While exploring the internet, we stumbled across the website of Halsea, a California-based luggage and handbag company. With a subtle beach theme, vibrant colors, and bold patterns, Halsea's products exude California fun while maintaining casual sophistication. A nice array of products--weekend bags, clutch wallets, lunch totes, sunglass cases, totes and more--allows anyone to incorporate that casual sophistication into everyday life.  While picking a favorite product is not easy, we found two that we were drawn to:

The China Cove Weekend Bag, shown in Sunset Pink, is the perfect size for a weekend getaway; it is durable (canvas bag with leather trim and metal feet) as well as adaptable (there is a detachable shoulder strap in addition to the handles shown).  Best of all, though, are the subtle  shell pattern and fun colors.

We also could not resist the clutch wallets, available in all four Halsea patterns and shown above in Little Harbor Kelp and Coffee.  These can work as traditional wallets, holding all the essentials... plus a pen! Moreover, their stylish and fun exteriors enable them to stand alone as a clutch.  Our favorite Halsea pattern, Little Harbor, reminds us of some of our own products: the pattern of our Tahiti products is similar, while the colors in our Patio Trellis Green and Brown products parallel Halsea's Kelp and Coffee colors.  

We can't resist Halsea's love of pattern and color, and we love their concept of casual sophistication.  We hope that you are as inspired by their products as we are! 

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Somewhere in our journeys, we stumbled upon the whimsical, colorful, inspirational work of Lisa Corti.

These cushions, set against the muted classic French blue and gold tones of the French settee, do nothing but pop. Available at The Corner Store in Sonoma. Image via The Corner Store.

More Lisa Corti available at Christine Foley, Die Scheune, Ethnic Chic, or Lisa Corti's site.

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Yum: green chippendale chair, original painting by J. Grumbles at Uptown Country Home.

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Happy Friday! Today we have another Noted Retailer to share with you: Pinney Kelly Paper! I'm not sure when and where I actually met Katie and Sarah, the founders of Pinney Kelly Paper, but it was probably at a trade show somewhere, and it is safe to say that we became fast friends! They are known in other circles as being the founders of donovandesigns. As the owners of two bustling businesses, I want to thank Katie and Sarah for taking time out of their day to answer some of our favorite retailer questions.

WE: What inspired you to open a store?

PKP: A friend called out of the blue and said a small retail space had just opened in her neighborhood and wanted to throw out the idea of opening a stationery store.  It was something I had always dreamed of doing but knew with already being so busy with our growing wholesale business it was not something I could do on my own.  Sarah and I met with this friend. Lisa, to chat about it and we all agreed to give it a go.  It made sense because we already had donovandesigns products and it was fun to add other paper and gift items that we love, to give it a nice variety.

 

WE: How would you describe your store's style?

PKP: Fun, friendly and affordable.  It’s a small store... (About 800 square feet) but we keep it stocked with quick pick up items.  We try to keep the non personalized pick up items between $5-$25 and then we also have many custom albums for people to find the perfect stationery, notepad or invitation.

WE: What is your store's "signature" or specialty?

PKP: This is such a small detail but we always have gumballs on our counter.  People love them, they look super cute and the school kids come in specifically for them and the Mrs. Grossman’s stickers.   Our other signature would be the donovandesigns products since Pinney Kelly Paper is the flagship store for donovandesigns. The customers know we are a local company and they like to support us for that reason.

 

WE: What is the biggest challenge you face as a retailer, and what do you do to combat it?

PKP: We offer a wide variety of custom products and a big challenge is making sure the employees are well versed on each company’s products and procedures.  In order to combat this we are regularly training the sales associates to ensure they adhere to each company policies.

WE: What is your favorite part of being a retailer?

PKP: As exhausting as they are, I truly love the markets. It’s so fun finding new and unique products and even better when we get to see our customer’s reactions to them once they arrive in the store.

WE: Do you mind sharing a merchandising tip or trick?

PKP:  We shuffle merchandise all the time.  We find that as soon as we move things around some products that may not have sold before start selling.  We also change the window often.  Our store is in a small neighborhood and many people window shop at night so we like to update it all the time.

WE: What trends do you currently see in the gift and/or paper market?

PKP: I love how many of the stationery manufacturers are going beyond paper with fun accessories such as; picture frames, recipe boxes, bag tags, tote bags, desk accessories and lots more.  It’s great how it all coordinates together.

Thank you, Katie and Sarah, and thank you for those gorgeous pictures! For those of you in the Columbus area, run over to Pinney Kelly Paper and say hello. Their address is 1991 Guilford Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221.

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Hi, Friends! Today marks the first issue of a new type of post for us: Noted Retailers! We asked Heidi Kallett, of The Dandelion Patch in Virginia to tell us a little bit more about what makes her store so unique.

WEK: What inspired you to open a store?

HK: When I was President of the Junior League and my term was expiring, I was trying to figure out what challenge I wanted to take on next. As I thought about the things that really make me who I am: I love to entertain, have a fondness for tradition and respect for the latest fashion trends-- I couldn't think of a better fit than to build The Dandelion Patch empire around fine stationery and personalized gifts.

WEK: How would you describe your store's style?

HK: Comfortable. Preppy-Chic. Fun. Perhaps my customers say it best, that "coming into our store is like going to a girlfriends' home."

WEK: What is your store's "signature" or specialty?

HK: At The Dandelion Patch, it's our goal to help make your wishes come true. So-making things personal is what we're known for. From formal wedding and back yard BBQ invitations to the perfect hostess gift, we are the experts in gracious expressions.    

WEK: What is the biggest challenge you face as a retailer, and what do you do to combat it?

HK: As we continue to grow, we are faced with the challenge of finding enough great people to grow with us. We've created an awesome culture of team work, respect and unparalleled customer service. As a result, we don't just hire anyone. Although our retention rate is impressive, with our 400% growth in 3 years, we are always looking for great employees that are interested in helping us build an empire of goodness and great customer service!   

WEK: What is your favorite part of being a retailer?

HK: I love the fact that in our business we are (mostly) about the good stuff in life: weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, anniversaries and special celebrations. I always feel special after completing a customer's order-like we'll be part of that event forever. We are lucky to have the best customers in the world!

WEK: Do you mind sharing a merchandising tip or trick?

HK:  We have found that by using our packaging as display items, it helps promote our brand as well as add visual interest to our merchandising. Now, all of our packaging is branded with dandelions, so it's hard to miss....

WEK: What trends do you currently see in the gift and/or paper market?

HK: I believe that monograms rule the world right now... they are everywhere! No longer are the formal monograms relegated to only fine stationery (which everyone still wants, of course) but now we find monograms on handbags, office products, serving pieces, clothing and even shoes!

Thank you, Heidi!! If you are in the Virginia area, try to get by one of The Dandelion Patch's two locations: Vienna at 111 Church Street or Reston at 11923 Market Street. If you can't make it to Virginia any time soon, be sure to check out Heidi's new blog!

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Hello, friends. Short story short: I'm spending the month of July in NYC at Parsons School of Design. It will be a fun month, and I don't intend to bore anyone with the mundande details, but just sort of wanted a way to record my adventures.

Summary of events so far:

David and I arrived Friday evening. We had dinner at craftsteak. Was divine. The steak was awesome--probably one of the best I have ever had--while I could have selected something else than the gnocchi and creamed spinach for sides. My favorite part of the meal was dessert, of course--chocolate souffle with banana chip ice cream. And they gave us little crumb cakes for the road. I highly recommend.

Saturday: we walked around. Thrilling, I know. Up Fifth Avenue, over to Madison Avenue and the Ralph Lauren store, which I hadn't been to before, lunch at Mezzaluna (exquisite tuna salad on greens with a touch of lemon). Dinner was at Sapa--a highly recommended and swanky new place that had interesting Asian fusion dishes. My favorite part--the luscious little warm chocolate chip cookies they passed around after dinner.

Sunday was pizza and ice cream day. Heading towards Soho, we discovered that although the neighborhood maintains fantabulous retail establishments, including the Kate Spade flagship store (can you imagine my delight?), it offers little in the way of food, street vendors and sidewalk cafes alike. We stopped in for brunch at Balthazar, perfect in a French-artsy-twenties sort of feel--the hydrangeas in the lobby entranced me. Vintage tile, brass in the bar, a limited, but divinely French menu, and well-oiled, seemingly ancient woodwork was all a treat. In the true bent of tourists, David and I headed to the Upper East Side and downed a Totonno's pizza and then headed over to Serendipity for a frozen hot chocolate and the smaller (but still humongous) portion of one of their signature ice cream sundaes.

Monday, my first day of class began with an orientation, followed by a brief review of the syllabus and a short jaunt to the Cooper-Hewitt, which I immensely loved, if only for the architecture. It was exquisitely high Victorian, and I hated the fact that they had turned it into a museum. When I was little and we toured the antebellum plantations on vacation, I could always envision myself clip-clopping down the wide halls in silk slippers. It always seemed a grave disappointment that later generations had to come in and transpose the buildings for second purposes. The Cooper-Hewitt did not fall short in this category: while beautifully restored, it held no recollections of a home, with the exception of the floor plan. I appreciate that they preserved at least that, so I could imagine myself swirling down parquet floors in a silk gown. (The ballroom was divine).

Monday night we went to dinner at Bobby Van's. I was there, once, a couple of years ago, and the waiter had suggested the beef wellington, one of their signature dishes that they served regularly but did not list on the menu. Beef wellington is one of My Favorite Things in the Whole Wide World, so of course I ordered it, and of course it was divine. However, they appear to have several locations, and the one we went to on Monday night did not serve beef wellington. Swallowing my disappointment (which often registers in the way of frustration, but on this occasion, was bordering on tears), I decided to be a big girl and order fish or chicken, when the waiter came back saying the chef had offered to make us beef wellington. Sheer ecstasy followed. We skipped dessert in lieu of a pile of green beans and mashed potatoes.

Tuesday, class was interesting. We discussed dysfunctional design (around us, everywhere), and then headed to Fifth Avenue to dissect retail stores for the purpose of a final report. I couldn't pick one to analyze (though I do enough of that anyway) and wandered through Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Blanc de Chine and Tiffany's wondering why they were such morbid feeling retail spaces. I wanted to head over to Banana Republic where the music was jazzy and dance my way through a bevy of unneeded retail purchases. I abstained.

Tuesday night we went to dinner at Rosa Mexicano, the resident NYC Mexican restaurant. I had a scrumptious tuna salad with some mint/mango dressing and David ordered a chile relleno, stuffed with spinach and mushrooms, which I think failed his expectations.

Today, the fourth, has been no less of an adventure, with a trip to ABC Carpet and Home (warning: takes hours to devour) and Fish's Eddy. Dinner was at Paul and Jimmy's, which is a perfect, quiet, reasonably priced local Flatiron haunt.

I'm learning the neighborhoods, how to keep my bearings (N, S, E, W), have four books to read, and two assignments weekly, plus a large paper due on the fourth week to keep me busy. I have two flatmates, May and Aliyah (more on them later) and a dorm the size of a postage stamp. Also, have met several neat classmates; there are 18 in my class total and while we are a smorgasbord of individuals, I think it is a lovely sampling of experiences, and we have an excellent instructor who seems to be able to pull it all together and values every one's ideas individually.

Happy Fourth.

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