Home Fashion

By now, we are all well aware of the financial crisis that the US economy is going through. One of the hardest hit areas of our economy is the housing market. The 40% drop in home values, has also directly affected sales of home fashion items. The concept is simple; if people are not buying houses, there is a significantly lower need for home fashion items. Personally, I feel like this issue will be short-lived and the sales of home fashion products will begin to climb once again.
I do think the upcoming holiday season will add a bit of a boost to the home fashion industry. More often than not, people are more elaborate with their home decorating during the Christmas season. As a child, it was almost a day-ling task to decorate the house for Christmas. My mom always said that she wanted the house to look good in case "company comes over." Because the holiday season calls for decorating, I definitely think money will be spent on accessories and other fashions for the home.
Although a holiday will by no means pull the home fashion industry out of this crisis, it is a flicker of light in what seems to be a dark tunnel of recession. Yes, the economy is in the worst shape it has been in my lifetime, I know that it will one day bounce back. When that day comes, it will no longer be nearly impossible to buy a house. For right now, the makers of home fashions just need to be ready to play the cards they are dealt. As it has been said many times in recent months in regard to the economy, "it will probably get worse before it gets better." It is important for all Americans, whether consumer, producer, manufacturer or retailer to remember these words in going about day to day life.

In response to our speaker...

I thoroughly enjoyed the guest speaker in today's CRS-231 class. As I begin to think about the many careers that I may one day pursue, I sometimes become overwhelmed at all the different options I have. It was especially nice to hear about a former CARS student's journey into the "real world." I can definitely relate to her experience as far as finding my passion within the job I have.
For the past three and a half years I have worked in a gift shop in my hometown of Shelby, NC. My experiences at Victoria-Stephen have truly opened my eyes to the retail industry. Just like our guest speaker, I have worked my way up from doing smaller tasks such as gift-wrapping and customer service, to actually going to the Atlanta Gift Market to help my bosses buy for their stores. In these experiences, I feel as if I have made meaningful and concrete contacts in the industry I will one day be a part of.
It is encouraging to hear that a graduate of my department is happy and settled into a job, especially with the current state of the economy. The speaker was so passionate about her job that it almost felt as if she was describing a hobby. I hope to one day be as content and established in a job that I love.