Turning the Corner 

We've been pleasantly surprised to talk to several customers in the store over the past few weeks who are already preparing for late spring and summer events. We learned that the City of Lakewood intends to host its popular, Summerfest event, in late July at Fort Steilacoom Park. JBLM plans to host both Armed Forces Day in May and an evening-only version of Freedom Fest on July 4th. We know many other organizations are working on other fairs, festivals, tournaments and social gatherings. We couldn't be happier to see this element of normal life returning. 

As we continue with our 2022 promotional product campaign, we "gift" customers who make purchases in the store during February with a cool Navy blue pizza cutter.  Did you get one yet? Just make a purchase before the end of the month. Regarding promotional products, a brand new study was just released and it revealed that in Washington state, these are the most "influential" promotional items:  performance wear, outerwear, writing instruments, drinkware and health/safety products. According to the survey developers, "influential" means the product will influence whether a consumer chooses to do business with the company distributing or selling the branded product.

The annual awards industry tradeshow is happening next week in Las Vegas. While we aren't attending this year, we expect to see some announcements related to new products and possibly even some new suppliers from which we can begin to source new products.

We recently created new baseball-style cards for each of our team members. We hope, over time, our customers will get the opportunity to collect a card from everyone on our team.

Speaking of team members, we've recently added two new people to our team. Alison joined us at the end of January. She's assisting with customer service and showroom organization.





Samantha joined us earlier this month. She's helping to keep our showroom shelving and displays sparkling clean. We also recently celebrated Andrew's 6-year work anniversary with us.


Andrew is our graphic artist and does most of his work behind the scenes, but you see it in our finished products and clever showroom display pieces.

The supplier who makes the military-style shadow boxes we sell notified us to expect delays as he lost his small staff and he's struggling to get the wood and supplies he uses to make the shadow boxes. We will do our best to keep our customers updated on his status and our ability to get his products in a timely manner. A few of our other regular suppliers have introduced some new products. Keep reading to see the details of what's new below.

Once again, we are supporting the fundraising efforts of Rebuilding Together South Sound. Plan now to join the fun May 8th through May 12th by viewing and bidding on some really remarkable auction items and a lively and fun live-streamed program on the evening of May 12th. Want to support Rebuilding Together with an event sponsorship? Contact Judi and she can get you all the details on the sponsorship opportunities. The organization is also accepting additional auction donations, virtual ambassadors for the event, as well as anyone interested in potentially volunteering with the various rebuilding projects the organization undertakes. Get more details on the event here.

We were honored to receive this recognition from Pierce Transit as the employer with the most trips recorded during the quarter.

Have you seen our virtual showroom tour? Wondering what we offer but can't make it to the showroom? This virtual tour allows you to visit from wherever you are. Please share it with others who may want to visit us.