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    China or Bust

    Dallas entertaining expert monograms her way to big-time partnership

    Anna Fialho Byers
    Aug 3, 2016 | 9:04 am

    There’s no doubt that Kimberly Schlegel Whitman is the reigning monogram queen of Dallas. Just consider the success of her latest (seventh) book, Monograms for the Home.

    When she’s not monogramming, though, the entertaining expert (and blogger, TV guest host, NorthPark ambassador, and CultureMap lifestyle editor-at-large) is busy running Halo Home by KSW, a specialty linen company that she co-founded in 2015 with calligrapher and monogrammer Jen O’Neal.

    “I noticed a big gap in the tabletop market,” Whitman says. “The table linens I found were either elegant and very, very expensive, or the lower-priced tags had a very low quality. Jen wanted to collaborate on some personalized products, so we put our heads together and came up with the products we offer through Halo Home by KSW.”

    Those products include tablecloths, napkins, placemats, and the like. One of the main goals of Halo Home, though, is to provide a wide assortment of colors to accompany the numerous china patterns that exist — and monogramming, of course.

    “We carefully select all of our colors to complement the most popular china patterns,” Whitman says. “I was always shocked that it was hard to find the right rust color for my Herend Chinese Bouquet that I registered for when I got married. Now, there is a perfect match out there for that and for so many other patterns I love.”

    In a step that seems only natural, Halo Home has also just announced a collaboration with America’s oldest fine china company, Pickard China. The Halo Home by KSW for Pickard china sets will be available in three monogram styles — and there are plans to expand the selection to include additional monogram fonts and personalized options.

    “We are so excited about the Pickard collaboration,” Whitman says. “Our goal was eventually to be able to bring personalized products for the entire table to our clients, but we didn't expect it to happen this fast.

    “They are a fantastic partner. I have always been a fan. It’s all made in the USA, and we work directly with the great-grandson of Wilder Pickard, Andy, who now runs the company.”

    Pickard China has been around since 1893, when Wilder Pickard established the company in Chicago. When it was first founded, the company specialized in hand-painted ornate giftware pieces and dinnerware sets. These early pieces are now highly sought-after by collectors.

    In 1937, Pickard relocated to Antioch, Illinois, where it remains today. Pickard is considered some of the finest china in the world.

    Customers can order the collection within Pickard’s existing Signature Monogram Collection, or they can add an exclusive Halo Home monogram to any of the 72-plus retail patterns offered by Pickard.

    Patterns range from elegantly elaborate to chicly simple, meaning there’s something for every taste. And price points range from $29 for a bread and butter plate to a splurge-worthy teapot for $472. Turnaround time for the customized orders is four to six weeks, and orders can be placed online through the Halo Home by KSW site, as well as select retail specialty stores.

    Halo Home by KSW co-founder and author Kimberly Schlegel Whitman.

    Kimberly Schelgel Whitman, Jessica Simpson Belk Event
      
    Photo by Shana Anderson
    Halo Home by KSW co-founder and author Kimberly Schlegel Whitman.
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    news/home-design

    Toy News

    Japanese collector toy store to open at Firewheel center in Garland

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jun 11, 2025 | 12:25 pm
    Gashapon store
    Gashapon
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    A new store for people who like to collect small plastic objects is coming to Garland. It's called Gashapon Bandai Official Shop, and it's opening in June at Firewheel Town Center, where it will sell "capsule toys" — miniature plastic toys packaged in clear plastic capsules.

    Gashapon is a type of vending machine that dispenses capsule toys. The concept is popular in Japan, with machines found in train stations, arcades, convenience stores, and other locations. (The name "Gashapon" is derived from the sounds of turning the handle ("gasha") and the capsule dropping ("pon").)

    The toys inside Gashapon capsules can be characters from cultural realms like manga, video games, or Japanese anime franchises. Or they can be coasters, or food miniatures, or charms you attach to your purse or notebook, or little animal figures, or little whimsical animal figures, or little statues, or an assortment of little plastic hats, or a quartet of tiny jewelry stands in pastel colors (buy them all!).

    The machines take tokens which cost $2 to $2.50 each; most toys "cost" 2 to 4 tokens each.

    The idea of capsule toys — coin-operated vending machines — actually originated in the U.S. in 1907 along with bubble-gum machines. Japan embraced it in the 1960s, and the Gashapon chain was launched in Japan in 1977.

    The first U.S. Gashapon Bandai Official Shop opened in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district in February 2023.

    The entire thing is driven by collector frenzy. The toys are produced in limited quantities, and in sets, which encourages customers to acquire every member of the set.

    Customers do not know what they will get until they turn the vending machine handle — not unlike slot machines. Like gambling. Or as Gashapon says more delicately, "The element of surprise brings excitement during the purchase and gets everyone hooked!" … furthering the frenzy even further.

    Garland will make the fifth location in Texas; following Hurst, which opened in May; Grapevine Mills Mall and Houston, which opened in 2024; and Mitsuwa Marketplace in Plano which opened in 2023 (There's also a kiosk at Grapevine Mills Mall.)

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    news/home-design

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