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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

SBA Support for Export Promotion – Financial Support for your Export Efforts

You may already be familiar with the Small Business Administration’s State Trade and Export Promotion Pilot Initiative (CFDA# 59.061). This program allows companies who are seeking to explore export markets to receive support from this combined state and federal government program. As their website states: The State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Program is a pilot export…

Design Stars – Winners of the 2015 gia Product Design Awards

2015 gia Product Design Awards - Discover Design, the premier design destination at the International Home + Housewares Show, offers a collection of companies showcasing the latest designs found in housewares. Exhibitors are based on recommendations from and approval by the retail and design community. At the 2015 Show, exhibitors in Discover Design were in contention for…

How China’s Currency Policies Will Change the World

China’s currency analyzed and how it will impact the entire world from an economic standpoint. Summary The recent fluctuations in China's currency typify the best and worst of a globalized world, where developments in one place can instantly change the political and financial calculations of governments in others. For most of human history, the communities, cultures and…

Chatting with Magisso

We are speaking with Juhani Sirén, Magisso’s CEO and founder. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland’s capital, Magisso was established in 2008 and began exhibiting at the International Home + Housewares Show the following year. Simple and smart, Magisso’s home goods products reflect the attitude and atmosphere expected of Scandinavian design. Their hand tools and kitchenware…

Down the Aisles: Hudson’s Bay

For most Canadians, Hudson’s Bay Company is a name that has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. The company, which is Canada’s longest continually running department store, was established in 1670. Since that day two and a half centuries ago, it has continued to expand and fine tune its innovative operations, firmly establishing itself as a brand that…

Find Your Style

Selecting a color palette and design for decorating can be difficult when finding a style that reflects your life. Consumers are bombarded with different ideas, so it can be hard to settle down to find one’s own style. Here are several simple suggestions you can share with your customers to get them started on their own design style and color palette. Use these tips to…

Chicago Retail Gem

In a character-filled, old, sunny warehouse in Lincoln Park on the north side of Chicago, there’s a business that is edgy, worldly, and well… positively chic. “ Jayson Home has a warm, sensual, textured feel,” says Creative Director Caroline Scheeler. “It's the kind of store that friends meet up at, and hang out, while they’re shopping. While our store, our brand, is ever…

Keep Cool with Zoku Treatmakers

What does summertime mean to you? Barbeques, corn on the cob and …. cold treats? When you’re chillin’ in the backyard or on the porch—Zoku treatmakers make every occasion a celebration. Zoku’s first product, which started with a seemingly simple idea What if we could make popsicles freeze faster?, propelled the company into the housewares market in 2009. The patented Zoku…

A PICTURE WORTH A FEW HUNDRED WORDS: Ladders & Step Ladders

Ladders in retail displays... Step right up! That is what ladders are for. Not only do they make it possible for you to access something that may be out of reach, they also allow you to go from one level to the next with assurance of new views at each level. Think about it for a moment! How many different types of ladders do you already have in your store? You may have the…