How important is the stock market?

I just returned from the Global Department Store Summit in New York and was surprised to hear several luxury retailers say that the gyrations of Wall street can still impact their sales.  I always thought wealthy people were above worrying about how their portfolios might impact their level of spending. But perhaps it is just an indicator of confidence.  As they say in New York "Markets down, bottoms up."  How do marketers exude confidence when the mood of the consumer fluctuates day-to-day.  Several articles I've read support this notion that the consumer is a bit gloomy right now and will be hard to predict.  Holding on to the core essence of your brand seems to be the only way to counteract the mood swings.  But as the Bette Davis character said in All About Eve: "Hold on to your hats. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Fun for Foodies

I love brands that create great concepts and deliver on them in their stores to the smallest detail. One of these brands is Fresh Market. They started in 1982 with a new idea about grocery shopping.  I am sure they have fine-tuned their concept over the years but the two stores that opened in my market are fantastic.  It is the only time I have ever really been happy shopping for food.  A friend in the design industry said the stores are too dramatic for her.  But, nothing can be too dramatic for me.  They provide a really pleasant (without trying too hard) experience. Adding to my admiration is the fact they carry the original Patsy’s sauce from Patsy’s in New York rumored to be Frank Sinatra’s favorite Italian restaurant.  Of course it is $8 a jar but well worth it.  My only disappointment is the web-site. It looks nothing like the store.  If anybody from Fresh Market reads this – please call me.

Cinco de Mayo

So it’s Cinco de Mayo – a perfect day to celebrate and start a new blog.  This one will be about marketing, advertising, theater and because the City is the epicenter of all these businesses – New York.   Having lived in New York for over 12 years, but not consecutively, I have watched the city change for good & ill. I saw the decline of the Upper West Side from an esoteric, artistic neighborhood to the suburban shopping mall that it is today.  And whose big idea was is to destroy McHale’s, the venerable actor’s bar and film location, and replace it with that grotesque modern structure?  Brand New York makes a few missteps.   (More on brands in another posting.) On the positive side, New York is still the most lovely, energetic, optimistic center of the universe and I was always proud to say I was a New Yorker.