Mission accomplished

The first time you do anything can be a bit scary: starting a new job, getting on a bike, flying in an airplane, trying a new recipe or getting up in front of a crowd all come to mind. The inaugural Coastal Connections Conference certainly was no exception. Going into the conference, I couldn’t help but wonder if we had made the right decision by launching an event specifically for this dynamic segment of the retail industry.

Any reservation I had went right out the window as soon as Cathy Donovan Wagner of RETAILMavens took the stage at Margaritaville Resort Orlando on the afternoon of Jan. 22. I looked at the crowd of retailers as she was speaking and saw nodding faces, relating looks and note taking everywhere I looked.

I’ve been to many conferences over the years where the audience is afraid to share or ask questions. That was not the case at the Coastal Connections Conference. The crowd, containing retailers from 13 states and the Virgin Islands, was not bashful. During a session called Creating Coastal Connections, panelists and the audience openly shared suggestions on employee training and customer loyalty programs.

Speaking of trying new things, we also developed a unique session model with vendors who were exhibiting during the last day’s The Boardwalk event. We designed an entire session, called The Boardwalk Chat, around the exhibitors sharing trends and product offerings one-on-one with SeasideRetailerPublisher Karen Carr. Attendees provided feedback that the session was extremely helpful to them when it came time to do their buying the next day at The Boardwalk.

A special awards ceremony was held during the event to honor the many retailers who have received a Starfish Award from SeasideRetailerfor their charitable efforts. I was so incredibly touched to see how emotional the recipients in attendance were as they came up to accept the award and share a few words. I never realized until seeing them in person how much this award truly meant to them. I understood then that there really is no replacement for in-person interactions, and I think attendees figured that out, too.

When Karen and I launched the magazine in 2020, our goal was to create a community of retailers and wholesalers who could help strengthen the coastal retail community. Launching the Coastal Connections Conference was the missing link in helping us achieve that goal.

Thank you to all the attendees, speakers and vendors for taking a chance, breaking out of your comfort zone and joining us. Now that the first one is under everyone’s belts, I can safely say it was worth all the stress and sleepless nights leading up to the conference. We’re already reviewing feedback from participants and working on making the next one even better!

Karen Carr Publisher & Creative Director karen@breakwallpublishing.com

330-591-2575

Kristin Ely Executive Editor & Conference Director kristin@breakwallpublishing.com 858-684-7744

Jamie Winebrenner Sales Manager jamie@breakwallpublishing.com 330-269-5875

Katie Turner Sales Manager katie@breakwallpublishing.com 219-206-1140

Kelly Rosaaen Circulation Manager subscriptions@breakwallpublishing.com

Nicole Wisniewski Product Editor nicole@breakwallpublishing.com

Mary Elizabeth Williams-Villano Contributing Editor mary@breakwallpublishing.com

Kristen Hampshire

Contributing Editor khampshire@breakwallpublishing.com

Brooke Bilyj

Contributing Editor brooke@breakwallpublishing.com

Tom Borg Columnist tom@tomborg.com

Natalie Tan Columnist info@natalietan.com

Cathy Donovan Wagner Columnist cathy@retailmavens.com

Jeanne Larsen Administrative Assistant

Christine Welman Website Development

Bob Thompson Business Advisor

Seaside Retailer is published six times a year by: Breakwall Publishing LLC 3593 Medina Rd. #117 Medina, OH 44256 330-591-2575

Subscriptions and address changes: Seaside Retailer magazine P.O. Box 7216 St. Paul, MN 55107-7216

Entire contents copyright 2023 Breakwall Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

Souvenirs Gifts & Novelties magazine sold to Seaside Retailer magazine’s parent company

Breakwall Publishing, the Medina, Ohio-based publisher of SeasideRetailer magazine, has announced it has purchased the assets of Souvenirs,Giftsand Novelties(SGN) magazine from Kane Communications Inc., based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

SGN was founded in 1962 and from 1977 to 2022 was led by Scott Borowsky, who served as SGN’s president and executive editor.

our strong retail readership base,” says Borowsky. “In searching for a new owner, we wanted to make sure the foundation and values that we have prided ourselves on over the last four decades would be carried on. Breakwall Publishing has proven its ability to provide relevant and valuable information to its retailer audi-

Breakwall Publishing was founded in 2019 by Karen Carr and Kristin Ely, two award-winning business-to-business publishing veterans with over 45 years combined industry experience.

“SGN has built a reputation for producing high-quality, original content that provides useful tips and advice for ence, and I am confident that they will help us carry on our legacy for decades to follow.”

SGN has a strong readership of retail officials at tourist locations such as zoos, aquariums, caves and caverns, museums, amusement parks and more. The readership additionally consists of owners, buyers and managers at shops located in resorts and hospitals, and at apparel, jewelry, Hallmark and other types of gift stores and boutiques. SeasideRetailer reaches a robust audience of owners, buyers and managers of coastally located and inspired gift shops, boutiques, resorts and souvenir stores.

In announcing the acquisition, Karen Carr, Breakwall Publishing president and SeasideRetailerpublisher, says, “We’ve had our pulse on the gift and souvenir industry for the past several years through SeasideRetailer’s coverage of the beach, coastal and nautical segment of the industry. We think expanding our offerings to include other gift and souvenir stores throughout the U.S. is a perfect fit, and we look forward to providing the same award-winning editorial content and design that readers have come to expect from our publications.”

For 2023, SGN will publish five issues: March/April; May/June; July/August; September/October and November/December. Beginning in 2024, SGN will be published on a bimonthly basis. Seaside Retailer will continue to be published on a bimonthly basis.

Kristin Ely, Breakwall Publishing vice president and SeasideRetailereditorial director, says, “We are excited to expand our portfolio with the acquisition of SGN magazine. Connecting retailers with wholesalers who can help them expand their offerings and be successful in their businesses has always been our goal, and now we will be able to do the same for a wider community of gift and souvenir retailers across the country.”

Caroline Risi will continue her role as managing editor of SGN, providing readers with quality coverage of the gift and souvenir retail industry.

Joining the Breakwall Publishing sales team is Larry White who has served as SGN’s advertising director for the last 31 years. He brings his years of sales experience to the Breakwall Publishing team.

“I value the relationships I have built with advertisers over the years, and I am eager to continue to foster existing relationships and build new ones with Breakwall Publishing,” says White.

For more information about the acquisition, contact Karen Carr, publisher, at 330-591-2575 or email her at karen@ breakwallpublishing.com.

Subscriptions to SGN magazine are available for free by signing up online at www.sgnmag.com/subscribe.

CoCo Rose focusing on coastal north San Diego County and the desert

CoCo Rose, a store that offers a selection of designer beach and resortwear has big plans in store for its brand. It recently opened up locations in La Quinta and Palm Desert, California, and plans to open another store in Encinitas, California, in the summer.

As it focuses on the new locations, it has also decided to close its San Diego store at the Seaport Village location. CoCo Rose also has stores in Carlsbad Village and Del Mar Plaza further north on the coast in San Diego County, as well as three stores in the Palm Desert region.

Eileen Burke, along with daughter Shannon Burke, began CoCo Rose and its wholesale division Bali Queen after a getaway to the island of Bali, which sparked their future of tradition, friendship and creativity.

“We closed Seaport Village because we felt like this location never bounced back from COVID, where we were seeing exponential growth in the Palm Desert area,” says Shannon. “Our CoCo Roses in the desert cater to the sunny and relaxed lifestyle of the area.”

Eileen Burke is converting Queen Eileen’s, a store that she has owned in Encinitas for more than 30 years, into the new CoCo Rose location there. While the iconic store known for its wacky and eclectic gifts has been popular in the area, Eileen says she wanted to streamline her businesses to make it easier for when her daughter eventually takes over. She plans to keep some elements from Queen Eileen’s as a section of the store due to its demand.

Having stores on both the coast and in the desert of California works out well for the Burkes. “When it is 120 degrees in the desert, you want to wear my clothes,” explains Eileen. “From Spring Break until the 1st of October, San Diego is rocking and rolling. As soon as things slow down there, the desert starts ramping up.”

While disappointed on having to close the San Diego location, Eileen says, “You have to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. We have stores on the coast in Del Mar, Carlsbad and Encinitas and that is good enough for me.”

Once the store in Encinitas is complete, CoCo Rose will have seven locations: three in Palm Desert, as well as stores in Encinitas, Carlsbad, La Quinta and Del Mar.

Home vs. Hunger launches campaign for earthquake relief in Turkey And Syria

Gift for Life’s Home vs. Hunger team has launched a fundraising campaign supporting World Central Kitchen’s hunger relief efforts in Turkey and Syria following powerful earthquakes and aftershocks in early February. All funds will be directed to World Central Kitchen, which is working with local partners supporting families impacted by the crisis as well as the rescue crews.

Donations may be made via the Home vs. Hunger page link: https://donate.wck.org/HomeVsHunger23. The campaign goal is $25,000, which will provide thousands of hot meals to families in crisis.

“We are working together with home furnishings brands, trade media, market centers, influencers and industry organizations to quickly raise awareness, gather donations and send help to desperate families,” says Russ Jones, co-chair of Home vs. Hunger.

Home vs. Hunger team members include Sharon Davis, ART; Jen Dolan, Arteriors; Jenny Heinzen York, Currey & Co.; Jonathan Cochran, Eichholtz; Chris Amos and Mark Furlet, IMC; Russ Jones, Ivystone; Douglas Self, J. Douglas; and Sandra Standefer, Loloi Rugs.

In addition to this immediate need and campaign, ongoing Home vs Hunger fundraising efforts will take place during the spring High Point Market, April 22-26.

Retail consultant Natalie Tan helps businesses develop unique blueprints to drive sales. Contact her at: info@natalietan.com www.natalietan.com

BY NATALIE TAN