Are you headed to the NEMOA conference in Everett, MA April 4 - 6th? We'd love to see you and catch up. Join J.Schmid President & CCO Brent Niemuth as he hosts a hands-on interactive workshop on Creative and Content: Develop a look, feel and content that is clearly aligned with your brand and resonates with customers. But that's not all! J.Schmid EVP of Client Services, Michele Drohan will be leading an interactive Catalog Critique session where you'll learn the building blocks of an effective catalog, then work with peers to review and critique a catalog. If you're not registered, it's not too late! We'd love to see you there and we have a special discount to share with you. Use code BRD15 for 15% off your registration. Register now at: https://nemoaevent.org/?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=NEMOA&utm_campaign=website

Times are tough in the tween bling business. Claire’s — long a mall-based beacon of ear piercing and bedazzled barrettes — has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware. It’s the second time the brand has sought bankruptcy protection, having last done so in 2018. The company operates more than 2,700 stores in 17 countries, including nearly 200 Icing stores — a more mature concept it has been working to expand. In recent years, Claire’s has tried to evolve, launching marketing efforts aimed at a new generation of shoppers. But declining sales, a burdensome debt load, and rising tariff-driven costs in its supply chain have proven too difficult to overcome. The move doesn’t come as a surprise. Claire’s had reportedly been in discussions about restructuring options for weeks. Still, the bankruptcy signals just how difficult the current retail environment has become — especially for mall-dependent retailers already struggling to stay relevant with younger consumers.

Have you ever seen a Christmas “tree” built from hundreds of beer kegs?  A 30-foot tree of kegs wrapped in 25,000 LED lights glows brightly outside the Genesee Brew House in Rochester, New York. The display has been created and sponsored annually since 2014 by Genesee Brewing Co., the state’s oldest brewery, founded in 1878. Depending on the year and source, the tree uses anywhere from 532 to 650 kegs — but the exact number matters less than the spectacular result that draws thousands of visitors yearly. The keg tree has now drawn national attention: in October, Newsweek named it the best Christmas tree in the United States — even though, unlike the other nine on the top 10 list, it’s not technically a tree. That just makes its inclusion all the more impressive.