Bronner's Christmas Wonderland

On the cover of the New York Times Sunday Styles section this past weekend was an article covering Bronner's Christmas Wonderland based in Frankenmuth, MI. Covering 2.2 acres, Bronner's is the largest year-round Christmas store in the country featuring an assortment of trees and holiday decor from all over the world. Within the sea of holiday merchandise, most retailing under $10.00, you'll also find our collectible ornaments.

During the season, Bronner's employs 600 staffers and entertains 2 million customers per year. The author of the article found it impossible to resist the magic of the season while visiting the store, and ended up purchasing an assortment of pet ornaments. If you are in the Michigan area, I encourage you to visit Bronner's, and if not, you can purchase our pet ornaments from several retailers. To find one near you, please visit our website.

Gloria Duchin pewter paw photo and pewter angel chihuahua with Swarovski collar

Initial Impressions

I just received my copy of Town & Country magazine's December issue that includes an extensive holiday gift guide. One page features monogrammed gifts including everything from jewelry to customized wrapping paper. I've noted that personalization has been a continually growing trend in the gift market, and it's something we've centered our business around.

Page from Town & Country Gift Guide

A monogram or an engraved ornament makes a wonderful gift for the holidays. If you live near a Menard's store, you can find our Initial Impressions ornaments featured below. We can also engrave monograms on a variety of genuine pewter ornaments in the custom imprint area of our website.

Let your voice be heard

After months of waiting, the day to make our decision has finally come. Tuesday, November 4th, marks the next Presidential election and I urge everyone to let their voice be heard and exercise their right to vote.

If you are unsure of the polling location for your neighborhood, you can visit http://maps.google.com/vote, enter your address and Google will show you where you need to go. The polls are open until 9:00 p.m. tomorrow, so everyone should have plenty of time to cast their ballot.

To get into the spirit of the election, visit our website and view our assortment of patriotic ornaments and gifts, all made right here in the USA.

Pewter flag and pewter flag photo frame with glitter available at www.gloriaduchin.com.

The Recessionista

With the economy's current state, it seems that everyone is making budget cuts and luxuries are the first things to go. I read an interesting article in the New York Times this past Sunday about the Recessionista. As they define the term, a Recessionista is "the new name for a style maven on a budget". Some retailers like Payless and Target are ahead of the game for the discount chic, offering designer clothing at low prices.

The same follows in our business of Christmas decor. Early retail reports suggest that seasonal sales will be strong at mass market retailers. Our business model has always been to offer our customers designer holiday decor at low prices, so you can still decorate a beautiful home for the holidays without breaking the bank.

Gloria Duchin enamel photo frame ornaments available for under $6.00 each!

Hot Sellers!

As the holiday season approaches we are surprised and excited at the early response of several of our holiday ornaments that are out in the market place! Inspiration, photo designs and whimsy seem to be setting the trend this season.

Photo ornaments for wedding, baby, children and pets are popular as well as some of our remembrance and inspirational angels. Military and patriotic ornaments are also among our top sellers along with snowmen. Below are some of our featured ornaments that you can buy now. For a list of our retailers, please visit GloriaDuchin.com.

Gloria Duchin pewter "Always in Our Hearts" Angel Photo Frame, Gloria Duchin Pewter Snowman with Snowcones and Gloria Duchin Blue "Superhero" Star Photo Frame.

Made in the USA

With the current state of the economy, it is important for us as consumers to spend our dollars wisely. We can all do our part to stimulate growth by looking for the "Made in the USA" label on the products we do buy. We are proud to say, that in our 30 years of designing and manufacturing, we continue to make our ornaments right here in the USA, supporting American jobs and promising our customers high quality at competitive prices.

There are other USA made products that you can buy this season that will promote growth for our country, such as Vermont Teddy Bears or American Apparel Clothing. Together, we can rebuild our great nation. Support local business and let your voice be heard by going out to vote on November 4th!

Pewter Military Photo Frame Ornament designed and manufactured by Gloria Duchin in the USA. Available at kmart.com for $6.99.

Think Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the cause is showing an overwhelming amount of celebrity support. Celebrity designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Adina Reyter created exclusive jewelry and fashions to support the cause. Christina Applegate recently opened-up to Oprah about her experience with cancer, and the celebrity backed, StandUp2Cancer organization conducted a telethon last month to raise awareness and funds for treatment. It's clear that pink is the hottest fashion color around.

Some other celeb-endorsed products include Hanky Panky panties and gourmet chocolates available at someonespoilme.com, as well as a Denise Richards designed pink tee for the Capsule collections and DVD's for the Cure available at foxstore.com.

In our own collections, we have a variety of keepsakes designed to show your support for Breast Cancer research and awareness including our pewter pink swirl epoxy support ribbon, our pink lady pin and our pewter "Hope" heart.