100 Dollar Gifts

Rubber duck store crosses million-dollar-revenue mark with fowl gifts

Their duck-themed shop -- selling everything from a wedding greeting card to the ubiquitous rubber duckie -- attracts customers of all ages, and Denver-area tourists, too. "How do you turn a $2 duck into a million-dollar business? It's because you grab a hold of something people know and remember, and you leverage that," said Kudron.

There's plenty to leverage. Rubber ducks became popular in the 1970s after Ernie the Muppet from "Sesame Street" made the song "Rubber Duckie" famous.

In February, the company hit its first million dollars in sales. To keep the business afloat, Quacker Gift Shop runs duck races around the country, sells wholesale to other retailers, takes orders through its website (quackergiftshop.com). It also operates two Colorado stores -- one in Englewood, next to its warehouse; and the other in Manitou Springs, which opened earlier this year. Last year, the company hired its first employee.

Brown, a former hedge-fund manager, was thrilled at the news their company had crossed over the million-dollar-revenue mark. But she refused to rest on her laurels.

" 'It's time to wear big-girl pants now,' " Brown told herself that day, before phoning in larger orders to fill their 3,000-square-foot warehouse in Englewood, Colo. "We knew last year we were getting really close, and we started looking at lines of inventory that we couldn't look at before.''

One of those lines was Hello Kitty, an expensive account. But Brown believed that it was time to make the investment. She expects Hello-Kitty-themed rubber ducks to be a hit.

Variety is apparent at their online store, which launched in 2007. The website offers tiny rubber ducks, jumbo-sized, holiday-themed and 100-percent recycled ones. Karen Wuertz of Denver is a frequent customer. "I love my Barack Obama duck, and it sits proudly on my mantel," she said. "For my son's birthday we filled up a whole box with pirate ducks and hockey ducks."

Good business model: "Because of their narrow niche, growing Internet presence and by selling on their website, they're far less susceptible to failure," said Dick Outcalt, co-owner of Outcalt and Johnson Retail Strategists LLC in Seattle, and publisher of The Retail Owners Institute. "They can attract customers from around the world in case local customers go into a recession.

Creative Designs on a 100 Dollar Bill | WildAmmo.com

The 100 dollar bill is the largest bill currently in circulation in the United States, and it is often referred to in movies and music as simply a “Benjamin” because of Benjamin Franklin as the face of the bill.  Generally speaking, a $100 bill is considered somewhat rare and it’s not even accepted at some stores.  But, it has obvious value attached to it, so it’s a wonder that anyone would purposely destroy one…

…unless of course, you’re an artist, in which case, the $100 bill offers a great medium and starting plate to create creative designs.  So, check out these creative defacements of a $100 bill.

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