And the winner is….ME!

I am just a simple girl with a tiny brick and mortar shop in a sleepy little suburb.  Well that is what I thought until I got a phone call back in May. The voice on the other end of the phone said “Your a star”, it was a woman’s voice so I knew it wasn’t my husband being his charming self.  It wasn’t a voice I recognized as a rep for any products I carry or another mom thanking me for a PTA duty.  This woman introduced herself as one of the editors of Home Accents Today. It is the premier publication for all manufacturers and retailers of home decor products.  No, it isn’t a magazine you can run to your local bookstore and buy.  It is for people in the biz.  So, I am a star, but what does that mean?  Well, Daisy’s and its proprietor (that’s me) was named one of the 50 retail stars of 2010 by a pillar in the industry.  My brain starts spinning, am I being punk’d, a million questions fly through my head. So every year Home Accents Today names 50 independent retailers they think are on the right track and looking forward. They picked me and 49 other lovely shops! Daisy’s got all spiffy one day and professional photographers and stylists made her look like Heidi Klum, which some of those results can be seen in these photographs. So what happens now? Well, we got treated royally while we were in NY at the New York International Gift Fair over the summer.  No real red carpet except that while we were staying at The London Hotel (which I highly recommend) the premier of Eat, Pray, Love was right next door. 

It is all very exciting and when I walk into a booth I get as much attention as the big guys now.  My badge lets me into parts of shows that I used to wonder about and I have been asked to speak on “my expertise” several times now.  I get up there and babble on about how much I love my shop and customers and connecting where I live to the types of products I carry.  I don’t know if that makes me an expert, but it is kind of fun.  

Here are some other pictures from the photo shoot: