All I Want For Christmas Is This Beer Mug Today's featured item from our Holiday Gift Guide is a conversation-starter made by The Man Registry.
By Colleen DeBaise •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Editor's Note: We're rolling out 12 Days of Indie Merchant Gifts. Readers can vote for their favorite gifts, starting Dec. 12.
It's Day No. 3 for our gift guide, and after announcing products that are eco-friendly or educational, it's time to focus on the fun and quirky. Look no further than the Chalkboard Beer Mug.
This one-of-a-kind item is made by The Man Registry, a retailer of wedding gifts tailored to grooms, in Kansas City, Kan. "Last year we asked ourselves, how can you bring innovation to a product as simple as a beer mug?" co-founder Chris Easter wrote in his submission. "We ended up stumbling into the answer." (Yes, we're sure some stumbling was involved.) At a beer tasting at The Man Registry's holiday party, he and other VIPs were looking for "a creative way to label each mug with the name of the tasty contents….and the bell went off," he says.
Trouble was, they didn't know how to make it. So, "after scouring the earth for a glassware source and learning more than we ever thought we would know about chalkboard durability, we took our baby to market and have never looked back," says Easter, who notes that the mug has become the company's top-selling wedding party gift. Customers scribble everything from friend's names to inside jokes on it, he says.
The Chalkboard Beer Mug, by the way, isn't just for grooms. Or for beer. "There's always the chance that Santa will find his milk in a mug that's personally labeled for the big guy," Easter says.
(Incidentally, if you do receive a beer mug this holiday season, you may wish to quaff a brew while enjoying some of our recent beer-related stories and videos: Boston Beer Co.'s Jim Koch on Self Reliance, How Five Craft Brewmasters Got the Beer Bug and How to Tap into a Competitive Market: The Craft-Beer Business in Portland, Ore. )
Check back tomorrow to see which indie merchant's gift we've selected for Day No. 4. And don't forget to vote for your favorite, starting Dec. 12.
Day 1: "The Shopping List Bag" - L.E. Green Bags
Day 2: Children's multicultural books - Hartlyn Kids
Day 3: Chalkboard beer mug - The Man Registry
Day 4: Recycled china pendant - The Broken Plate Pendant Co.
Day 5: Vegan lip balm - Sprout Skincare
Day 6: Fair-trade-certified soccer ball - Senda Athletics
Day 6: Fair-trade-certified soccer ball - Senda Athletics
Day 7: Digital luggage scale - EatSmart Products
Day 8: Dog treat pouch - Sara Bella Upcycled
Day 9: "Not sent from my iPhone" Stationery set - Red Letter Paper Co.
Day 10: Key lime BBQ Sauce - Reva Foods
Day 11: Periodic Table of Elements necklace - My London Sun
