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Keepsaker’s Korner
Next Meeting is Thursday May 9 at 7pm OKCC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. We meet at Becky’s Hallmark, 11109 E 41st (northwest corner of 41st & Garnett, next to Furr’s). Next month’s meeting will be June 13th. At the May Meeting We’re playing Hallmark Bingo again with fabulous cards that Mark Dickson created with pictures of the ornaments! We will have gift certificate prizes of $15, $10, and $5. Community Service Domestic Violence Intervention Service – This month we will bring toiletries. Food Bank – remember to bring your food items. They will go to Broken Arrow Neighbors unless someone volunteers to bring them somewhere else. Happy May Birthday to ….
Okie Keepsakers Meeting Minutes April 11, 2002 President Rita Randall called the meeting to order. Vice President Dana Blando reminded everyone to sign the sign-in sheet. She reminded everyone that she had the tickets for the food donations. Treasurer Sally Turner read the Treasurer’s report: $ 907.65+ Beginning balance 45.00+ T-shirt sales 17.34- April Postage 935.31+ Ending balance Secretary Teresa Pattison explained that she doesn’t have access to FrontPage anymore which is used to maintain the club website which is why all club members received a paper copy of the newsletter this month. Rick Huff thought that they had it but can’t find the CD’s. The club approved purchase of the software. She also told how she got to see the new 2002 ornaments on Monday. Sponsor news – Earline and Becky showed a picture of the t-shirts that will be available at Premier this year. It is purple with pictures of the 3 new ornament series starting this year. There is a signup sheet if you want Becky to order one for you. Available at the July Premiere will be the tree for Santa’s Big Night and the Topiary Tree. At the October debut will be the Family Tree starter kit for $9.95 and $16.95 after that. There will be a trivia game at both the July and October events! At the November Open House there will be a 9” holiday plush bear available for $3.95 with a 3 card purchase. There will also be a matching 36” register to win bear at some stores (but not at Becky’s). Another November register to win will be at 38” plush Santa. And the VIP bags will be back! From the picture it looks like the contents include cards, a Bunny by the Bay, Family Tree ornament, book, calendar, and a Memories of Christmas ornament. DVIS chairperson, Debra Kirk said that the club delivered 43 Easter baskets to DVIS. Next month we will bring toiletries. Sunshine Committee chairperson Terri Legrand said that she sent a card to Doris Vivian on the death of her nephew and will send a card to Joanie Owle who’s father is in the hospital. Hospitably committee – Jeanne Draughon thanked those who brought goodies this month. Next month’s volunteers are Debra Kirk, Vickie Peterson, and Teresa Pattison. Old business – Sally Turner said that she had both old and new t-shirts for sale. The club discussed the old club ornaments. And we decided to put 2 in the December drawing for the colorway Deer Friend and to sell extras for $5. New business – We got the new club ornaments! Rita Randall counted up the attendance from the past year for distribution of the ornaments and 7 people attended all the meetings: Elaine Wibben, Terri Legrand, Donna Lundy, Vickie Peterson, Rita Randall, Alma Wilson, and Bob Wilson. Sally Turner proposed that the club buy 3 tables for Becky’s to be used at Christmas and when we have a project – like making the baskets. Elaine has a pickup and a Sam’s membership and will get the tables. Program committee – Donna Lundy said that next month will be Bingo with the $15, $10, and $5 prizes. And the following month will be the annual salad dinner and white elephant auction. In July we will have a display contest. Jeanne Draughon said that she delivered 83 items last month to Broken Arrow Neighbors. And reminded everyone that school will be out soon and they will need more breakfast items. Door prize drawings: $25 monthly gift certificate – Alice Sandkuhl items donated by Rita Randall – Dessie Howard, Sally Turner, Marietta Seibert.
Hallmark News Beginning June 1, you can order your club ornament from your favorite Hallmark store as well as ordering over the phone direct from Hallmark. Not sure if there will be a price difference. The main theme for the Holidays this year is going to be "Great Memories Make Great Stories". Highlights include another Keepsake magazine offer featuring a free Family Tree Keepsake Ornament with purchase of any Keepsake Ornament priced at $7.95 or more. This coupon will be published in major magazines like last year. On 11/10 a 4 page circular will appear in the Sunday Parade Magazine. The special offer will be a Holiday Plush Bear for $3.95 w/ purchase of 3 Hallmark Cards. The bear is a $12.95 value. The Holiday Open House will once again feature a V.I.P. Gift free with $25 or more purchase. The Snow Cub Club Collection will debut on 11/10 as well. This is the ornament set designed by artist Ed Seale and it celebrates the Teddy Bear's 100th Anniversary. Each piece is priced at $4.95. Their names are as follows: Wendy Woosh, Dexter Next, Gracie Skates, Calvin Carver, Hollyday Hill. On
12/8 another 4 page circular will appear in the Sunday Parade Magazine. The
special offer will be a 10.5" Santa ceramic plate for only $2.95 with a
3 card purchase. There
will be 3 other special offers that go directly to Gold Crown Card Holders
--- the Holiday Gold Crown Catalog will feature a Snap Shot Album for $2.95,
The November Post Card will feature a Snowman Tealight Holder and the
December postcard will feature a special "Buddy Hollyday" plush
dog. All of
the promos will only be available in Gold Crown stores! There are going to be 9 American Girl ornaments in all. These ornaments are ongoing, not just available at with the 2002 Keepsakes. Check out the new members-only site on Hallmark.com. There is a 30 question quiz on it about the 2002 Dream Book. The answers won't appear until May 20. Did
you see the 4 page pull-out ad in the USA Weekend section Sunday paper on
April 28th? There was a coupon for a
free card when you buy 3. Look for
these additional ads in the Fall: ·
October will be a Pumpkin Spice Wax Fill Mason Jar $2.95 w/
3 card purchase ·
November will be a Woolly Mittens Plush Teddy Bear $3.95 w/
3 card purchase ·
December will be a Santa Plate $2.95 w/ 3 card purchase
(it’s a 10½” plate) BARBIE™ 2002…Back by Popular Demand This is from the Hallmark members only website….. Back by very popular
demand is another beautiful porcelain BARBIE™, sculpted by Studio Artist
Patricia Andrews. Entitled "BARBIE™ 2002," this elegant All current Club members will be receiving order information in May, and ordering for this ornament will begin in June. Priced at $23.90, members will be allowed to order up to two for each membership in their name. These will be ordered directly through Hallmark and will be delivered directly to your home for added convenience. If you're a BARBIE™ lover, stay tuned. The Club has another special offer for you later this year! Just Our Way of Saying…Happy Anniversary! This is from the
Hallmark members only website….. Happy Anniversary to our Club members celebrating 5, 10 and 15 years of continuous membership in the Keepsake Ornament Collector's Club! As a special treat to show our appreciation to you, this year the Club launched a new program which includes special anniversary cards mailed to members celebrating a 5, 10 or 15 year anniversary, as well as a special contest. Contest winners, selected at random, are drawn from all members celebrating a significant Club anniversary. One winner each month will be drawn from 5, 10 and 15-year celebrants and their name will be posted here on the members-only Club site. The prize? Signed Keepsake Ornaments! "We wanted a way to surprise collectors and reward them for their loyalty to the Club," said Beth Wall, Keepsake Ornament Collector's Club Consumer Communications Coordinator. "Each month, we draw winners and surprise them with a box containing signed Keepsake Ornaments delivered right to their door. It's our way of saying 'thanks for being part of the Club'." Ty News Retirements: 4/5/02 Speckles the Buddy click here 4/8/02 Beanie Babies: Poopsie, Diddley, and Cottonball. Beanie Buddies: Teddy, Nappy, Pouch, Hornsly, and Bushy. Click here 4/16/02 Beanie Babies: Eggs II, Carrots, Spring. Beanie Buddies: White Tiger, Bones, Ariel. 4/23/02 Beanie Babies: February, Chickie. Beanie Buddies: Sunny, Periwinkle, Hopper, Hoppity, Eggbert, Eggs. Beanie Boppers: Pretty Patti. Click here Introductions: Here’s the official announcement about Champion click here 4/12/02 A new bear for Mother’s Day named Mom-e and it’s only available online. click here Ooops – there it goes. It’s already retired on 4/16/02! 4/16/02 A UK exclusive Beanie Baby Bear named Celebrations. It is for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. click here Rumors of the May introductions: · Beanie Babies - Bride and Groom (Bears), Side-Kick (dog) Pounds (elephant), Cheddar (mouse with cheese), Liberty (Flag Bear) · Buddies - Butch (Dog), Purr (Cat), USA (Bear) · Boppers (hot) - Cute Candy (Myrtle Beach, SC) Lovely Lily (Sugarland, TX) and Jammin Jena (Billings, MT) · Baby Ty – Elephant Hugs (Hot Pink Elephant), Peekie Poo (Purple & Green Turtle) · Classic - Sugar ( Re-Introduction of Long hair white cat) Click here for pictures from Ty of their current products for May. Some of the new May releases are in the picturesl There are two new US exclusives!!! USA Beanie Buddy and a Liberty Beanie Baby. Liberty looks like he is blue with white stars on the front, red and white stripes on the back, and a red head. Click here Looks like both the white and the red America bears have 2 versions – their ears are reversed. Pops the Fathers Day bear tie has a US flag here and a Canadian flag in Canada! And now he’s also shown up in the UK with their union jack. The Japanese version has the US flag. Meet the Mom Behind the Woman Behind the Cards From hallmark.com Every artist has their muse, every songrwriter has their inspiration, every greeting card writer has … their mom? DeeAnn Stewart's job as a Hallmark card writer requires her to gather ideas from everyday life to create cards with messages consumers can't always find the words to communicate. How does she do that? By using her own personal relationships with friends and family. And when it comes time to writing Mother's Day cards, she pays particular attention to her relationship with her mom, Delores Taylor. "My relationship with my own mom will show up in my Mother's Day cards," says DeeAnn. "It's easy to reflect on the warm and funny moments I've shared with my mom, from the way she folds towels to hugging. My challenge is to draw on these moments to create cards many people can relate to. When I find a good one, I help people connect in a very good way." Walking through the aisles of greeting cards at her local Hallmark store, Delores can often pick out which cards her daughter has written."I tell people in the store my daughter probably wrote this card or that card," says Delores. "I'm honored I have had a lasting impact on my daughter's life - and see what a positive effect she has on so many others through the work she does." DeeAnn's mom wants children
everywhere to know how important a card can be for moms on Mother's Day.
Delores loves getting cards from her kids, and she often keeps them. She's
like the 87 percent of mothers who keep at least some of their Mother's Day
cards, according to a recent survey by Hallmark. Looking back at her collection of cards reminds Delores how much her children appreciate her and how much they have changed over the years. "It's so fun to reminisce over cards DeeAnn has sent me since she was little," she says. "I can actually tell what stage of life she was in by looking at the way she signed it." "My husband and I even have a box we call 'we're good guys' where we keep all the cards that say something nice about us. We like to look back at those cards when we're not having a good day, and it makes all the difference." And now that DeeAnn is a mom, she understands even more how important the Mother's Day cards she writes are. "I think becoming a mom has made me a better writer," she says. "I have learned more about what it's like to be a mom and what we go through, and it made me realize how much moms need a card to say thanks on Mother's Day." DeeAnn's mom agrees with
her about what she wants to read in her Mother's Day cards. "The biggest
thing about Mother's Day is I like to know I'm appreciated," she says.
"I think being a mom is pretty much what I'm about. It's my greatest
accomplishment." DeeAnn has started her own collection of Mother's Day cards and looks forward to adding another one this year. And, if you're curious, her mom will be getting a Hallmark card May 12 - one DeeAnn wrote. The American Girls Collection from Hallmark
Arrives This Fall From hallmark.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 26, 2002) - Fans of the beloved American Girls--- Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit and Molly will be excited to know that The American Girls Collection from Hallmark - an exclusive line of gifts and personal expression products inspired by the popular American Girl® brand is now as close as their neighborhood Hallmark Gold Crown® store. Beginning Sept. 21, the first and only line of licensed American Girls products, rooted in literacy, storytelling, and history, will be available as a result of an agreement announced last year between the Pleasant Company and Hallmark, Inc. For girls age 7 to 12 who are familiar with The American Girls Collection, this will be welcome news as the phenomenon continues to grow in popularity across the country. From girls who celebrate their birthdays with American Girls-themed parties, and line Michigan Avenue in Chicago (the home of Pleasant Company's only retail store, American Girl Place) to have lunch with their favorite dolls, to girls who join after-school American Girls clubs, the new line of Hallmark product will help bring to life the inspirational stories based on the lives of these seven girls living in pivotal times throughout American history. "The American Girls Collection from Hallmark is about empowering girls to connect with the past and reinforcing the bond among girls, mothers, and grandmothers," said Peggy Bruce, product manager, Hallmark Licensing. "With appealing age-appropriate products that speak to personal expression, creativity and writing, we think our new line is relevant to what remains important to girls today - family, friendship and feelings." "The mutual
commitment from Pleasant Company and Hallmark - to build meaningful
connections among family and friends - makes this relationship a natural
fit," said Julia Prohaska, brand director for American Girls.
"We're delighted to work with Hallmark and provide our audience of young
girls with a brand new way to interact with the American Girls characters
they've come to know and love." In-Store Events Bring
American Girl to Life Your neighborhood Hallmark Gold Crown stores are celebrating the launch of The American Girls Collection from Hallmark all around the country Sept. 21-22, 2002 with a special premiere event. During that weekend, moms and daughters can come to participating Gold Crown stores and be the first to see the exclusive products, register to win an American Girls prize package valued at more than $100, and participate in other American Girls-themed activities. To find the nearest participating Gold Crown retailer, consumers can call 1-800-HALLMARK or visit www.hallmark.com. Additionally, Hallmark product will be available through Pleasant Company's award-winning consumer catalogue, at American Girl Place, and at www.americangirl.com. Products from the Historical Fiction The collection of gifts for each American Girls character is based on people, places, and experiences important to each girl and the period in history in which she lives. Just as The American Girls Collection of fictional books stays authentic to historical events, The American Girls Collection from Hallmark products - including gifts like stationery, pens, memory-keeping items, bookends, stickers, card making kits - reflect the story line and events in the books. Hallmark stores will not carry The American Girls Collection of dolls and related product line that is exclusive to Pleasant Company. The American Girls Collection from Hallmark literally "brings the books to life" for girls today. For instance… American Girls character, Kirsten Larson is a pioneer girl growing up in the wilderness of America's frontier during the mid-1800s. Kirsten and her friends would gather during recess to sew. Girls can share Kirsten's heritage with her postalettes, which include eight notecards to stitch and send to friends. Samantha Parkington, is an
orphan being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Like most girls her
age, Samantha is learning to be a proper lady. In Samantha's Surprise, Mrs.
Hawkins, her grandmother's cook, always has a plate of warm sugar cookies and
hot cocoa waiting when she comes in from the cold. Girls can have their own
teatime with Samantha's tea set from The American Girls Collection from
Hallmark. And, Kit Kittredge is a girl growing up during the dark days of the Great Depression. She learns to make do with less, and inexpensive gifts become her treasures. Now girls can enjoy Kit's treasures, too, with a miniature ornament set from The American Girls Collection from Hallmark. The set includes four of Kit's favorite things: a typewriter for the journalist-in-training; a Scottie dog charm, much like the one Kit's mother gave her; an aviator doll of Kit's hero, Amelia Earhart; and a baseball glove, indicating Kit's love for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Hallmark
to shut down KC plant, move 340 jobs
The Kansas City Star Posted on Thu, Apr. 04, 2002 Hallmark Cards Inc. is shutting down the manufacturing
plant at its headquarters on Grand Boulevard and shifting those 340 jobs to
factories in Lawrence, Topeka and Leavenworth. The move will mark the first time since 1910, the year
Joyce Hall founded Hallmark, that the company won't make cards in downtown
Kansas City. Hallmark spokeswoman Julie O'Dell said all 340 employees
affected by the shutdown will be asked to move to jobs at one of the three
Kansas plants. As a part of the process, Hallmark will provide commuter
assistance to those employees who choose to work at one of the facilities,
although details have not yet been worked out. Leavenworth is 29 miles from Kansas City, Lawrence is 38
and Topeka is 62. Based on an average round-trip commute of 80 miles at an
average cost of 12.25 cents a mile for oil, tires, gas and vehicle
maintenance -- an average calculated by relocation cost specialist Runzheimer
International -- commuters will pay an extra $2,450 a year. O'Dell said that employees who move so they can be closer
to their new jobs will get assistance, and that those who decide not to move
or commute will get help to find training or another job. She said the manufacturing changes are being made for
several reasons, including to more fully use the plants in those Kansas
communities. The company hasn't decided how it will use the 295,000
square feet of manufacturing space at its headquarters, but it could be
converted into offices for employees. That could conceivably free some of the space in the Crown
Center complex housing Hallmark employees -- space that could then be leased
to other businesses. The plant on Grand produces the Shoebox line of cards and
albums, and does book manufacturing and packaging, laser processes and some
printing. All three Kansas plants make greeting cards. In addition,
the plant in Lawrence makes ribbons, bows and film-wrapped products such as
packages of invitations. The plant in Leavenworth also makes gift wrap and party
products such as plates, cup and napkins. The Topeka plant is Hallmark's main
envelope manufacturer. Hallmark will begin moving equipment and employees in
June, and expects to complete the process in a year. Hallmark print campaign to
push flower delivery
Hallmark Cards Inc., which last year rolled out a national flower delivery business, will use a Mother's Day print campaign as its first big throw for the new business unit. The campaign breaks later this month in the May editions of a wide mix of magazines from Martha Stewart Living to Wired to Sports Illustrated. The campaign is built around attaching certain meanings to certain flowers. Red roses are associated with love, while yellow roses are said to signify friendship. For instance, said Hallmark spokeswoman Lydia Steinberg, a man wanting to send flowers to a woman to thank her for something wouldn't want to send red roses. Instead, he might choose something like lisianthus, associated with appreciation. Hallmark launched its flower business a year ago after a five-market pilot test in 1999. The model Hallmark is using is one of buying directly from growers in different countries. The flowers are shipped to a Hallmark plant in Memphis. There, orders are processed and picked up by FedEx, also based in Memphis, for next-day delivery. The flowers are delivered in a box, unarranged, with a vase, instructions and, of course, a Hallmark card. When the company launched the business a year ago, it said its eventual goal was to get 10 to 15 percent of the $3.5 billion spent each year in the retail flower delivery segment. One thing Hallmark has learned since launching the business is that sometimes a customer needs same-day delivery, prompting it to develop a relationship with a network of floral shops throughout the United States. Same-day delivery now makes up 15 to 20 percent of its business. Steinberg said that Hallmark had thus far been pleased with its flower business and hoped to get two to three times the number of orders it got last year for Mother's Day. "We've been incrementally
ramping up our marketing at each holiday, but this is the first time you'll
see national advertising," Steinberg said. "We didn't want to
overextend or overload our system." Hallmark
drops online card service
Another one bites the dust. The latest casualty on the local dot-com front is HallmarkStories.com, a clever Hallmark Cards Internet offspring that allowed customers to design their own scrapbooks and greeting cards online. Hallmark told customers in an e-mail last week that the Web business would close on May 9 -- less than nine months after it formally opened. Officially, HallmarkStories.com was a test of a system that allowed consumers to send digital photographs to the Web site and design personal photo projects online. The project allowed consumers to design their own "Snap Books," magazine-style photo albums or full-size photo scrapbooks online. Once the design was complete, Hallmark printed the product in Kansas City and mailed it back to the customer. In launching the project, Hallmark officials said the company spent a year and millions of dollars developing the site. But after watching the business for nine months, Hallmark officials decided that a variety of factors were stacked against HallmarkStories.com and the company decided to suspend the project, said Kathi Mishek, a Hallmark spokeswoman. "We were hoping a number of different industry factors would come together," Mishek said. But Mishek said the site didn't generate enough customers. "We had loyal consumers, but the numbers were very small," she said. Although millions of consumers have purchased digital cameras, Mishek said, digital photography hasn't taken off as quickly as projected. In addition, high-speed Internet services -- cable modems and DSL -- also have not been adopted by consumers as quickly as the industry expected, Mishek said. Because some photo files are quite large, sending photos through a traditional dial-up modem to the Hallmark site could take hours. "We are continuing to look at this," Mishek said. "The (digital photo) industry is continuing to grow, although at a sluggish pace. Once it reaches critical mass, then we're hoping we can go back and look at this again." Hallmark
ads aimed at boosting sales to women By JENNIFER MANN The Kansas City Star Apr. 22, 2002 Hallmark Cards Inc. today begins a new advertising campaign to remind
women how good it feels to send someone a card -- that they cared enough to
remember an aunt's birthday, a sister's anniversary, a friend's promotion. Hallmark hopes the yearlong, $30 million campaign -- its most
expensive ever -- will give a strong boost to the sale of greeting cards, the
category on which the 92-year-old company was built. "We certainly have experienced slight to minimal growth (in
greeting cards), so certainly this is a way to grow the category," said
Hallmark's director of advertising, Kylie Watson-Wheeler. The theme and title of the campaign is "Rememberin'," with
the tagline: "Send a card. They'll never forget you remembered." The first ad, which will run during prime-time television shows such
as "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Becker,"
"Providence" and "The West Wing," breaks today and is
aimed at women age 35 and older, who buy the vast majority of greeting cards. The first ad, which focuses on Mother's Day -- the No. 3 holiday in
terms of numbers of cards purchased -- is shot in black and white. Later
spots will be in color. The campaign, which eventually also will consist of radio spots, was
created by Hallmark's advertising agency, Leo Burnett. The thread that will tie the ads together is the original music score,
"Rememberin'," the lyrics of which were written by Cheryl Berman,
chairwoman and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett. The song was recorded
by Grammy-winning artist Shawn Colvin. The campaign breaks at a time when Hallmark is putting a difficult
year behind it with 2001 revenues dropping 8 percent, to $4 billion, compared
with the year before. It was the first time in more than a decade that
year-over-year sales dropped. Part of that decline in revenues was a 1 percent drop in its North
American business, which included the sale of greeting cards, stationery,
gift wrap, ornaments, partyware and gifts. Watson-Wheeler said the campaign focuses on women, who already buy 85
percent of the greeting cards sold industrywide. "Women already understand and enjoy sending greeting cards,"
Watson-Wheeler said. Today's woman "still is very engaged in that
category, but her life is incredibly busy. What they told us was, `Remind me
what it's like to send a card and what it means to the recipient.' " Watson-Wheeler said one interesting aspect that research turned up was
card senders sometimes missed sending occasion cards because they would turn
their calendars and realize that it was too late to send a card to someone
whose birthday came early in the new month. To address that, Hallmark will ramp up the campaign toward the end of
each month to reinforce that reminder element. Following the initial Mother's Day spot will be one focused on
birthdays, followed by the next, a tribute to fathers, titled "Late
Night." Rounding out the five spots is one called "Unfold," focused
on sisters, and "You Go First," depicting two friends growing older
together. And while no mention was made of the events of Sept. 11, it has been
widely reported that many people turned to cards to help them connect, or
reconnect, with family and friends. "We are living in a day and age where there is nothing more important to people than the relationships with those they care about," Berman said. "In this new world, the relevance of a brand like Hallmark is definitely elevated." Beer and cards may not mix well in commercial By JENNIFER MANN Apr. 16,
2002 Flattering or offensive? Some TV viewers may be wondering how Hallmark Card Inc. views a
recent commercial for Budweiser that some people have mistaken as a
commercial for the Kansas City-based greeting card giant. The ad, part of Budweiser's "True" campaign, opens with a
woman in a card shop. She looks and looks and looks for the perfect card.
Finally, after going through a dozen cards, she finds the perfect one. The commercial then cuts to a guy buying a six-pack of beer at a
convenience store. Almost as an afterthought, he grabs one of only two cards
left in a paltry display at the cash register and plops it down. Next, we see the couple having dinner. When the girlfriend opens the
card from her boyfriend, she smiles and sweetly says, "It's
perfect." The alleged story behind the spot, which got heavy play during the
recent college basketball tournaments, was that Hallmark has a piece of its
advertising account up for review. According to the rumor, DDB Worldwide,
which created the ad for client Anheuser-Busch, was a finalist for said piece
of business. The agency incorporated the greeting card story line in the Bud ad as
a nod to Hallmark. But that supposedly backfired with Hallmark being less
than happy with the spot. Calls to DDB weren't returned. Good story if it were true, but it isn't, says Hallmark spokeswoman
Julie O'Dell. First, O'Dell said, Hallmark doesn't have any business out for review
and reminds us that Leo Burnett, Chicago, is the greeting card maker's
agency of review. The commercial itself and the seeming homage to Hallmark drew mixed
reactions within the company. "But nobody was unhappy or mad," O'Dell said. "One
thing people agreed on is that it reinforced the power a greeting card can
have in a relationship." So why would DDB incorporate the Hallmarkesque story line into the
True campaign? O'Dell said she didn't know but offered some speculation. "DDB is one of those agencies that has expressed a desire to work with us, so that might have been the genesis of that -- but that's just a guess," O'Dell said. Spider-Man
Has eBay Caught In Web Spider-Man is stronger than Batman and he knocks Superman right out of his cape and boots. No, it's not the latest DC Comics/Marvel Comics crossover comic book. It's the latest push on eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) for everybody's webslinger in anticipation for his feature-length movie due out May 3. A survey at the San Jose, Calif.-based online auction site reveals more than 30,000 superhero-related items are listed on eBay. Of those, more than 13,000 are Spider-Man related, making him eBay's most popular superhero. Batman comes in second with just over 10,000 items, followed by Superman with nearly 7,000. Among the most popular superhero items sought after by collectors are comic books, animation cels, pop culture toys and movie memorabilia. In honor of the Spider-Man movie, Sony Pictures (NYSE:SNE) Monday began offering fans the chance to bid on 75 exclusive items, including many props and costumes including mounted and framed pieces of an authentic Spider-Man costume worn by Tobey Maguire, signed movie posters, director's chairs and a Spider-Man webshooter. The auction will span 10 days with more items being offered through May 14. The Spider-Man phenomenon began in 1962 when Stan Lee created the comic book characters of Spider-Man and Peter Parker. Today he is featured in more than 2,000 comic books, as well as and in numerous books and cartoons and video games. "We've already seen the popularity of the Spider-Man film drive more interest, which may increase the prices of Spider-Man collectibles on eBay," said Jim Griffith, eBay Ambassador. "eBay is thrilled to offer Spider-Man fans around the world the chance to purchase some great items, including the exclusive items from Sony Pictures from their upcoming film." Examples of some of the rare and exciting Spider-Man collectible items available on the site include an original "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic book, which is currently at $20,100 with 30 bids; original Spider-Man artwork by Randy Queen, currently at $455 with 31 bids; and a lot of more than 50 vintage Spider-Man collectibles, currently at $355 with eight bids. Bargain Buffs Are Hooked on the Web Wed Apr 24, 2:37 PM ET By Jan Paschal NEW YORK (Reuters) - The sheer number of people surfing auction Web sites says it all: We are well on our way to becoming eBay Nation or the Republic of Amazon.com. And that's using the word "nation" loosely. The community of bargain hunters and collectors, who must get their fix on the Web, stretches from coast to coast in the United States and around the world. Marion Contursi, like many individuals who sell their wares over eBay, counts the Japanese among her best customers. "Japan is funny," Contursi told Reuters. "It costs them so much to get a money order that they just send cash." Cash -- as in cold, hard cash -- in an envelope? "That's right, just cash in an envelope," said Contursi, an advertising specialty saleswoman whose hobby is selling collectible glassware, china, sterling silver, porcelain, dolls and other items in auctions on eBay.com . EBay's popularity has changed the nature of garage sales and estate sales, Contursi said, noting it's harder to find desirable items at these sales for low cost because so many people are scouting there for stuff to resell on eBay. It's much harder now to find something like "the 7-Up guy for $20" to resell for $780, like a friend of hers did. "You go to estate sales and the people running them have already picked off the best stuff for themselves," she said. Based in San Jose, California, eBay counted a record 46.1 million people as confirmed registered users at the end of this year's first quarter, up 55 percent from a year ago. U.S. online net transaction revenues, most of it from eBay auctions, were $161.9 million, up 43 percent from a year ago. Amazon.com , the Seattle-based online retail behemoth best known for selling new books at deep discounts, reported first-quarter 2002 net sales of $847 million, up 21 percent from $700 million a year ago. Anyone wanting to buy antiques or fine collectibles from an online auction should do some homework before placing a bid, said Glyndon Hanson. With silver items, for instance, "if it's marked 925S, that's sterling silver. If it's marked 830S," that means an item that's about 80 percent silver and 20 percent other metal, making it stronger and more suited for daily use. 'A REASON TO CONNECT' "Close to $400 a minute is bid on eBay in a typical day," eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said, noting close to 500 video games and 250 action figures are sold in any given hour. "About $31 million of stuff is sold every day." The fastest-growing category on eBay is still collectibles, which includes antiques, pottery, movie and music memorabilia, with sales up 15 percent to 20 percent a year, Pursglove said. Other high-growth areas: eBay Motors, started two years ago, with about $2.2 billion in sales a year, and sales of consumer electronics, such as DVD players and PDAs, for which he did not have a sales figure readily available. Ken Cassar, senior analyst at Jupiter Research, a leading Internet research firm, said the wide appeal of buying used and new items via online auctions shows just how much the Web has changed the world for most people. EBay and Amazon opened their virtual doors within months of each other in 1995, before the Web became a household word. "EBay and others like eBay have opened the thrill of the auction up to a lot of common people," Cassar said, while keeping one eye on his bid for a new bicycle pump that was for sale on eBay during the interview. "The thing about the Internet is that it makes it very easy for people to connect," Cassar said. "The thing about eBay is that it gives people a reason to connect with each other. EBay's business model wouldn't work if it weren't for the Internet, whereas a retailer like Amazon, which I'm a big fan of, but at the end of the day, it's a retailer." The bicycle pump, for example, attracted 13 bidders to the listing from its seller, a woman in Saco, Maine, Cassar noted, adding: "There'd be no way she'd get that level of interest by placing an ad in her local paper." In the end, he didn't buy the pump because "there was a frenzy of bidding at the last minute and I steadfastly refused to bid above $20," he said. Among all Internet shopping destinations, eBay ranked first in total unique visitors for October 2001, February 2002 and March 2002, while Amazon.com was the traffic king in the Christmas shopping months of November and December 2001, and in January 2002, according to six-month data prepared by Jupiter Research for Reuters. Peak traffic months were December 2001 for Amazon sites, with nearly 30.1 million unique visitors, and March 2002 for eBay, with 29.3 million. Among online auctions, eBay topped the six-month traffic chart. UNBEATABLE BARGAINS Most bargain hunters, though, can't be bothered with all those statistics. They just know what they want -- and a good deal -- when they see it. One young mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, finds the bounty on eBay -- brand new and gently used clothes with logos from popular TV shows like "Blue's Clues" -- the best way to outfit her toddlers without breaking the bank. She's found complete outfits for less than $10, shirts for $1 and shoes for about $6.99 a pair that are $14.99 in stores. For Julie Wagner, a police officer and a mother of two children, shopping on eBay saves time and money. "The bargains are fantastic," Wagner said. "I just bought my 10-year-old daughter a Speedo swimsuit for $13.49 total, with shipping. It came new with a tag that said '$38."' "I've saved so much money on eBay," Wagner said. "I couldn't begin to tell you how much. I love to Christmas shop on eBay. I just bought a 1970s retro KISS lunchbox for $135," which will wind up under the tree for her son, 13, a big fan of the 1970s rock group. "At a toy collector store, it was $265." Low price, however, isn't the only reason to buy. "My husband bought me Harley Barbie No. 1, the blonde from 1997" on eBay, Wagner recalled. "He paid about $400 for it, which was a pretty good price for it at the time." Urban
archaeologists' unearth value at garage sales Special to The Star If you want to buy a sapphire ring for 50 cents, a couch and matching love seat for $30, or a pair of vintage lamps for $7, steer clear of the malls and take to the streets. Choose just about any street in town on any weekend in spring. Rise early, dress for comfort, carry cash in small bills, and prepare to join throngs of others observing one of the rites of spring in America -- the garage sale. "Garage sales start with real fervor in April and May and slow down in the heat of July and August," said Lisa Rogovin Payne of Overland Park. She should know. Payne says she has shopped at some 20,000 garage sales since 1988 and is still counting. She's even written a book on the subject, Once Upon a Garage Sale ... From Fairy Tale to Reality. "I buy almost nothing retail anymore," she said. That doesn't mean she sacrifices chic for cheap. Payne has two young children she outfits with finds from garage sales. "About 80 percent of all their clothes come from garage sales, and they're all name brands," Payne said. Shopping strategies Successful shopping at garage sales doesn't usually happen by accident. Seasoned shoppers have found that certain strategies pay off with thrills and thrift. Payne says flexibility is important. Narrowing your focus to a search for one particular item can blind you to other possibilities. "I am willing to purchase anything that I see a potential good use for," she said. "An open mind is the best shopping point of view." She has found still-shrink-wrapped packages of compact discs, stationery, perfume and other items that can make good gifts later. Even if she doesn't have a recipient in mind, if the price is right and the condition good, she buys it. "When I see something brand new at a garage sale for less than $2, I buy it and give it to charity at Christmas," she said. Garage sale prices allow you to redecorate, acquire a collection or try a new hobby with little investment or risk. Payne has purchased 30 teapots at garage sales as a way to decorate her kitchen. When she tired of teapots, she sold them at her own garage sale. Aspiring Martha Stewarts can purchase old dressers and other pieces of furniture to try their hands at painting or refinishing them. Pieces of puzzles can be fashioned together to create a picture frame. A little ingenuity is all it takes to turn someone else's castoffs into a conversation piece. Bill Moses, 23, moved to Kansas City from Texas about six months ago. He has since been haunting garage sales as a way to furnish his apartment. Moses said he bought toy cardboard bricks earlier this month at a garage sale. He plans to use the bricks to build a small coffee table. There's a pattern to the pursuits of Gib Shell, 52, of Kansas City, as well. "Urban archaeology" is how Shell describes his search to unearth "antiques and kitschy collectible stuff" at garage sales. Older neighborhoods such as Brookside, Waldo and Roeland Park hold more promise for him than newer subdivisions with young families. "If I can see baby clothes from the car, I drive on," he said. What stops him in his tracks are such things as a 1956 silver heart pendant etched with Elvis' name on it, a View-Master with hundreds of discs still in their sleeves, a Hawaiian shirt with hula dancers and fezzes on it, and a pair of vintage '40s lamps that look like big goldfish. In good condition, the fish lamps sold for $7 in the late '80s. Shell said he bought them because they complemented the art deco theme in his home. "The lamps are outrageous and attractive at the same time," he said. "People always notice them and comment." By taking advantage of garage sales and estate sales, Shell has furnished his entire house with "old stuff," he said. Useful for work Garage sale bargains aren't just for household use. Bonnie Sue Russell, case manager at Hillcrest Ministries in Liberty, paid $30 at a garage sale for a color printer to be used in the office where she works. Hillcrest Ministries is a 90-day transitional living program for the homeless. Individuals are taught how to budget, avoid debt and spend wisely. "I shop for Hillcrest families at garage sales, and I encourage them to do the same," she said. For families, Russell buys household items such as kitchen appliances, sheets and other items they'll need when they move into their own apartments. She discovered garage sales as a source for such goods some 20 years ago when she was furnishing her own apartment as a college student. Now married with four daughters, Russell has continued to find bargains, such as an antique upright piano for $25. Linny Carrier of Kansas City has been a garage sale aficionado ever since her mother introduced her to the pastime about 40 years ago. It was a practice she found especially useful when she taught art at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, North. "I bought tons of things for students to paint still lifes," she said. Even though she no longer teaches, Carrier still shops garage sales. Her advice to rookies: "Go early -- even before they say they'll open. You get the pick of the crop." Payne agrees that sellers sometimes hawk their wares before the garage doors officially open. Some shoppers say it's advantageous to arrive toward the end of the sale, when sellers are weary and eager to be rid of what's left. Letha Fisher, a shopper for about 20 years, subscribes to both philosophies. She starts early and stays late. "I'm out there all day," she said. Two of her better buys have been a sapphire ring for 50 cents and a couch and love seat for $30. The ring was missing one of five sapphires, and Fisher filled the missing setting with a ruby that she already owned. "I had to pay to have the other stone put in, but 50 cents was a good start on a gold ring," she said. Fisher often will stop at garage sales on her way to an early morning exercise class on Saturdays. "Because I'm in exercise attire, I can try clothes on easily," she said. On the first Saturday after Memorial Day, garage sale shopping becomes more than a bargain-hunting expedition for Fisher. That's when she and 21 of her friends launch their annual limo yard-sale cruise. Fisher and friends don formals, rent a limousine, uncork champagne and tour selected neighborhoods. This year, each member of the cruise is paying $45 for rental, gratuity and tax on the limousine from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. "We then come back to my house and have potluck, trade stuff we've bought, and the yard sale continues," she said. The tradition started about four years ago when Fisher and friends were holding a yard sale and party at Fisher's home in Mission. They decided it would be fun to take their party on the road. To transport all of them required a large vehicle. Thus the limo. "And if you ride in a limo, you need to dress up," she said. One of the things the women look for on their tour of garage sales is, of course, formals for next year's limo yard-sale cruise. Huge interest as Queen Mother stamps go on sale The Royal Mail is bracing itself for unprecedented public demand when special stamps commemorating the life of the Queen Mother go on sale. More than double the number of stamps normally issued to mark an event have been distributed. Advance orders have also been received from around the world. The four Queen Mother commemorative stamps feature photographic portraits from different periods in her life and are priced at 1st class, 37p, 45p and 65p. They were designed by the late John Gorham and were originally issued to celebrate the her 90th birthday in 1990. They are now framed in black as a mark of respect and carry the inscription "HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother 1900-2002" with the Queen's head also in black. Gavin Macrae, managing director of Royal Mail stamps and collectibles, said: "Interest in the commemorative issue both globally and domestically has been immense and we have distributed more than double the usual number of special stamps to all post offices to meet the expected first day demand. "Royal Mail has customers in over 130 countries, including all the commonwealth countries, and advance orders for this commemorative issue have been received from all over the world." The commemorative first day cover - normally only available on the issue day or if ordered a week in advance - will be on sale until May 23. The stamps and presentation packs, containing the stamps and photographs and information about the Queen Mother, will be on sale for a year. Couple's toy business takes off By Jenny Callison Enquirer contributor UNION TOWNSHIP — Selling train tables on eBay put Debbie and Tim Bartlett on the fast track to entrepreneurship. Their company, Mytoybox.com, started out as a pastime that Mrs. Bartlett could enjoy on days when she was home with the couple's son, Connor. But inspired product selection and savvy business strategies has powered the venture from a one-product enterprise on an auction Web site to a million-dollar-plus business in little more than a year. “We've pretty much exceeded every estimate we've made,” Mr. Bartlett said. “We went into it with such low expectations.” As a toddler, Connor loved playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine trains. To keep the Isle of Sodor from taking over their entire family room, his parents purchased a train table with storage compartments manufactured by Maxim Enterprises. Friends and neighbors liked the table and asked where they could find one, so Mrs. Bartlett decided there might be a general demand for the specialty item. Although Mrs. Bartlett had no business history, Maxim agreed to work with her and in March 2001 the self-described “mom with a hobby” began listing the tables on eBay. Mrs. Bartlett gave potential buyers the chance to bid up from her minimum price or purchase immediately at a slightly higher “buy it now” price. “I thought I might sell a few tables a week, but I sold a few tables a day,” she said. The venture steamed along so rapidly that Mrs. Bartlett left her part-time job in June. A month later, the couple realized her “hobby” was fast outgrowing eBay. Mr. Bartlett, a sales manager for an information technology firm, put his computer skills to work designing a Web site that would support the rapidly expanding business. Just before unveiling the Mytoybox Web site, the Bartletts won approval from Learning Curve to carry that company's Thomas products along with Maxim's table. “We launched our site Aug. 7 with two manufacturers,” Mr. Bartlett said. “We started slow, probably sold a few hundred items. Sept. 11 really hurt us.” But then came October, November and December. Mytoybox added more products and logged $500,000 in sales. Said Mr. Bartlett: “In December, we realized clearly that this was going to be full time for both of us. It wasn't a matter of "if,' but "when.' The question was how slow the toy business would be in January and February.” The answer: not slow at all. During the first two months of this year, the couple sold about 5,000 products. In March, Mr. Bartlett gave his employer notice and April 1 went full time with his new family business. “It's worked out wonderfully well,” said Tom Young, a Northwestern Mutual Insurance representative for whom Mrs. Bartlett worked until last year. “They are both very bright and very detail-oriented.” Mr. Young is far more than a former employer. He helped the new entrepreneurs set up a group health plan and retirement plan. He also put them in touch with key resources: a lawyer/CPA who specializes in small-business needs, a real estate agent who has helped the couple identify future warehouse space and BGR Inc., which now supplies the boxes for Mytoybox shipments. “We turn to people whom we know and trust, and have networked through family and small-business connections,” Mr. Bartlett said. Despite joking about Mytoybox's start as a hobby, both owners have planned, analyzed and organized every detail of their endeavor from the first. Their basement is stacked with products and organized to minimize wasted motion as orders are filled. “We automate everything possible through the computer,” he said. “Everything we can't automate, we develop a process for.” That means every task is done with maximum efficiency, regardless of whether it's done by one of the owners or by a part-time employee. Since its debut with Maxim tables, Mytoybox.com's product line has grown fourfold. Every merchandise decision is weighed carefully, and the company's initial commitment for any new product is relatively small until the owners can judge demand. “We carry specialty toy items that aren't found at Wal-Mart, Target or other megastores,” Mr. Bartlett said. “Our stock is a combination of classic toys that never go out of style and trendy toys. We're always trying to ride the wave of what's hot, but jump off before the toys lose their appeal.” Said Mrs. Bartlett: “Everything we sell is non-violent. You're wiring children for creativity; you know you're selling a product that's so wonderful for them.” Soon, the company will move part of its operations to a climate-controlled warehouse. Eventually, Mytoybox.com will graduate to its own location, which might even contain retail space. “Three to four local stores featuring the products on our Web site is not that preposterous an idea,” Mr. Bartlett said. |
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Keepsake
Ornament is shown here with pink feather boa and pink material accents on her
skirt. Third in the unofficial Club porcelain BARBIE™ series, BARBIE™ 2002
will be high on any serious collector's wish list. 