Toula's Home Gift Garden

I know I talk about LA a lot in this blog, but I have to confess that many of the cool and trendy items we carry in the store come from California. I think naturally the wave of fashion and trend moves across the country form west to east often times. People say New York is where it is at, but in my opinion many trends start in the west (Japan, a lot of the time!) and migrate to the east coast.

One day about eight years ago I was shopping at Kitson (some of you may know this store on Robertson in West Hollywood where the likes of Britney and Paris run in for a manic shopping spree) and ran across these really fascinating leather bracelets from Dillon Rogers. They came in different widths and colors. Some had pretty colored gem stones attached to them, while others were just plain. All of them had symbols or phrases etched into the leather. I noticed a card near by describing the celebrities who had been spotted wearing them (Paris, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Jennifer Aniston, and the like). I actually bought one for myself that day.

Many years later I was still wearing that leather bracelet. I couldn’t believe how well it had held up. I am notoriously hard on things, so I knew if it could survive my wear and tear it was a good product. I decided when I opened Toula’s that I would carry Dillon Rogers bracelets if I could score the account. As luck would have it I had no trouble getting the designer in my store and catching the eye of almost every customer who walks through the door.

These bracelets appeal to everyone. I tell people all the time that teenagers buy them, college kids buy them, soccer moms buy them, and even grandmothers buy them (for themselves!). They are a great all around gift for someone you know who likes fashion, but they have also struck a nostalgic cord with people who remember making something not as sophisticated when they were a kid.

Like I mentioned before, they come in several band widths, many colors, and you have the luxury of stopping by Toula’s or calling us and designing one just for yourself. Not to sound too cheesy, but they are like a little bit of inspiration (and trendy fashion) around your wrist. Please drop by and check Dillon Rogers out. We receive a shipment almost monthly, and often times you will catch us wearing one we designed ourselves! They make a really cool gift for someone or a personal statement of cool for yourself.

Eric

Ps.  If you check us out on Facebook you will see a fun picture of a couple of my favorite Dillon Rogers bracelets on my wrist!

It always amazes me how we can fret over pulling the trigger on a big buy, something we found in our travels to bring into the store. Some really cool items that we know our customers will love, and are so excited about displaying in Toula’s. Then there are those items we stumble on that don’t blow us away, but we invest in simply because we think they are unique or just cute. We don’t spend a ton of time or energy on them. Sometimes it’s those little items that we don’t give much thought to that capture our customer’s imagination and end up blowing out of the store like hot cakes. It always tickles me when customers hit the door and come immediately to us asking for “that certain item” they saw someone buy, or heard about from someone else, or maybe received themselves and want another one for a gift. It almost becomes a cult item.

One of those cult items turned out to be really sweet  clear glass bird vases this year. They come from Canada and are offered in two sizes, and aren’t expensive at all. They are blown hollow and accommodate a flower bud or herb stem.  They are very simple and very practical. They turned out to be the best thing for teacher gifts, Mother’s Day, hostess gifts, or just for that person you know has absolutely everything and doesn’t need one more trinket. And now we can’t keep them in stock! I have placed several orders in Canada for these glass birds. The official name of these little creatures is “nesting bird vase”.  We turn around and before long we are sold out again. I just  today contacted the French Canadian company again and ordered a bunch to keep us in stock during the summer months ahead.

So if you are stumped over what to give someone who has everything, or running to someone’s home for a lovely summer fete and need a unique hostess gift, pop in Toula’s and we will gift wrap one of these delicate little bud vases for you. You can’t go wrong with a best seller! You’ll probably pick one up for yourself too.

Eric