Heavenly pursuits.Stafford's Ethnic Collectibles creates holiday keepsakes Keepsakes - A Collection is an anthology by All About Eve released on 13 March 2006. It is available either as a double CD or as a limited edition double CD and DVD set (the DVD containing the band's videos and television performances). "When we die and go to heaven, don't we all turn into white angels?" asked Keith Stafford's eight-year-old foster son. That innocent question, asked five years ago, inspired Stafford and his wife Shereen Emde to launch Stafford's Ethnic Collectibles in Novato, California Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. As of a 2000 census, the city population was 47,630. Novato is 30 miles north of San Francisco on US 101. . Today, they sell 17 Christmas and Kwanzaa angels and ornaments, ranging from $14 to $45. Initially investing $2,500 of their savings, they sold dreadlocked angels made with a polyfiber body, wooden head and African head wraps, all with authentic African facial features Facial Features See also anatomy; beards; body, human; eyes. gnathism the condition of having an upper jaw that protrudes beyond the plane of the face. — gnathic, adj. . All 800 ornaments sold, generating $6,000 in gross sales Gross Sales A measure of overall sales that isn't adjusted for customer discounts or returns, calculated simply by adding all sales invoices, and not including operating expenses, cost of goods sold, payment of taxes, or any other charge. . "The message was clear," says Stafford, 45. "People would buy ethnic ornaments if they could find them." Although the first batch was handmade in their home, they needed a distributor to produce enough ornaments to be competitive. Stafford linked up with Willitts Designs of Petaluma, California Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,538. As of 2005, Petaluma's population is 56,721. [link was dead) contains the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. , in 1995 to produce 43,000 units, a deal that included $300,000 in financing for product development, production and distribution for two years. By 1997, Stafford was able to distribute the ornaments himself. Emde, 31, designs the ornaments that are manufactured by subcontractors in Asia. The Kente ken·te n. 1. A brightly patterned, handwoven ceremonial cloth of the Ashanti. 2. A durable machine-woven fabric similar to this fabric, prominently featured in Afrocentric fashion. cloth is purchased from suppliers in West Africa West Africa A region of western Africa between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea. It was largely controlled by colonial powers until the 20th century. West African adj. & n. . In 1996, Stafford added Kente Claus, the multicultural amalgamation of Santa Claus in a regal African king suit. Even with its high visibility, Stafford says getting the public to accept a new icon is difficult. Marketing a seasonal product year-round is a challenge. "You have to sell during the off season to have a good holiday season," adds Stafford In addition to independent marketing and accounting consultants, Stafford's has two full-time employees. Cumulative sales for the past three years have exceeded $500,000, and are expected to reach $500,000 this year. Stafford owns a trademark to the Kente Claus name as well as a copyright to the design, which have given him another revenue source to license the character and name. Stafford's Ethnic Collectibles have been sold through Macy's, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, Hallmark and Target and are available by mail order (800-565-7799) and on the Web (www.netnoir.com). Stafford's Ethnic Collectibles, P.O. Box 701, Novato, CA 94948; 415-892-9934 |
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