Grapevine, Texas 2010
IJO (Independent Jewelers Organization) holds two trade shows a year; usually earlier in the year, and one sometime in July. I just returned yesterday from, you guessed it, Grapevine, Texas, where IJO had their first trade show of 2010.
If you do not know what a trade show is, I will tell you. Basically it is a whole bunch of supplier’s that get together in a big convention hall to display their product and retailors come to shop. See picture below.
We got to see some very nice product, we visited with the girls (and guy) from Sarah’s Hope Jewelry (see picture above), we chatted with Mark and Nancy Schneider from Schneider Design, and we enjoyed good food and conversation with many retailor friends from across the continent. Given IJO’s large membership (over 850), we are fortunate to meet many new and interesting people everytime we go to one of these shows, and get to learn from them about the jewellery industry as a whole.
If you have never stayed in a Gaylord Hotel, I must recommend it. These hotels are massive.  To describe them is hard because they are so large in comparison to any hotel I have stayed in, you truly have to see it to believe it.  Picture a massive park, surrounded by hotel rooms, with a glass roof (alternatively, you could look at some pictures here). All in all, the trip was fantastic despite the cold weather (ya, cold in Texas!), and be on the lookout for new inventory coming into our stores soon.
Trade Shows | Jonathan February 26, 2010
