Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals

August 26, 1920 - 19th Amendment Adopted Giving Women the Right to Vote

On August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment was adopted giving women the right to vote. 

 

Miss Bindergarten is helping us commemorate this historic date.

Jellycat Junglie Zebra, Animal Model!

I have several design blogs that I read because I like to pretend that some day, I might actually do something to make my house look nicer. One of these blogs is Holly Mathis Interiors where I drool over many of her pictures. On Friday, one of the photos she used from Cookie Magazine caught my eye.  

 

What is the first thing that jumps out at you? The really cute little boy? The awesomely cool pirate ship? For me, it's the Jellycat Junglie Zebra reclining on the bed! Maybe it's because he's one of my favorite animals in our inventory here at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals. Maybe it's because he chillin' and relaxin' on the bed, which is where I'd really like to be right now. Whatever the reason, the minute I saw the picture, my eye went right to him.

And because he's begging for a close up, and you know I can never say no to a zebra, here he is in all his glory!

DID WE FOLLOW OUR OWN ADVICE?

So, how did my tips work for us at the Gift Show last week? Let's see:

Have a plan. We decided to go to the Baby & Child section first because a majority of our inventory falls into this category and they opened a day earlier than most of the show. The first day was kind of nice because it wasn't as crowded as the other days and we could take our time talking to the vendors without people crowding in behind us. Several of the stuffed animal manufacturers were spread out over different floors so we had to go searching for them over the next few days.

Before attending the show, we talked about expanding Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals to include more than just stuffed animals. Starting with Day 2, we looked for new and interesting items that would fit the bill. And we found some great pet items and jewelry that will work very nicely! We can't wait to get them in and introduce them to our customers.

Wear comfortable clothes/shoes. I was far from the most sophisticated dresser in the joint, but my geeky sandals meant I could still stand at the end of the day. Skirts and light tops proved to be the perfect attire for the heat of NYC and the pressing crowds inside the Javits Center.

Don't be intimidated by greeters. I have gotten very good at not looking people in the eye as I pass by. I know it's an easy way out but I don't do well at saying no, especially when I know how excited these people are to show me what they sell. As it was, we didn't get to everyone on our list because we ran out of time.

Bring your own food to save money. We threw sandwiches and snacks in our bags and had them while catching our breath. Our great expenditures (other than parking) were a couple of cokes and on one really hot day, an ice cream. We kept it to under $25 for all 4 days, which is pretty damn good.

Ask potential vendors to email you their information so you don’t have a lot to carry. We went in with the best of intentions on Saturday – we didn’t carry bags because we were going to research websites after we met the manufacturers. Unfortunately, not everyone was ready for us. Can you believe that there are some people who don’t have a website for their wares? And others have websites but they weren’t updated with the newest materials. So we wound up carrying quite a few catalogs anyway. Sunday we were better prepared with backpacks. Again, not the most stylish but a necessity.

Bring plenty of business cards. People loved our cards from moo.com and we handed out a few of theirs (moo’s) as well. They might want to send us a commission.

As I mentioned before, I tend to get overwhelmed by the crowds and all the pretty things. We brought our iPhones with us so we could take pictures of anything that caught our eye and have it to refer back to when we got home. I thought it might be cool to send some of them to twitter while I was at it – you know, actually instigate a discussion or two instead of just reacting. Over the four days we were there, I took a total of three pictures. I’m so glad we invested all that money in the new phones so we could have technology at our fingertips!

BAD KITTY is baaaack!

Remember Bad Kitty? 

The cat who went from a good pet to a VERY BAD pet because her family only had good healthy food to eat? .

And now, one of our favorite black cats is back and ready for another round. This time, in a picture filled chapter book (Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray ), Kitty's family goes away for a week and brings in Uncle Murray to look after the pets. Will he survive a week full of her antics? You'll just have to read it to find out. 

eebee has ARRIVED!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...

Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals is so excited to introduce its newest member - eebee!

Mr. Monkey, I'm ready for my close-up!

 

 
 

 

INTRODUCING - LES ANIMALS! from Jellycat

Présentation de sa Majesté, le Roi des Eléphants!

Les Animals are a new (to us at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals) category of Jellycat animals. I love the use of bright dots against a neutral background on this elephant, which just makes the colors pop! The fabric is a soft fleece and there are beans in his hands, feet, and slightly substantial rear which lets him sit on a shelf rather well.

 

NEW & EXCITING THINGS TO COME

We are attending the New York International Gift Show today & tomorrow. Yesterday we met a lot of new vendors and brought home their catalogs. We have been looking through new lines of merchandise to see what will best fit Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals. 

We are thrilled about two new manufacturers who carry organic baby items that we will be introducing very soon. We also bought some hand and finger puppets from another new supplier. So many exciting additions!

THIS IS DIFFERENT

Yesterday was day one of the International Gift Fair at the Javits Center in New York. Not all the booths were open but there were enough to keep us occupied. Since the majority of our inventory is stuffed animals, that's what we shopped for yesterday. We visited some of our favorites - Jellycat & MerryMakers- and found some new things as well.

We ran into something new this year. As we introduced ourselves as an online retailer to new vendors, we found out that many of them are not opening any more online accounts. After the third or fourth dismissal, one manufacturer explained that within the last few years, some online stores are selling their merchandise at hugely discounted prices and are undercutting everyone else. And now, many of the sellers are leery about working with anyone who sells online.

I know, from working in a small, independent gift store, the problems that arise when someone else slashes the price of an item. We would hear that a giant corporation, with a store less than 2 miles away, had the same item for less than what we paid to the wholesaler. Since the bigger stores can buy in such bulk (we're buying 2 or 3 of an item, they are buying 2 or 3 THOUSAND for all their stores across the country), they get a huge discount and can then sell the item for much, much less. How could we even compete? However, that was strictly the choice of the wholesaler.

I also understand that, upon first meeting us, these wholesalers have no idea if we are the enemy or not. Without researching our store and looking at our sales, they would never know if we sell our merchandise for regular or discount pricing. And since that isn't possible in the hustle & bustle of a gift show, they have made a blanket decision not to sell to online stores for now. The person we spoke to said they were trying to weed out the bad sellers and decide where to go from there. 

Luckily for us, we didn't find anything we completely fell in love with that was denied us because of our lack of a brick & mortar store. There were some things we would have considered carrying but nothing that we couldn't live without. If we do find that item, I'm sure we can argue our case, and maybe they'll change their minds. And maybe it will be the kick in the a$$ that we need to take the plunge and open a store. I truly believe that, sooner or later, manufacturers will come around again and allow others to sell their items online. Because, really, how often do you buy online compared to in a store? I buy the majority of my items online. But that's just me. How about you? 

FRIGGATRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA - Uh Oh, It's Friday the 13th!!

Do you know what friggatriskaidekaphobia means? Fear of Friday the 13th. Where does this superstition come from? Some sources say it's due to King Phillip of France ordering the arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on October 13, 1307. Others say it's due to Frigga (for whom Friday is named), the goddess of love and fertility who was banished when Christianity took over. She supposedly called together a meeting of eleven other witches plus the devil (for a meeting of 13) to plan evil deeds for the week to come. 

Here at Fragile Earth Stuffed Animals, we don't believe in this superstition, or any others. As a matter of fact, we laugh in the face of them. *ducks quickly* 

Having a black cat cross in front of you is supposed to be bad luck. Really? This cat? 

 Or this one?

Or either of these cutie pies?

 

Or him?

 

It's supposed to be bad luck to walk under a ladder ....

 

Step on a crack, break your mother's back?

 

Spilling salt?

 

Breaking a mirror gives you 7 years of bad luck! 

 

Not to mention, really bad hair days!

  

AUGUST 12, 1898

The United States formally annexed Hawaii on August 12, 1898.  Some of our Jellycat Junglies decided to say Ho'omaika'i'Ana (congratulations!)