For two years, finance-related gifts cataloger Wall Street Creations has been testing a collection called Autographs of Distinction. This product selection has appeared in the back of the Wall Street Creations book, with the entire back cover devoted to the collection.
Now, according to general manager Acy Crawford, the Rome, GA-based mailer is ready to launch Autographs of Distinction as a stand-alone catalog. The new title, which sells high-end collectibles and rare autographs and currencies, will mail in time for the holiday season.
The book will include several new product categories, such as historic maps and vintage newspapers. The 44-page catalog will also dedicate four pages to one-of-a-kind artifacts such as Civil War memorabilia. And Autographs of Distinction will have its own Website, which is scheduled to go live within the next few months.
Looking for women
With Autographs of Distinction soon to be on its own, Wall Street Creations already has plans for the empty real estate in its flagship catalog: It will be used to test yet another merchandise line.
Unlike the core product line and the collectibles spin-off, which appeal primarily to men, the latest concept is designed to bring in female buyers. Titled the Elizabeth Pimpernel Collection, the section will sell upscale home decor, tabletop items, and gifts tailored to appeal to women. As a result, the company will now be competing with other upmarket gifts catalogers targeting women, such as Neiman Marcus and Scully’s.
“The high-end eclectic gifts in the collection will be consistent with the unique copy,” Crawford says. The catalog’s copy will be written in the first person in a voice inspired by Wall Street Creations president/CEO David Pimper’s daughter, Elizabeth.
Wall Street Creations will test the new product line for three seasons beginning with the holiday 2000 catalog. The company will use the same creative format as with Autographs of Distinction test – the back of the catalog, with a separate back cover. If the test results are encouraging, Crawford says the cataloger will spin off Elizabeth Pimpernel Collection as a separate title.