Surf Expo Special Beach and Resort Report

Taking Home Something (From page 53)

tion, the seaport, and the history of the town, and that is part of why they do so well.”

Janetski’s top seller in home décor is a cast iron key holder. “It’s wall mounted and looks like an octopus. The keys each hang from a tentacle.”

Like so many shop owners these days, she has been affected by supply chain issues. “Our telescopes and compasses come from India, and anything that comes from India and China have really slowed down. And on top of that, shipping costs have risen. That led me to do something I try not to do – increase prices. But the large increase in shipping really has affected me. It’s doubled in cost.”

Heading south to Astoria, Ore., Patricia Fagerland , owner of Forsythea, specializes in artisan home décor with work by local and regional makers.

Fagerland’s high-end gift top sellers include Motawi tile and paper-mache lamps, which she described as “gorgeous. They’re both very unusual and hand crafted. People see the value in them right away, they’ll say they haven’t seen anything like it before.” She also does well with concrete sculptural pieces created by an artist in the Levinworth area nearby, hand-made pottery and original artworks including paintings and linoleum block prints that Fagerland herself creates. “My whole shop has a very artful vibe to it,” she said. In home décor, her top seller is the Motawi tile.

“The smallest pieces go for $40 and larger pieces do go up from there, but people buy a great deal of it. I also have really fun kitchen tablecloths and other kitchen linen that fit that category. I didn’t think I would be that heavily into those kinds of items, but I started bringing it in and my customers responded to it.” She added, “They are all very different, nothing you would see at a big box store.”

Fagerland has also been affected by supply chain problems. “It’s slowed certain things, yes. But I have found ways to fill in with quick-response ordering platforms. I don’t know if it was already happening before COVID or not, but there are certain wholesale sites that even some of my regular vendors show up on. They have products that are ready to ship, which helps me a lot.”

Her 1,100-square-foot store has a small boutique toy department, and recently she was not able to get her usual Melissa and Doug items. “So, I went on one of those quick-response sites, and I was able to order some of the items, as well as some other types of items. It was an opportunity for growth and expansion because I found other toys that I liked,” she said. “I also went more heavily into children’s books, and now many people come to me for that, all because I made that change.”

In Venice Beach, Calif., Dena Simpson , director of operations for Whimsy and Row, said the store’s top selling more expensive gift items are primarily clothing. “We are also a clothing brand, and we made a lot of our own clothing. We also do well with eco-friendly, locally made candles.” Both items sell well as gifts because they are “locally made and unique. That’s what people like about them. We sell a lot of gift cards, so that people can pick out what they want as their own gifts, and we sell a small selection of straw hats as gifts that are geared for beachwear.” Simpson described the PS brand candles carried by the store as the top sellers in home décor. “We used to carry pottery and art pieces, but it wasn’t doing that well for us,” she attested.

Simpson noted that “We were absolutely affected by supply chain issues. We’ve gone to some different vendors, but mostly we’ve just stuck it out and been patient. In some cases, we promised people who preordered items that they would be here in January, and they didn’t come in until February.”

Also in the Los Angeles area, in Marina Del Rey, Calif., Petals n’ Wax has gift and décor items that are different than Whimsy and Row. Evelyn Taplin ,

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