Shopping the Holiday Markets

It is that time of year once again… off to market.  What used to take days here at the Los Angeles show plus a week at the market in Atlanta has been reduced to a weekend here at home. That is mostly due to a slow economy as well as our new refined and focused buying.

Our economy of late, has been especially challenging in the retail sector, many of our vendors have cut their lines drastically while many others have closed their doors all together. This could be devastating for some retailers we, on the other hand, have come to relish the hunting process.

When planning for the holidays my business partner and I have taken a new and different approach to shopping, ordering and displaying. To balance price and quality we have heavily fused trans-seasonal and year-round home décor into our holiday vignettes.

These are looks that can work in any home with any style of décor.

Fall accessories and tabletop wares can be used from September through Thanksgiving (or the end of November) if they are not “holiday specific”. Stick with classic seasonal colors and traditional patterns. If you are searching for value choose large items that celebrate the entire season and small items, that are less costly and easy to rotate, that are holiday specific ie jack-o-lanterns or turkeys.

Winter accessories and tabletop wares can be used from December through Valentine’s Day. Following the same ideas above plus incorporate a “common tread” such as sugared fruits, metallics and or winter botanicals (holly, cyclamen, paperwhites, amaryllis). All of these items span the season and do not lock you in. Yes, add santas or snowmen or angels but keep in mind that you should be able to rotate those items out easily.

Our outlook on the fall and winter seasons is to use color, texture and natural elements first then sprinkle with holiday specific décor. Also, keep in mind my 3G’s of  display during the fall and winter decorating season… Gather like items, Group them together and Ground your collection on a tray, old books, or ?

Bottom line is mission accomplished. We are ready for the fall and winter holidays. As our orders arrive and vignettes are created at Le Potager, I will of course be sharing.

Next post will be of some other year-round lines we saw. I will share the trends and some insights.

Until then, happy hunting and Merry Christmas!