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Cider Monday! We like this date: It’s an invitation to shoppers to visit a real store and touch real products and be greeted with a warm cup of cider. First observed by Toadstool Bookshop in New Hampshire it offers a delightful twist on Cyber Monday, which more famously kicks off the online shopping season Nov. 30.

This article originally appeared in the October 2015 edition of INSTORE.

6 It’s true: There are genetically programmed morning and evening people, according to the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Invite the early birds in today — the 40th anniversary of Good Morning America’s premiere — to a special “Catch the Worm” sale. Surely, people who like to get an early start to their day will want to get an early start to their holiday shopping.

10 Oh, for just a few regular customers like Richard Burton, who would have turned 90 today. He famously said that he gave his then-wife, Elizabeth Taylor, jewels for no other reason than “because it’s Tuesday!” To celebrate what would have been Richard Burton’s 90th birthday, offer 9.0 percent off for the first customer who comes in to buy a piece of diamond jewelry, because — as fate would have it — today is Tuesday. And don’t forget to remind them of Liz’s account of the joy she would get from receiving such presents: “I used to get so excited, I would jump on top of him and practically make love to him in Bulgari.”

11 Veterans Day has never been a big holiday for jewelers. A group led by former GIA and Cartier head Ralph Destino is trying to change that by proclaiming November as Jewelers for Veterans Month, and seeking to raise $150,000 to help veterans find jobs in the jewelry industry. Visit jewelersforveterans.org to see how to help.

26 Ahh, Thanksgiving Day. You probably owe a debt of thanks to the old clients who got you through your early years or the last recession. Send them handwritten thank-you cards.

26 Since its publication 150 years ago ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND has been inspiring children, adults, social commentators and … business consultants. The Red Queen Effect refers to the constant effort just to maintain your standing in the marketplace. (“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place,” the Red Queen tells Alice.) As we enter the holiday season, try a small experiment with a new product or service that will make you stand out. And give some thought to where you’ll be in a year. As the Cheshire Cat tells Alice, “If you don’t know where you are going, then it doesn’t matter which road you take.”

27 Even celebrating his 75th birthday today, Bruce Lee would have known how to take care of those Black Friday crowds … Whop! Bam! Ka-pow! Although he wouldn’t have gone head to head with big discounters. Knowing your own strengths and those of your nemesis was a key to successful combat, he maintained. So, as the crowds swarm Walmart or Target, sit back with a knowing smile. These aren’t your customers. And today is not your day. That will come soon.

28 Today, Small Business Saturday, is all yours — your 15 minutes in the holiday spotlight. Andrea Riso of Talisman Collection in El Dorado Hills, CA, says aggressive outreach and advertising was key to driving customers to her store on this day last year, resulting in its biggest sales day of 2014. Start your preparations by going to smallbusinesssaturday.com.

S T O R E    A N N I V E R S A R I E S

85 Years: Tiny Jewel Box

Washington, DC

➤ Just about every great business starts small. True to its name, the Tiny Jewel Box started in just 100 square feet, little more than an alley breezeway. Over the next 85 years, the space opened as an antique jeweler by Monte and Roz Rosenheim grew into one of the best-known independents in the country. Its latest address in the central business district of Washington, DC, is less than a mile from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the store now hosts everyone from Cabinet minsters to tourists. Talking recently to the Washington Post about his plans for a 6,000-foot expansion, owner Jim Rosenheim noted that in 1980 there were 30 jewelers within six blocks of the Tiny Jewel Box. Now his store is the only one left. “Business changes all the time, we have to evolve,” he said.

B I R T H S T O N E S

Topaz

Up until the Middle Ages, “topaz” was used to refer to any yellow gemstone, but now applies to only a certain silicate of almost unrivalled hardness. Pure topaz is transparent and it is impurities that give the stone its wine or straw-yellow color. Rather like a BMW 5 Series today, the stone was reputed to have the power to make men handsome and women happy (and fertile). It is used to mark the 4th, 19th and 23rd wedding anniversaries.