Attracting retailers from the Mid-Atlantic and Tri-State regions, the July 21-24, 2019 edition of the Philadelphia Gift Show debuted its expanded selection of handmade resources from more than 55 artists in the new Artisan Alley section as well as hundreds of gift, home and accessory resources from top brands and many new companies. Attendees voted on a series of show awards — naming OG Studio Creations as the show’s ‘Best New Product’ winner and The Wearable Garden as the company with the ‘Best Handmade Product.’
“The Philadelphia Gift Show offers a relaxing and enjoyable shopping experience for the region’s retailers to see local handmade designs and top-name gifts, home decor, fashion apparel and accessories to help them set their stores apart,” April Holinek, show director, Philadelphia Gift Show, said.
“We love recognizing up-and-coming designs from talented artists like OG Studio Creation’s Ross Ozzer and Kathleen Lang of The Wearable Garden,” Jeannie Dorchak, senior sales manager, Philadelphia Gift Show, added.
OG Studio Creations designs and crafts men’s fashion accessories and home accents, including bamboo wood bow ties, belt buckles, cufflinks and Tzedakah boxes. Each piece is laser engraved to reveal shifts in color and tone that bring out the intricacies of the patterns. They are then sanded and oiled to bring out the material’s natural color.
“How about that! I couldn’t be more thrilled to be recognized for our fresh perspective on wooden bow ties. It turns out that our tagline, ‘fashion accessories that captivate,’ rings 100% authentic,” Ross Ozzer, artist and founder, OG Studio Creations, said.
The Wearable Garden also won the ‘Best Handmade Product.’ With a background in fine arts and an emphasis in printmaking, Kathy Lang began creating beautiful eco-friendly printed silk scarves using plant materials such as leaves, vegetables, berries, and found metals that she collected and laid out in a design on the fabric. The material is then bound tightly and steamed, forcing the dyes into the fabric and leaving a “print” similar to how a leaf would print on a sidewalk. The resulting scarf is embodied with prints and color from only the natural elements design.
“I’m thrilled,” Kathy, founder, The Wearable Garden, said. “This is my first wholesale show ever. My team and I have been working to build a solid fashion line over the past four years and this award just validates all of the work that we’ve been putting into the business.”
Retailers had the chance to explore the show’s selection of best-sellers and new up-and-coming designs in everything from gifts, holiday and home decor, apparel, jewelry, fashion accessories, plush, toys and games, greeting cards and stationary, regional gourmet specialties and much more.
“This was our first trip to the Philadelphia Gift Show and it was a relaxing and enjoyable buying experience,” Diana Hobson, owner, Western Waze, said. “It was refreshing to find so many new and different products that you often miss at the larger shows.”
Reinforcing the show’s reputation as a cost-effective, convenient resource for its regional audience, the Philadelphia Gift Show continued many of its convenient on-site buyer services. On Saturday, July 20th, the show partnered with CRAFT to co-host a pre-show seminar, “All About Wholesale,” designed for artists and makers. The show offered a number of new hospitality and buyer socials including muffins and mimosas, ice cream, philly cheesesteak lunch on Tuesday, daily retailer prize giveaways, popcorn socials, and the “stay for the last day” promotion inviting buyers to shop the last day of the show and enjoy free lunch and show specials offered by exhibitors on Wednesday, July 24th.
The Philadelphia Gift Show will return January 25th to the 28th, 2020 to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and co-locate with the Philadelphia Souvenir and Resort Expo. For exhibitor information, contact Show Director April Holinek at 678-370-0326 or april.holinek@clarionevents.com, as well as Senior Sales Manager Jeannie Dorchak at 678-370-0340 or jeannie.dorchak@clarionevents.com. For buyer information or to register, attendees can call 800-318-2238 or visit www.philadelphiagiftshow.com