'Tis the 'Sea'son

Beachy holiday themes are always in style for shoppers who love the coast.

The many vacationers who are coming through your doors this summer know this is the one time a year they are going to be in your store. It’s their time to buy now for the rest of the year, and that includes the gift-giving and decorating that goes with the holiday season just a few months away.

Many want to be reminded of those warm summery beach vibes during the cold winters they’ll be facing back home. Locals also want to embrace their coastal lifestyle with decorations that exemplify what celebrating Christmas in a warm climate is really like.

Carmen Mendelson, president of wholesale decor company Fancy That Gift and Decor, says there is a growing desire to have beach and nautical themed products for the holidays.

“We have expanded our ornament selection because we see that the demand is there,” she says. And it’s not just from November to January.

“Many of our retailers dedicate a fixture or wall to ornaments year-round. They are an inexpensive souvenir that gets put on a tree and used year after year,” says Mendelson, who notes, “You don’t have to live at the beach to want some beach-themed ornaments on your tree.”

Rockport Candle Co.’s Seaside Holiday blends pine, balsam and ocean breezes.

“Many shop owners buy them as entranceway door greeters, but we have so many re-orders because they sell so quickly,” Mendelson says. “They are whimsical, fun and unique.”

The company’s layered wood snowman with beach pail is one of its best sellers. Water globes that work year-round are also a trend Mendelson is seeing.

She advises retailers not to be afraid to carry a generous assortment of holiday-themed merchandise in the peak summer season.

“Don’t just focus on ornaments,” she adds. “Novelty items sell year-round as well. Our coastal holiday decor is in coastal colorations so it doesn’t look out of place like traditional holiday decor might, even if you don’t set up a Christmas section. Our snow people and Christmas angels are items I think people leave out year-round.”

Unordinary ornaments

Karen Somatura, president, Joseph K. Co. agrees, “Souvenir ornaments are always an easy and profitable item for the visitors to buy.” What are other pluses she points out? “Souvenir ornaments are affordable, collectible and easy to carry home as personal gifts or for family members.”

When the ornaments are regionalized and name dropped with the store’s location, ornaments become best sellers, according to Somatura. “Adding a year makes it sell even better.”

She suggests adding the year at the store level by personalizing the ornament with the year at the register.
Joseph K. has recently increased its inventory with some higher-priced regionalized gifts. Somatura says, “We have learned to not assume that the customers are always looking for a certain price. Customers will choose what they can afford or like. Just do not make an assumption on what your customers are willing to pay for items that they like. Shopping on vacation is much different than shopping at home. Tourists buy on impulse, their purchases are not usually preplanned.”

Somatura suggests not making any drastic modifications from year to year on the holiday offerings. “If you are in a resort market, your customers will always be new and just a few will be returning yearly. Stick with what works. You don’t always have to make major changes to your inventory. Stick with the winners and add what you really feel will be a new and successful addition.”

Kurt S. Adler is experiencing strong demand for its beach and coastal ornaments this year, according to Michael Adler, account executive for the company famous for its detailed glass ornaments.

“Some of the popular types of pieces are Christmas classics with beachy twists such as sand versions of snowmen and Christmas trees and Santa living his best beach life surfing, going scuba diving or hanging by the tiki bar.”

In addition to the jolly man in red enjoying the beach, coastal objects and animals like starfish, turtles, flamingos, sail boats and fun floaties are as popular as ever, Adler says.

The company’s “Under The Sea” line has stood out to coastal customers. “The line consists of happy-go-lucky sea animals in soft tones of greens, blues and some reds. The trademark stripes and a sprinkle of glitter add a nice aesthetic touch,” says Adler.

Tara Merrill, sales and marketing manager for Cape Shore says the use of clean, minimal typography, organic shapes, muted tones and design elements inspired by the natural world around us are trending as can be seen in the company’s new holiday offerings.

“This year, we’ve focused on classic, simple beauty,” she says. “We utilize our ability to design realistic products that capture the whimsy and beauty of the natural world around us.”

Cape Shore’s 2022 product line features realistic shell and beach ornaments, a few of classic Santa designs, and additions to its natural pottery-inspired drinkware.

“We want our products to communicate the beauty of vacation bliss,” she says.

A shore thing

Abbey Grooters, marketing director of wooden home decor and gift wholesaler, Sincere Surroundings, says she’s seeing higher color saturation and more humor incorporated into beach, coastal and nautical holiday products. Also, the company’s goal this year was to present a fresh collection to shoreside retailers that would help them tell a story in their store, she says.

“With that in mind, we created two main shoreside Christmas themes that could stand alone or be integrated together. One features the traditional Christmas look combining a bright red, teal and turquoise and unique watercolor animals. The other features a light and bright colorful palette, which is less traditional but beautifully curated and showing great opportunity as it brings a fresh aspect to store displays.”

Creating stories inside the store is important, according to Grooters. “Customers love seeing a curated collection versus random pieces. It makes shopping at their store an experience instead of simply a stop at another gift shop.”

Lauren Brekke, vice president of merchandise for Mud Pie says the use of oyster shells as a design material is dominating its coastal decor in 2022.

“This season, Mud Pie incorporated them into candles, plaques, ornaments and more,” she says.
The Zipper Tassel Pillow from Mud Pie’s Pine Hill collection is a new favorite, notes Brekke. “The dhurrie cotton pillow features an accent zipper with yarn tassel pull. The light wash cotton paired with the pale blue or green tassel is the perfect nod to nature and gives off a beachy vibe.”

Blue hues remain tried and true, and the addition of tinted glass has become very popular in the last few years, she adds.

ELC Designs Group has had great success with its new Coastal Christmas collection.

“2022 is the first year for our ELC Designs’ Coastal Christmas category launch,” says ELC’s Michelle DeBlasio. “In reviewing the coastal trends, we have designed a variety of decorative products that are produced on an assortment of mediums including canvas, wood, shower curtains and more. Customers love to decorate with matching pieces, and we have developed collections. Customers can buy a lighted coastal Christmas canvas as a wall hanging with matching large coastal sea creature ornaments for their Christmas tree.”

Snowflake ornaments by Dune personalize beach memories with natural elements.

ELC’s new designs are incorporating trending clean lines with saturated blues and turquoise like the colors of sea glass, driftwood gray neutrals and pops of color that “make you want to be at the beach.”

“It’s the perfect blend of pine, balsam and ocean breezes — like a Christmas tree by the sea,” describes Christina Willcox, Rockport Candle Co. owner. “Many of our customers feel that this combo is like heaven on earth — the best of the holidays and life by the sea.

Seizing the sentiment

Color is popular this year, according to Dune Jewelry & Co., known for its experiential jewelry and gifts that incorporate natural elements into jewelry, ornaments and other holiday-themed products.

“People are not only personalizing our designs with sand, shells and earth, but they’re also using turquoise, lapis, amazonite, red opal and other power stones with meaningful metaphysical properties,” says Holly Daniels Christensen, founder and CEO. “I think people are looking for more sentiment in their purchases this year.”

And don’t forget the ever important holiday wardrobe. Even that can infuse a little coastal flare.
“Our holiday shirts are a coastal twist on holiday but in fun styles that can be paired with jeans or dressed up for all of your holiday party events,” says Lindsay Amerault, co-founder and creative director of The Admiral’s Daughters.

The Admiral’s Daughters’ Knotty and Nice duo in holiday colors are playfully nautical.

The company is adding some additional embroidered holiday pieces in 2022. “Not everyone wants in-your-face holiday. With embroidery we can keep it more subtle with the same playfulness and quality our customers love,” explains Amerault.

Her advice to retailers this year: Order early! “We want to set you up for success when selling through the holiday season. Ordering early and good communication makes it much easier,” she says.

Christensen echoes that sentiment. “We have all been experiencing delays with supply chains and shipping so I think it’s best if you can plan early, order enthusiastically, and then use your energy to promote and sell the inventory.”

Brekke agrees that ordering early is important, saying shoppers are aware of the supply chain challenges and will want to start their shopping early. “Visit your favorite manufacturers and order your goods as early as possible to ensure delivery well before the holiday season.”

“Our foremost recommendation is to order early and often,” Merrill concurs. “We’ve seen a huge spike in demand for our products this year and we don’t see the demand lessening in the foreseeable future. Customers are traveling and shopping more than ever and there seems to be an increased urgency to find souvenirs that truly capture their moments of vacation joy.”

And with early ordering and plentiful options for fresh, new beachy holiday styles, you’ll be ready to meet shoppers needs for the festive season ahead.