Well, here we are again, seeing a city through the windows of a trade mart … which, interestingly, is a pretty fascinating way to experience America. Little Robot, (wearing his cowboy hat since he was in Texas) was very happy to join Alex and Emma so close to their hometown of Austin. When we arrived at the C.R. Gibson exhibit, which is housed in the One Coast showroom, we came upon another well-executed window design for Baby Bots. I hope the displays have given retailers some great ideas for showing off our new collections in their own stores.
One of my favorite parts about signing books in Dallas was that although we all brag about the bigness of Texas, it’s really just a small community of friendly folks. I met buyers from all around Austin and Houston, as well as little towns in West Texas, where I grew up. And, guess what? They all knew people having babies … who will be bragging about those cute little ones in our brag books! I love that!
Little Robot was also very pleased to be hangin’ with his buddies, Alex and Emma. Here are some Emma Collection ponies that felt particularly at home in Dallas. They just need some handsome saddles with pink and green saddle blankets!
As usual, our favorite part of the trip was the chance to meet new friends. We met lots of very important sales folks, for whom we are very grateful. Every day, they brave the elements all over the country, introducing our little critters and characters to buyers from coast to coast. And, we were able to meet many lovely store owners, who were able to walk through a trade show of approximately one bazillion items, and choose the perfect few for their customers. We are in awe! And, finally, we were lucky enough to meet a fellow designer. We loved getting to know Kelly Alford, who is the head designer from iota. Kelly was signing journals right before we were scheduled. Her collections are bright and fun, with interesting trend-setting color palettes. Since Ellen and I have been journal keepers for years, we were delighted to each receive a signed journal by Kelly, in which we certainly will be inspired to sketch some colorful ideas for new somethings. Below left is a picture of Kelly and Ellen with her new iota journal.
So, while trade shows are for trend making, we spent most of our time friend making. Now that we’re back at our respective drawing boards, we will get back to art making. In the meantime, keep an eye out for Baby Bots, Alex and Emma to arrive at your local purveyors of all things baby.
