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Americans are wild about their pets. Love for our furry friends is at an all time high and is
affecting merchandising in many industries. Late last year Paris Hilton's dog was getting more
press coverage than most celebrities. And when I saw that Target had a Christmas aisle dedicated
to pampering cats and dogs with gourmet stocking stuffers and designer accessories, I knew that
the pet craze had officially gone mainstream.
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For those of you who have not yet seen the Halstead Bead "guard dog brigade," photos are included
on the bottom of our Contact & About Us page.
I use the guard dog term loosely since they mostly just crowd under our desks
and chew on toys. As you can imagine, two Saint Bernards and a Labrador under your feet can make
typing a bit challenging. However, they are great stress relief and several employees enjoy visiting
with them and playing some quick fetch during breaks.
I am the first to admit that I spoil my dogs rotten, but I have never dressed them up for holidays
or matched their collars to my outfit. So, I was initially skeptical about pets and jewelry being a
winning combination; however, I was wrong. Just as soccer moms drove the trend for sports spirit
items and mother's bracelets, proud pet parents are pushing jewelry into products that trumpet love
for their animals.
In the last year we have added many pet themed charms and findings, all of which are selling
extremely well. In fact, we have added even more since the metals catalog was published. Letter
beads and photo frame sliders are frequently incorporated into pet products as well.
The most popular jewelry design variations are charm bracelets and layered necklaces with a cat or
dog theme (never mixed together mind you). There are also several designers in the market who are
making jewelry for the animals themselves to wear in the form of necklaces or fancy collar variations.
With more and more pet boutiques, spas and restaurants popping up around the nation, there is evidently
quite a good market for a whole new level of pet pampering.
One of the great benefits of this trend is that it is moving accessories into entirely new sales venues.
Jewelry would normally seem completely out of place in veterinary offices, pet stores or groomers. But,
pet themed jewelry makes perfect sense in upscale businesses catering to our furry friends.
Despite my skepticism, I am drawn to browse the pet goodies wherever I see them and I do have a family
photo with the dogs proudly displayed on my desk. I think a doggy bracelet is not far behind. If I am
about to cave in the market must truly be ripe for clever pooch & kitty marketing. Opportunities abound
in the world of accessory design. Good luck with this latest adventure.
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