Greetings from my cozy (closet-sized) hotel room in the Big Apple!  No matter how many times I come to New York, I’m always amazed by how much is happening in this city, and today has been no exception, at least from where I sit. The day went a little something like this…

I  arrived at JFK at 6:30 a.m. and caught a cab to my hotel. Fortunately they were able to get me into a room so I could sneak in a power nap before my 12:00 p.m. lunch meeting! The three boxes of products and press kits I’d sent from Portland were waiting for me in my room, so the first order of business was to unpack and inspect all my cool products, then figure out how I would tote everything around the city for the next few days. Every trip, it’s like playing Tetris, as I try different arrangements in my carry-on bag or my giant suitcase. This trip it looks like I can get by using my carry-on and laptop bag to get the job done (thankfully).

This is pretty much the whole room, complete with boxes of Rejuvenation products.

My lunch meeting was with Mary Ellen Polson from Old House Interiors and Arts & Crafts Homes magazines. It was such a beautiful day here in New York that we decided to walk a few blocks to a tasty Greek restaurant and chat about the new products while we ate. Of course, trying to share a suitcase full of metal shades, bath hardware, and lighting fixtures at a tiny table is no easy task, but we made it work!

Mary Ellen at lunch with her press kit and one of the shades from our Blue Pointe billiard light.

Next on the roster was Ayn-Monique Klahre from Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications. I’d been to her office several times before so I didn’t think twice before setting out on foot for my next destination, only to discover that their offices had moved a few blocks away!  A minor setback, and Ayn-Monique was quite gracious about the whole mix up. We had a nice chat about the new products and I was off again, hoofing it back to my hotel to prepare for the next round.

A preview of our new products from the Woman's Day conference room. Ayn-Monique was a little camera shy, so I just snapped the products to give you a sense of how these meetings go.

Rachel Deschepper, online editor for Fresh Home magazine, and Liz Hall from LD+A (Lighting Design + Application) were kind enough to  swing by the hotel to preview the new products.  It was fun to get the perspectives of a technical trade publication editor and a home decor editor. We chatted about the future of LED bulbs, compact fluorescents and incandescents.

Rachel Deschepper from Fresh Home magazine demonstrates the concept of "clam shell" shades.

Our lovely editor friends chatting it up in the lobby of my hotel.

That pretty much sums up day one from a business perspective. It was a good start and I heard lots of great things about the new products. Don’t be surprised if you see them popping up in these magazines over the next few months!