Custom canvas tote bags

Planet Saver Sacks (also featured yesterday) can customize its eco-friendly canvas totes, like this one for Maria Shriver's Women's Conference. The manufacturer exhibited at the 2009 summer gift show in Chicago.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Visual merchandising, part 4: Fixtures

Christine Sisson is back, guest blogging today about more great retail displays she found in Portland, OR. With feet firmly planted in the design world, Christine is a freelance writer and public relations consultant. She blogs about style, found objects and her European adventures at christinesisson.wordpress.com. Here is her report:

Fixtures come in all forms, from traditional shelves to repurposed vintage furniture and more creative interpretations (twigs, ladders, hat boxes, you name it). If you can use it to display your merchandise, and it fits with your store’s aesthetic, it’s fair game.

Canoe took a practical approach when displaying its merchandise. Rather than limiting itself to shelves and tables, the retailer used all available space—including these benches (on which they placed perfectly arranged place settings of flatware and glasses). The multilevel display is both efficient and visually interesting.

These futuristic, orb-like fixtures along one wall at Relish are both fun and eye-catching. They also serve a practical purpose--containing small, easy-to-miss items like jewelry and elevating them to eye level.

Read more about what Christine saw in Portland:
Part 1, Effective Retail Displays
Part 2, Retail 101
Part 3, Branded Displays

Eco-friendly tote bags

The City Bags line from Planet Saver Sacks are made in Los Angeles of heavy-weight untreated cotton canvas with water-based inks. Cities include New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
The Cartoon bags have an eco-fact on the reverse side. The company can make custom bags for special occasions and events. (Click images for larger view.)

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Contemporary furniture

Moderna is a new collection from Roberta Schilling. It features smooth metal, exotic woods, fine leather and delicate fibers.

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Retailers and designers: Contact the company for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Wall-hung organizer

The "big eye" wardrobe has four hooks; the bin holds baseball caps, scarves, mittens and other apparel. A similarly designed magazine rack is also available from Reisenthel.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimum orders.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Back to work

The Gift & Home Today staff was at the Minnesota State Fair enjoying a cream puff and a cup of coffee. We are now back at work. Gift and home decor items will appear on Wednesday.—The Editors