New York International Gift Fair: The Frontline for Sidelines Part II

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The recent New York International Gift Fair, held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, featured plenty of everything, from the classic to the latest, hottest wares from almost 2,600 exhibitors. This week, BTW takes a look at just some of the many offerings in the categories of home, office, and travel.

At last year's show, stripes seemed to be everywhere; this year it was flowers and circles, from tiny sequins to varying size paillettes (disks). Whimsy meets design meets function could be seen in everything from pillows, to office supplies, to kitchen gadgets. Retro still reigns, and kitsch is still king. And, of course, you have to carry it all in something, so totes and messenger bags were everywhere at the gift fair.

Bookseller and gift buyer Pat Becker of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut, found this year's show to be rich with "eye-catching and fun" -- but still useful -- sidelines that had great price points.

For the home, or to help build a better one, Becker loved the "edgy and really fun" tools from Sarut Group. The line of tools -- screwdrivers, glue guns, pliers, hammers, etc. -- come in "very mod colors," said Becker, "with retro seventies floral prints." But what Becker appreciated about the tools was how readily they could be marketed in the Home Repair or Home Design section of the bookstore. "You can pair them with The House That Jill Built or Dare to Repair. It's perfect. One of the great things about bookstores and gifts is that you can tie in gifts with books so easily."

For those who are less interested in hands-on home decor, Becker ordered "very pretty" vases and "charming old-fashioned" book ends from HomArt. Becker thought the line would work well at R.J. Julia, because "the price point and the look were good," she said, adding, "these are definitely something we could sell."

One of the buzz-generating titles that offered a ready match for non-book items was Hot Chocolate by Michael Turback (Ten Speed Press), who held a signing on the trade show floor. The book includes more than 60 different recipes for hot chocolate with full-page color photos that do the irresistible beverage justice. As Dennis Hayes of Ten Speed Press said, "Hot chocolate is happening."

Soft Goods

Latch Hook Pillow Kits
Down-filled pillows with striking felt bird appliques

Comfort, as always, was one of the themes of the fair and a popular seller was from new designer Jennifer Gibbs and her Philadelphia-based company, Soft Goods. Gibbs was selling many of her vintage, down-filled pillows with striking felt bird appliques, along with pillows from the "Diskus" collection, which featured hanging, multi-colored, felt paillettes. Another hot-seller from Soft Goods with a lower price point was the "almost finished" Latch Hook Pillow Kits. The pillows, with designs such as butterflies, hearts, ladybugs, a dreidel, and more, come with everything needed to create a latch hook rug, including the pillow already sewn to the pattern.

Becker recommended International Arrivals as a "very cool" company for office supplies that are, as the International Arrivals website advertises, a "departure from the norm." Their vinyl laptop cases with grids of blue and green circles are the opposite of the ubiquitous black computer bag. Becker touted their brightly colored mesh pencil bags and folders as potential quick sellers.

Other fair favorites to liven up the workstation were a glowing-red, translucent USB Port extender in the shape of a little cartoon astronaut from Koziol. The astronaut, named Neil (as in Armstrong), can be left on the desk to obviate the continual USB Port hunt when switching from digital camera to printer to iPod, etc.

Sideshow USA ends the search for the right-size sticky note with their small (2 " X 3"), wire-bound books of various-sized sticky notes with dozens of covers to choose from, including the Pinup, Wild West, and "Nudie Cutie" collections.

For those working on the road or in the air, Kikkerland presents the "Lap Surfer," a multifunctional desk/tray that can triple as a bed tray or backrest. The travel desk, a hard clear surface attached to a pillow filled with tiny white foam balls, was originally created for a design exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The museum then produced and sold out of the sleek-looking tray at the MOMA store.

Becker's best bets for travel gifts included passport holders in apple green and Caribbean blue from Baekgaard and L.L. Bean-style canvas tote bags that bear small images of a cabin, a seaside cottage, or a bee, among others, from the Vermont-based company, Chandler 4 Corners.


Zephyr tote from Design Ideas

Fashion Angels sequined small purses

Another bag that was selling well at the fair was the Zephyr tote from Design Ideas. The hand-stitched, two-tone wool felt shoulder bag with a wide comfortable shoulder strap looked ready for a book and a journal, and had a manufacturer's suggested retail of under $20. For a be-sequined or paillette-strewn mini-tote to carry a wallet or cell-phone, Fashion Angels had a great line of multicolored small purses.

Other contenders for the travel section of a bookstore were the Send !t Picture Frames from Traffic Works. The clear plastic postcard-sized package comes with a space for a digital photograph and cardboard backing for the message and address. The backing features a foldout stand so the photo can be propped up in its frame.

Two's Company boasts a large collection of travel accessories. Their portable scented tea-light holder with a vintage hotel design was an easy impulse buy and their oversize luggage tags, which bore messages like "Emotional Baggage" and "Guilty," were generating a lot of attention from buyers. And, for after the traveler returns, Rag & Bone Bindery produces a kit to create a digital photograph album with pre-hole punched paper that works with inkjet printers. Albums are available in a variety of fabric or decorative paper covers.

Becker's viewpoint on sidelines was that the possibilities of pairing nearly any gift with an apt title were endless. "To sum it up," she said, "books and gifts are really made for each other. One feeds off the other. It's such a natural, and it's fun to market books with gifts." She added, "I think it can be a great marriage. You have to find the right mix and you have to be patient, but when it works it works so well. Books are a wonderful gift, and they can also suggest what other gifts could be." --Karen Schechner


(To read last week's BTW report on cards and children's sidelines, go to news.bookweb.org/read/3750.)