WRAP IT UP: GIFT BUYERS, SELLERS SHOW THEIR STUFF.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer The jewelry bedazzled and the chocolate oozed bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. aromas as the California Gift Show brought together a cornucopia cornucopia (kôr'ny  kō`pēə), in Greek mythology, magnificent horn that filled itself with whatever meat or drink its owner requested. of retailers Monday, displaying their trinkets in an effort to charm wandering buyers. As the host of the 133rd show, the Los Angeles Convention Center The Los Angeles Convention Center (abbreviated LACC) is a convention center in downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and was best known to video games fans as host to E3 until its cessation in 2006. housed more than 2,000 exhibitors with an estimated 340,000 attendees. The economic malaise remained dormant as attendance was up only slightly from last year, said Dorothy Belshaw, the show's director. ``The gift industry slides through and is virtually unscathed from the economic downturn because the retailers use a lot of lower price-point products,'' she said. Not so if you're interested in buying a ``baga'' - a $15,000 wooden snake sculpture from Africa. Standing at least five feet tall, the snake may be worth its price tag - the reptile supposedly improves fertility, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Sorakata Anoff-Sylla, owner of Canoga Park-based A Touch of Africa. Behind the baga stand two leopards cast in bronze Cast in Bronze is a traveling carillon, consisting of 35 cast bronze bells, played by Frank DellaPenna with fists and feet. The total weight of the instrument is 4 tons. from Benin, Nigeria. The two felines felines See animals. cost $6,500. If tribal art doesn't rouse the senses, Ivette and Gina Helfend sell customized bracelets that are made from links of stainless steel stainless steel: see steel. stainless steel Any of a family of alloy steels usually containing 10–30% chromium. The presence of chromium, together with low carbon content, gives remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat. decorated with 18-karat gold letters, semiprecious stones, and various ornaments and symbols. Based in West Hills, Linx Bracelets begin at $60 and continue to climb, with price depending on the materials used. A few booths down from Linx, The Sweet Tooth Gourmet Chocolate Co. emits wafts of cocoa. The Sherman Oaks-based company drowns everything ``you liked to eat as a kid'' in chocolate, said Laura Friday, the owner of the store. ``Most chocolate shops sell the hoity-toity chocolates. I go for what you grew up on,'' she said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Patricia Cadena and Jeremy Moser sample lotions from Dani Inc Products, one of the vendors that participated in the California Gift Show at the L.A. Convention Center on Monday. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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