Lis Calandrino

Lately I’ve received many calls from panicked customers along the lines of what should I do with my business, I don’t think I can make it? This prompted me to reach back into my 30 year-old Rolodex to make some phone calls.
Thirty years ago I knew who to call. Yesterday I wasn’t so sure. Much to my surprise, the contacts hadn’t changed. Planned Furniture Promotions, an affiliate of Gene Rosenberg Associates, is very much in business. Since 1962 Gene Rosenberg Associates has been considered to be one of most professional and best known promotional specialists in the country. My contact this time was Burt Homonoff, Partner and Vice President of Operations. With so many furniture companies going out of business, the last ones that came to mind for me were Levitz and Wickes Furniture. From what I’ve read, Levitz, at the time of their closing, had 80 stores and had been in business for 100 years.

I’m fascinated with my cousin Rosalie’s 450 square foot condominium in Cambridge, MA. It’s amazing how spacious it feels, how unusual the design, and the surprise of elegance in every corner. Thus the magic and daringness of interior architect Phillip Jude Miller. Philip’s magic earned Rosalie’s condominium, Runner up: Home of the Year, in Metropolitan Home Magazine as well as a feature in Fabulous Floor Magazine, 2005, “Boston Going City Slic.”

There seems to be a lot of blame going on in Albany, maybe its catching.
In Albany we seem to have three situations: the closing of the inner city YMCA, the building of the new Honest Weight Food Co-Op, and a charter school.

I picked up a copy of Time Magazine’s article What Women Want Now. It was an interesting eye-opener.

The month of December has been a very interesting one for me. This year I’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate Chanukah, Christmas coming tomorrow and next week is Kwanzaa. Tradition is interesting, even if it’s not your own. Several of us celebrated the 6th night of Chanukah with our neighbor Dan and we got to learn some Israeli folk dances and eat traditional food. Tradition and the holidays give us an excuse to give gifts, give thanks and get together with people who are important in our lives.

I knew it would come to this. Not only has the pay phone gone but so too has the house phone. 
You know, the one attached to the wall.

While helping my friend Mary clean out her mom’s home recently (her mom had recently gone to a nursing home) I noticed an old dial telephone on the [...]

I know you’ve heard it all and don’t know who to believe. Here’s what I think, and by the way, leave me your comments at the end of the blog and tell me what you would do to fix this nightmare.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Tiger Woods, he’s the reason I watch pro golf and the reason I got interested in golf. Maybe you feel the same way. Tiger represents all that’s great about pro athletes: persistency, focus and a willingness to work hard. He also has a beautiful wife, and two cute kids, I’ll stop here.
Okay, everything isn’t so rosy at home.

I had the good fortune to meet a smart consumer while out on a carpet inspection recently. For this story she will remain “smart consumer.”
By the way, this is a consumer with a problem.

There's a party happening right now on my Facebook page today and through tomorrow. Call it my "Virtual Thanksgiving Day Festivities," and you're invited!
Come on over and post recipes, share stories of Thanksgivings past, post images and video and connect with your fellow friends. 
I truly hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day [...]

Differentiation Builds Your Competitive Advantage and Delivers Customer Service
My definition of customer service is giving the customer more than then they expect, i.e. Red Hot Customer Service. That’s exactly what JetBlue did Friday, October 30th at JFK International Airport. Customers going through the terminal dressed in costume could show off their dance moves at the first-ever silent Halloween Eve disco. Friday I receive an excited call from Elin, designer supreme at Leader Carpet telling me about the event in J.F.K. Airport.