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Some Nifty Finds at Las Vegas Market for Entertaining at Home and Beyond

By Robin Mather

When your customers mention entertaining at home, are they thinking about strictly within the four walls of their own houses? Or are they also planning what we’ve come to think of as entertaining-at-home-adjacent — the upscale picnic that goes to the concert in the park, or dinner on the dock, or the day at the beach, or the kids’ birthday party anywhere but home?

Though retailers haven’t focused specifically on that trend, we saw a number of items at the recent Las Vegas Market that work especially well for entertaining away from home. The manufacturers we met agreed that their customers, especially their Millennial and younger customers, adore the idea of entertaining in locations away from their homes.

While wine glass charms have been around for some time, Going Stemless offers super-powered magnet single charms and sets of charms so guests can identify their own glasses. A stainless steel magnet goes inside the glass, and the dangling brightly-colored charm clips onto the outside. The benefit here is that these adorable little charms also work on the kind of glasses we often take on picnics: the iconic red Solo cup. The company’s best seller is a beach-themed set of five charms with a suggested retail price of $21.95.

Two items from the Di Potter line are perfect for an elegant dinner outside the home. Wine glass shades rest on any wine glass; drop in a battery-powered tealight, and you’ve got an instant, upscale, safe light for an intimate dinner. With a suggested retail of $18 for a set of six, they’re an affordable addition to your customers’ entertaining pantry. The Bottle Light, a battery-powered light that drops into a wine, champagne or water bottle, casts a dreamy, soft light that is especially appealing. Using three AA batteries, Bottle Light’s batteries will last 80 to 100 hours of use, or customers can replace them with a rechargeable USB power source (suggested retail price $30). The Bottle Light is available in clear and colored versions; suggested retail price is $30 for clear and $50 for a color option that allows you to choose from a number of colors.

Messermeister has introduced a line of knives with cheery colored handles, in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and black. The six-inch cheese and tomato knife (suggested retail $7.95) has a slightly serrated blade, which makes it ideal for soft foods such as fruits, vegetables and cheeses, as well as harder foods such as baguettes and firmer cheeses. Holes in the blade keep soft foods from sticking, and its pronged tip makes serving sliced cheeses easy, too.

JK Adams, makers of cutting and carving boards, also has a line of just-the-right-size cheese and cutting boards made from maple, ash and other fine woods. Suggested retail prices start at around $12 for these little guys, and retailers can offer personalization at an additional cost.

Sophistiplate showed a line of handsome and especially sturdy paper plates and cutlery, available in a wide range of colors and patterns. Ruffled edges on some pieces make an especially charming place setting, and 70-piece sets for service for 10, including plates, bowls, napkins and cutlery are available with a suggested retail price of $39.99.

Twine Living continues its seaside line of picnic helpers, including a tidy ticking striped picnic blanket with a waterproof lining and four stakes to secure its sturdy grommeted corners. The blanket comes with a handsome leather carrier to make toting it to its destination easier. With a suggested retail price of $49.99, the blanket would be a welcome addition to the entertaining away from home closet.