might be a good grill dealer for us. I was still scratching my head over their comments to me, "We got out of the grill business a year ago, we just can't compete with the big box stores."That retailer is both right and wrong. Right in the fact that, no, the independent business cannot compete against a large, national retailer based... More
About this blog
Bruce Bjorkman is the director of sales and marketing for Dallas, Oregon-based MAK GRILLS, an award winning manufacturer of wood pellet smoker-grills. Bjorkman has been part of the wood pellet grill industry since 1991, and is considered to be one of the nation's leading experts in barbecuing, grilling and smoking. Bjorkman has just begun his eleventh year of hosting Cooking Outdoors With Mr. Barbecue, a weekly radio program heard on 15 radio stations through out the Northwest. His career path includes more than 30 years in advertising, marketing and media. He is also the author of The Great Barbecue Companion, published by Ten Speed Press, now part of Random House Publishing. You may email him at bruce@makgrills.com.
Trendy or Timeless
I was recently asked, “Since patio furniture is so expensive, how can I be sure I don’t buy something trendy which could be out of date in just a few years?” To be honest, I was at a loss as to what to say. As I considered my answer, I realized I didn’t have a good feel for what is “trendy” in today’s outdoor industry. In fact, I am not sure I can tell you what is “trendy” in any industry. So, I s... More
About this blog
Bruce Aronson and his family have been in the outdoor industry since 1952. Their single location store is the largest specialty outdoor furniture retail store in the New Orleans area. Although Bruce has served as VP of The Casual Furniture Retailers Association and has been active in the industry for many years, he does not claim to be any less confused by retail than any other retailer out there.
World Views
I don't know if you've noticed, but we've embarked on quite the adventure here at Casual Living. Beginning in April we published installment one of our three-part International Feature series. (Think of it as the counterpart to our recent three-part Made in America series.) Editor Cinde Ingram - my co-pilot and fellow traveler - flew to China to attend Outdoor Lifestyle Hangzhou and to get a read... More
About this blog
Nicole Crews is the new Executive Editor for Casual Living. She will oversee and direct the editorial content of the publication and web site. Nicole also will bring her extensive knowledge of the home furnishings business to this weekly blog, Outside Insider. Feel free to comment on the blog or contact Nicole directly at ncrews@casualliving.com.
How's the weather?
Unseasonably warm weather combined with an earlier Easter holiday to encourage many U.S. shoppers to consider their outdoor areas sooner than usual this spring.The warming trend contributed to a solid sales growth pattern, the National Retail Association reported last month. Consumers were holding their own against rising gas prices and other economic concerns, according to Matthew Shay, NRF presi... More
About this blog
Cinde W. Ingram: Casually Speaking
Hi, this is Cinde W. Ingram and I'm the Editor in Chief of Casual Living and Garden Decor. Each week I hope to use this blog space to stay in touch with our readers. I want to know what you think about new products, markets, the retail climate and, most of all, Casual Living. Let me know what's going on. Check out my latest below.
Savvy Shoppers
Gaining consumer trust through online reviewsWithout a doubt, today's consumer is more complex than ever. And if we only know a few things about her, we know that she's informed, armed (with information), dangerous, demanding and wants what she wants when she wants it. If you can't deal with her on her terms and timetable, too bad, she'll simply go down the road and find some merchant who can and... More
About this blog
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the editor-in-chief of Furniture/Today, sister publication to Casual Living. In that role, I oversee the editorial content of our publication and our Web site, www.furnituretoday.com, I create content for the paper and the Web site, I pen a weekly column, maintain a blog, create the content for an annual Leadership Conference, and try to stay as plugged in as possible to every aspect of the residential furniture business.
The Joys of a Poolside Retreat
As a child, I longed for a pool in my very own backyard. Neighbor kids would boast about their easy swimming access and days filled with water fun. To me, the ability of being able to swim as long as I wanted was a dream. Now, as an adult, I still want that backyard fun-filled pool, though maybe not for the same reasons. I understand and yearn for the unique design and entertaining opportunity... More
About this blog
Marcia Blake is President / Creative Director of Outdoor Interiors® a design firm specializing in creating outdoor living spaces. She also provides design and consulting services for outdoor furniture manufacturers and has launched a new collection of soft goods and accessories she designed called Outdoor Couture®, she is an active member of the Color Marketing Group, ASID and ICFA.
Facebook Timeline
Put your game face on. Just when you thought you had gotten the hang of managing your company's Facebook page, there are important changes. Effective March 30th, all business pages will be converted to the Timeline format. Any change, even for the better, is hard for most people. But there are some great advantages for brands if you effectively leverage the Timeline. In fact, the new features o... More
About this blog
Hi, I'm Penny Schneck, the Online Sales Manager for Furniture/Today. Over the last eight years I've seen the Internet transform not just the way we advertise, but the way we do business. It is the great disintermediary. I've personally seen it change the travel, financial services and employment advertising businesses. I've no doubts that its impact on the way we buy and sell home furnishings will continue to grow. This growth will be accelerated by the recession as consumers and businesses look for new ways to communicate and transact business. The Web is certainly the Wild West of our time with global implications and new technologies at every turn, but that's what makes it exciting. Join us on this special blog for a lively discussion on the benefits and challenges the Web offers to our industry. I look forward to a lively debate! Email: pschneck@sandowmedia.com
Banks are Lending!!!
Seven months ago my client was presented with their bank's plan of forced liquidation. That's when they called me. Even while charging 10% interest on a fully collateralized loan, the bank had lost patience and was ready to force change. Options from alternative lenders were all in the range of 16% - 18%.Today my client has offers to lend $10million at 3% interest from four strong regional a... More
About this blog
Turning Points is dedicated to helping industry leaders survive the current recession and to prepare for success in the inevitable economic recovery.
