5 shoptalk
vendor spotlight
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New Lines We Love These new additions to the Darrah & Co. showroom are sure to thrill your customers.
FANCY PANZ
Dress up your pans!
When Jane Casey and her sister Charlene Yeager found themselves stuck in the kitchen scrubbing pans after Thanksgiving dinner while their family enjoyed themselves, they knew there must be a better way. Jane looked online for a disposable option that could be dressed up enough to present on the holiday table or at a potluck. When she came up empty handed, she created her own solution: Fancy Panz, a stackable, BPA-free decorative cover for unattractive disposable foil pans. She took her idea to her sister and a neighbor who had her own “rags-to-riches” invention success story. Within a week, the sisters had filed a provisional patent. “People were really eager to help, other women in particular,” says Jane, who had no history of inventing products. Today, Fancy Panz, which is proudly made entirely in the USA, continues to add products to its growing line of entertainment solutions. A recently introduced deviled-egg tray with built-in ice pack, for example, flew off the shelf.
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LUCKYBIRD CLOTHING CO. Where art comes first
When developing lines, most vendors start with a garment or product; LuckyBird starts with art. The family-owned business partners with artists to inspire its apparel and home accessories — 80% of which are made in LuckyBird’s warehouse in Corinth, Mississippi. LuckyBird offers distinctive, recognizable styles that stand out in any store. Its threequarter-sleeve raglans are a constant customer favorite, but the company is also known for custom localized designs. In January, LuckyBird introduced one-button pillows and pillow swaps. Demand has been so high, the company is now closing in on 100 pillow swap design options for every occasion, season and style. “Who wouldn’t love to change up your space with a 20-second pillow swap?” asks cofounder Jan Patterson, who says they are expanding the interchangeable art concept with the launch of handmade wooden trays and tray slides that can be used as dining table décor or trendy, unique charcuterie boards. Patterson says LuckyBird partnered with Darrah & Co. because of its “reputation of having a supportive atmosphere and both administration and sales representatives who care about their customers and the products they sell.” In the changing landscape, the company is “so excited to make new friends and meet new customers.”
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Darrah & Co. Summer 2021
