Prepare for an uproarious ride as we share our latest in business growth, planting our new warehouse beside an adult emporium! Amid the chuckles, we peel back the curtain on the thrills of expansion and the hilarity of our new neighbors. But wait, there's more – we even circle back to the bathroom towel discourse from our last episode.
This episode isn't just laughs; it's a treasure trove of decor discoveries and retail strategies. We're dishing out the lowdown on the hottest holiday decor trends straight from the Atlanta market – think mushroom ornaments and evolving Christmas color palettes. Special guest Angela from IDE Interiors and the dynamic duo Savannah and Julie of Southern Style in Op, Alabama, join us to sprinkle their regional and professional magic on the topic. Plus, we're spilling the secrets on the life cycle of trends, from boutique finds to big-box hits, and how intuition plays a part in keeping our shelves stocked with the freshest and most fabulous finds.
Buckle Up and Hit That Follow Button.
Who's driving with Wesley Turner & Steven Merck will take you on an entertaining ride.
Who's driving is all about the entertaining stories we share & brainstorming topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip. Along the way we will pick up a few friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things home and garden.
Follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven
Hit us up on Instagram and give our hotline a call at 864-982-5029. Happy listening! And remember to leave us a rating and review.
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales on Sundays and Thursdays at 8pm est. Use Code Fig10 for 10% Off.
Prepare for an uproarious ride as we share our latest in business growth, planting our new warehouse beside an adult emporium! Amid the chuckles, we peel back the curtain on the thrills of expansion and the hilarity of our new neighbors. But wait, there's more – we even circle back to the bathroom towel discourse from our last episode.
This episode isn't just laughs; it's a treasure trove of decor discoveries and retail strategies. We're dishing out the lowdown on the hottest holiday decor trends straight from the Atlanta market – think mushroom ornaments and evolving Christmas color palettes. Special guest Angela from IDE Interiors and the dynamic duo Savannah and Julie of Southern Style in Op, Alabama, join us to sprinkle their regional and professional magic on the topic. Plus, we're spilling the secrets on the life cycle of trends, from boutique finds to big-box hits, and how intuition plays a part in keeping our shelves stocked with the freshest and most fabulous finds.
Buckle Up and Hit That Follow Button.
Who's driving with Wesley Turner & Steven Merck will take you on an entertaining ride.
Who's driving is all about the entertaining stories we share & brainstorming topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip. Along the way we will pick up a few friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things home and garden.
Follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven
Hit us up on Instagram and give our hotline a call at 864-982-5029. Happy listening! And remember to leave us a rating and review.
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales on Sundays and Thursdays at 8pm est. Use Code Fig10 for 10% Off.
Hey, snotch, you here. I'm here, booger. Hahaha. Oh my gosh, it's time for another episode of who's Driving. Welcome to who's Driving. I'm Wesley Turner. And I'm Stephen Merk where two best friends and entrepreneurs who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendship and business.
Speaker 2:These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road trip.
Speaker 1:Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden.
Speaker 2:Buckle up and enjoy the ride. You never know who's driving, or?
Speaker 1:where we're headed. All we know is it's always a fun ride and on this week's episode we are going to be telling you the holiday trends we spotted when we were at the Atlanta market. And we have a new little segment. Yeah, we're going to make a pit stop where we take it to the streets.
Speaker 2:I know, when you first told me we were going to do that because we had talked about it a long time ago and we talked about it I thought you were going to make me start prostituting.
Speaker 1:That's not the type of pit stop we were making.
Speaker 2:I'm glad that it worked out. It wasn't like that. Yeah, it wasn't like that, and we tried to put off recording podcasts because you've been sick I've been really sick with the flu, right and we still have froggy voices, but we determine we don't know when we're ever going to get our voices back Right, so hopefully it sounds good. I hope you enjoy the froggy voices. Maybe they're sexy. Maybe it's sexy, yeah.
Speaker 1:So the last time we left off our podcast we were recording at the Atlanta market in the hotel room 1 am. It was like day two or three. We were there At Energy and we were going to. We were like we'll record at least three or four podcasts while we're here and do this podcast about trends while we were at market. Well, I got all snotty and sick and we were just exhausted. And then we were exhausted too. So in that podcast we got to revisit a few things. First of all, you were like oh, I was trying to avoid the COVID and the flu and all of this over the holiday season. Made it, I made it through market.
Speaker 2:You made it through market. I made it through vacationing in New Orleans that's true On New Year's Yep. I made it through market, which was most important, and then got sick when I got back Right and it was miserable. And you got the flu, the flu, the flu. I knew like, I knew like when I couldn't sleep and my legs were hurting, I was like this is the flu.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I got sick the last couple of days in market. Mine started with like a really bad sore throat.
Speaker 2:I think it was the flu, and then my ears hurt. It was the flu.
Speaker 1:I didn't have. I don't think it was the flu, because I didn't have. Well then I went and got tested and I didn't have the. But you waited like eight days, yeah, but as sick as you were, you would have still.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know. Well, they gave me an antibiotic for a sinus infection, so it doesn't it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:It's neither here nor there, but I guess we go. Everybody's been sick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy. So, also since that podcast in talking about the new year, we signed finally and got the keys to our brand new warehouse. Yes, how exciting.
Speaker 2:Beside an adult store.
Speaker 1:Yeah, adult sex store. So our podcast.
Speaker 2:I knew when we drove up and saw that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is meant to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we've been looking for a warehouse. We really started I think it was last March when we started, or February, when we were thought we might move somewhere in the same complex that we're in, and then we looked at some over the summer and it's been the ongoing thing. And then we were. We found another one that was the old what was that Tuesday morning location, because we wanted to have the ability we're going to add in an outlet store.
Speaker 2:Ideally, we wanted a supermarket.
Speaker 1:Right Supermarket Like an old grocery store, but we could.
Speaker 2:We found one, but it's been closed forever. But they're still under lease, yeah, so it was just weird.
Speaker 1:They're just let the lease run out. So there was this place and I was like I wonder if that one would work. And it is. It used to be like habitat for humanity or Miracle Hill, yeah.
Speaker 5:So kind of like secondhand store or thrift store.
Speaker 1:So it's large, which works because it has the dock in the back and all of that, but it is conveniently located next to the adult store and a bar.
Speaker 2:And a bar. Yes, a questionable bar and sex store. So in the south and the center the last night was the first night I've driven there at night.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I was just a little taken aback by how bright Adam and Eve is, like it's. Their sign is very prominent, prominent, yes, and then, like the inside lights is very blue and red and purple tree, yes, it's very. Come hither, yeah, and it is very busy.
Speaker 1:I must say it's very nice if you haven't been in there.
Speaker 2:I haven't been in yet.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, for the category, but it's very.
Speaker 2:Well, it looks very well done.
Speaker 1:It's very well done, very clean. It's not trashy.
Speaker 2:Trashy? No, no, it isn't trashy, it's like a super store.
Speaker 1:It's kind of yeah, it is, and I'm kind of glad that it's right there. It's convenient, you know, and they close late like 10 o'clock, so you know after work if you need something you can just walk on down. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I know I'll probably be cat Spice it up a little.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know Steven's most excited and again, I know we have a lot of local customers. If you go to Adam and Eve on Winterfrog, we will not judge you, I mean we might give you a discount at their outlets.
Speaker 2:No, bring your bag in, go. Actually it would make me like you more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but Steve he's going to look first off. Good thing he's not at the warehouse that much on a regular basis, but he's already going to be standing at the front door seeing who's going in.
Speaker 2:I really don't care that much, but it's funny, it's funny to joke about. But you know, I mean it's a need. There's supermarkets, there's drug stores and there's adult stores. There's needs.
Speaker 1:Nothing wrong with it. So the funny thing is, though, today was the first day. We just got the keys on Friday, the next day, so today was the first day I called. We had to get the fire extinguishers serviced or whatever. So I called the guy and he was like oh, where are you located? And that's when it hit me. I'm like hmm. So I gave him the address and then I was like well, what landmark do I go with, Adam?
Speaker 2:and Eve Like do I go?
Speaker 1:We're next to Adam and Eve, or you know whatever I said. Oh, we're across from the restaurant that's right across the street. I go grill on Woodruff Road or whatever. Well, he gets there and he's this country guy or whatever to do it and he's like, well, you should have told me you were next to Adam and Eve, no, the bar.
Speaker 2:Oh, the bar House divided, house divided.
Speaker 1:He's like I go there all the time and I was like, oh, I couldn't remember the name of the bar at the time, but I just thought it was funny. I'm like, which landmarks, when we're given directions, are we going to go with?
Speaker 2:I'm going with Adam and Eve.
Speaker 1:Adam and Eve. I mean, you can't miss the sign, you can't miss it. That's it's quite funny. But yeah, we knew when we pulled up and it was the right square footage and it was right there next to the Adam and Eve store.
Speaker 2:I would do a coupon campaign with them. Like you know, you bring your receipt from Adam and Eve will give you 10% off. They take our receipt to Adam and Eve, they get 10% off.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:I think that would be.
Speaker 1:You think we could do a live sale with them? Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:That would be a live sale collaboration. We should do it. Do it at like midnight, late night, with Wesley and Stephen.
Speaker 1:Have you ever seen? Because there are people and, again, there's nothing wrong with it at all. But have you ever seen someone promote adult products, like on social media? Yeah, and the way they describe things, because they don't, you know, they can't be censored, and the terminology that they use is always so creative and fun for me to listen to. I mean whatever yeah.
Speaker 2:Whatever?
Speaker 1:So anyway, that's our excitement there Gosh we would have a huge.
Speaker 2:We would have huge sales if we did a live sale and I could name our customers some of them by personality that they would be all about it.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh, yeah, we'd probably lose a few too, but You'd have to have it fair warning yeah, it'd have to be like 1 am late night. Oh my gosh, that's so funny. So with the move we have more room, which is good, because right now we have two warehouses that are split apart, because we ended up getting our first warehouse. It is kind of amazing where we've ended up. If you think back about it. It is Because, you know, in 2000,. We didn't start shipping online until summer of 2019, really fall of 2019.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh, and then we moved to our locations and we were shipping out of a literal closet. It was like eight by 10. Right Out of the back of our retail store and it wasn't a lot.
Speaker 1:And then, in 2020, when we decided to go big we talked about that in the other other podcast we got our first warehouse that we thought, oh my gosh, this is huge, we'll never fill it up, sort of thing. And so then, within six months, we were like we needed a bigger warehouse, and that's how we ended up keeping two warehouses, because we had to lease on that one and we upgraded in the same complex, and so we've had two warehouses One we use more for our sale, warehouse and storage, and then one for our shipping.
Speaker 2:And there's just a lot of wasted space in the sale.
Speaker 1:So if we haven't combined, we're gaining space, a lot of space. Plus our new space is even bigger, so we're gaining a good amount of usable daily space. But one of the things that we want to do is also have an outlet store. So our one off items, when we're online and we get down to those final few, or whatever it may be, we can have our outlet store too. So good moves there. Hopefully that all it's very exciting. I know I've been over there with my measure and tape and got it all laid out, y'all.
Speaker 2:He loves a measuring tape, I know. And Dylan said are you not going over there? I said no, I'm leaving Wesley with his measuring tape.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing. We both have our places and parts in the business, or whatever Stephen has, he doesn't care if you sling the stuff over there.
Speaker 2:No, I want it organized, but I don't care how it's organized. Right, I can go with the flow.
Speaker 1:And I go over there and I see it. I think that goes back to being able to visualize things. I see it laid out, the flow.
Speaker 2:Well, it goes back to your grocery store obsession.
Speaker 1:Is what it all goes back to. It's your. I need my aisles lined up, measured out.
Speaker 2:You have a thing like grocery store kind of thing, which is weird because you're not an organized I'm not an organized or OCD person. And I'm very organized, very OCD, but I guess because of that I can go with the flow, like I know. I would rather you decide the layout, and it's fine with me, because I know if I did it I would hear you bitch about.
Speaker 1:That's not true.
Speaker 2:We should have done this, we should have done that. So now I mean, you're still complaining about something that even that you did. But that's not true, it is true. It's OK. It's OK, I got, I don't, I embrace it you know, whatever.
Speaker 1:Well, going back to the last episode, we set a couple of things on fire, but most of all, my DMs got set on fire about you reusing your towel for seven to 10 days.
Speaker 2:OK, yes, and that set Dylan on fire too, that I admitted to that, uh-huh. So let me just go ahead and publicly put it out there that that's no longer the case.
Speaker 1:OK, that's what we were going to see. If there's a follow up, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:The day, the day Dylan listened to it, he said, oh my God, I cannot believe that you told that. And I said well, it was the truth. Yeah, he said it doesn't matter, we're open it sounds nasty and I'm like it's the truth and y'all are nasty and well, no more. Oh good, no, everything was washed. We've been on a new schedule, so we're at every like three days now. Ok it should give you a better.
Speaker 2:But, you know, I did get some messages and I'm not going to call out those people because they may not want to be publicly called out. But I did get several messages that said they do the same thing Gross, but they're like you're clean so you're drying off. But I get it. I know that you're not supposed to do.
Speaker 1:It's not just that you're clean. You are clean and you're drying off, but the skin cells Well not even that. But you're wetting that towel and then you are hanging it to let it dry, but then the bacteria and stuff not for you, I get it From the air. I get it Water starts growing and that causes the mildew smell.
Speaker 2:I get it. I get it. Well, I trust me. There ain't no mildew smell in my bathroom, but no, I get it.
Speaker 1:So Daniel was even like, he listened to it. A few days later I forgot what we'd even talked about this week and he was like OK, the towel thing he was like was he just like exaggerating? Like oh we use it for this long.
Speaker 2:Or do they?
Speaker 1:literally use it for that long. And I was like no, I think they literally use it for that long. Mm, hmm. He's like no way.
Speaker 2:And I was like it doesn't go with my personality and my cleanliness obsession. Uh huh, it doesn't, and when I was younger, I was very obsessive about that and I would not use a towel more than once Ever. Yeah, under no circumstances, but I don't know, I don't know what happened.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just so weird that one threw me off because I literally did not know your answer. Like you said in the podcast, you knew me from staying with me and that one just really, really threw me off as a friend, that I didn't know this.
Speaker 2:Well, you should have known, we've like. But I know we own a house together and we, we stay there together and we.
Speaker 1:But we wash clothes and share hotel rooms.
Speaker 2:Well, and we don't use the same bathrooms.
Speaker 1:Yeah for the house and, like I like thinking back to a hotel, I just assume you use them for like three days because people come in and clean or something. I mean I feel like the normal is two to three days to reuse your towel. Like to me that's normal and I just use mine once, which I got a ton of messages because I put up the little question boxes that how long do you? And a lot of people said they get a new one every time and I would say the average was two times and then three times was, you know, the next most popular, whatever.
Speaker 2:I think so. I think it. I think the towel thing for me stemmed from my OCD not wanting towels piled up in the laundry basket.
Speaker 1:But you didn't want to do the laundry either, so, yeah, that was easier, just to hang it up and reuse it.
Speaker 2:But that's a. Dylan had a connection, almost killed me and so you know it's really nice because my towel smells really good. It has our Tyler rush laundry detergent Can't beat that it smells great.
Speaker 2:But the funny thing is, you know, I can't go with my bedsheets. My bedsheets have to be done every week. Yeah, you get those washed every week. And actually, and I've told Dylan, I'm like I really would like it twice, I really would like for me to come twice a week and he's like no, that is ridiculous, I won't even let you do that. But I'm just saying my. You know, Oprah has said she likes her sheets changed out every other day. If I had Oprah's bank account, you would do the same, I would do the exact same thing, but you'll wipe your body off with the week old yeah.
Speaker 2:You got it Okay.
Speaker 1:Yep, yep, also follow up from the last podcast. We talked about folding a fitted sheet. We talked about that and we did indeed hear from Janet, who we talked about, who works at our garden shop.
Speaker 2:And she we love Janet. Yes, we love Janet. We talked about how much we love her. She was married to a man in the military and she could honestly, I think, go in the military today as a drill sergeant.
Speaker 1:Well, she did follow up and let us know, let me know, that she can indeed fold a fitted sheet perfectly Like it can fit back in the thing. But she said that is because her grandmother was a sheet inspector and taught her. And taught her how to do it and she said she's given many demos. So I think we need on Instagram to get Janet to give us a demo on how to fold the fitted sheet.
Speaker 2:I think we should do it at my house with my sheets. I would love that Right.
Speaker 1:Have her over and she can fold all your fitted sheets and we'll do a little video. Because let me just admit something right, I did get a lot of messages that Martha Stewart has a video showing how to fold it.
Speaker 2:Yes, but I ain't doing all that. I think my issue is it's again with chopsticks. You know, I like to say they're serial killers If they fold a sheet, perfectly fitted sheet, perfectly like that.
Speaker 1:But if I'm being completely honest, I think I'm just jealous, just like with the chopsticks. Yeah, you're jealous, you can't use them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's jealousy, mm. Hmm.
Speaker 2:But you know, at least I could admit it, that's true. I mean whatever, but I mean I mean. The thing is is I'm really picky about sheets. So I take it to the next level. Like I only buy certain brands of sheets God, this is going to open up another whole can of worms. But I only like expensive, fitted sheets. Everything else could honestly come from wherever.
Speaker 1:No, not really, but if you ever get those ones that feel like plastic, you know, if you ever go you know I'm Tom out, they just but the fitted sheet has to be deep and it has to have elastic all the way around. Not just corners, not just on the corner. No no, no, no, no, no. I know we used to sell bedding at our home store. That's when my addiction came and it was a whole process just to find the right bedding to sell, but we found one of the best, yeah.
Speaker 2:John Robshaw is amazing and I so wish we. The only time I wish we sell it is I buy me a new set, like once a year. Yeah, that's when I wish we sold it, because I don't bother, I guess I can get a designer discount at market. Yeah, I just order online. Yeah, but I'm like damn.
Speaker 1:What about? Here's a question, because I know this is a trend thing or not a trend, but I guess, whatever, do you still use a flat sheet?
Speaker 5:on your bed.
Speaker 6:Yes.
Speaker 1:You do Because you know a lot of people don't use flat sheets anymore. Mm, hmm, I do which I would.
Speaker 2:So I just ran into a whole thing. I'm actually doing something on Instagram today. I'm refreshing my bedding, mm. Hmm, I'm not changing colors, I'm still using white linen, but I've updated bedding. So I went you and I ordered some really nice linen bedding for me, like last year we did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we did.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love that. And then I ordered some online. Anyway, it took me five, five duvet covers to realize all duvets are not the same size, no, or created equally. No, so I've spent I have no idea how much money just to get to one that works. And so I said, well, I'm going to order another one immediately, mm hmm, because this one works and Dylan was like you just bought that one, yeah.
Speaker 1:You're like, I know, but I'm going to have a second one on hand, mm, hmm, yeah, oh, my goodness. Ok, so let's talk about let's get into market Our recent market visit, ok, and today we're specifically going to talk about holiday, the core holiday trends, holiday shopping. And then we're going to do another one on every day in home decor. So today we're talking about specifically holiday, holiday celebrate. So if you I'm sure you've all followed me and probably heard of me talking about market, but we got a market in January. It's the largest market we go to of the year and that is when we order. And by going to market we mean it's a wholesale, a wholesale show markets called America's Mark. It's in Atlanta, there's also one in Dallas. I get a question.
Speaker 2:We don't go to Dallas, but Atlanta's the biggest.
Speaker 1:Atlanta's the biggest so and it's closest to us, so that's the one that we go to. So this is where we go to source product for our retail stores and our own line store. So we go in January to order our products, for our holiday products, for like, christmas, fall and Christmas of that year. So we've already ordered fall and Christmas of 2024. We go back in July and we can we do give, we do give some fillings and we might go. This is a cute Christmas item we didn't order and we add on, but the bulk of it we order already in January, right after you finish Christmas.
Speaker 1:So when we go to market, one of the most common things that we get asked is like what's the trends, what are you seeing, and that sort of thing. And before I thought, before we got into what the trends that we're seeing is talking about trends in general, because I always get asked like who sets the trends? Or how do you know what trend to go with and that sort of thing. Or you know where does this even come from? So, market, when we go to showrooms, they go to markets as well, but they're going directly to manufacturers and they are seeing you know what's being produced or that sort of thing. But it all works on the same level. Just like we have to decide what our trends are going to be for our retail stores, what our customers are liking, they're doing the same thing for them. They're deciding what their retailers are going to like and they do all do it a little different.
Speaker 2:Like you and I have gone to tour custom upholstery manufacturing that we've sold right and we actually met with the president of the company and some of the design folks that work with her and we said how do you come up with your, your fabric trend?
Speaker 1:yeah, and that particular company, actually they go to fashion week in Paris right, because a lot of upholstery, a lot of home decor trends are driven by fashion trends it starts in fashion first and that's more for everyday decor upholstery. It starts in fashion first and then ends up in home decor, which is so interesting it's.
Speaker 2:It's very like I was. I never expected that answer.
Speaker 1:Right, we go to Paris for fashion week like and see what the trending patterns and colors and I'm like in, you sell sofas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're like, but it's interesting plays into the same thing.
Speaker 1:So, on a retail level, when we go to market, like I said, I'm always asked like well, it's so overwhelming because I show it in stories how do you know what to buy and that sort of thing? So when we go, we are basically you have to be very in tune with your current customer and your location, because what we're seeing trending here in Greenville, south Carolina, may not be what's trending on the west coast, and also we also have our online store and the trends that we see online can be very different than what we see locally.
Speaker 1:As well because we have a much broader audience. So we try to keep you know all of that in mind. So when we go we're ordering. Some things are just for the garden store, some things are for our home store, some things are just for online, and then some things for all are for all, or maybe for home and online or garden and online or whatever.
Speaker 1:So we have to keep that in mind. But going back to the trends, the thing that's most important as a retailer and this is for other small businesses, but anyone, just so you know how it works is you want to be on trend, but not too far ahead of the trend, because being too far ahead of a trend can be just as bad as being behind the trend. You have to know your trading area right, so you have to know what your customers are wanting, and the way that we do that is pay attention to what's selling, so if someone comes in and we, you know, let's go. Let's talk specifically about holiday, for example. A few years ago, the new thing and this is like several, several years ago the new thing was water bubblers I guess that's what you call them a little they look like little lanterns, they'd have a snowman or a santa in them and that you turn them on the battery operate it
Speaker 1:basically like a snow globe, but larger and, yeah, how did a battery. So that was a new product. So we were like, oh, I think people will like these or whatever. So we bought some the first Christmas and they were gone within like two weeks. And we're like, oh, people really love these. So the next year there were even more at market. So we were we probably ordered I don't know 25 different styles. We ordered a ton of them because we knew the previous year people really wanted those. So that was when we like hit the trend. So then the next year we're like well, people love those, but we did so many of those last year we still need to offer them, but not as many. So then you start sliding back down that trend and then the next year you're like, well, now those are going to be everywhere, so we only want like one or two or we don't want them at all.
Speaker 2:Right, it fits in box. When it hits box stores is when we cut it off. Yeah, so we were more boutique.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we want to be boutique and we want to be on trend, slightly ahead of the trend, but not behind it, where it's ending up in box stores, mm-hmm. And so you, that's how we try to keep things in mind. Another example and this year we didn't order any because we're like, okay, we're over this trend. Our customers are, for the last few years, santa mugs, santa mugs. We could have ordered 10,000 Santa mugs and we would have sold 10,000, and people would have 10 more yeah, people would have wanted more.
Speaker 1:So that started with, like three, four years ago, santa mugs. We ordered Santa mugs and they again sold out right away. And then every year they've gone up and up and up. This year we didn't order quite as many because we were already following like oh, we've had Santa mugs for, you know, several years now and we get tired of products like oh, we want to offer brand new things as well. And then this year, santa mugs, we sold them. It's not a bad thing, it's not like oh, we didn't sell them, but the interest wasn't there. They weren't as hot as they were in previous years. You can just tell when it does it, when it's dying off. And that's because now, santa mugs, you can get them at any box store, home goods, wherever, they're everywhere, so they're not a unique product anymore to a boutique store and we can always just tell.
Speaker 2:I can tell. I can tell in a live sale or like a, an unboxing, a sneak peek, right, I can tell immediately what the interest is. Yeah, like the like when we did previews and we had a great season, like we really can't complain at all. No, but when we did sneak peeks for this past Christmas, I could tell that people were not as into the pink, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, you could just tell we sold it, all right, but it wasn't on fire. Yeah, we like those on fire items and that's what I was going to say. Going in after the Santa mugs is pink, for example. So we've done a pink theme, a whimsical pink holiday theme 10 years. Yeah, at least at our, I mean, we have rode that one, whatever. Um, we were doing that before. We were having to put the colors together ourselves, like it wasn't a theme at market and we were like, oh, let's do a pink theme because it's fun or whatever. And so every year at our retail store, even online in the previous years, people wanted the pink. It sold. It was the hot on fire. Well, this year, when we, well, in January of 2023, when we went to market to buy for Christmas 2023, pink was everywhere at market. All the showrooms were doing a pink theme. So we're like, well, we've been doing red yeah with red.
Speaker 1:So we're like oh, we always do that, so let's do. You know, we'll do that again because it was a little bit different. We've done we had done pink with like teals. We've done pink with some other colors.
Speaker 1:We'd never done it with just like pink and red right red and pink, the candy pinks, we've done all of it, yeah, and so this year we did the pink. In normal years, like even at our retail store, that that's the first theme to sell out. People are wanting more, whatever. This year it was flat, we sold it, we sold it. So it's not like it was a miss or anything no one was like excited about, but it wasn't like the fastest selling thing. So that's when, as a retailer, we're like, okay, we have ridden that theme, we got it back off, we got it back off.
Speaker 2:So I don't think we ordered, and it doesn't mean that we don't have one offs that are super cute. Yeah, pink in it.
Speaker 1:It means those categories that aren't on fire anymore become subcategories. So yes, we still will have some pink because it will sell, but it's not going to be our main theme or we'll have like one off accessories that go along with it. It's not like we're poo pooing that right. That theme is just that becomes a subcategory and eventually to go away all up and then it, and then and then it come right back around stronger than ever, yeah, and then it pop right back up.
Speaker 2:It's like the best way I can describe retail, because you know, I spent 30 years in restaurant, um, and it's not as much, because you kind of know what people right, people's taste, right um. With retail, especially home decor, it is like gambling. Yeah, it's like going to Vegas. Yeah, we go in January and we take a lot of money yeah, a lot of money and we put it on the roulette wheel and it's truly what we feel yeah, you got to go with your intuition, your gut and just hope it.
Speaker 1:Hope it works out yeah and so that's how the trend process works. Because I think that's interesting, because you can't, you got to keep it fresh, but you also don't want to leave money on the table, so you don't want to cut off a trend too soon it's a lot of gut it's.
Speaker 2:I mean, I hate to say that yeah it's a lot of just a gut feel and, like you said your pat, your last Christmas you got to think what was really hot, what was not? Yeah, what did you not? What sold out immediately that we didn't have enough of?
Speaker 1:yeah, and those are the type of things were like, okay, they really liked this and it sold out right away. So how do we expand on this? Or we go to market. We're like, oh, this item is very similar, similar style, color, whatever it may be to those items that sold out immediately. So this is the next step, this is how we expand on that, to bring in new product and that sort of thing and it. It works out.
Speaker 1:But you just got to be in team, you do, you do and that's why I go, that's why we go to markets and we spend a lot of time at market so that we're seeing those trends not just.
Speaker 1:You know it's harder because we're seeing them in the showrooms, put together as collections, how they display them, and it's not just seeing it on one of our vendors websites. We're shopping all the vendors. So we know if we go to the holiday section because there's four, five floors that are all holiday together and then there's holiday sprinkled throughout, but we walk those before we start shopping and we're like, okay, everyone has this thing or these colors going on.
Speaker 2:So that's, you know, obviously going to be and then we have to, amongst our you and I have to determine what they think is really hot or they're trying to make happen right. We have to determine what we think is going to be a flop right and what's not right. So there's so many moving parts because we might say like, oh, this, they're trying to make this happen, they're all doing this.
Speaker 1:But then we know, we know our customers and we're like aren't they not going to respond to that?
Speaker 2:it's pretty, it's cool, it's fine, but we do not feel good enough about it to put our money $25,000 in right. It's like putting $25,000 on red right.
Speaker 1:We're not filling that right so we're not going to do so, nope, so we have to. And it varies from year to year. But trends are like. For small businesses, it's like surfing you got to ride the wave and then you got to get off, know when to get off. You got to know when to get off before it hits the box stores because, as boutique stores, we need to be bringing the newest trends, the newest item, and it's that way with everything.
Speaker 2:It's snacks. Yeah, you know we sell a lot of snacks in a retail store and online and things that we really love. We find it different at market, but then the minute it hits the box stores, we're like, yeah, it's no more, it's not, it's not special yeah, it's not special anymore and that's how brands build themselves, though.
Speaker 1:They start in boutique stores and then, when it becomes a hot thing there, and then they've gotten all the boutique stores to sell it for them, and then they're they become a brand, a known brand, then they hit the big box normal product evolution right and you just have to get your little niche in there and ride it out, yeah, and know when to quit.
Speaker 1:You know, it's a another funny, like Christmas, when a good example is, when that's a trend. And that we rode is when the you know the ceramic trees that light up came back. You know the kind your mom or grandmother made very nostalgic to people. Yeah, back in ceramics class.
Speaker 1:I mean, those weren't around for a few years and then a lot of years yeah, and then they came out at market and every, oh, we love those, because it was, like you said, nostalgic, and so we brought in a few of those at the retail store sold out first week for holiday, so then the next year we're like, oh, people like that. So we brought in more. And then white pink yeah, when we went to market they had them in different colors. So that's how we expanded on that product so we brought in a ton of them.
Speaker 1:They all sold out. The next year we brought in more, but probably not as much, and then the next year in a little less, and then the next year they were everywhere at box stores and we're like no more. Like this year I think we had like one style of them. Yeah, because then you can find them anymore and that's how the trends go. Yeah and then they'll ride out at the box stores for a couple of years, and then it just keeps going, and one year, what was a couple years?
Speaker 2:um, penguins were huge, oh my gosh. And I happened to love penguins oh yeah, you did and you did. I ordered so many penguins. They were really cute, yeah, um, I mean, I didn't real, because you don't realize how much you're ordering sometimes when you go vendor to vendor to vendor and you see this cute penguin and that cute penguin we look like we should be at the zoo because you had all these Christmas penguins.
Speaker 2:We sold them all, but then we had to get off the penguin, right exactly. And it's funny like ever something will come in. Certain years penguins were was huge, and then, um, melting snowmen, that was a whole thing too.
Speaker 1:It was a lot of fun stuff, right yeah, and then this year I feel like we'll get into the trends, what we feel like here in a second on that um, but before we get into our trends we'll talk about. Let's talk about market in general, because this year, every few years, something happens before we make our pit stops and hear what everyone says. But every few years at market it's kind of a transitional year, and this year was a transitional year and what I mean by that is like some years every vendor holiday vendor will have very similar themes. Like last year, every major vendor had pink and red, pink and red, the vintage reproduction and fruit and fruit. They all three had those and then they all had, you know, their own little subcategory and those were three consistent.
Speaker 1:No matter what vendor we went to, you could find something that fit in those things and we knew that was going to be good.
Speaker 2:Right that we knew we okay, we can work with this right.
Speaker 1:This year was one of the years where it's transitional, where it felt like they all were trying to make up what the next thing's going to be they were cleaning out their closet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they were like, oh, it was like it was like they had had several big years, just like we had with the?
Speaker 1:Um, vintage reproduction. We've done that two or three years now um, the pink and, like you said, the fruit, and there was another major theme and I can't remember what it was, but anyway, all of those were gone or like subcategories this year, and it was like they were trying to make their own categories but nothing was cohesive from vendor to vendor like previous years, and that happens, I feel like, every like five years. I feel like is when that happened. And we go to market and we're like, uh, which makes it harder in some cases, because then we're like okay, we have to pull together our own themes or we have to figure out from all of these what is our thing, what are they going to be? Um, and so this that was definitely the case this year everyone had there was a couple of consistencies and we'll talk about that after we make our pit stop in here from our, from our peeps that you interviewed at market um, there were a couple of consistency, but we got our, we got our orders together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we got our look and we created um, but it's not like they don't have good stuff, when we say that no, it's just not the work.
Speaker 1:Is it done for us? Yeah, it's not as presented. Yes, and you go. Oh, I see they. They think these themes are going to be the the like for my tree theme in your tree theme.
Speaker 2:We pulled that together ourselves. It's completely curated. Steven and Wesley, look right, because we we didn't see anything that really, um inspired us enough to say we want that in our home right we kind of said, hmm, let's make our own thing, listen to our own.
Speaker 1:But even when I'll say, even when we do that, we're basing it off of what the trend is so like, if that makes sense. So we made our own themes, like, let's say, a traditional. Traditional was very, very popular at market. Very traditional Christmas way, way, way less any type of whimsical Christmas. So our trees are more traditional because we based it off that, but we put our own color combos and that sort of thing together.
Speaker 5:Texture made our own theme.
Speaker 1:Yeah from market. So that's a good example of that. But before we discuss the themes that we are the, the trends that we saw, let's cut to Steven making the pit stop where he interviewed some people around the market. So fun, it was so fun. So here we go and we'll be back right after that.
Speaker 2:This is Heather. This is our sales rat for RAS, so can you tell us what is most popular with your customers this season?
Speaker 4:For this show I would say it's the pink room, all the pink Barbie, I think, really set this trend. And then the crystal, all the silver winter wonderland, and then I would say gingerbread, the classic gingerbread.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well, I have to ask what about the mushrooms? Are people buying? I?
Speaker 4:love the mushrooms.
Speaker 2:The Christmas mushroom.
Speaker 4:I love the mushroom.
Speaker 2:Are they selling the?
Speaker 4:ornaments. The ornaments are selling more. There's some interesting shapes in there, so Very phallic, yes, you could see, did you guys notice, some people think that they're bells and they are not. But there's some beautiful ornaments, so I'm selling more of the ornaments in that European inspired bells it's just amazing how you see mushrooms everywhere.
Speaker 2:Just not Christmas, it's every season, every line mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms.
Speaker 4:Agreed. Agree, yeah, I like them.
Speaker 2:I've sold some, but most of them and here's a big question for you, since you're our sales rat. Do you listen to our podcasts?
Speaker 4:I didn't even know you had a podcast, but I follow you guys on.
Speaker 6:Instagram. We need a new rat.
Speaker 4:I know I mean, come on, guys, I could be listening to you when I drive.
Speaker 2:Yes, you got it tuned in. We're kind of a big deal.
Speaker 4:So I hear from all the other.
Speaker 2:Everybody else is filling me in Well, thank you so much. We appreciate it. So tell us what you do.
Speaker 5:So my name is Angela. I'm a designer here in the Atlanta area. I do residential and commercial design for residential homes really all over the Southeast Atlanta area, south Carolina, alabama, north Carolina. So I have residential clients and I also do hotels.
Speaker 2:Okay, cool, yeah. So what Christmas trends are you seeing at Mockin Overall?
Speaker 5:So overall, I'm seeing a lot of pops of color, so a lot of like purples golds. I'm seeing a lot of monochromatic, like standalone sitabouts, like all chrome Santas or all red reindeer or things like that A little bit of a. If you will mix between retro and traditional, yeah, which I think is great, because clients can not only mix they're old and they're new together to make a fun new statement. So that's what I'm seeing.
Speaker 2:So what do you think about the mushrooms?
Speaker 5:You know what? I have seen those everywhere. I'm like what the heck is the deal with the mushrooms?
Speaker 2:I mean even there's nursery mushrooms, there's home decor mushrooms, there's Christmas mushrooms Christmas. I don't quite understand it.
Speaker 5:I don't quite get it. It would take a very special client. That you know.
Speaker 2:It's a trend, obviously right, so Maybe a mushroom compost dealer.
Speaker 5:A mushroom vignette.
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean.
Speaker 5:I mean stretch, but I think if you mix it in with things it's okay, but I don't know that I would do like a full mushroom statement. You know, I don't think. I would. I'd like that.
Speaker 2:Because when I think of mushrooms, I think of spring. Okay, well, keep your ass out of South Carolina, that's our ground. Okay, decorating in South Carolina, you're done.
Speaker 5:Okay, you stay in your lane. I'll stay in your line.
Speaker 2:There's room for all of us.
Speaker 1:I'm kidding, how can we?
Speaker 5:find you on social media, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I am.
Speaker 5:So it's IDE interiors.
Speaker 2:IDE.
Speaker 5:IDE interiors. And let me just tell you really quick. When people say why is your company named IDE? So it's named after my grandmother and my grandmother I would sit at her feet when I was a little girl. She could make, sew, recycle and cook anything, yep. And so she was very Southern, very cropper, but very humble and she loved everyone. So one of the things she would say when she would get excited she would say instead of an idea, she'd say I have an ID and I'm like I coined that and so it's ID, ide interiors.
Speaker 2:And so anyway it stands for I do everything, I have an ID. You would say I have an ID.
Speaker 5:I have an ID.
Speaker 2:Yes, mine said that too yeah.
Speaker 5:It is sweet.
Speaker 2:It is. I loved everything they said I did too.
Speaker 5:I did too. I mean, I have our old aprons, that I wear.
Speaker 2:I had a chance to do that yes, yes, we'll get on that Right. Well, thank you so much.
Speaker 5:You're so welcome and it's a pleasure. Hope you have a good rest of your market. Thank, you A pleasure.
Speaker 2:Tell me your names.
Speaker 5:Savannah.
Speaker 2:And Julie. Okay, and what store do you own?
Speaker 6:Southern Style in Op Alabama.
Speaker 2:In Op Alabama and I think we drive through there going to our beach house in Miramar Beach. Yes. We're going to have to stop and visit.
Speaker 6:Yes, main Street Come by anytime.
Speaker 2:Are you guys buying Christmas holiday?
Speaker 6:We are buying a little of both. We don't do all of our Christmas this time, we do on part of it and then we come back in July and finish our Christmas, okay.
Speaker 2:What Christmas trends have you bought, like color-wise, this year?
Speaker 6:I love the traditional.
Speaker 2:Me too.
Speaker 6:Traditional, we usually have a naturals tree or neutrals. Yes, that works in wood, white gold.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm. No, a lot of that yeah.
Speaker 6:Five or six trees in the store, so each one has a different theme.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what have you hated Christmas-wise Cause I've got one thing that I just think's weird.
Speaker 6:The mushrooms, mushrooms Me too, it's so weird Mushrooms and gnomes. They can keep them.
Speaker 2:Right, I agree. And what do you think about the purple? There's a lot of purple.
Speaker 6:I like it. I don't think that is much.
Speaker 2:I think it's pretty, but I don't think anybody's gonna buy it.
Speaker 6:Well no, you would have to have a specific theme for your tree, and I would think that would grow old. I think so too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so too. Well, thank you guys for letting us talk to you. You're welcome. Thank you, you're talking to Angie. This is one of the reps from here at Market. What are the most common color themes you're seeing this year for Christmas?
Speaker 3:Well, always popular red and gold. That's always our number one seller Right Traditional colors.
Speaker 2:And then, what other colors are you seeing?
Speaker 3:Always is a hit, and especially this year our cream colors with wood accents.
Speaker 2:The natural look Natural looks.
Speaker 3:Also, we've added some olive green, which has really herped up the cream.
Speaker 2:Yes. And of course the icicles. And the crystal look. We're seeing a lot of that too. Everyone loves bling, especially at Christmas time, are you guys doing any of the Christmas mushrooms, which I think so weird. I don't think we have any. We do have a.
Speaker 6:Valentine mushroom but no Christmas mushrooms. What is up with the mushrooms?
Speaker 3:So weird, don't you think? We haven't had a lot. We haven't had a lot of requests for them either. So I don't think I can answer on that. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you it.
Speaker 1:So a big thank you to all of those who let you interview them.
Speaker 2:It was so fun it was fun.
Speaker 1:It was fun to hear the take and I like that. We were able to talk to some vendors and to store owners and it's funny because some of the vendors only are familiar, like they're only familiar with their company and what they're selling, whereas the store owners are shopping the whole market and have a feel like what everyone is doing.
Speaker 2:It's amazing when I have that microphone. Oh my God, it's power. It is a power, but not only to me, no to the other. Yeah, because I suddenly become like Anderson Cooper in there. Yeah, yeah, it's, I seem official. Yeah, and they are ready to. They are ready to chime in and talk about it, but it's also funny, the people that wouldn't talk to us.
Speaker 1:We got turned down some and we were like. Idiots. Yeah, and it's so funny. Ok, if you or anything, it doesn't matter if you're a business owner or anything in life. If opportunity presents itself, take it Like we were, like I mean, obviously we're at market, we're not going to murder you or something, and we're like would you like to be on our podcast? You can promote your business or whatever. Give us your thought. Oh no, I can't talk on that.
Speaker 2:I can't, I can't talk. We even even two gay guys. I was like these guys will speak. Yeah, they're business owners and they were like Mm hmm.
Speaker 1:No, I can't do that, I can't be recorded.
Speaker 2:I wish I'd carried a bag of old chicken wings or something and thrown it out on afterwards.
Speaker 1:I'm like it doesn't matter if one person sees you or 100,000 people see you. Take the opportunity to get recognition, but you know this is getting off. On the other subject, we're going to do a small business. It's also goes back to those people who will not get on social media or stories or the camera. I can't do that.
Speaker 2:Those people that didn't want to talk to us, or the people that we ride by and go. God, don't let us be that person, Don't let us be that story.
Speaker 1:The plastic re-fire arrangement got left behind because they didn't keep up with times is what happened. We got to keep moving. But let's talk about the market and the trends we saw for holiday. Okay, what? Let me ask you. Okay.
Speaker 2:What was your most hated little Christmas trend?
Speaker 1:Well, it's the same from the interview, the mushrooms. The mushrooms were just weird, for I mean okay.
Speaker 2:I like mushrooms, but not on my.
Speaker 1:Christmas. I like mushrooms too, and I like we've even already offered a couple in home decor. We'll have some scattered throughout when we find the right ones that look really cool. But they had this is a theme that a couple of different showrooms had was mushrooms.
Speaker 2:It does Christmas mushrooms?
Speaker 1:But it doesn't look Christmassy at all, it looks very woodland, very, I mean maybe in a garden center, a botanical garden gift shop or something.
Speaker 2:If you had a conservatory in your house, it could be cute.
Speaker 1:But it's one of those things talking about trends that okay, it was presented well and it looks good, but the consumer think about consumers. You have to think like, oh, what can merge into their current Christmas decor.
Speaker 2:You're not going to do that.
Speaker 1:You're not going to do that. Mushrooms and they look like penises, most of them hanging on the tree.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a plus for them. That was the only advantage of them. The other, okay, close second, yes, close second was the purple. Now, I do not hate purple. No, I like the color purple, right. It's not against, so don't you do not need to send us a message on how much you love purple. We like purple, right. There's a place for purple. I could see a little purple mixed in like with a vintage theme, but these were all purple ornaments purple ribbon, purple stems, purple. The whole thing. Looked like a barny tree, yeah, and it was pretty. And I could see, if you know, if you were Oprah and you just had the new color purple, color purple, and you said I want to do a purple tree. That would be cool, yeah, but do I think most people are going to walk into our stores and go? Yeah, I think I'm going to switch to purple. No, no.
Speaker 1:It's too trendy, it's a subcategory, it's a little, you know, it's just one off, but they were trying to make it happen.
Speaker 2:And blues blue, like navy blue and I listen, navy is probably my favorite color, right? I mean hell, I wear it every day.
Speaker 1:But, and you've even worked in some like blue, like Blues.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can work in a little blue, but not the whole. Thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they tried to really make that happen. So what we did see the most popular was, overall, the shift in Christmas is going back to very traditional, like Glitzy traditional. Yeah, elegant, elegant, glitzy traditional To jaja traditional. Yeah, but way away from the whimsical that we've seen in the past.
Speaker 2:that's been trending for the last picture, the late mid to late 90s, traditional yeah, that's what it's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's definitely more, more traditional overall, and then there are the elements of that that are, like one of the people mentioned, a lot of monochromatic, which gives it a more transitional in accessories Little more contemporary yeah, so like whatever statue or sit around like deer or Santa.
Speaker 2:Snowmen.
Speaker 1:Nutcrackers all one color.
Speaker 2:Which I'd really do like. It's a good look, it's elegant, it's a clean look yeah.
Speaker 1:And it works. And it works. It elevates if you mix it with the traditional kind of elevates. So the thing that I like about it going this direction is you can really take any of it and add to probably what you've already had. Yes, yes. The only thing is, if you've gone very, very whimsical. But some of that you could even work in.
Speaker 2:You can play down, but you can work in like the red flocked.
Speaker 1:Santa's oh yeah.
Speaker 2:You know that you can still work that in, yeah, and that. Another thing that we saw was a lot of the icy crystals.
Speaker 1:Yes, that was the new it. So the biggest shift overall was going to more traditional. The feel of Christmas overall was more traditional, elegant glitz. But then the newest thing that we've seen pop back up was the ice stuff, the crystal stuff.
Speaker 2:White creams, silvers, yeah.
Speaker 1:Very pretty. When was that? That was probably like mid to late 90s, when the heavy crystallized iced branches and stuff like that was very. That's coming back, back, which we haven't seen any of that.
Speaker 2:It is pretty, it makes a pretty look it does.
Speaker 1:It's better than being glittery, it's more icy, yeah, I mean, you know it gives it a different look. And then, like you said, the other look that we saw that was probably the newest, most popular was very neutral All creams white mixing a little gold.
Speaker 2:And a lot more burgundy is coming back with that traditional, which I like. The deep wine, yes, lot of deep, deep, deep wine, burgundy and your greens, your deep rich greens, your deep rich navies, I mean all those really rich kind of gemstone Jewel tone colors.
Speaker 1:Yeah, really popular as far as sit around like accent things. There really wasn't like last year. We told you nut crackers, you were going to see those everywhere and those are still on the up up.
Speaker 2:There's still a lot of flocked yeah, in monochromatic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lot of yeah A lot of flocked things and a lot of monochromatic, like we talked about. All red Santas are all gold Santas. All red deer, gold deer, yeah.
Speaker 2:But your nut crackers. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so the nut crackers. That's a good trend, like last year. I mean, nutcrackers are, you know, trends all way game popularity and then drop off. Nutcrackers. That's not the new, but last year when we went to market, everywhere we turn was nutcracker in some version and we ordered a hundred different kinds of nutcrackers and we sold like that was the fire item this year all the nutcrackers.
Speaker 1:So this coming year we have more nutcrackers coming your way, because it will still be trending After this year we'll buy some, but not as many, and they'll be at every store, box store, and then the next year we might have one or two after that. And then we move on to something new.
Speaker 2:That's how the trends work. Yeah, I mean, it may be the Christmas pig 2026. Who knows who?
Speaker 1:knows, or maybe the mushroom, I don't know. I just can't imagine so much. Speaking of trends, mushrooms are trending all across the board.
Speaker 2:Everywhere, we'll see where it goes.
Speaker 1:Do y'all remember when we started in the garden shop in 2009, probably about 2010, through I don't know 13,? Owls were huge. You could not keep anything owl related. We could not keep in stock, whether it was a print, a sit around a pot anything owl related would just fly out the door. They tried to do that with boxes after that it wasn't as hot it wasn't as hot, but it was hot.
Speaker 1:It was a thing, but it wasn't as hot as the owl. I feel like the mushrooms. That's what they're trying to make, Because everywhere we went in market, no matter what, from wallpaper to prints, to fabrics on upholstery, to the Christmas collection there were mushrooms there.
Speaker 2:I've never seen so many of them.
Speaker 1:It's interesting to see where the mushroom trend goes. It does add a fun little whimsical natural element. If you use just a couple in home decor or something.
Speaker 2:I just don't get them for Christmas specifically, you went a little bit too far on that I guess if you had a tree on your screen porch or a cabin it could be cute, but I just don't see. I wouldn't put a lot of my money into selling it to the masses.
Speaker 1:But do you think it's going to be popular in everyday decor like we saw it on Fabritz? I think it's going to. You think it's going to be nice and popular. For that I think it's going to. Let us know what you think of the mushroom trend. Is that something that you would get on board? Do you like mushrooms? Find them fun and cute, and we'll have to revisit this to see where it goes Well in the late 70s and early 80s, my mother's whole kitchen was mushrooms. Yeah, yeah, remember, there were canisters.
Speaker 2:Canisters. And then the mushrooms that hung on the wall. Yeah, the painted mushrooms, mushrooms. I forgot about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so maybe they'll come back around as a Potholders. Yeah, so let us know. On the hotline, well, you think, not for specifically Christmas we're poo pooing that idea in general but for everyday decor, do you think you'll get on the mushroom trend? Our hotline number is 864-982-5029. And you can find it below in the show notes as well, down there. So let us know. It'd be interesting for that, so for our collection. So we end up ordering for our retail stores. We order basically six main themes. I can't even remember what we ordered Now I can at some of them, but six main themes. And then of course, we have subcategories as well.
Speaker 1:And then we do ours, we pull and then we pull ours together, like one of the things that is popular, like someone mentioned, is gingerbread. That was very popular, but we've done some form of gingerbread Every year.
Speaker 2:It's timeless.
Speaker 1:And that's to us. We'll have some of that, but that's a subcategory Because that even if you're doing traditional, you might want gingerbread in your kitchen. Like that makes sense to decorate some gingerbread things there. So that's also how we end up with sub trends. And like the pink, like our Raz rep said that pink was very hot for them. Well, they had a whole pink collect, like they really went for pink, but they were really the only ones at market.
Speaker 1:Only one and for us, like I said, we kind of we didn't order anything really pink except for someone off.
Speaker 2:I know something we forgot to mention. What it's a kind of a thing, our disco balls.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a trend, that is a trend.
Speaker 2:And we bought some of it.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:We see that. We saw that as fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you could. So that's like our one off. Like will they be hot, will they not? I can see that being like oh, we sell out of all the disco balls stuff. In the next year we have that as a bigger, bigger trend. Yeah, so they even had the disco ball style thing like ornaments and just sit around, sit around and stuff, but also in different colors.
Speaker 1:So some of it was silver, like a traditional disco, but then some of it was red, or it might be gold or different colors, but yes, disco ball inspired things. That was definitely a lot of disco ball ornaments.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean really pretty. I think it will be gorgeous on a tree.
Speaker 1:I think that will be like the breakout category, kind of like how the Nutcrackers last year was super popular. I think the disco inspired stuff will end up being a thing, because you can add it even to a traditional tree and it's fun. And it's fun, it's going to be pretty and it gives you a little bling.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like the idea my tree for 2024 is going to be cream glass blown ornaments Mm-hmm. Burgundy, yeah, the red, the wine, really deep dark burgundy and gold, yeah, and feathers, mm-hmm, that's my that kind of gives you a rich color with a little lightness yeah.
Speaker 1:Elegant but natural Mine for 2024, well, it could change it out the year, but right now it is going to be red, the traditional red, not the burgundy. You're going burgundy red, I'm going Christmas red, christmas red and gold, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:But traditional Mm-hmm, and we might with yours, we'll probably do some other accent Color Color yeah in there. So that's where we're headed for 2024.
Speaker 1:It's always fun to go to the market and see for yourself what the trends are, and I don't know if I even completed that thought earlier. But that's why we go to the market, because if you just shop one vendor, you're seeing what they're presenting you, but when you go to the market and you can compare all the vendors side by side, then you can really get a good feel for what's trending. So, oh, can't wait to be here. Before we know it it's only February, but Christmas will be here before we know it. I think that wraps up this week's episode of who's Driving. Remember, wherever you're visiting us, to leave us a star rating or a review. It really helps us get discovered and noticed, and, of course, you want us to keep doing this, so share us with your friends. And next week on the podcast, we are going to be discussing the trends we saw for every day home to court. So we'll kind of continue our market adventure next week.
Speaker 2:And we'll see you then. Yes, thank you guys for listening. Bye.