A Grand Plan in Action

Merchandise Hits and Misses

Creative Irish Gifts is essentially Diane O’Connor’s baby. To acquire merchandise, she attends gift shows in Chicago, New York and Dublin. She continually monitors competing catalogs (e.g., Cash’s, Shannon, Blarney) to see what they’re offering and at what price.

“If we offer a Belleek piece for $110,” she says, “and one of our customers sees it in Shannon for $90, she isn’t happy.”