Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-11-08
GIFT NOVELTIES
MUCH IN DEMAND

NEW YORK, Nov S.-One of the
factors Of peculiar interest in the re-
tail business activity has been the
steadily increasing demand within re-
cent years. 1t is condition that has
been brought home very wildly to
every SHOPPER and to every careful
observer OF the shops in the retail
centre. Gifts and novelties Of a&rac>
tive designs, such as were never
dreamed Of a half dozen years ago,
mack a bewitching appeal to ones
generosity and pocketbook. Herein
lies the subtlety of the art which
gives many things ordinarily common
place with their distinctive novelty,
tempting buyers to purchase, just be-
cause the articles do possess such
distinctive charms.
The gift shop idea, whose success
lies in the production Of novelties,
is in itself. no longer a novelty. It
has developed from its early assc-
citation with the suburban tea house
or. summer resort souvenier store into
stable business, representing an in
vestment Of many millions of dollars
in capital throughout the country and
giving employment to thousands Of
persons. It's influence is seen, not on
ly in the establishment of scores OF
individual gift shops, each stamped
with q personality as distinctive as the
articles on sale, but also in the recog-
milton of the popular demand by the
big department stores, all of which
have installed special departments for
novelties and artistic gifts.
New York city is the recognized
manufacturing and distributing CEN
tire Of the gift novelty trade There
are over fifty wholesale concerns here,
and they report a constantly increas-
ing market, One young woman of ar
tistic ideas, whose wholesale quarters
are in Fifth avenue building, has
just flled an order for several thou
sand novelties for a Panama retail
store. Orears have come from Mexico
and many o. GERS have come from
South America.
The gentle art of giving has been
immensely accelerated by the artistic
touch impaired to countless house
hold articles of real utility in addition
t. the purely decorative fancy gift
products. Novel effects are now pro-
yided for every conceivable occasion.
The growth of the business has made
rumunerative opportunities for hun
dreds of artists with the ability to de-
sign and color.
1T is the idea that people pay for,
explained the proprietor of large
! distributing agency. THAT explains
the good prices obtained for simple
novelties In its broader aspects it is
4 a high-class trade, that, it depends
Tor custom upon persons of means
who can afford from 50 to S. for a
noFe{y or pay 81 for a fancy article
TO use as q dinner favor These higher
grade novelties are hand made or hand
colored. The coloring requires con
siderable SKILL, and some of the large
wholesale houses frequently employ u
dozen or more artists to color Ger
tain articles for a rush order.
The wholesale center of the gift
shop business is in the Madison
Square section. while its retail ac
tivity extends all the way from Green
witch Village 10 upper Fifth avenue.
Some of the best Of the factories"
are in the Washington and Sheridan
SInare centres. 1t would be more
appropriate to call them studios, for
their wares are practically all hand
made or colored, each shop having its
own distinctive designs. An artistic
woman has novel gift shop near
Fifth avenue. where every conceiv>
able device may be ordered. If not
in stock, the idea will be taken, hand
ed out to an artist for practical de /
Yelopment and, 10, another novelty is |
added to the thousands which have !
preceded it.
AT one Of the large Wholesale firms /
on Fifth avenue are samples of 5000 |
diffnrnnt articlcc