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> David Competes with Goliath - with 20th Century Tools
January 2005
WALNUT CREEK, CA. In the San Francisco Bay Area one of the most upscale shopping districts is downtown Walnut Creek. Unlike generic enclosed suburban malls, shoppers here find many of the most respected big names in retail including Nordstrom's, Macys, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Tiffany, Coach, Crate and Barrel and many more - all in a pedestrian friendly - vibrant - classic downtown street setting, complete with fine restaurants many with outdoor seating. Nestled among the national chain stores, in a former JC Penny location is one of America's largest independent fine gift stores, David M. Brian.
Here, shoppers will find an absolutely incredible selection of fine china, crystal stemware and gifts, flatware, quality kitchenware and much more from the best brand names in the industry. Some of the prestigious manufacturers represented include: |
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Steuben
Waterford
Baccarat
Crystal Clear/Fifth Avenue/Design Guild
Daum
Hoya
Mats Jonasson
Kosta Boda
Lalique
Miller Rogaska
Orrefors
Marquis by Waterford
Anna Weatherley
Bernardaud
Bill Goldsmith
Christofle
Coquet
Faberge
Gien
Haviland-Parlon
Herend
Lenox
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Lynn Chase
Mark Blackwell
Mikasa
Mottahedeh
Noritake
Phillipe Deshoullieres
Pickard
Puiforcat
Raynaud
Ginori
Rosenthal
Royal Crown Derby
Royal Copenhagen
Royal Doulton
Royal Worcester
Spode
Vera Wang
Versace
Vista Alegre
Waterford China
Wedgwood
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Given such an incredible tabletop selection, the store has developed a very respectable service oriented gift registry business. But in the last year or so, the owner David McCaulou noticed that he was not registering as many brides as he had in the past - and that the manual systems he had grown to depend upon were strained to capacity.
That is when he contacted MarCole Interactive Systems to learn about the Independent Retailer Edition of Gift RegistryWorks. "David told me that couples were coming in to register and then walking out when they found I did not have a computerized gift registry system accessible on the web" says David Pava, VP of Sales for MarCole. Pava continued "David and I spoke about the buying habits of today's Generation X and Y couples, their affinity for technology and the internet; and how retailers who did not relate to this group, on their terms, were loosing out. It was not long before he was sold on the concept."
Within a month, David M. Brian had a computerized gift registry complete with e-commerce, enabling him to compete effectively - offering the type of service that today's customer demands. Not only that, he is now receiving orders 24 hours a day - 7 days a week from all around the country - and he was surprised and pleased to receive an International order the first week the new system was operational -now that is gift registry that works!
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