Home Goods Store

My trip to "The Home Good's store"

went to "The Home Good's store" which is affiliated with TJMaxx-great bargain's name brand item's. Jibere brush from sally ...

Behind The (New York) Times: December 18, 2009--Snowbirding: Home ...

by Steven Zwerling

The place we are renting for the winter is not only tastefully decorated and rather fully equipped. But since we are seriously reinvolved with cooking, from New York we schlepped a few impressive pots and pans with us in our new station wagon (half the reason we bought it was for such schlepping) and, of course, my knives. I had read someplace that real chefs never travel without their knives. That was about it. But after about a week in residence we thought, in order to make the place feel a little more like our own, we would buy a few things. For instance, a new rug for by the entrance door to liven up that spot—to make it feel a little more inviting, a bedside lamp for Rona who is devouring the books we also brought along with us, and a station wagon full of plants and appropriate stands and baskets for them. How can you be in Florida and not have at least half a dozen orchids? And, yes, a large pot for our herb “garden.” Many of the things we want to cook require fresh herbs so we thought we’d grow our own--basil, rosemary, dill, cilantro, oregano, thyme, parsley, mint . . . . You get the picture. We were partly inspired to make this small effort by our nearby cousin’s creative approach to furnishing and decorating the house she bought last year. Every time we are there with her, she shows us how she is thinking about redoing the living room or the den or the dining area; and each time we are there, which has been frequent, she has something new to tell us about or some new and dramatic way to arrange some of the things she brought with her from her previous house or has been finding in the various local shops that are her sources. I know of no one more adept at finding something truly special even in a mundane-looking thrift shop. And then of course there are the consignment shops, the antique stores and malls, and the auctions. We are in Madoff Country after all, and there is a lot to be had at very good prices from his fallen investors. The...

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SpendMatters: Consumers Break Some Ice On Home Spending

One of the surefire indicators that confirmed the U.S. recession in 2008 was when consumer spending fell through the floor. A significant component of this rational behavior involved individuals freezing their spend on new home goods like furniture, optional appliance replacement and even deferring home maintenance. According to this morning's WSJ there's evidence that despite an uptick in consumer prices of "1.8% last month over November 2008", there is also evidence that consumers have begun to resume buying for their homes.

In an unrelated article , The Journal reports that "Best Buy Co. said this week that its sales of appliances in stores open at least a year rose 10% last quarter, the first quarterly increase in more than two years. Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Cos. have also been moving more appliances [and] Williams-Sonoma Inc., which owns Pottery Barn and its namesake stores, posted its first same-store sales increase in two years in November and said it is chasing additional inventory across all categories." Additionally "Home-decor and furnishings were among the strongest sales performers in November at TJX Cos. HomeGoods chain, which posted an 18% gain in same-store sales."

The Journal attributes this ice breaking in home buying to a number of factors including "federally-funded rebate programs for energy-efficient appliances, ... retailers' and manufacturers' marketing promotions, ... [and] federal homebuyer tax credits". While these incentives have undoubtedly contributed to the increased sales, it's also important to remember that we are a consumer society and will not voluntarily stop buying for long. One shopper quoted said "It was something we couldn't pass up ... it was an incredible deal". So let's hope we're beginning to "deal" ourselves out of recession and holding those cards -- debit, not credit mind you -- a bit further from our vests.

- William Busch

Source: SpendMatters: Consumers Break Some Ice On Home Spending