Heart to Heart Forum

Monday, November 3, 2008

November Kudos

Good Morning Everyone, Please visit our featured shop for November, Victoria Rose Cottage:

November's Featured Shop

In their own words, "We have been blessed by God to find some of the most talented artisans from all over the United States of America..."
We think you will love the exquisite creations they have chosen for this month's feature!

Our own Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms made the cover of the December issue of "Romantic Homes" magazine. Our own Shelley McVittie has a Gallery showing at her "Cobblestones" cottage in Ontario, Canada this weekend. Any more good news to share with the group we will gladly pass along!

Blessings,
Vic & Jeff

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

October Feature Site

Good Morning and Happy October, There is that autumn chill in the air these beautiful mornings! Take the chill off quickly by visiting our warm, inviting October Featured Page:
October Feature

Debbie of Cozy Cottage Gifts & Decor has assembled a nice collection of "cozy" gifts for our viewing pleasure : ) What a great way to spend a little time with a hot cup of tea and start making your list.

We also have an ad running through QFlea for the Holidays at:
QFlea Holidays

Have a lovely Day,
Vic

Monday, September 1, 2008

September Feature

Good Morning and Happy Labor Day, I am back!!! August was a wonderful buzz of new activity at the Heart Shoppe. Kudos to our brilliant webmaster (also my husband of 19 years) for keeping pace with our growing community : ) I can't believe it is already September!

Take a minute to visit our featured site, Merry Treasure Shopper, for some beautiful new treasures:
Featured Site

I could just wrap myself up in these exquisite featured items!

We also have an old friend with a new shop to welcome back. Patricia of Tuscan Country brings us her brand new site, Pink Hugs Sweet Shoppe, on both First and Fifth Avenues. Those faux pastries look good enough to eat : )
First Avenue

My dear friend Cindy from Victorian Scrapworks rejoins us on Third Avenue:
Third Avenue
I personally use her Victorian Scraps to decorate my own gift box sets.

We will be working on the Contest page over the next couple days and will have it up by the end of the week.

Have a great holiday,
Vic

Thursday, July 31, 2008

August Features

Be sure and check out "Cottage Violets" during the month of August. See image above!

A note from Laura at Pet Scribbles:
Hi everyone,
I have been designing pet-themed Victorian-style greeting cards for the past few years, and recently began receiving requests from stores for non-pet-themed cards in the same style. I'm pleased to announce my new card line called "Purrtea by Pet Scribbles" -- card designs featuring vintage images of flowers, teacups, and all things purrtea! I sell Purrtea cards wholesale, just the same as my Pet Scribbles line.

Thanks so much for your consideration! This is a fantastic group of people that Vic has brought together!!

Sincerely,
Laura Kuhlmann, Owner
Pet Scribbles LLC
Little Egg Harbor, NJ

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Happy 4th of July!

Good Morning and welcome July! Our featured page is courtesy of Karen from Sweet Necessi-teas:
July Feature

She has designed an adorable new tea cozy in the shape of a Victorian Tea Dress. It is a must see : )

If you took a peek at Second Avenue yesterday, not only did you see Grandma Betty's, you saw the new layout for our 2nd-5th Avenues. I really like it and hope all of you will too!
Second Avenue

Now we have room for more!

Happy July 4th,
Vic

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Something Right!

Must be doin' something right, 'cuz our Alexa Traffic Rankings have skyrocketed in the past three months:
Alexa Traffic Rankings for June '08

Sunday, June 1, 2008

June is Tea for Two month!

Stop by our featured site at the Victorian Heart Shoppe this month and you can share in the excitement of the 2008 World Tea Expo! Gail from The Tea House Times and Tea Bureau will be bringing us updates and stories all month long. Tea anyone?
June's Featured Site

12 Tips for a Successful Christmas Bazaar Table

12 Tips for a Successful Christmas Bazaar Table
by Victoria Otto

The following tips are recommended for a small retail shop participating in an arts & crafts holiday fair or a Christmas bazaar.

Up to 6 weeks in advance:

1. Make a list and check it twice; more often if a tendency to misplace lists exists.

2. Brand your booth with the following items: (These can be purchased "free" at www.vistaprint.com for only the cost of shipping) banners, business cards, calendar magnets, rack cards, etc.

3. Invite friends and recruit plenty of help for the actual sale day.

4. Inventory your products (something old, something new): ordering too late could cost a sale so make sure to have plenty of that "most popular"' and "brand new" item on hand for the big day.

5. Print out a readable price list, stickers and tags get lost in the shuffle: whole dollar amounts (round $4.95 to $5) will make it much easier to make change at the actual event.

6. Get in the spirit of the event with tablecloths, decorations, centerpieces, etc. that reflect the holiday theme.

At the event:

7. Provide a sample to all interested traffic (if you are selling perfume, spray a business card "to go", free recipe cards for a food booth, etc.).

8. A sale isn't a sale unless there is a discount: offer 20% or more off the regular price and be sure to bring a calculator.

9. Feed the impulse buyer: the 'five and dime' has acquired dollar signs so be sure to have at least one $5-$10 item for the impulse buyers, perhaps no higher than $30 unless you are prepared to take checks or credit cards.

10. Stage your products: the most expensive jewelry looks better on a hand, the most beautiful scarf around a neck, an exquisite 'wine charm' dressing a crystal goblet, the idea is to show off the goods (baskets, boxes, bags)!

11. Have an appropriate cash drawer, money bag, or register, with plenty of change (makes both dollars and sense).

12. Remember the true meaning of the event: Christmas is a celebration of the Christ child's birth. Arrive early, have fun, be of good cheer, suggest appropriate gifts, and be thankful for all blessings from Above.

Author: Victoria Otto from Victorian Laurels @ www.victorianlaurels.com

Contributors: Linda from Charmed Victorian @ www.charmedvictorian.com

Debbie from Cozy Cottage @ www.cozycottage.com

All of the above shops can be found in one place: Victorian Heart Shoppe mall @ www.victorianheartshoppe.com

About the Author:

Victoria Otto is the owner and CEO of the retail website, Victorian Laurels, and the membership mall, Victorian Heart Shoppe. Her newest venture is as the Editor of an online magazine called Victorian Etc. She has a BS in Mathematics and is a retired school teacher of twenty-five years. Victoria lives in New Mexico with her husband, Jeff, and their dogs, Duke & Roscoe.

Spring Cleaning by Terri Seymour

How to Spring Clean Your Website

Spring is a wonderful time of year but it might not be so wonderful for our online business. The weather is getting nicer and people are spending more time outside, away from their computers. One way to get more people to come to your website is to do some spring cleaning and I don't mean your house! Our websites can get stale and outdated if we do not clean them up periodically.

There are lots of things you can do to freshen up your site and bring new life and new customers to your online business.

1. Add a new section filled with resources, information and maybe even some special deals for your customers. Use relevant keywords to improve your ranking. For example: if you own a home decor business, offer decorating tips and advice. Show people how to decorate on a budget or how to redecorate with things they already own. By providing information and resources along with your products, you are giving people a reason to keep coming back. This is how you build trust with your visitors and get more sales.

2. Remove all dead links, outdated information and products. Nothing is worse than going to a site and finding links that don't work or information and/or products that are no longer useable or helpful. Go through all the links on your site and freshen up the content to offer up to date information!

3. Give your homepage a facelift by adding new graphics, text, etc. Redo your banner and give it some new life. Take out the old graphics and add some fresh new images. Research your keywords and revamp your text with some effective keywords. Write a new introduction to your site detailing all your new additions.

4. If you haven't yet tried blogging, read up on blogging and zap some life into your site. Some free blogging sites are Blogger and WordPress. Blogging is a great way to improve your search engine ranking while expanding your network.

5. Update your product line. Add some fresh new products and offer the old products at clearance prices. Have a Spring Sale and liven up your sales! Keep those customers coming back for more!

6. Add a What's New page so you can let everyone know about all your updates now and in the future. This feature could get more people to return to your site to see What's New?

7. Research the colors used on your site. You may find changing the colors of your site can bring a whole new life to your business.

8. Put a small survey on your site. Ask your visitors what they would like to see and what type of products they are looking for. Getting the information straight from the horse's mouth could do your business a lot of good. Offer your visitors a small gift for answering the questions on the survey.

9. Renew your goals! Make new goals and write out a new business plan. Learn from your experiences, good and bad, and improve your plan for success.

Spring is a time of renewal, revitalization and reenergizing! Our online businesses are no exception!

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