Everyone needs a little advice sometimes. Who do you turn to? Family? Friends? Co-workers? The archives of Ann Landers? Well, how about Jenna, Lisa, and Rachel?

Let's start with Jenna, who is actually Jenna Lyons, creative director of J.Crew and driving force behind their recent soaring success. She's also the brains behind "Jenna's Picks," a regular feature on their website, in catalogs, and in stores. "Jenna's Picks" highlights her top items sold by the brand with a little insight on why she picked her current collection of goodies and how you should wear them.

Recently, we noticed a similar feature pop up from competitor Ann Taylor, entitled "Lisa Loves." Lisa, too, is a real person, much like Lyons. Lisa Axelson, the brand's head designer, now spotlights her favorite ensemble choices paired with a little bit of inspiration. Unlike J.Crew's feature that usually highlights merchandise only, Ann Taylor adds their own twist by creating an inspiration board with merchandise, fabric swatches, and images.

Next, there's Rachel. Rachel Zoe, celebrity stylist and Bravo television star, has been selecting her favorite shoes & handbags for Piperlime longer than both Jenna and Lisa have been telling us what to wear. From her top five trends for the season to her favorite knee-high boots, Rachel's been holding our hand and helping us pick out the hottest accessories, allowing us to feel confident in our choices.

In a time when our economy is less than stellar and recreational shopping isn't everyone's favorite activity, providing an editorial voice with educational tips is a clever strategy. Suddenly you start to feel attached to Jenna/Lisa/Rachel, entrusting them with your apparel choices and dollars being spent.

In the cases where there's no official face for the brand or voice of editorial reason, many stores feature staff or store favorites. Madewell, a J.Crew brand, features a rack of staff picks. Banana Republic, a Gap Inc. retailer like Piperlime, features their Top 5 Work Essentials, brilliantly assigning each essential with a number that then helps you find that item in the store. The Limited features their monthly Top 10, which ensures that the collection is never stale.

Some subtle, friendly suggestions go a long way. And shoppers can consider Jenna or Lisa or Rachel as their own personal stylist. It’s a win/win for the customer and for the brand.

Our 20/20 Vision turns its attention to the convergence of three struggling industries: broadcast television, music sales, and retail sales. It’s a perfect storm of slumping businesses, all looking for a hook to lure consumers back to the fold. But in this new age of Hulu and DVRs and iTunes, nobody buys CDs anymore. People pay less attention to TV advertising, which is supposed to feed the network monsters. So what are TV and music execs left to do?  

Cue the music, Mr. Schuester. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the phenomenon known as “Glee.”

Fox’s runaway hit show just wrapped up its first half season, with legions of fans of all ages and genders responding like star-struck junior high girls. The show’s cast has been on a non-stop media parade, appearing everywhere from “The View” to local shopping malls. It’s a true “watercooler” show with fans dissecting the ins and outs of the previous night’s episode at work and on Facebook. How does this differ from previous TV hits like “Seinfeld,” or “The Sopranos,” or even “Survivor?”

Those same fans go buy all the music from the episodes. Either as individual downloads, or as full albums, the music from “Glee” is spreading like wildfire. Need to listen to Rachel’s killer version of “Don’t Rain on My Parade?” It’s on iTunes. Wanna own the amazing cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love?” It’s ready to purchase. Want all of it? There are not one but now TWO full cast albums covering all the songs from the season. Reuters reports, “In a sign of just how popular some of the tunes have become, the "Glee" cast's rendition of the 1981 Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'" was certified gold after more than 500,000 digital sales.” That’s some TV, music, and retail synergy.

Record companies are loving the exposure: "It wasn't just a TV show but that it had the potential to be a pop culture icon," Glen Brunman, soundtrack consultant at Columbia told Reuters. "It is unique and it is an approach with a TV show that hasn't existed in the past."

It’s classic retail cross-merchandising. Why sell just a shoe when you can upsell it with a handbag? Same is true of TV shows; add desirable music and watch sales soar. And when you can strike gold with shows like “Glee,” count your blessings. A nice side note to the music sales, reported in Variety: In a case of life imitating art, (producers are) heartened by scholastic reactions to the pilot. "We're already seeing sheet-music requests," he says, "and they're even talking about making the show's music tracks available for school choirs."

Maybe we’ll see a resurgence of show choirs across the nation. Gleeks unite!

Property Furniture is a showroom in SoHo that contains innovative lighting, furniture, and home décor/visual merchandising items. One of the most unique pieces is the Slant Lamp, which is a floor lamp constructed of neon bulbs. The standard size is 18” x 24” x 72” and custom colors are available. This item stands out because of the trend of neon lighting used in retail spaces that we’ve seen in our travels over this past year.

Check out Property Furniture’s website or visit the showroom on your next visit to NYC.  You will definitely be inspired.

Property Furniture
14 Wooster St.
New York, NY 10013
P:  917.237.0123

Looking back at many of the trends we’ve covered this year, you’ll note that “vintage” was a big one, influencing everything from visual propping to the written word. It’s also influencing the products we buy and how we shop for them. While we know etsy.com isn’t new, it’s becoming increasingly popular with a wider variety of quality products. Etsy is part flea market, part neighborhood shop—if you like to know where your products come from and the story behind them, Etsy is a browser's paradise. And the whole ‘buy local’ movement folds into this, too. On etsy.com you can choose to search for shops in your area, helping support local artists and the local economy all in one fell swoop. Also be on the lookout for Etsy tents and mini-shops featuring local goods at your next community festival or street fair.
 
Some of our favorite locals include Dog Dazzle’s distinctive collars for distinguished dogs and Cobenick Studios’ handmade leather journals. One of our resident trend-spotters even has her own shop, Sweet Bippy Papers on Etsy. Don’t miss it if you’re interested in stationery and paper goods that are stylish, sophisticated, and sassy.
 
Etsy is a great place to find something totally unique for that hard-to-buy-for person on your holiday shopping list. So, if you’re not familiar, you should definitely check it out. It’s the “place to buy and sell all things handmade.” And support real people making real stuff, too.

Our 20/20 Vision isn’t limited to the mall or the web—we do more than shop sometimes! And in the interest of paying attention to our own backyard, we’ve become fans of a wonderful new attraction right here in Columbus that gives as much importance to what’s inside as to what’s outside.

Nestled inside the Scioto Audubon Metro Park just south of downtown Columbus, the new Grange Insurance Audubon Center brings nature, and the people who love it, together. Located next to a natural peninsula, visitors can witness the thousands of migrating birds who stop during their journeys from as far away as South America.

The building itself is a tribute to “green” technologies and provides a space for all types of meetings and educational opportunities that ultimately support the Columbus Audubon’s mission of “appreciating, conserving and understanding our natural world.”