As New England as Chowda

     The art of braiding rugs started in New England two centuries ago, and is still going strong. During a recent event at our Weymouth store, customers came from as far away as New Hampshire to browse through our selection.
     Braided rugs had a very utilitarian beginning: they were made to keep homes warm during the cold New England winters. The colorful braids had nothing to do with decorating sense - our frugal ancestors made them from strips of worn out clothing. When one color or pattern of cloth was used up, they would just start with another color or pattern. That's where the traditional striped look comes from.
     Sooner or later, the crafter's creativity came through and they developed their own styles. Now that these rugs are made by machine, there is no end to the colors, patterns, shapes and sizes to choose from. They are no longer just for warmth, but also to decorate your home in timeless style.

We're not the boss of you!

Rick, our merchandising guy, asked us to make a sign for our curtain event telling customers that our "Naptime Window Panels" are not just for babies. Apparently, these curtains have a label with a picture of a baby and they are marketed as room darkening and noise reducing so that baby can get a good night's sleep. Rick felt that customers wouldn't realize that they could use these curtains for other rooms besides baby's.

Our first reaction was that we would just be stating the obvious - our creative customers would not have to be told how to use these curtains! Why, when we ran the contest below (Defending our Borders), we got dozens of responses; most of them were practical and some were downright decorator-y.

Who are we to tell our customers that you don't have to be a baby to use these curtains and get some shut eye? It's not like the curtains have little lambs or twinkly stars on them - they come in solid, adult colors.

But then on second thought, we decided to make the signs. Companies spend millions of dollars on package design and they must know something that we don't... people can't always see beyond the obvious.

Our stores are such a treasure hunt that most of our customers know that they have to use their imagination in order to get a bargain. We've sold rugs with sample stickers (that don't come off), broom sticks without the brooms on them, burlap coffee bags with no coffee in them... and our customers seem to find a use for them.

But if you can't think of anything, take a look at our signs.... we'll be happy to give you a few ideas.

Hi-Tech from Silicone* Valley

I'm not much of a cook (that groan you hear is my family's stomachs...) but when I do attempt to put together a meal, I usually get half of it stuck to the pan. And even worse is the cleanup.

That's why these silicone pans have caught my attention. Our housewares merchant, Bob, came into advertising with them, and everyone was impressed with the bendy, twisty, rubbery pans. How could they possibly work?

Bob says they're the greatest invention since the thermos bottle (you know the old joke: "Keeps hot things hot and cold things cold... how do it know?") This technological marvel can be twisted and crushed, is microwave, oven, freezer and dishwasher safe, it's so non-stick that the food pops out, and it's FDA approved!

I haven't tried them yet (that means I'd have to cook something....)  but if you have, could you tell me how they worked out for you?

*Please don't write to tell me that it's Silicon Valley, not Silicone.... I was making a (very weak) joke....

Defending our Borders

   We have sold items of all description (and some beyond description) here at Building #19, such as airplane escape slides, prison uniforms and wet t-shirts. That's the nature of this business: we buy good stuff because the deal is irresistible - if you offer customers a true bargain, they'll buy it.

    The other day, Nick, our machine woven rug merchant, (the rugs are machine woven, not Nick) came to the advertising department with rug borders. We asked our usual questions, "what are they?", "how much do they cost?" and "what do you do with them?". Nick explained that these are the borders that manufacturers fancy up their area rugs with - they attach them to the edges of a plain sisal or broadloom rug and voila! you have a custom made, decorator quality rug. He told us that the borders are very high quality, he has dozens of different styles and widths, they're 100% wool, and the customer can cut them easily with a utility knife ..... AND they're only $1 per foot!

     The whole deal sounded like a real winner until we asked Nick, "What do you do with them?". The only thing he could come up with was to use them for stair treads. Actually, that's a great idea; you can cut them to the exact width of your stairs.

    However, we at Building #19 can't just stop at the obvious use for them. We want to hear from you, our customers, so we're running a contest. Just drop us a line and tell us the answer to the following question: "If you were the proud owner of some of this rug border, what would you do with it?" Send your answer to advertising@building19.com by Monday, April 16th, and we will randomly pick a winner from the entries and give that winner a $100 Building #19 gift certificate. There is no purchase necessary to win, and you can use the gift certificate towards anything at Building #19.... like a hundred feet of rug border.....

ps: here's a link to the Couristan website to see how rug borders are used:
http://www.couristan.com/Residential-Showroom/Custom-Rug-Program/cms.aspx/Guid/%7B5AC5FD5B-D75C-42D3-B2BF-2BF44285A64E%7D

Tie one on!

     Our ladies clothing and accessories merchant, Jen, made such a great deal on scarves that we were able to sell them for $4.99 and $5.99 in our Saturday, 3/31/12 circular. We had a huge turnout and sold thousands of them, which is not such a big surprise considering the price and the quality of the goods.

     To thank all of our customers who came in and bought one (and many bought 5 or 6 or more...) we are sharing a link to a YouTube video: 25 Ways to Wear a Scarf in 4.5 Minutes!

Enjoy the scarves... and the savings!

A Rug Department Mention

Thanks for the kind mention of our rug department on a very beautiful blog:
http://hazardousdesign.blogspot.com/

Where have we been all this time?

It happens to almost everyone, I'm sure. You start a new project and then it just sort of falls apart. That's what happened with this blog.
We've had a renewed interest in and commitment to social media in the advertising department here at Building 19. We're tweeting and facebooking and redesigning our website, and we'll be blogging, too.
Maybe not every day (or every week), but often enough to keep you informed and entertained.... and hopefully to answer some of the questions you may have about Building 19.