Great headline and story in the Times Leader:
To differentiate themselves in the mass market, many smaller retailers are employing unconventional quick-hit techniques known as guerrilla marketing.The dominance of Wal-Mart is leading to an interesting new world of commerce... a very strong network of�The metaphor, of course, comes from guerrilla warfare: What do you do when you�re outnumbered and outrun?� said Orvel Ray Wilson, senior partner of the Guerrilla Group, a competitive-marketing consultation business in Boulder, Co.
For Adriana Molina and Maria C. Sarmiento, that means selling something that cannot be bought anywhere else: colorful custom �Kuma� bears. (Kuma is Japanese for bear.) The toy bears are positioned as art objects.
Molina and Sarmiento, both 35 and originally from Colombia, opened a small toy store called Kuma Central in Miami�s Design District in December.
�We want to create a specialty store that Wal-Mart doesn�t compete with � products you can only find in here,� said Molina, who manages the business. �Toys and art. It�s something you don�t see anywhere else in Florida. All Kuma products are sold at the store and online at www.kumacentral.com.
Posted by Kevin on January, 23 2005 at 11:05 AM
