Like the United States Postal Service, Hallmark is trying to find its way in a new era. But it has not always been successful. It has in recent years laid off some longtime employees, and some stores are closing. The store closures are particularly troublesome because they are locally owned,MORE HERE
There are many well-known religious publishing brands, both denominational and for-profit. Thomas Nelson and Zondervan are some of the best-known among the for-profits. Zondervan’s sister imprint HarperOne continues a long tradition of religious publishing at the old Harper & Row. Of the strong denominational publishing brands are Abingdon Press andMORE HERE
DETROIT – It’s a shame it takes an Italian company and an old rap star to see the value in Detroit. But that’s what is mightily apparent with new Chrysler 200 advertisements, which feature Eminem and the tagline “Imported From Detroit.” The commercial has had 4.8 million view on YouTubeMORE HERE
Recently, our parish priest “commissioned” another week’s worth of bell ringers for The Salvation Army. Our family adopted a kettle, and one star member of the congregation, Janet Trefry, helped organize a whole season’s worth of ringers. What an tremendous job. The whole effort was a boost to Publix, whichMORE HERE
Of the classic Christmas candy items, the Life Savers Storybook is among the best known. It debuted in 1935, and has appeared every Christmas since then. Today, brands in the selection include Five Flavors and Wild Cherry. Life Savers were founded in 1891 by Clarence Crane in Cleveland. It movedMORE HERE
For those who like a traditional looking Christmas, there is no substitute to light from incandescent C-7 and C-9 light bulb, and no name more synonymous with Christmas lights than General Electric. One can make the case that the outdoor Christmas light has been one of the greater (and mostMORE HERE
It’s official. We found it. The worst brand extension ever. It’s the Pillsbury Spritz Collection, on sale now at your neighborhood Dollar Tree, right between all the closeout High School Musical crap. The Dollar Tree, of course, only has closeouts and things that either didn’t sell elsewhere, or are brandsMORE HERE
We got a call from actor Jeffery Jones (no not the one in Ferris Bueller) who told us a story about Ranch Style Beans, and the Ranch Style Beans Factory, in Fort Worth. Jones lived in the projects of Fort Worth, right near the Ranch Style plant, and it wasMORE HERE
Each year when various Charlie Brown holiday specials arrive on ABC Family, I get a bit confused. Not only are they not on CBS, they are missing the “CBS Special” intro that dates from the Lou Dorfsman era. If you don’t know about the late Lou Dorfsman, he is aMORE HERE
NEW YORK A few weeks ago, Peggy Noonan wrote in her weekly Wall Street Journal column about the importance of seeing Bergdorf Goodman, and how it cheered her. We should definitely thank ourselves for making it through the year. And we should be thankful that Bergdorf’s is still there. (Above,MORE HERE