In Recognition of Small and Location-Based Retailers – February 2021

Scott C. Borowsky

Small and location-based retailers have been taking extra steps to reach out to and serve their communities. Making sure local customers, and visitors, are met with great customer service and merchandise is nothing new to the owners and managers of these types of businesses. Running a smaller store takes an organized mind and an eye for detail, qualities that were really brought forward to shine during the last 13 months, as some store owners and managers were forced to operate with less staff members, and even on their own, to meet customers’ needs and wants during pandemic restrictions. This year, Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties (SGN) will continue to gather retailers’ insights and advice by interviewing store owners and employees throughout the United States, as we strive to connect our readers with one another, and with our advertisers, for better shop operations.
Gifts, especially home décor items, have been currently selling well for a variety of store types. In this edition, we offer a special expanded Gift Report that includes the stories “Growing Gift Sales at Botanical Garden Shops,” “Hot Sellers for the Home – The Home Décor Gift Picture at Boutiques,” “Gifts at Waterside Stores – Capturing Coastal Magic with Special Merchandise,” and “Country and Candy Stores: Trends in Edible Gifts.”
Name-dropped, custom, and licensed products have also been enjoying sales. To address this trend, we offer in this edition a special Name-Dropped and Custom Products section that includes stories covering zoo, cave, cavern, public lands, and sports stores.
The issue also covers apparel for summer at resort-locale boutiques, jewelry at museum shops, best-selling merchandise at pharmacies, variety, and discount stores, plush and toy sales at water and amusement parks, and other topics and store types. And don’t miss the timely story “Fun Distractions for the Times – Game and Puzzle Best-Sellers at Toy Stores” by Contributor June Allan Corrigan that includes the bonus sidebar “Simple or Complicated Directions? Which Board Games Sell Best?”
I hope you enjoy the issue. For even more original content sent directly to your inbox, visit www.sgnmag.com, click on Subscribe, and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for the free SGN eNewsletter. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, please contact me directly with a Facebook message, by emailing editorsgnmag@Kanec.com, or by calling 610-645-6950.

Scott C. Borowsky
President and Executive Editor
Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties magazine