Retail Watch: Avocados and Jewelry

My Jewelry Savvy co-author Caroline Stanley and I had a vendor booth at the California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women at the Long Beach Convention Center earlier this week. Featuring former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a panel discussion among five of the U.S. presidential candidates’ wives, and two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates who championed environmental responsibility, among other compelling speakers, the Conference sets out to inspire women to become architects of change.

 

Quite aside from the content of the presentations, one of the most memorable aspects of the Conference was the content of the goody bags. And not just the official Conference tote bags, but the sheer volume and variety of giveaways. Vendors who gave away additional tote bags were especially popular, since those free bags could be stuffed with yet more free goodies.

 

Wandering through the exhibitors’ hall, scavenging for interesting freebies, I picked up a couple of magnets from the California Grown Campaign booth, a produce trade organization, which I reproduce here:

 

     

 

While the magnets advertise California avocados, in a wonderfully amusing way, they also serve to advertise the charm of something else even more irresistible, which on the second magnet is a dazzling diamond engagement ring. Thank you, California avocado growers, for the delightful plug for the jewelry industry!

 

Sadly, avocado growers were among those who have been hard hit by the wildfires that swept through Southern California this past week, losing an estimated one-third of the State’s avocado crop. According to news reports, over 1,800 homes and at least six lives were lost in the fires, which destroyed almost half a million acres, or approximately one-half the size of the State of Rhode Island. Business loss estimates are yet to follow.

 

Next time you set out engagement rings or dip into a plate of guacamole, please give a thought to, or say a prayer for, all those who were affected by the California wildfires, and if you can help in some manner and be an architect of change, I hope you will.  

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
JCK logo
JCK

Log Out

Are you sure you want to log out?

CancelLog out