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L.L. Bean's flagship store has long been the biggest draw in Freeport, ME — perhaps because it's been open 24 hours a day, seven days a week since 1951. But now the outdoor gear and apparel merchant has announced plans to develop a theme park-style adventure park on a 700-acre parcel of land it owns near its headquarters. Instead of theme rides, such as a canoe flume or perhaps spinning duck-boot cars, Bean plans to offer more active pursuits such as kayaking, archery, and snowshoeing, with rock-climbing walls and fishing ponds. The merchant, which is seeking hotel developers to handle lodging for the center, hopes to have the attraction up and running within three years. Testing fly-fishing equipment isn't in the same league as Space Mountain, to us, anyway. But to Bean's hardcore fans, the park will likely be a true thrill ride.
This merchandising theory takes the cake
Merchandising experts have long known that home decor trends tend to follow apparel fashions. Now some consultants are saying that wedding cake colors and designs are following home decor trends — and that furnishing catalogs are a good predictor of what you'll soon be seeing on fashionable wedding cakes. We knew the wedding industry was getting out of hand, but this is, well, the icing on the cake. According to a report from one baker, pink and orange wedding cakes were hot at one point, then blue and brown had their moment. What's next? If the fall edition of Restoration Hardware's Home catalog is any indication, cakes will be coming up beige, sage, or mocha. Not all that exciting — or appetizing. We hate to be so traditional, but some times plain vanilla rules.
American Spoon celebrates its silver
It's hard to believe that American Spoon turns 25 this year. The artisanal specialty foods merchant (then American Spoon Foods) was a relative upstart when we (then as Catalog Age) profiled it back in 1992. But the brainchild of Northern Michigan wild food forager Justin Rashid and New York chef Larry Forgione has been jamming ever since. In addition to its signature preserves, American Spoon includes fruit salsas, fruit grilling sauces, relishes, and dried cherries. The Petoskey, MI-based company supports several small, local family farms that grow prized fruit varieties for American Spoon's most celebrated products. (The merchant's Early Glow Strawberry Butter was named Best Artisanal Condiment by the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards in April 2006.) Happy 25th American Spoon — you deserve a big fruitcake!
Frederick's to uncover new corset creations
Frederick's of Hollywood wants you to unleash your inner corset designer. The legendary lingerie mailer in August teamed with online marketing firm Brickfish to launch a campaign called “From Your Design to Hollywood & Vine.” The program invites fashion fans to create unique corset designs and post them online. Anyone can review, vote on, and share their favorite corset creations; winning designs will be chosen by viewers and Frederick's of Hollywood executives. It's fitting that Frederick's, which is credited with bringing black undergarments, push-up bras, and thongs to U.S. drawers, is involved in a consumer corset contest. The competition ended Sept. 14; perhaps some hot new lingerie designer is about to bust out onto the scene as a result.
