“Retailers Temper Recovery Hopes with Caution” read the headline on a recent newspaper article about business and the economy, and I think that pretty much says it all. It’s been a roller-coaster ride of peaks and valleys, but after more than two years of uncertainty, everybody—retailers, shoppers, suppliers, makers—just wants it all to go back to the way it was before the bottom dropped out of the stock market in 2008.

How is your year shaping up so far? If you’re like many retailers, your hopes are high but your bottom line is still a little weak.

There’s nothing like a tough economy to get the creative juices flowing. And nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of fine and fashion jewelry.
Taking the pulse of their clientele, designers have devised ways to reduce their dependence on gold and diamonds while maintaining the integrity of their styles. Retailers have stepped up efforts to market jewelry as art, pieces that will “last a lifetime and be passed down” just like fine paintings or sculpture. And customers are embracing alternative materials like palladium and Bioblu 27 that offer …

It’s early March as I write this, and the view from my office window is encouraging. After months of record-breaking snowstorms here in Baltimore, spring temperatures are melting the last stubborn snowdrifts and bringing everyone out of hibernation.
The art market also seems to be showing new signs of life. Last week, The Armory Show in New York opened its doors to a record 60,000 visitors—up from 56,000 last year. And that wasn’t just foot traffic; galleries reported that collectors were buying in a big way.
For small retailers, recovery is definitely …