Home décor: The gifts that keep on giving

For 30 years, Melrose International has been supplying retailers across the country with a hot-selling array of gifts and accessories. Platt Hill Nursery’s buyers have put Melrose décor on their wish list for nearly two decades, and store officials plan to continue this lucrative working relationship.

Platt Hill Nursery, a family-run business with two locations in Illinois, carries Melrose’s gift offerings, a lineup that includes statuary and blackened metal lanterns. While Melrose offers products for all seasons, the company’s Christmas collection of wreathes, bouquets and ornaments is particularly popular among Platt shoppers, says manager Christine Lundry.

“The lanterns are for everyday use and for the holidays as well,” Lundry says. “They’re blackened metal with glass and come in all different sizes, shapes and colors. We carry them in black, silver, bronze, copper and red, but the black and red lanterns are our best sellers.”

Lundry praises Melrose’s wide range of products, which she first noticed at a trade show in Chicago.

“The quality and selection is great,” Lundry says. “We’ll go to their showrooms for Christmas and spring to see what we’ll do for the year. Melrose always has a selection of inexpensive and higher-end gifts, and they stand behind their quality.”

Platt Hill Nursery even draws creative motivation from Melrose’s showroom displays. For instance, Lundry and her staff will take a photo of a Christmas-themed display, then recreate the set-up in store. Placing small lanterns in Christmas trees in place of ornaments is just one example of the inventiveness Melrose inspires.

“We’re not copying displays verbatim, but we’re doing our own take on them,” Lundry says. “They’ve given us all sorts of different ideas, like using candles or a deer statue for Christmas displays. At the showroom, the sales rep is always pulling in something new for us.”

Quality of products, strong sales, inspirational merchandising and top-tier customer care equate to a brand that Lundry expects to be buying for many more seasons to come.