February 02, 2010
Sales of high-end, trendy gifts rise despite downturn

By AUDREY PARENTE
Staff Writer

High-end kitsch and trendy gift items, like monogrammed notepads and crafty bejeweled designer knickknacks, are selling big, despite a sagging economy.
Worldwide from New England to Europe, sales of luxury gifty-stuff rose nearly 30 percent during 2009 — among buyers with $250,000 annual income — according to Gift & Decorative Accessories, a 93-year-old gift-industry magazine published worldwide.

From small gift shops to Beall’s, to Lowes and QVC, goods such as licensed ceramics, greeting cards, matching paper napkins and plates, sticky notes, yard flags, rubber stamps, designer kitchen towels, fancy pocket mirrors, magnets and birdhouses are having a heyday.

BJ Lantz, 48, of Ormond Beach designed some of those goods and is making it in the kitsch business.

“I license my art designs to manufacturers to put on their products, and they pay me royalties,” Lantz said. “When I tell people what I do, they usually look at me with a blank stare, then nod and say, ‘That must be interesting.’ ”

In the world of artists, she’s a rock star. Her designs are used by such card companies as Leanin’ Tree and Desgin Design; her yard flags are in Lowes; a variety of her giftware designs are sold at numerous chains, including Hallmark, Steinmart, Costco, Michaels and Target.

Cloth bolts printed with Lantz’s licensed artwork from Studio E Fabrics and Springs Creative are sold at fabric shops like Jo-Ann Fabric.

Lantz’s career is not one she could exactly waltz in and apply for but it evolved as her talent and experience grew. Like any rock star, Lantz had to start with small gigs.
The New York native moved to Daytona Beach at 11, attended Mainland High School and knew art suited her from the beginning.

“Art classes were always my favorites, but I didn’t think I would be an artist for a living,” Lantz said. “And I didn’t have the money to go to college, so I just worked at a bunch of jobs.”

One was a three-year stint at a title company she described as “mind numbing, where you do the same thing every day on the same schedule.”

It wasn’t for her; she quit.

“I thought I might take a drawing class at (Daytona State) college and discovered the graphic design program,” she said. “I said, ‘This sounds like fun.’ ”

Fun it was, but expensive, too, demanding three years of student loans and extra jobs to get an associate degree.

“My goal was to work for Jiloty Communications,” she said. “But I had to go through all the little agencies.”

At the time, Jiloty was one of the top five area ad agencies and winner of more awards than any other local ad agency, according to press reports.

She was working at a quick-print shop when the late James Shipley came in and she learned he was looking for a graphic intern.

“He looked through my stuff and said, ‘When can you start,’ ” Lantz said. “While I worked for Jim, an opening came up at Jiloty’s. But I didn’t get the job — it went to someone who had a lot more experience — but I said I will work for you someday.”
Six months later, Jiloty called her.

“The graphic designer didn’t work out, and he said, ‘We want you.’ ”

Over the next seven years Lantz honed her talent and learned a lot about marketing.
“She was very, very talented,” said Jiloty in a phone message. “Her talent was appreciated by a variety of clients: manufacturers, banks, hospitals, hotels, tourism entities and non-profit associations. She’s a very versatile designer.”

Eventually Lantz went out on her own, freelancing her work to various agencies from her home studio. She designed brochures for the Daytona Beach Symphony Society and began selling to the greeting card and gift industries. Her markets grew as she exhibited at major trade shows.

“My clients are all over the country,” Lantz said. “Many artists in this field have a single, identifiable style that they are known for, while others, like myself, have a broad range of styles — all of which seem to find a market.”

One of the hottest markets she’s found is at Design Design Inc., based in Grand Rapids, Mich., known for trendy greeting cards, gift-wrap products and paper tableware. The company has thousands of products, 100 employees and 100 sales representatives in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

“I look for designs we can put on paper plates, napkins, gift packaging, totes . . .” said Tom Vituj, creative director for Design Design. “I look at hundreds of artists here and from Europe to find what might be hip, cool and trendy. I came across BJ Lantz. She creates products that I felt would fit our industry.

“We love BJ Lantz,” Vituj said.