To market, to market...

 Where do all these wonderful gifts come from, you ask?

There's a magical place in Hopkins, Minnesota that only a small percentage of people in the world get to go... it's called the Minneapolis Mart and it's filled with over 6000 lines of gifts and accessories in 160 permanent showrooms!

 A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend this wonderland with our two gift buyers, and this girl was in heaven!  Think about it... seeing all the newest trends and products BEFORE they even get to stores!  It was no walk in the park though- it was a marathon; row after row after row of people smiling and chatting showing off their latest wares.  

Here's a photo one of the showrooms...

The most wild thing was what the buyers were there for- it's the beginning of March and they were buying Christmas!  Believe it or not, they start Christmas "shopping" in January (literally the week after the real holiday season) and work on it all year long. I have been working for the Bibelot for years and years and have always wanted to know what this "land of new items" looks like... we'll do i have news for you- I took some pics!

one of the amazing decorated trees

this is how they pick out each and every evergreen spray

and another gorgeous tree

During this particular weekend, there was also a "temporary mart" set up.  This was at a hotel very near the Mpls Mart.  Here, there were hundreds of vendors lined up and down the hallways and filled the ballrooms.  You could find anything... from lovely wool blankets to homemade soaps, dog socks to old fashioned toys.  This place was wild!  It felt kind of like the State Fair (with much fancier flooring).  Here are a couple photos from the temporary showrooms...

a whole wall of Swedish dishtowels

inside a ballroom... filled to the max!

It was such a great experience!  I loved every minute, even though I was dog tired by the time I got home that evening.  If you ever get the chance to check this place out, do it.  It is well worth it!

Spring is in the air, everywhere you look around!  

You know what that means... new bags and hats!  We just got in a whole bunch of happy, sweet accessories for your spring wardrobe.  

Hats for that trip to a sunny destination
(this week, Minnesota is that sunny place- woohoo!)...

48-

48-

58-

42-

54-

48-

54-

54-

58-

40-

54-

 Who doesn't want a new spring bag?  We have them in tons of fresh colors and styles!  My absolute favorite is the mustard messenger style... and check out the prices!  Sweet deals!

taupe 96-, olive 74-, mustard 70-

cognac vegan leather 102-, navy/olive 96-, cognac vegan leather/cream 106-

  
We'll see you at the stores soon... spring is almost here!

(I'll be the one with the mustard messenger)

Back to the Roots Mushroom Garden Timelapse

Hey mushroom lovers... we just got the coolest product in!

It's a grow-your-own mushroom kit by Back to the Roots.  In just three steps, this little box of fungi fun will produce up to 1.5 pounds of oyster mushrooms in as little as 10 days!  

Open it up, put it on your kitchen window sill, mist (mister included), and harvest... what could be easier?  And get this... you can get multiple crops!  At least 2 crops out of each box, although, according to Back to the Roots, some have up to 4 crops... talk about bang for your buck!  Even better, the soil inside of each package is 100% recycled coffee- if everything goes as planned for the "inventors" of this mushroom kit, by the end of 2012, they will have recycled 3.6 million pounds of used coffee grounds.  

Simply amazing!  Perfect for your foodie friends!

Click here to purchase 

(can you tell how excited I am?  look at all those exclamation points!)

Penny Larson Jewelry

Truly Minnesotan...

This is going to be a short one today... but I wanted to be sure to show you guys some of these new fantastic necklaces made by Penny Larson, a Minneapolis artist.  How wonderful are these???

They are simply beautiful and fit the Minnesota lifestyle.. clean lines, classic shapes, and a bit of "up north" style.  They are made of eco-friendly recycled sterling silver and come on an 18" sterling silver chain.  

Perfect for any Minnesotan... living here or abroad.

Once they're available on our website, I'll post a link and you can buy one.  Or, if you want one right now, call a store and we can ship one out to you or you can pick it up at any of the stores.  Anyone can help, just ask for the Penny Larson Minnesota jewelry.

click here for Bibelot phone numbers

Do you Ubuntu?

Do you Ubuntu?

Buying just one of these bracelets can bring so much change for so many people...

These bracelets are made by women in the Eastern Cape of South Africa whose lives are severely affected by HIV/AIDS.  The Orphan Bracelet Campaign sets these women up with the tools and knowledge to create these small works of art.  They are then sold across the world.

The profits generated from the sale of these bracelets...

• Feed more than 200 children every day
• Employ approximately 80 women crafters
• Build and sustain permaculture gardens
• Purchase water tank systems
• Allows us to support special project

And believe it or not... these very bracelets can be purchased at The Bibelot!  Our gift buyers have about a million ringing their wrists and now that i know this much about the Do Ubuntu bracelets, I'll soon have a few decorating my wrist, too!  Oh, and did mention that these bracelets are in the New York Times?  Now you gotta get one!  Here's a link to purchase them on our online shop...
  

Purchase Bracelet on The Bibelot's Website

And in case you were wondering what Ubunto means...

The philosophy of Ubuntu encourages a spirit of cooperation between all people and promotes mutual respect and understanding.
 

I'll also include a link to the Orphan Bracelet Campaign's website.  It's a great site with lots of information, pics of people that are involved in the program, and uplifting videos.  Be sure to check it out... you could help to change a life!

Orphan Bracelet Campaign Website
 

Now I'll ask again, do you Ubuntu?

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Unfortunately, we must postpone the Lynne Rossetto Kasper book signing slated for this evening. Sincerest apologies. We will inform you as soon as we know the date of the signing.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is coming!

The evening of Thursday, February 9th is going to be such an exciting time at the Bibelot Shop on Grand Avenue!  We’re hosting a book signing for Lynne Rossetto Kasper, an award-winning American food writer and radio journalist. She is the host of the American Public Media program “The Splendid Table” and has written many nationally recognized, award-winning cookbooks.

Lynne will be at our store to sign her newest cookbook, “The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Weekends.”  We will be offering 20% off “The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Weekends”, we will be serving a delightful and delicious bite to eat, and you’ll have a chance to win this fabulous gift basket containing Minnesota made products (and a little pop of color with a dishtowel)...

What can be better?  You’ll be shopping at the Bibelot, there will be food, a famous writer/radio personality, and a chance to win a basket of Minnesota made goodies!

She will be here from 6-8pm and we hope to see a lot of you here!  Please help us welcome Lynne Rossetto Kasper to The Bibelot Shop on Grand Avenue!

Finally, a start

It's a almost a whole month into the new year, and I promised that I would get this blog up and going... so here I go!

Before Christmas, I was fortunate enough to hit up a local craft sale with one of our gift buyers.  The craft sale was also the only place in the Twin Cities (at that time) to purchase a Hi-Di-Hi bag.  These bags are from Holland and full of spunk and charm.  They are bright, cheerful, and are making their way into America!  Believe it or not, we're the first store to get these in our shops!  Here are some pics from that wonderful evening... full of delicious food, homemade gifts, and a little something from Europe (that we now have at the stores).

This Christmas season was a fast and furious one at the store.  Tons of shoppers, lots of smiling faces, and lots of product in your homes.  So that means... time to fill back up!  All of our buyers have been out and about scooping up the latest and greatest.  The gift buyers were in Atlanta (and off to New York soon), the clothing buyer has a market in Minneapolis (and then to Chicago very shortly), our jewelry buyer was busy at a local market, and the stationery buyer was running around town hitting up lots of meetings!  Before you know it, we'll be building new shelves, rearranging stores, and they will feel full once again!

One thing that is for sure... the new stuff will be SO sweet!  Here's a sneak peek at two of the new product lines that will be making its way into the stores soon...

My plan is to update this blog on a weekly basis, so be on the lookout for new updates!