Biz briefs 11/27

Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 27, 2016

BUENA PARK, Calif. – Yamaha is putting out a rallying call to music makers everywhere, asking them to join its “Share the Gift” campaign to support music education in schools throughout the U.S. this holiday season.

From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, Yamaha is encouraging musicians of all levels to create a short video of themselves playing one of 15 classic holiday songs on either a Yamaha piano or keyboard from their home or at a participating dealer, and then posting it to Twitter or Instagram.

For every video that is posted with the hashtag #YamahaShareTheGift, Yamaha will donate a keyboard (up to 300 total) to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which will provide the musical instruments to underfunded music programs nationwide, giving economically disadvantaged youth access to the many benefits of music education.

“We are encouraging music makers everywhere to join Yamaha in keeping music education alive in our schools across the nation, and around the world,” said Mark Anderson of Yamaha. “We are very fortunate to be working in partnership with such a committed organization as the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which will ensure that our donation of keyboards gets in the hands of those students who need them the most.”

Since its founding in 1887, Yamaha — the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instruments — has maintained a devotion to inspiring creativity through the power of music, and has remained deeply dedicated to charitable works to promote education, arts, health and human services and community development. The centerpiece of the company’s mission is the preservation and excellence of musical tradition, while creating innovative new products, technologies and education programs.

To find the complete rules for the “Share the Gift” campaign, as well as a list of qualifying classic holiday songs,  visit 4wrd.it/ShareTheGift. Participants are urged to follow @YamahaMusicUSA on Instagram or Twitter for the latest updates.

Downtown Salisbury, Inc. will be hosting its 36th annual meeting and awards presentation on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Salisbury Business Center, 301 S. Main St.

There will be hor d’oeuvres, wine, beer and giveaways. Attendees will also hear updates on the Empire Hotel.

DSI signed a purchase agreement with Historic Preservation Partners Holdings, LLC back in August for the Empire Hotel on South Main Street.

RSVP to info@downtownsalisburyinc.com or call 704-637-7814.

STATESVILLE – In an organizational meeting on Oct. 26, the Carolina Farm Credit Board of Directors re-elected L. Kim Starnes as chairman. W. Rex Bell was re-elected to serve as vice-chairman.

L. Kim Starnes, of Salisbury, is a full time farmer whose operation consists of row crops, beef cattle and poultry.  Starnes has been a member of the Carolina Farm Credit board for eight years and currently serves as vice-chairman. He is a member of the Rowan County Cattlemen’s Association where he currently serves as president, Rowan County Ag Advisory Board, North Carolina Angus Association and Miller Ferry Volunteer Fire Department, where he serves as secretary and treasurer.

He is also an active member at Trading Ford Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher, and is a member of the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association and Gideon’s International.

W. Rex Bell, of Statesville, is a full time farmer whose operation consists of corn, soybeans, hay and wheat. He has been a member of the Carolina Farm Credit board for eight years. Bell is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he received his bachelor of science in animal science. Bell is an active member of Oakdale Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

Popup shop open on Sundays on South Fulton Street

A popup shop in the South Fulton community is giving vendors more opportunities to sell their merchandise.

From 2 to 6 p.m., Bright Ideas Popup Shops will be open at 10thread, at 1024 S. Fulton St., on Sundays. Different small business owners set up their stations for a nominal fee and sell items that they might usually sell online.

Cyndi Reinhardt, owner of Bright Ideas, said she came up with the idea with Downtown Salisbury, Inc. Executive Director Paula Bohland. She thought it might be a good way to promote her new businesses, a training and consulting firm.

Reinhardt lives in Asheboro but she said 10thread provided the perfect location.

While many downtown shops are closed on Sunday, shops on South Fulton Street are open. Reinhardt said last Sunday was the popup shop’s first Sunday and there was a lot of foot traffic.

“(The vendors) all made money on Sunday. It was very cool,” she said.

Reinhardt said the vendors sell things you might find from vendors at festivals, including essential oils from doTerra, zombie crafts from L & M Zombie Crafts and jewelry from Vintage Way Designs. There may even be pastries and coffee from Mean Mug at the shop.

A popup shop is great for vendors because they do not have to worry about the costs of opening a retail space.

They can just set up, sell and leave, Reinhardt said.

Small businesses who sell services are also welcome to join the popup shop on Sundays to give out information.

Reinhardt said the popup shop is a great way to help connect small businesses with the community.

The popup shop will be open 2-6 p.m. every Sunday until Jan. 8.

Gildan Activewear submits proposal for American Apparel

Gildan Activewear has announced its intention to buy the worldwide intellectual property rights and certain assets from American Apparel, a fashion manufacturer, for about $66 million.

In a press release, Gildan said it will also buy American Apparel’s inventory so that the supply of goods in the printwear channel is not interrupted while Gildan adds the brand to its own printwear business.

Gildan won’t be buying any retail store assets.

American Apparel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 14. If the bankruptcy court requires American Apparel to auction off its assets and business, Gildan stated that the proposal would then be considered an initial bid.

If Gildan does not win the auction, it would receive a break-up fee and certain expense reimbursements.

“The acquisition will create revenue growth opportunities by leveraging Gildan’s extensive distribution network in North American and international printwear markets to further increase the brand’s penetration in the faster growing fashion basics segments of these markets,” Gildan stated in the press release.

The transaction is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2017.