Click Here for the submission form.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the COVR office at 303-368-8055 or email info@covr.org.

COVR is getting geared up to host the opening Breakfast, June 25 at 8:00 am with the internationally renowned spiritual author, Gregg Braden.

COVR will also be presenting the COVR Visionary Awards on June 25 at 6:00 p.m. The best of 2010 will be awarded. Don’t miss it! You don’t have to be a member to submit your product, book, art, or music for an award and recognition. READ MORE  . . .

On the last day, June 27, 2011 COVR will hold its annual membership meeting breakfast at 8:00 a.m.

Plan on joining COVR at this year’s INATS and feel the power of three packed days of learning and buying. Stay tuned for other COVR action at INATS!

JOIN COVR today! It’s only $80 to join this international trade organization.

• Your business name and logo will be featured on the 12 foot screen for all to see.
• You have access to additional exclusive advertising opportunities available only through COVR.
• And the best reason to sponsor the breakfast is that you get to have your name associated with the keynote speaker Gregg Braden!

The COVR Opening Breakfast will take place on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 8 a.m. at the Denver Merchandise Mart in Denver, Colorado.

Click Here for specific details!

You must be a COVR Member to be a sponsor of this event. Find out more about joining COVR TODAY!

This article is about Web design. The key lesson in design is this:  Form Follows Function.  That’s the biggest design secret there is.  If your website doesn’t do anything, you can’t have a design to support it. Top design tips are contained in this article as well as my ultimate web design secret.  But let’s start out with function.

What can a website do? There are three primary things for a business. If you focus on these, you will have a successful site.

Want to read more? It’s time to JOIN COVR and get articles and good information like this all the time!

Beginning January 1, 2011 the laws about 1099s will change. You know about 1099s. They’re that series of forms the IRS uses to collect information about income that otherwise might not be reported. For most retailers, that means reporting payments to independent contractors if they make over $600. It’s about to mean much more.

In a bad economy, governments are stressed for money. We’re seeing governments at all levels trying to increase tax revenues without actually raising taxes. The federal government is no exception. The IRS estimates that the federal government  loses $300 billion a year because of income that is never reported and taxes that are never paid.

Want to read more? It’s time to JOIN COVR and get articles and good information like this all the time!

Justin Swanström is a member of the COVR Board, a practicing attorney, and co-owner of Shining Lotus Metaphysical Bookstore in Denver, Colorado. www.shininglotus.com

At INATS this summer, a vendor asked me how she could be more helpful to our business, and independent retailers in general, this upcoming holiday season. She wanted to know, from a retailer’s point of view, what made us feel supported by a vendor. My first thought was, “How nice of her to ask!” I think that sometimes, especially during tough economic times, retailers and vendors are so busy trying to survive that we forget about our very important counterparts – the other half of the retail equation. It was wonderful to be asked and it really made me think about which vendors I feel are supportive of us as an independent retailer.

Want to read more? It’s time to JOIN COVR and get articles and good information like this all the time!

COVR now has a newsgroup that allows retailers to find speakers, authors, presenters, and all kinds of raw talent to present events at your store or center.

This group also connects authors, artists, musicians, and speakers with retail stores and centers to present their work.

In the applications area of this Yahoo based newsgroup, retailers can post dates available for events at their location and what they are looking for.

To read more about the Presenters Referral Program, JOIN COVR and get articles and good information like this all the time!

Hearing a retailer’s point of view on how, as vendors, we can better serve their needs is always helpful.  It is one of the reasons I try very hard to be the one that answers the phone at Deva Designs. Talking to retailers is the greatest inspiration I have for keeping my product lines fresh and helping me be sure that I am meeting the needs of my customers.  In the last COVR newsletter Kim Perkins had some great ideas to help vendors better serve the retail community.  As a vendor I would like to offer a few ideas for retailers that could help all of us be more successful.

Want to read more? It’s time to JOIN COVR and get articles and good information like this all the time!

by Donna DeNomme

The practical application of a personally designed ceremony is far-reaching. There are so many wonderful possibilities . . . .  This brief article will provide a few simple considerations, for even an easy and simple act, with intention, can have a great impact on your store, the well-being of your staff and your customers, and can also boost your sales. Especially as we enter the holiday season, the demands of a busy daily schedule can lead a retailer to forget about the most basic necessity. Do you have a weekly or monthly, for some even daily, way of clearing your store? You serve as a beacon of light and healing; there are many who seek out your store as a safe and comforting haven; in the meantime, they may unwittingly leave behind some residual emotion, or psychic sludge.

Want to read more? It’s time to JOIN COVR and get articles and good information like this all the time!

* The Membership Committee is coming up with great ideas to promote our organization and attract new members. Many of these ideas will be implemented in early 2011 because our Holiday Season is upon us.

* The COVR Visionary Awards committee is perfecting our approach to judging as we look forward to a new group of submissions for the upcoming year.

* The Website Committee has been hard at work creating a new website. It appears that we are getting closer to launching our site as we finalize our design, content and SEO to optimize our exposure.

On behalf of the COVR Board, I encourage you to contact COVR to add your help to make the organization better. This organization is yours to support successful business. The more you give, the more you get

I have found that as I’ve developed and cultivated relationships with fellow COVR members over the years, it has helped me be more successful in so many arenas. Wouldn’t you like to find ways to grow? Again, I say, “The more you give, the more you get.” This is a call to you to:

* join a committee

* write an article for the e-Newsletter

* join us on our Facebook page

* send us your ideas on how to make COVR better and then help make it so!

* invite colleagues to join COVR – whether it’s your favorite vendor or favorite retailer or your speakers, authors, artists and musicians.

Just like it takes money to make money, it takes participating members to have a successful trade organization. Make a commitment to help – even if it’s to start in January 2011 – as one of your New Year’s Resolutions!

Contact us at info@covr.org.

Margaret Ann Lembo

COVR President

Author of Chakra Awakening: Transform Your Reality Using Crystals, Color, Aromatherapy and the Power of Positive Thought. Llewellyn Worldwide . April 2011. www.thecrystalgarden.com / www.SmudgeinSpray.com / www.MargaretAnnLembo.com