Saturday Gift Post--Easter Display.

In moving around displays (and more on that in a book-focused post next week), I realized that it was only six weeks until Easter and that meant it was time for our display to go up. It's currently in what is known as a bit of a dead zone, but we'll be resetting it in a higher traffic area closer to the holiday.

We do a decent amount of plush business, with rabbits dramatically outselling chicks (and ducks and lambs bringing up the rear), but we only bring in a few cards. It's not like graduation, which is very card focused and we don't really know whether we'd sell the gift items or not, as I've never invested in an assortment of cap-and-gown collectibles. So I think we have seven cards altogether; my favorite is a design from Anni Betts, whose artwork was featured in a previous post.

I have a number of old Easter display signs to choose from but in my head, I had a new idea. The problem was that I couldn't find a graphic that fit, nor could I draw one myself. Fortunately our new bookseller Peter has a way with a pen and carried out my vision perfectly. I'm sure this has been done before; it has to have been, right? It's still funny. Admit it.

It was time to reorder those super-strength Ipop magnets, so in the mix I included one Easter design. I have found that the holiday designs still sell better out of the display than off the holiday display, or perhaps the real truth is that Christmas magnets are popular but Halloween and Hanukkah magnets are not. Could be.

While placing the order, I also decided to try some of the single-packaged magnets, which I think can double as paperweights. We put a few on the spring table and sold two the first day.

And finally, though not Easter specific, it felt like we could finally put out the new assortment of jump ropes, this year featuring a monkey, owl, or flower design.  They would certainly not be inappropriate for an Easter basket.

I wonder how rabbits feel about being officially Easter, the way reindeer and polar bears and penguins have become associated with Christmas, and black cats and spiders and crows seem to show up on Halloween merchandise. And what's the next holiday to snag an animal and which animal will it be?