2 | Smart Shopper Magazine | Northwest Baltimore
Truth is, we could use your help!
Forefront
Although we don’t know you yet, we’d like to meet you if you think you can successfully represent Smart Shopper Magazine and ShoppingHeights.com to the caliber of advertisers you see represented here. by Merrill Witty
Backyard Bountiful!
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summer vacation is a wonderful thing, but why not make every weekend and long summer evening a mini-vacation right at your own home?
Low maintenance is the phrase I heard most often when asking garden experts and outdoor-furnishing mavens what they are featuring these days. How nice to know that now we can make our porch, deck or yard the center of warm-weather relaxing with weatherproof furniture that we don’t have to give a thought to. Remember grandma’s lovely wicker porch chairs that had to be repainted every year until they fell apart? These antiques have made way for wood, aluminum and iron pieces that will look gorgeous for decades – without your help! Colorful outdoor rugs and seating cushions that you can leave out in the rain dry quickly and will spruce up your look with everything from hot-pink Ikat to turquoise stripes. The low-maintenance theme extends to plants and shrubs as well. More native-toMaryland plants are featured at our local garden shops, along with disease-hardy, drought-resistant, deer-discouraging varieties that will make gardening fun rather than simply a chore that tries to get the best of you. Although we may be eager to get out into the garden and plant, and look forward to a whole summer of barbecuing, we may forget to think about the first impression made by the exterior of our houses. The difference a new front door will make to your home’s curb appeal can be dramatic. And your polite next-door neighbors may not mention your peeling window frames to your face, but they couldn’t be happy staring at them all the time. Here again, maintenance-free replacement windows and doors can make a huge impact and free you from scraping and painting ever again. I had new multi-paned sliding kitchen doors installed leading out to our back deck. Instead of our former junky-looking metal-framed sliders, we now have insulated doors that look sophisticated from outside and in, and save on heating costs as well. Please turn to Page 4.
Honestly? Ad sales, as with most sales today, is challenging. Nearly every advertiser you see in our magazine and website was initially skeptical. We listened to their fears, made marketing suggestions, persuaded and sometimes simply cooled our heels while waiting for the right opportunity. Ultimately, they choose to be here because we delivered on our brand promise of ROI. You’re confident, sociable, persistent, energetic, relentlessly inquisitive, and a good listener and communicator. Above all, you expect to be challenged. And win. What do you get in exchange for your talents? Salary and commission, benefits including health and 401(k), training, recognition, hands-off management, a great creative department and a friendly, stable company. We encourage you to talk to a few of our advertisers. Get their opinions of our company and, in the process, make an informed career decision on your own. Please send your résumé with a short note to: publisher@smartshoppermag.com. Our web address is ShoppingHeights.com. Replies are confidential, so if all this sounds like a good fit, let’s talk.
Reader Customer Service Need an extra copy of Smart Shopper Magazine or would you like to be added to our mailing list? Please email us at circulation@ smartshoppermag.com. Are you looking for a specific savings certificate? Go to ShoppingHeights.com, where you can view our magazine, download and print certificates and much more. You may also stop by our office for your extra copy of Smart Shopper Magazine at the address below, office hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, send your request to: circulation@smartshoppermag.com.
SMART SHOPPER SHOPPER, INC INC. COMMERCENTRE | 1777 REISTERSTOWN RD., SUITE 240 BALTIMORE, MD 21208 Tel: 410.486.4988 Fax: 410.486.8925 ShoppingHeights.com • info@smartshoppermag.com PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Gary Frahm VICE-PRESIDENT & ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lauren Esakoff OPERATIONS MANAGER Sharon Sigelman ART DIRECTOR Kim Michalov GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jane Leibowitz FOREFRONT EDITOR Merrill Witty DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Maria Hogg ACCOUNT MANAGERS Ellen Hunt Ernest J. Tompkins Holly Pearl Jennifer Spath
Smart Shopper Magazine™ is published six times per year (February, April, June, August, October and late November) by Smart Shopper, Inc. in Northwest Baltimore, Towson and North Baltimore, Howard and Central Anne Arundel Counties. ©2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without prior written approval from the publisher. Registered and published in Maryland.
4 | Smart Shopper Magazine | Northwest Baltimore
Forefront
(Continued from Page 2)
Get your summer thrills with windows, doors and egg-shaped grills...
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ire pits are huge news these days, and Offenbacher’s sells everything from a table-top model that’s bar height, to a 100” dining table that creates a fire along its entire length. “It’s spectacular,” says Alpana Offenbacher. The most popular outdoor grill she sells is the Big Green Egg®. “It has a cult following and we sell lots and lots and lots of them,” she says. Charcoal powered, it’s patterned on an ancient clay vessel with a lid. Today’s EGG® is a ceramic marvel that’s a grill, smoker and oven, all in one. - Offenbacher’s, Hunt Valley, Columbia and Lanham
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tebbins Anderson’s Ken Knight says the biggest trends in outdoor dining are super big tables — 64 to 100 inches long, seating six to 10 people. “And everyone wants easy maintenance in outdoor furniture,” he says. “Aluminum, good quality teakwood — weatherproof in summer and you can throw a cover over them in winter and you’re done.” Stebbins also has loads of colorful, weatherproof cushions for your outdoor seating. - Stebbins Anderson, Towson
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enry Marconi at Watson’s Garden Center agrees that, “Lower maintenance is a key issue,” both in furniture and in plants. “We have added several varieties of cacti and succulents that flourish with almost no care or watering. New varieties of the Wave Petunia come out every year, with new colors and lower maintenance. Color is key in the plant business and any time you can show a customer plants that have some sort of color either in flower or leaf, it helps them get more from their landscape. Shrubs and perennials like coneflower, sedums, and coreopsis, hydrangea, Knock-OutTM Roses, crape myrtle and butterfly bush are all great performers. Most of these newer favorites are low water and low maintenance plants, and we have added several new plants with high deer resistance this year.” He has numerous BBQ options: “Weber added several accessories to their line this year. Smoking is huge lately. Weber has a great selection of smoking accessories and smoker woods.” He also carries the Big Green Egg outdoor smoker line with its dozens of new tools and accoutrements. - Watson’s Garden Center, Lutherville
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ue to last summer’s outbreak of downy mildew which quickly overcame standard impatiens, it is wise to substitute other types of annuals in shade gardens this growing season says River Hill Garden Center’s horticulturist Craig Sherman. “Unaffected by downy mildew are the New Guinea, sun patiens and fanfare varieties of impatiens. These types, however, do require a little more sun and heavier watering in the heat of the summer when compared to the standard varieties. For shaded areas, green-leafed begonias require less light than the dark-leafed varieties. Look to dragon wing begonias for larger sized plantings. Begonias require less water, so be careful not to over water them early in the summer season, but increase amounts as the days become hotter. caladiums and coleus (labeled for shade) are beautiful Also, cala foliage plantings that bring striking color into any shade foli ggarden. Or, if you’re looking for something with bblooms, torenia comes in several bright blossoming colors and in both upright and trailing forms. Have fun trying several of these and keep your tags along with notes so you will be well prepared for next season, should downy mildew winter over this year as well.” - River Hill Garden Center, Clarksville
Northwest Baltimore | shoppingheights.com | 5
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healthy tree is never too big,” says licensed arborist Steve Keil of Keil Tree Experts, Inc., but spring is a great time to assess your trees. “Some trimming may be required to clear obstacles such as houses, lights or utility lines, but size reduction of trees is rarely beneficial,” he says. Besides pruning, your trees and shrubs may benefit from pest spraying. This full-service company will keep them all healthy, all year long.
Trends, Tips & Temptations provided by these Contributing Advertisers
- Keil Tree Experts, Inc., Lutherville
ut a little TLC fo o b ’ r your How trees
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ver at The Tree People, president and owner Mike Gray says, “As trees begin to bud in the spring, damage can become more noticeable. If you’re in doubt as to whether a tree can thrive or if it in fact has survived a punch by Mother Nature, then it’s time to consult a tree care professional who may advise removal of a tree that has brittle wood or a branch structure that makes it vulnerable to additional damage from adverse weather. If, however, a tree has weathered only minor damage, then a crown cleaning or thinning prune to restore shape might be all that is needed to restore the tree to its former glory.” - The Tree People, Millersville
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- Renewal by Andersen, Baltimore
eorge Schaub of Thompson Creek Window Company says he is seeing an interest in fiberglass entry doors that really do look like real wood. “These doors have the style and feel of a wood door without the necessary maintenance. They are rot resistant and there is no need to sand and stain them to keep the finish beautiful. They even replicate the wood grain to match the hand-applied stain finish. These doors are energy efficient and gorgeous.” - Thompson Creek Window Company, Annapolis and Baltimore
The Tree People www.TheTreePeople.com
Keil Tree Experts www.keiltree.com
Renewal by Andersen www.renewalbyandersen.com
River Hill Garden Center www.riverhillgardencenter.com
Stebbins Anderson 410.823.6600
ara Hendrickson of Renewalby Andersen says, “Now is a great time to see what the view of your home is offering your neighbors. According to Remodeling magazine, replacing your old, leaky windows with lowmaintenance replacements is ranked as one of the best home improvement projects for your money, since they can help reduce energy bills and add instant appeal to your home. Plus, windows that meet ENERGY STAR® version 5.0 performance criteria may qualify for a tax credit, adding to the overall value of replacement windows.”
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Offenbacher’s www.offenbachers.com
Thompson Creek Window Company www.thompsoncreek.com
Watson’s www.watsonsgarden.com
All of the advertisers mentioned here have exciting offers for you! If you don’t find them in your current Smart Shopper, don’t panic, you’ll find them at: ShoppingHeights.com/ SmartShopperMagazine. For other incentives, events and more, be sure to join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and the new ShoppingHeights.com blog! Coming in our next issue:
Early Fall Indoors