I'm a little behind on my email right now… OK, I'm very behind on my email. After going to three gift shows back-to-back it was easy to lapse, even with so much time sitting on planes and trains. I almost hate to admit it, but I have 400 unread emails in my bin.

Every day this past week I've promised myself, "Today is the day I'm going to get caught up."

Yesterday I mentioned my situation to a colleague over lunch and she chuckled and said, "You can always file for email bankruptcy." I laughed, but she was serious!

To file email bankruptcy, she said, you send an email to everyone in your address book and tell them you've gotten so far behind that you're cleaning out all your email, and ask them to resend anything urgent.

I feel confident that I can get caught up in the next few days, but I'm glad to know there's a viable solution if this ever happens again!

The other day a retailer posted in our retail forum, asking about blogs and their role for someone who runs a gift shop. So I thought I'd share what I've learned about blogging.

I've been blogging for about a year, and I really enjoy sharing advice and information. The most rewarding part of it for me is when I get comments from our readers and when I meet retailers in person who tell me that they enjoy what I'm writing and cite things I've said that have helped them.

I think every retailer should add a blog to their website. Why? There are several reasons:

1. It gives your customers a reason to come visit your website on a regular basis.

2. It's a fabulous way to stay connected with your customers.

3. It enables your customers to see and know what's happening in the store.

4. It's a fabulous marketing vehicle—you can promote your blog on other blogs, which will spread the word about your store.

5. You'll be creating a community and better relationships with your customers, instead of only seeing them in person once in a while.

The retailer on the forum was also asking what goes on your website versus what you put in your blog. I'd think a blog is a more personal vehicle for you to express your thoughts, show your personality and talk about your store (i.e., what's new there and what's happening).

You can also give customers a little insight into what it takes to run a store. Feel free to blog about unpacking 20 boxes in one day—take pictures of the inventory, and the mess! Talk about the challenges of being a store owner, and most importantly, talk about your new merchandise. And show off your merchandising! You'll give customers examples of what they can do in their own home, with your products.

Let me know if (and when) you've created your own blog. I'd love to come check it out!

Creative Play Gallery—A father and daughter (only 4!) team collaborate to create uplifting and inspirational art pieces which they transfer to prints, cards, magnets, etc. The owner, Louis Buchetto, started as a retailer/gallery owner 14 years ago and four years ago launched his wholesale business. I loved the whimsical quality of the pieces.

Remember Me Jewelry, Inc./Message in a Bottle—Jewelry packaged in a bottle with inspirational passages from the Bible. With fantastic packaging and great display pieces, the line would be a perfect addition to your store if you sell faith-based merchandise.

KBD Studio—Handmade eclectic designer accessories, that range from apparel (tank tops and hoodies) to leather purses and belts. All items have Swarovski crystal embellishments.

Barefoot Books—BB offers 50 fun yoga cards filled with activities for kids and grownups, a book that teaches kids how to do yoga and a "Mr. Pretzel Yoga Bendo," a twisty character that can be sold with both products. The combination of illustrations and instructions make the poses easy to follow. This is a perfect gift for the family that has everything, or parents who want to encourage exercise and a healthy lifestyle at home.

Natural Habitat—All fabrics are hand-woven in India, and showcase beautiful colors and designs on pillows and bedding. The bedding is made from recycled pillow fabric. There's also a cute line of cat and dog pillows perfect for the animal section of your store.

I just returned home from the gift shows in San Francisco and New York, and my show bags are bursting at the seams with fun products to showcase. The shows were fantastic and I'm looking forward to sharing products from both of them starting tomorrow.

Today, I want to respond to an email I received from an entrepreneur who is opening her first cart, and asked for a few suggestions on how to get started.

I believe there are five essential components to opening your first cart or kiosk  (check out my book for more details on each point).

1. Find the right product(s). I always recommend deciding on what products you're going to sell first, as this will impact several other decisions (such as location). I also tend to get asked, "How should I select the right products to sell," and while there are many wonderful products that can be sold from a cart, I suggest you sell one that you can relate to and that you like.

Don't be afraid to do a little market testing of the product you're considering. If, for example, you're planning on selling make-up geared to teens, ask people in that age group what they think of the product line and packaging. Some other questions you might want to consider asking the wholesalers, or companies that you'll be buying from, include:  how quickly can you ship the products from the time I place my first order and how long will re-orders take to receive, do you extend payment terms, how long have you been in business and do you have any references.

Lastly, as a cart retailer, it's particularly important to ensure you choose a product that has more than a one-time mark-up.

2. Find the right location. The key to finding the right location starts with identifying your target buyer. Most malls can provide demographic data (just ask!) so you can get an understanding of the type of buyer the mall attracts. If you're planning on selling a high-end product (such as $100 plush robes), you should think about a location with the following criteria:  high-end department stores, an average shopper income of more than $50,000 and sales per square foot of more than $400.

I highly recommend you plan several trips to the mall to observe the location during different hours and days (weekend versus weekday traffic). And don't forget to ask current cart retailers about mall traffic, where they think the best location is in the mall and what products they think tend to sell best.

3. Write a mini business plan. Not only will writing a mini business plan help you get an understanding of the money you'll need to get your venture going, it will also be helpful if you need to turn to the bank for a loan. Plus, you'll be setting goals for revenue and guidelines for expenses. And it helps you set a timeline and think through all aspects of planning for running your new business.

4. Create a retail look. I can't emphasize enough how important visual merchandising is to the success of your cart or kiosk. I've seen retailers increase sales by as much as 50% when they re-designed their cart with strong visuals. Many malls will ask you for a merchandising plan before you set-up, and it's an important element during your initial planning phase and for the long-term success of your business. One of the biggest mistakes I've seen cart retailers make is to fail to utilize the vertical space in the cart, and too little (or too much) inventory displayed.

I suggest working with a visual merchandiser to help you maximize your display and create the strongest visual impact.

5. Hire the best employees. Hiring the best employees is the final step to ensure the success of your retail business. Here's a common sense principle that I encourage you to repeat as your mantra, "Dynamite employees generate amazing sales and mediocre employees generate average sales." And I suggest you conduct at least two interviews before making a hiring decision. I've found that paying a base salary plus commission is the key to motivating your employees to peak performance.