Table of Contents 

• Success is the point where opportunity and preparedness meet.
• Don't just buy products ... build relationships.
• As you explore the world for new and exciting products, share the thrill of the hunt with your customers.
• Be prepared, but allow for some spontaniety ... After all, you're on vacation!
• Product sourcing sometimes means trusting your own intuition.
• Pursue opportunities that combine building your business with giving back.
• Diversify your inventory by incorporating product lines from a variety of sources.
• Combine market research with passion.
• Being an entrepreneur sometimes means not taking "no" for an answer.
• Plant seeds of future opportunities.
• Our Extended Family in Israel ... Hopefully, we'll be returning for another visit this year!
• If you NICHE it, they will come ... AND SHOP!
• Hot Tips & Free Gift from NicheMarketplace
• Need some Retail Therapy? ... Visit my Blog!
• Great Gifts from NicheMarketplace
• Extraordinary Artisan Judaica & Jewish Gifts
• Having a business mentor made me a Rock Star!
• Your insight and advice makes my business stronger ...

Success is the point where opportunity and preparedness meet. 

My husband and I met our college-aged son in Israel for a once-in-a-lifetime, two-week vacation over the winter break (January, 2008). Since Judaica, Jewish ritual objects, and Jewish art are core categories of my business -- as well as a personal passion -- I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity. At the same time, I didn't want the quest for merchandise to completely overwhelm my much-needed holiday.

Like many entrepreneurs, I carry a small notebook with me at all times so I can jot down ideas to research later. In addition to monitoring the related categories on eBay and utilizing market research tools such as Terapeak, I also regularly research my online competitors and check out trendwatching sites (such as ThisNext and Trendhunter). I also keep a resource file of ideas for products and product lines that are new and unique and may be worth further investigation.

When our plans for a vacation in Israel crystalized, I pulled out my bulging file and began reviewing it in earnest. There are a few major manufacturers of Judaica and Jewish ritual items. While those manufacturers are a significant source of inventory, those products are widely available and extensively distributed both on and off the web. As a result, one of my primary business goals is to find unique, artisan Judaica that is not currently being widely marketed and sold.

Don't just buy products ... build relationships. 

More than simply identifying sources of inventory to sell, the goal is to build relationships with these artist / entrepreneurs. By establishing such personal relationships, you may be able to negotiate preferred pricing for merchandise (if not immediately, then at some point in the future). In addition, you position yourself to influence the types of products being created. Imagine how gratifying it would be to play a role in inspiring a new design? Perhaps even an exclusive product line? That may sound a little far-fetched, but never underestimate the power of building relationships and thinking big in business.

So how did I go about choosing whom and where to visit? In addition to my online research, I made it a point to visit some of the popular sites in Jerusalem and check out the upscale shops that cater to tourists from abroad (Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall, Mea Shearim, and the Jewish Quarter of the Old City). Although these tourist-oriented shops are largely middlemen and the goods sold tend to be overpriced and sometimes rather kitschy, I did get ideas of what types of products are popularly sold. Although Israel is a very small country -- about the size of Rhode Island -- and the distances on the map are quite deceiving, there was only sufficient time for 4-6 stops on our buying trip so I had to be selective. Some artisans were ruled out because they work in mediums that are difficult to ship internationally (like hand-blown art glass), or the buy-in was too expensive (like Jewish ritual objects made from precious metals or high-end Judaic jewelry), or their products were already widely marketed and distributed in the U.S. and online (like Ahava Dead Sea beauty products or the Michal Negin jewelry). In general, I focused my efforts on: a) finding products that were unique and distinctive, b) made by local artisans or makers of ethnic handicrafts, c) which had an established reputation for quality and proven production capability, and d) were not being widely marketed and sold in the U.S. (especially on eBay).

As you explore the world for new and exciting products, share the thrill of the hunt with your customers. 

It has been said that the essence of marketing is telling a story. We viewed our buying trip as an opportunity to experience Israel "outside the box" and we wanted to share our adventure with our customers. At every stop on our trip, we not only tried to build personal relationships and purchase sample products, we exchanged Email addresses, requested catalogs, and asked for background materials / information. Most importantly, we took as many photos as possible (after all, a picture says a thousand words). In addition to doing your research and selecting product lines with good profit potential, it is also important to find your passion and look for products that you are genuinely excited about and can't wait to share with others. F.Y.I. -- One way to reinforce the relationships that you invested your time and money establishing is by sharing the marketing and promotional materials that you generate with the sellers that you purchased inventory from (if you don't want to directly link to their websites, you can always send them testimonials, as well as copies of your photographs).

Be prepared, but allow for some spontaniety ... After all, you're on vacation! 

One of my mentors is always singing the praises of test marketing. Obviously, I made sure to pack light and brought several empty suitcases with me. My goal was to fill those suitcases with samples of as many potential product lines as possible. I'd be lying if I said that I had everything planned out in advance. I kept my nose to the proverbial grindstone during holiday shopping / selling season and I was looking forward to unstructured, unscheduled time (I couldn't remember the last time my husband and I had done something spontaneous). I came to Israel with a folder full of ideas and contact information, but no organized plan.

Fortunately, our world now moves at Internet speed. When President Bush decided to visit Israel and the city of Jerusalem was to be effectively closed down for three days (the Rehavia apartment that we rented was only a few blocks from both the Prime Minister's and the President's residences and on a direct route to the King David Hotel where Bush was staying), my husband and I were able to make plans for an on-the-fly road trip. So on the morning that Bush and his entourage were to arrive, we took a cab to Ben Gurion Airport and rented a car. For an additional charge we rented a GPS -- Global Positioning System -- in English. Neither of us had ever seen GPS technology in action before. If you haven't used one, it is way cool and totally blows the doors off of Mapquest (my husband bought one for his car within days of returning to the U.S.). Simply punch the street address into the GPS, and in words of Captain Picard from Star Trek The Next Generation --MAKE IT SO!

Product sourcing sometimes means trusting your own intuition. 

On Mount Carmel southeast of Haifa in the heart of Carmel National Park, there is a Druze Village named Daliyat El Carmel which is well known throughout Israel for its ethnic handicrafts. Druze or Druzim are a distinctive religious community found in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria (they number about 1 million worldwide). Culturally, Druzim are Arabs and their language is Arabic. Their religion is secret and closed to converts since 1050 A.D. While the Druze view themselves as Muslims, they are sometimes not recognized as Muslims by other Muslims. The Druze community in Israel has a special standing among the country's minority groups. Members of the Druze community serve in the Israeli army and border police, and have attained high-level positions in Israeli political, public and military circles.

In one of the souvenir shops in Jerusalem, I saw some amazing embroidered / tapestry hand bags and backpacks that I felt sure would be a total "home run." The label not only listed the name of the maker, but the telephone and fax number (it was a simple matter to make a cell phone call and get a street address). Halabi Anter is owned and operated by the Halabi family, a broad extended family that runs several businesses in the village (in fact, Halabi is the most common surname in the village of 18,000). The shop sold a dazzling array of accessories and home decor items. I was particularly drawn to embroidered / tapestry hand bags and backpacks. They were not only distinctive, stylish, and richly colorful, they were well designed and great for travel. I was drawn to this product line because they are highly evocative of Israel and the Middle East, exuded ethnic flair, but you didn't have to be Jewish to appreciate them. I purchased a broad range of colors and styles to test market. Interestingly enough, while browsing the duty-free shops at Ben Gurion Airport I noticed that the small size Halabi Anter hand bags were selling for some $50 each.

Pursue opportunities that combine building your business with giving back. 

An important part of success is giving back. We all understand it is far better to "teach someone to fish" than it is to "give someone a fish." If you can combine giving back with building your business, it is an total win-win proposition. Nitzan is a small town located between the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. Many of the town's residents are displaced persons from Gush Katif (one of the Jewish settlements from Gaza that were completely dismantled during the 2005 disengagement and its residents forcibly evicted). Regardless of one's political view, the Jewish settlements in Gaza were home to several thriving Jewish communities. The Israeli government promised to compensate the Jewish refugees for their lost homes and businesses. That promise remains unfulfilled and the remnants of the Gush Katif community are living in mobile homes and struggling to rebuild their lives (to call these prefabricated shelters "mobile homes" is really an overstatement).

Over the years, we have developed a personal relationship with an amazing couple from Gush Katif--Rachel and Moshe Saperstein. Before we left for Israel, we collected some donations from our local Jewish community which were earmarked for Operation Dignity (a charitable foundation founded to help the refugees). With Rachel's help, a cooperative of artists from Gush Katif have formed a makeshift art gallery -- The Orange Gallery. While we were there, we toured the gallery and spent all the Israeli currency we had in our pockets (the gallery didn't even have the capability to take credit cards) buying product samples including some beautiful handpainted glass trays, Shabbat candlesticks, and Mezuzahs, as well as some samples of Bnai Menashe embroidery (Bnai Menashe are Jewish immigrants from India). I must confess that my heart may have trumped my head in my purchasing decisions at the Orange Gallery. I hope that the products I purchased will sell well, but I was far more concerned with trying to make a difference for these remarkable families who have suffered so much.

Diversify your inventory by incorporating product lines from a variety of sources. 

After spending the night in a hotel in Ashkelon, we headed for Yavne to visit ART Judaica. ART Judaica is one of the leading manufacturers of Judaica and Jewish ritual items in the world. Although they do not have a retail or wholesale outlet (they sell exclusively online), visiting their showroom gave me the opportunity to get up close and personal with their extensive collection of Judaica. Even though ART Judaica products are extensively marketed in the U.S. and widely available both on and off line. It is important to have some sources of product that are widely known, well established, and financially secure. Independent artisans sometimes decide to close up shop and move on to other endeavors. I envision my online business as a blend of handcrafted artisan and popular mass-produced Judaica. In addition, as much as I love shopping online, seeing, touching, and feeling the products really does make a difference. There were pieces that didn't look that impressive in an ART's online catalog, but after seeing them in person, I may want to incorporate them into my inventory. There were other items which I seriously contemplated purchasing, but upon closer examination, I've decided they really don't meet my needs.

Combine market research with passion. 

Our next stop was the Israeli town of Lod (which is located very close to Ben Gurion airport). Almaz is a workshop for Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia which specializes in traditional Ethiopian embroidery. Items range from tablecloths, art work, and wall hangings to Jewish ritual items such as Challah covers, Mezuzahs, and Kippot / Yarmulkes. The Ethiopian immigrants -- mostly women -- hand embroider the designs based on Ethiopian folk art themes and traditional symbols. They work from home then bring the pieces into the workshop (which is located on the grounds of a local school / community center) where young Ethiopian high school students finish the pieces mounting them on linen, muslin, or satin. The finished items are then sold in a shop in Tel Aviv (which also staffed by Ethiopian high school students). I had read about the workshop while doing research online and it sounded promising.

Combining ethnic / folk art themes, traditional handicraft techniques, and an African - inspired use of color and sense of aesthetics together to produce Jewish ritual objects totally fired my imagination and I was determined to include the workshop as a stop on our buying trip. I was not disappointed. Each piece is a truly unique and one-of-a-kind work of art (in fact, the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies recently hosted an exhibit of Ethiopian embroidery from Almaz). Moreover, I knew from my research that these items were not being extensively marketed in the U.S. or online. A significant percentage of the items that I purchased to test market were finished on the spot according to my custom specifications.

Being an entrepreneur sometimes means not taking "no" for an answer. 

The final stop on our buying trip was the studio / workshop of Israeli artist / designer Ronit Akavia. In her designs, Ronit suspends Israeli wildflowers, fruits, and plants in clear and colored lucite resin. Her product lines include general home decor, as well as Jewish ritual items. In her Judaica designs, Ronit takes a traditional Jewish ritual object and reinterprets it in a very modern and contemporary way while, at the same time, incorporating the elements of nature. The overall effect is a sense of timelessness. Featuring clean lines and sculpted forms, Ronit's work is has all the beauty of glass without the shipping hassles.

Ronit had only recently moved her studio fabricating facility. It is now located on a rural road in Even Yehuda, a town near the city of Netanya. The dirt road on which the facility is so rustic that it made me wish that we had rented an SUV instead of a compact car (there wasn't even a sign on the building yet). Ronit was making last minute preparations to attend the New York International Gift Fair on February 2-6. I was hoping to purchase some Passover / Pesach Seder and Matzah Plates, but she said that didn't have any Passover / Pesach inventory available because she was taking it all to the show. Fortunately while I poking around her workshop, I found a box of last year's Passover designs which I was able to buy on the spot and at a discount. I purchased literally all the product that we could carry (and I would have bought more if we had more room in our suitcases).

Plant seeds of future opportunities. 

In all, our buying trip and included some five stops and covered nearly 250 miles. While a bottom line, dollars and cents analysis of the trip would be premature, it was certainly an rewarding experience and an adventure that my husband and I will remember for years to come. At the very least, the cost of the car rental, GPS rental, and hotel room can be deducted from our taxes as legitimate business expenses. Most importantly, it was a priceless growth experience. There is a definite learning curve associated with becoming and being an entreprenuer. I not only stretched myself as a person, by finding new sources of unique and innovative products I have preceptibly moved my business forward. I planted seeds that will hopefully bloom into new and unanticipated opportunities. I am excited about what is on the horizon and have already started collecting ideas for future buying trips to Israel (in fact, my husband and I can't wait to go back). Maybe we'll see you out on the road!

If you NICHE it, they will come ... AND SHOP! 

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Random Acts of Retail Therapy

Retail Therapy is about getting away from the frantic pace of life in the roaring 2000s and maximizing your precious "me" time. A stolen fraction of time -- both sweet and rare -- to pamper yourself and savor the moment.

But Retail Therapy is much more than merely a source of pleasure or a brief escape from reality, it is inexorably tied to our desire to connect with others. According to Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping: "The reason why we shop stems from a basic social need; part of the process is not just acquiring goods ... People are social, and they need to be around other people. Going to the marketplace has been a drive since we were hunters and gatherers."

Internet shopping, on the other hand, tends to be a somewhat solitary experience. However whatever web shopping may lack in social bonding, it makes up for in its immediacy and the ability to provide instant gratification 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Online shopping devotees can shop in the cracks of time whether it's an on-the-job lunch break, while the kids are taking their naps, or the wee hours of the morning.

The Raison d'etre of the Random Acts of Retail Therapy Weblog is to create an virtual marketplace where people can share the social aspects of shopping.

Please join us and share oyur adventures in retail therapy with your fellow power shoppers ... After all, the only thing more satisfying than getting a great bargain is bragging about it to your friends!

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Extraordinary Artisan Judaica & Jewish Gifts 

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Thanks for the feedback!

Peppermint_patt Rina, I enjoyed reading and learning from your lens! You are an inspiration to me! Sharing your vacation and business trip with the lens was amazing...what a way to go on a special trip! Pat Posted February 14, 2008

WanderingCreekAntiques Wow, Rina. This was so interesting. I can't wait to see some of the beautiful things you found on your trip. I wish you great success with these products. Carol Hearn WanderingCreekAntiques.com Posted February 04, 2008

cathyswraps Rina, I have enjoyed reading your lens. What an amazing experience. My best to you and I'd love to hear more about how your trip has influenced your business. Cathy Posted February 01, 2008

janieruth Fantastic job! I feel as though I were there with you! YOU ROCK, Sister! Very informative and entertaining lens. You have a winner with this one! Your OSI Rock Star friend, janieruth Posted January 31, 2008

The-Savvy-Seller Wonderful lens!! I love your philosophies too - that success is the point where opportunity and preparedness meet and don't just buy products, build relationships. Both are so true - Marlene Posted January 31, 2008

OSI Wow Rina - this is amazing!! Besides being an incredible writer I love how much valuable information you have taken the time to share with all of us. Your tales are always entertaining and I am constantly learning new things from you. Welcome home and keep up the fabulous work at www.NicheMarketplace.com blessings, j Posted January 30, 2008