Skeeter Beater

From the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina, R&B's Skeeter Beater is a must-have for the summer months - and late spring and early fall, too, for those of us in the south!

Tested and proven in the swamps of North Carolina, it is a safe, effective 100% all-natural DEET-free insect repellant.  It repels mosquitoes, all biting flies, gnats, chiggers, bees, wasps, ticks and fleas.

Skeeter Beater is safe for all family members - from infants to grandma & grandpa - as well as pets and farm animals.  It also acts as an insect barrier when you spray areas where you are working, eating and playing.  You can even spray your doorways to keep those pesky insects away.

It is available in 3 sizes:

• 1-oz bottle, suggested retail $4.50
• 2-oz bottle, suggested retail $6.00
• 4-oz bottle, suggested retail $8.00

Skeeter Beater has no shelf life.  The longer it sits, the more effective it becomes.  You can have one at home, keep one in your car or pack one with your camping and fishing kit.

Sangria is more than just a drink

It's also the name of a fantastic line of women's accessories.

Stacy Perry, the owner of Sangria, spent 10 years as a retail executive for South Moon Under, buying and merchandising clothing and accessories from the best names in the business.

As a busy mother and a retail veteran, Stacy grew increasingly frustrated with overblown prices, waning quality and limited selections.  She saw the need in the marketplace for quality accessories that were both stylish and affordable.

She created Sangria as an eclectic collection of high-quality jewelry and accessories, sourcing the highest quality materials from the most reputable manufacturers and artisans.  She handpicks items designed specifically to endure the rigors of daily life. 

The line features a variety of bracelet styles such a 5-time and 3-time wrap bracelets in leather with colorful stones or with gold, silver and Swarovski crystals. 

The turquoise beaded bracelet photographed above is part of the popular beaded bracelet series that feature turquoise, mother of pearl and amethyst stones.  Suggest retail on the bracelet above is $32.

Sangria appeals to a variety of customers, and my customers reorder regularly.  Allow me to help design an assortment that is right for your store - and watch this business grow quickly.

KikiSol Resort Wear

I'm excited to introduce KikiSol to my customers in central and southern Virginia.

The KikiSol Resort Collection is a line of lightweight, vibrantly colored, tropical-inspired tunics of 100% cotton.  Each piece is comfortable and colorful, making the perfect choice for the weekend, travel or yoga.

Designer and owner Shawn Rhode's design sensibility has been influenced by the exotic urban coastal lifestyle on which she has thrived for the past 20 years.  She has moved between major cities like Los Angeles, New York City and Paris as well as tropical destinations like Hawaii, St. Thomas and Fort Myers. 

She now resides in the Charleston, South Carolina, area where she also operates a retail location of the same name selling her collection.  Her shop allows her to test market designs at retail before committing them to her wholesale line, which is a unique benefit to her retail partners.

Shawn believes that now more than ever women are looking to update their wardrobes with well-designed, reasonably-priced pieces.  Tunics are an easy way to spice up your look without putting a dent in your purse.

These are also great items for monogramming if you offer that service in your store.  In addition to the beautiful patterns, she also offers tunics in 5 solid colors: Black, White, Turquoise, Orange and Pink.

- Jeff

Vino2Go

No glass allowed?  No problem!

The Vino2Go wine sippy cup from Product Farm allows you to enjoy your wine anywhere on-the-go.  The lid design prevents spills on choppy oceans or while carting around the golf course.  Keep bugs and dirt out of your wine while tailgating, relaxing at the beach, by the pool or in the garden.

The best part?  It keeps your wine cool longer by insulating the exterior wall from the interior drink compartment.

Vino2Go is an 8-ounce SAN acrylic plastic cup that comes with a lid in your choice of 13 vibrant colors (Merlot Red is pictured).

Also available to pre-order are the Vino2GoXL (a 12-ounce version for real wine lovers) and the Brew2Go (a 16-ounce version for beer lovers).  Both are expected to ship by mid-August.

I've only worked with this product for 2 weeks and have already gotten reorders.  You need this on your shelves - it will make you money!

It's also a perfect item if your business does any vinyl monogramming.

- Jeff

Apothecary Collection from Paddywax

The new Apothecary collection from Paddywax is inspired by old world apothecary bottles in deep amber, filled with the perfect fragrance remedy.  The accompanying travel tins in gold make the quintessential pillbox to complete your traveling pharmacy.

Available in 6 distinctive fragrance blends:

• Chamomile & Fig
• Geranium & Basil
• Rosemary & Thyme
• Tobacco & Patchouli
• Verbena & Eucalyptus
• Vetiver & Cardamom

Apothecary begins shipping in late July, but it's never too soon to get your order in.  I already have my sample kit and am ready to meet at your convenience.

Jeff

Good problem to have

So how is your 2012 going so far?  Mine is fantastic, thanks for asking.  In fact, it's even better than I hoped for - which means I haven't had time to pull together posts for this blog as frequently as I had planned.  While that may disappoint the 3 of you who will read this, please know it was benign neglect and not willful abandonment.

"That's a good problem to have" is a phrase I overuse when talking to others (second only to the word "actually"), but this a rare occasion that I can apply it to my own situation. 

The foundation project is coming along nicely.  As with all construction projects, however, there has been a slight setback.  My car decided a week ago that it was just tired and needed a rest.  It's been a truly reliable companion - necessity, really - and I can't complain about it though I do wish it had retired closer to home and not in Georgia. 

My line package is lighter by one.  No, I'm not naming names - you'll have to guess.  People in this industry rarely talk about lines they lose, but the fact is that sometimes it's just not a good vendor-rep match and the best solution is dissolution of the relationship.

Oddly, it has turned out be a relief because my plate is full.  It's like when you find out an event has been canceled that you really didn't have time for, anyway, because you were overcommitted that week.

The Atlanta show was good (except for the car part), and now it's on to the New York show this weekend.  Based on my chats with customers, I'm expecting it to be well-attended and lucrative.  The holiday season was a good one for most retailers, so my optimism for 2012 remains unaltered.

Jeff

Welcome to Paddywax

Now that we have turned the calendar page to the new year, I am thrilled to announce the addition of Paddywax to my line package.

Pictured above is the new Botanicals collection for spring.  The 4 fragrances - Jasmine & Bamboo, Lavender & Thyme, Rosemary Eucalyptus, Orange Blossom - combine both floral and herbal notes.  They are packaged in linen paper-wrapped boxes and rope-wrapped vessels for a shelf-gorgeous product that really pops.

Also new for 2012 are some additions to the successful ECO Green collection.  There are 2 additional fragrances - Bamboo & Green Tea, Basil & Cucumber - and 2 additional products - fragrance diffuser and bar soap!

Wait....there is one more new collection called Wanderlust that features fragrances inspired by 4 travel destinations - New York, London, Paris and Rome.  (No, the NY one does not smell like urine.)

Still available are the Classic collection, Library collection, Garden Crush collection and Tapestry collection.  The Bee collection is now available in candle tins only.

I'm excited to come share my samples with you - or meet with you at market - so you can see for yourself why Paddywax belongs on your store's shelves!

The territory I cover for Paddywax is Virginia and Washington, DC.  It is one of the lines that I am repping for my friend Beth Safran, owner of What's in Store in Philadelphia.

Jeff Saunders