At-Home Trunk Shows Are Huge Moneymakers. I Attend One To Find Out Why

On a Wednesday evening in April, I find myself in a well-appointed home in Brookline, a wealthy Boston suburb, sipping wine and eating macarons with a dozen oncologists from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Sitting around a coffee table displaying Asian art and colorful books about design, the women—colleagues from the same medical research group, aged between 40 and 60—aren’t talking about their work. “Oh, you never wear bright colors, but that red looks so good on you,” says one to the other. “I keep buying these pants every season, because they fit so well,” another says. “They are perfect for hiding problem areas on your tummy.” I’ve joined these women for a trunk show run by Cabi, a social shopping brand that operates in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. It was founded in 2001 by Kimberly Inskeep, a finance executive looking for a flexible career after her kids were born, and Carol Anderson, a fashion designer in need of a new way to market her products. Together with ten of their friends, they launched Carol Anderson by Invitation (hence, Cabi), a line of clothing that they would sell in their homes in a party-like setting. In the brand’s parlance, they were creating “alternative stores.” Over the last 15 years, the company has steadily grown, and its team of 3,500 salespeople around the world generate more than $250 million in revenue a year. The concept of selling directly to your friends has been around since the 1950s Tupperware party. But direct selling... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #bottom line

Other Publishing stories related to: 'At-Home Trunk Shows Are Huge Moneymakers. I Attend One To Find Out Why'


New York Comic Con Hits Record Attendance

Despite a rise in attendance at New York Comic Con to a record 180,000, the show floor remained orderly. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


SIBA Regroups Following GABBS Show Cancellation

The 22-year-old Great American Bargain Book Show has canceled its upcoming spring 2017 show and will close. SIBA, which was planning to merge its fall trade show with GABBS, will be moving ahead with its 2017 event, set for Atlanta on March 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #moving ahead


Doctor Who Christmas show to feature Doctor Mysterio

This year's Christmas special of Doctor Who will see the Doctor team up with a comic book superhero. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


I want my Snapchat TV: MTV is launching Discover shows

MTV is rolling out three new short-form video series on its international Snapchat Discover channel this fall. It has six more in development and plans to bring more of that production in-house (two initial series, “Show Us Ur Phone” and “MTV Threads,” were made with outside production... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bleacher report


Anonymous' new weekly news show will make you angry

Four weeks ago, I reported on how hacktivist collective Anonymous was planning its own weekly news show. The aim of Teh Weekly News is, Anonymous says, to "balance establishment media by providing unregulated investigative news that has not been molded to corporate or government interests". The... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good job


Niche Bookstores Find Their Way

After seeing their numbers decline dramatically, surviving specialty bookstores are finding new ways to thrive. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Why 'The Great British Baking Show' is too good for this cruel, cruel world

Proving that everything good and pure in this world will one day be snatched from us, the news broke this week that Mary Berry, the improbably named, immaculately coiffed cookbook author who has served as a judge on “The Great British Baking Show” since its inception in 2010, will be leaving the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news broke #mary berry


NEIBA 2016: A High Energy Show

From the opening keynote with Zadie Smith to the closing lunch with Douglas Preston, the energy at the 43rd annual NEIBA fall conference never failed. In part booksellers were buoyed by a strong year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #opening keynote #zadie smith #douglas preston #strong year


First footage from 'Ghost in the Shell' shows Scarlett Johansson's cyborg side

The live-action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell” starring Scarlett Johansson as the cyberpunk-fighting cyborg just dropped its first bit of footage. No doubt manga, anime and genre fans everywhere will have something to say about this brief glimpse of the new dystopia.  The first footage from... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #live-action adaptation


The Trade Show in Political Times: Frankfurt’s Weltempfang

Asking the question, 'How do we want to continue living together in Europe?' Frankfurt Book Fair's Weltempfang is a hub of debate and inquiry. The post The Trade Show in Political Times: Frankfurt’s Weltempfang appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trade show #political times #continue living


Google wants to help find your next book to read

It doesn't matter if you've got the biggest or best shop in the world if you can't connect people to the things that they want. It's an issue that Google is hoping to address in its electronic bookstore with the launch of Discover, a new way to show... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electronic bookstore


Harris Magazines Find New Life as Athlon Newspaper Offerings

With an expanded roster of brands, David Barber hired to lead newspaper relations group. The post Harris Magazines Find New Life as Athlon Newspaper Offerings appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


SIBA to Move Fall Discovery Show to the Spring

On the eve of its fall regional trade show to be held in Savannah (Sept. 16-18), the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance announced that it will partner with GABBS and move its show to the spring, starting in 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


A New Standard for Regional Bookseller Association Trade Shows

After nearly a decade of experimenting, regional bookseller association trade shows have found the right mix of authors, education, and exhibits. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Global publisher rankings show big groups getting bigger

Pearson retained its position as the biggest publisher in the world for the eighth consecutive year in the Global Ranking of the Publishing Industry 2016 which, despite the number one publisher’s slump, also showed ongoing growth of the top end of the list. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #biggest publisher #global ranking #top end


Devotionals Find an Expanded Audience

Devotionals—short readings intended to strengthen readers' faith—have grown increasingly important to Christian publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #christian publishers


Canine 'Home Alone' tribute to Avon

Avon is to publish a Christmas tribute to the film "Home Alone", starring a French bulldog named Claude. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Cloud Atlas 'astonishingly different' in US and UK editions, study finds

Academic discovers dramatically altered stretches of narrative while researching a paper on David Mitchell’s bestselling novelDavid Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is a popular choice for book groups around the world. But it turns out that American readers may be enjoying a rather different experience to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book groups #cloud atlas #study finds #david mitchell #american readers #kindle edition


UK writer Helen Gradwell lay dead at home for four months before body found

Helen Gradwell lay dead on her floor for four months – with a book deal sitting unopened on her doorstep. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Find Waldo Local 2016: A Photo Essay

Hundreds of booksellers and their neighboring businesses participated in the fifth annual Find Waldo Local national event to promote shopping local. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #photo essay