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Business & Tech

Business Q&A: Giftology

Get your Trollbeads (and many other items) here!

Kerry Punzi is no stranger to the Rockville Centre business market. As the owner of on South Park Avenue, she sells a variety of home and kitchen goods.  Looking to branch out and sell her products in more of a “boutique setting,” the business owner opened  in May of 2011. Here, Punzi describes how the two shops differ and praises the impact of social media.

What is Giftology?

We chose (the name) Giftology because we needed something that defined what kind of store we are. At The Cook’s Fancy, people would come in and expect to find cooking utensils and cooking items. They were looking for William Sonoma (items), which is not what we were. We were more of a boutique. We felt that if we could make (Giftology) a boutique, we could keep The Cook’s Fancy (concentrated) on cooking (items).  

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What are some of your most popular items?

Definitely Vera Bradley (items). In the summer, we sell tons of Lindsey Phillips flip flops. We have Trollbeads, which are crazy (popular). We have a Facebook page and, when we put trollbeads on our page, the phones start ringing off the hook. Trollbeads are the original beads. The owner of Trollbeads started the entire bead business. It all started in Denmark. They are a very artisan looking bead. People build bracelets according to what their story is and what their likes are.    

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What is your busiest time of year?

The busiest time is definitely the fourth quarter, which is Christmas. Mother’s Day is a very close second to Christmas. At the end of school we do a lot of teacher gifts and graduation gifts. There is also tremendous business in "back to school.” We have a new line called Cinda B. They have a lot of book bags and totes. Those tend to sell during back to school season.     

What can customers find on your website?

The website is new. We just hired somebody to update our website and keep it updated. We will be putting Trollbeads on the website, just to show the (customers) what we have. It’s going to be more for informational purposes. Eventually, we’ll get more towards selling items online. But, I think that’s going to be a work in progress.

You have both a Twitter account (@giftologyNY) and a Facebook page. Is social media a big part of your advertising campaign?

Absolutely. It’s amazing what has happened to the industry just from Facebook, Twitter and email. You can’t imagine how many people you can reach just by email. If I put an ad in (the newspaper), it’ll reach a lot of people. But, if I email someone, they’ll forward it to all their friends and say “oh, wow. Do you want to go here for the sale?” I never would have imagined how it has taken off. It’s become a really great partner in retail. It’s an extension of the store.     

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