Editor's notes
Lisa Casinger, Editor -- Kids Today, 11/1/2006
When I was younger I never believed adults when they said the older you get the faster time flies; now that I'm inching up on 40, I find it's true. Halloween's barely over and it's almost Christmas.
This time of year, when people are hustling and bustling around, is also the time many think about charities, especially those involving children.
One of our features this month is about how the juvenile industry gives back year round. From participating in ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to hosting in-store safety events and sending much needed product to Hurricane Katrina victims, retailers, suppliers and associations open their hearts to a variety of worthy causes.
The story starts on page 20 but we had such an overwhelming number of companies send in information, we continued the story on our Web site, www.kidstodayonline.com.
Our retail profile this month, Little Mountain, is a little different from our other profiles in that it's not a typical juvenile store. Owners Dan and Lori Nichols sell just about everything little ones need for outdoor adventures from clothing and outerwear to gear and footwear.
This issue also features our inaugural Retail Innovators listing. We've highlighted 20 retailers who embrace new ways of doing business whether it's with creative displays and merchandising or fun in-store events or finding an untapped niche and making it their own. It was a tough job to narrow the list to 20; we hope next year you'll make our job even harder by submitting your store for consideration.
Aside from working on this issue, we've been putting together our editorial calendar for 2007 and working on the agenda for the 7th annual Kids Today conference.
One of the new features we'll have in 2007 is Portfolios — a collection of stories on one product category. For example, January's Portfolio is on gifts and will include a business story, a registry of sources and product spotlights. Check our Web site for both the editorial calendar and our editorial invitations for upcoming Portfolios.
Though we're still working on the agenda for the 2007 conference, we do have a few details to share. The theme is The Power of Change, a timely topic for our industry. The conference will be June 20–22 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Fla. We hope to see you there.
