Wednesday, January 18, 2012

TO MARKET, TO MARKET WE GO by Stacy McSpadden



Travel with me to Americasmart!  


This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel with the CFO of Chestnut Hall to Market in Atlanta.  Our travels began on Saturday morning, and after 3 full days of shopping, we felt excited and well-informed about the trends we will be seeing in 2012.  If you have never attended Market in Atlanta, let me just say that you are missing an adventure.  Imagine three buildings in the heart of downtown Atlanta that are each 18 floors!  Yes, you're right - it's a shopper's paradise.  The good thing for me is that you cannot just walk into the showroom and make purchases for yourself.  

After walking around all day Saturday, I managed to have a Market injury.  I came back to the hotel Saturday night after walking literally close to 10 miles in one day, and I had the biggest blister on my foot, but business is business and sometimes you have to work through the pain!  Most people think, "Hey, it's just a huge shopping spree," but in reality, it is a lot of work.  You have to plan every detail.  You have to remember what you have already bought so that you don't buy too much of one category. Check your inventory reports to make sure you aren't duplicating items that you already have in stock back home.  Make sure you are buying items that will sell as far as price is concerned.  And make sure that you don't hurt the annoying woman who is somehow able to get into Market because her husband owns some business that has a tax number and she needs to find the perfect lamp for her entry!  Yes, this happens, but I digress....

Color was everywhere, and over the next few weeks, I will take you through some of these showrooms to show you the trends for 2012.  I am really excited for the things that are coming in to my store, and I hope that I practice some self-discipline when UPS starts bringing those boxes in through the doors of Chestnut Hall! Stay tuned.  We have some fun ahead of us!!!

Happy Decorating!

Stacy 






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