LaDiff goodies from the NYC gift show

Each August, LaDiff heads north to enjoy the sights and sounds of Manhattan and to walk aisle after aisle of the carpeted concrete of the Jacob Javits Convention Center for the New York International Gift Fair. Hundreds (thousands?) of vendors come to NYC in August hoping to see lots and lots of retailers with big 4th quarter budgets!

2009's gift show understandably brought questions about attendance and spending. There were fewer vendors showing - so many fewer that they only needed one Pier instead of two for spill-over, and so many fewer that there were several "buyers' lounge areas" in Javits. From our perspective, that just made the show a bit easier to walk.

The vendors there were serious, engaged, and ready to sell.
The retailers there were prepared, enthusiastic, and ready to buy!
A good match.

So........ what did LaDiff find?

Here's a sneak peak of what you'll see in our store this fall....

Wall stickers from France for 'grown up' walls, in designs like bamboo or poppies or abstract art.



<<<Beautiful laser cut felt wall panels that can be re-sized to suit your space simply by removing squares. Great as room dividers, draperies or even an interesting headboard treatment.

and, from the same company, ethereal pendants that add romance to any space>>>

We also picked up two new Brit suppliers - J-Me and JosephJoseph, who share warehouse & design space in London with Black & Blum, one of our favorite vendors.

From JosephJoseph, we found kitchen items that are not only super practical and easy to use, but are so attractive you'll WANT to leave them out on your counter all the time. Founded by twin brothers Richard & Antony Joseph in 2003, this company has won international acclaim in the worldwide housewares market. Check out INDEX... 4 cutting boards neatly stored in a stylish silver 'file box'. (One of these is definitely coming home with us!)

The talented Liora Manne continues to impress us with her beautiful LaMontage rugs, doormats and placemats, adding new designs AND custom size options to her collection.

Her LaMontage rug & mat designs can be used both indoors & out because of the antimicrobial treatment. Come check out the catalog & swatches this fall!

The list goes on and on of the beautiful, NEW items we found, loved, and will be adding to our showroom this season. More goodies will be pictured in upcoming blogs, so stay tuned!


And no review of the New York Gift Show would be complete without a recap up of the 'extracurricular' activities enjoyed by the buyer (moi) and her traveling companions (A and L).

* Favorite daytime excursion: Circle Line's SHARK speedboat ride to the Statue of Liberty and back. When they say it goes fast AND you'll get wet... they are not lying.
* Favorite evening excursion: watching Shrek & Fiona belch their way through a song on Broadway.
* Favorite meals: but we enjoyed 5 nationalities in 5 nights (Mexican, French, Italian, Brazilian, Japanese). And a great American diner for breakfast.
*Favorite shopping: busman's holiday to the Kartell store in Soho



And now... signing off to process those orders and make room for all the new goodies coming SOON to LaDiff!