CBA TRADE SHOW IN ATLANTA

P. Graham Dunn just completed its 30th participation in the annual CBA trade show held every July. This year it was in Atlanta; next summer it will be in Orlando. In 2009 it will be in Denver.

Five of us from the shop were in Atlanta, along with two of our sales representatives. I had ample opportunity over the course of the four days to meet with our customers, some of whom have been with us for 30 years.

My son Paul was with us. We find this to be an invigorating time to check out the rest of the industry. Our goal is to be the leader in innovative giftware - not the leader in copying innovative gift ware.

We find it disconcerting to find our designs in a number of the other gift vendors booths. Our philosophy has always been - create the wake, and let them feed of the wake. We don't concern ourselve with litigation. Often the products that are copied are two to three years old, and we have already discontinued them.