Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Vendor Profile-Real Deals

Next vendors in our show will be



Real Deals

The Beginnings of Real Deals



As the southern textile industry was disappearing, Stan and Robin Atkins purchased an old cotton mill in the small town of Jefferson in North Georgia. In 1998, they started selling great-looking low-cost home furnishings out of the 1 1/2 acre second floor where the corduroy finishing plant had been. Because of the low overhead of the mill, they could stack it deep and sell it cheap.


By 2001, Jeff and Marisa Humphrey had discovered the mill and were some of its greatest fans. They shopped there frequently and Marisa always brought out-of-town guests (mainly any of her four sisters) to shop the mill. They'd fill up largest possible shippable boxes and mail it back to their homes.

After the Humphreys had frequent visits with Stan while shopping, he saw their enthusiasm for the mill said, You're in the wrong business! In early 2003, the Humphreys renovated the bottom floor of the mill and started a new business concept, Real Deals on Furniture, a 2-acre showroom of discount designer furniture and home decor. It was an instant success.


A Franchise is Unknowingly Born
Meanwhile, Marisa's little sister Carie Kelsey and her husband Nate, who had just finished graduate school, we're just getting started in Twin Falls, Idaho. Knowing the Kelsey's were broke after school, Marisa told Carie she was ordering her $10,000 of home décor goods...and she better find a place to sell them. In December 2003, Carie and Nate opened the first Real Deals store in Twin Falls, Idaho. They literally started upstairs in three small office rooms of an old creamery in a less-desirable part of town. These 400 square feet were all they needed to get the ball rolling. They opened one day a week and pulled décor out in the hallway for more space. After almost a year, they moved to the first floor of the creamery into 4,200 square feet and began opening on Saturdays as well. Things really took off then.
Marisa and Carie's oldest sister Karmelle soon opened mini-co-op stores in Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho. Another sister, Wendy, also opened in Bend, Oregon. Dori, the fifth and final sister, opened a store in Boise just a few months ago.

Back in Georgia in 2004, the Humphreys started a direct import company Jackson & Harrison Imports named after their two sons. Then in May 2006, the Humphreys bought the upstairs home furnishings business from the Atkins. And a franchise was born!



Here is where these two ladies come in meet Sherlai and Maggie


And here is their store...

I was in there last week and it is brimming with christmas so if you want to do a little pre-sale with them and check out there great deals visit their store at:

1320 Liberty Street Northeast

Salem, OR 97301(503) 385-1174

Or join them on Facebook! (I did and got a reminder for their sale and got 15% off)




Willamette Valley Vinyards

Elegant, Classic Oregon Wines
“Our mission in growing cool-climate varietals is to create elegant, classic Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley Appellation. As native Oregonians, we treasure our environment and use sustainable practices in growing and vinifying our winegrapes.”
- Jim Bernau, Founder/President

Our approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management, and to achieve wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and the place where they are grown. Since we ferment and barrel each vineyard lot separately (sometimes as small as two barrels) we can save the best barrels for single vineyard bottlings and Signature Cuvée.


So make sure you come and sample some of their amazing selections that they are tasting at the Faire!









Holiday Heritage Faire Vendor Profile

I am so exited about the upcoming Holiday Heritage Faire! I wanted to spend a little time on the "people" that is going to make this event possible. I want to introduce them individually and tell a little about them. All of our vendors in the show are local in the Salem and Portland areas.


Vendor Profile
Danner & Soli

Danner & Soli is a gift shop located inside the Historic Mission Mill Museum in Salem, Oregon. They carry a wide variety of merchandise from antiques to semi-precious jewelry. Enjoy the atmosphere of the historic Thomas Kay Woolen Mill while strolling through their displays.

Many of you might wonder what Danner & Soli is named for. I always thought that it was the last names of the people that owned it but i am here to suprise you there is only ONE super creative and wonderful lady that owns this delightful store and her name is Shirleen Bell. So I asked her what was the background on the name was and she kinda smiled and said that the names are that of her really great friends.... her horses Danner and Soli. I thought that was pretty fitting that her store is full of country and rustic merchandise and she named it after her horses nestled in the country.
If you get a chance to stop by the store before the faire it is located at:
1313 Mill Street SE
Salem, OR 97302
503-586-0232
Or check out their blog dannerandsoli.wordpress.com
and of course they are on Facebook to0!






Monday, November 1, 2010

New Holiday Merchandise at Girls Back Porch...

Wow! I cannot believe how fast the seasons change in this "retail world". What happened to Thanksgiving? Did we already have it? I was thinking this very thought today as I was revamping my booth at Girls Back Porch. Have I just been so busy creating wonderful finds for Christmas and the holidays that I missed Thanksgiving? But no... the bright orange Cinderella Pumkin on my counter says no. I am pleased as pie to say that the "Girls" and I had a blast getting ready for the holiday season and with a few final touches my booth is almost ready. Here's a couple sneaker peaks...
GIRLS BACK PORCH
8030 Wheatland Road. Keizer Oregon 97303
girlsbackporch.blogspot.com

Now I'm off tomorrow to move my location in Aunt Bee's House.

Come see if you can find out where I moved?