One of a kind artisans meet one of kind online shopping community –

Lifestyle brands align to recognize award-winning artists with virtual shops, just in time for artful holiday gift giving

Nashville, TN – November 23, 2010 – Taigan, together with Garden and Gun Magazine, celebrate the vision and talents of the newly announced Made in the South Award winners.

Winners in 5 categories range from the authentic goodness of home-made pies to finely crafted bamboo fly fishing rods, to custom-made guitars and ukuleles and beyond. Garden and Gun Magazine’s Made in the South Awards are touted as a celebration of the rich cultural tradition of craft, design and ingenuity in small, Southern-based businesses.  Sponsor to the awards Taigan.com is providing a virtual shop for winning designers and their wares, making them available for purchase on Taigan.com thru January 18^th, 2011.

Considered the internet’s most selectively curated collection of shops, designers and purveyors online, Taigan.com is well suited to present the magazine’s winners and make them available for online holiday shopping.

Garden and Gun Magazine assembled a prestigious panel of judges including Taigan.com’s own Creative Director and Garden & Gun contributor Julia Reed. Reed was in good company with James Beard Award-winning chef Robert Stehling, Design Sponge founder Grace Bonney, and G and G contributor and avid sportsman Donovan Webster rounding out the judging team.

“Garden and Gun’s Made in the South Awards celebrate what I’ve always loved about the South—its tradition of artisanal products made with great passion and originality”, says Julia Reed.  “We’re thrilled to have them on Taigan—they share the same energy and singular vision as the other producers and shop owners who reside here.”

Being just a few of the hundreds of entries in five categories: Food, Home, Style, Sporting, and Etc., winners are recognized as among the top in the country for designing and creating one-of-a-kind items. In addition to profiling former homebuilder Jay Lichty from Tryon, North Carolina as the overall Made in the South Awards winner (Etc. Category), winners and runners-up from each remaining category were also featured, including Star Provisions on Taigan (Home category).

About Garden and Gun

Garden and Gun is a Southern lifestyle magazine that’s all about the magic of the new South – the sporting culture, the food, the music, the art, the literature, the people, and the ideas. It espouses a strong conservation ethic that grows out of its connection to the land, and it reveals the beauty of the South as no magazine ever has. Read the full article in this month’s Garden & Gun Magazine, on newsstands now, or online at http://gardenandgun.com/article/made-south-awards.

About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and named Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure…Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.

Elizabeth Nichols and year-old local Web shopping hub Taigan are taking niche retailers to the big time.

Elizabeth Nichols, CEO for Brentwood-based e-commerce company Taigan, a portal for various specialty retailers. Nichols is a veteran of commercial development for some of the country’s largest retail chains, as well as a longstanding board member for various national companies.

Taigan co-founders Mary Catherine McClellan (a former Ernst & Young partner) and Mark McDonald (CEO of Value Payment Systems in Green Hills) recruited Nichols, who recently sat down with William Williams to discuss the online shopping industry.

How does Taigan work?

First, we try and work hard and smart and with the passion of the tireless and tenacious sighthound, a Taigan. Taigan is a place to read about “it,” find “it” and buy “it.” Unlike the “tear sheets” of days gone by that provided information but not access, Taigan introduces the shop to the customer, allowing the customer to transact a sale, to use the online messaging feature or to call the shop owner to receive an unprecedented level of customer service — from the expert who created or collected the item.

Read more: Real Power Online – Nashville Post

For more Fashion and online shopping news subscribe to TaiganFinds blog, “Like” us on Facebook or Tweet us @TaiganFinds.

Los Angeles, CA – November 19, 2010 – Simple, elegant, austere, cool… are a few of the terms major media and men’s style writers use to describe men’s shop Douglas Fir, now part of the Taigan.com website, the Internet’s best shopping community of online specialty shops and one-of-a-kind finds.

Douglas Fir was founded on the belief that a retail store should be about simplicity and accessibility. Storeowners Jon Noble and Tino Abarca merely filled a shop with all things they loved; and for the last 10 years, Los Angeles and major men’s style publications have lauded their efforts. To sum up the elegantly unstuffy shop in the words of GQ, “it’s pretty much impossible to go wrong here.”

Specialty retailers like Douglas Fir are tapping into Taigan’s turnkey e-commerce solution to join an exclusive community of the best shops and products online; styled and edited by Creative Director Julia Reed.

About Douglas Fir

Founded in Los Angeles, California in 2000, Douglas Fir has long been a fixture on trendy West 3^rd Street. Named one of GQ’s Best Stores in America and featured on Men.Style.com, owners Jon Noble and Tino Abarca put their technique simply: “We buy what we like, put it in the store, and hope other people like it, too.” Douglas Fir and accompanying shoe store DF Feet carry designers such as Seize sur Vingt, Steven Alan, Paul Smith and Yohji Yamamoto Y’s.

About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and named Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly-curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and wine and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure… Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.

Books and Books, landmark bookstore and inspiring gathering place for writers and readers in Miami, joins Taigan’s collection of online shops

Coral Gables, FL – November 12, 2010 – Independently-owned Miami bookstore Books & Books takes its books online and joins Taigan.com, the Internet’s best shopping district of online specialty shops, designers and purveyors. Since its inception in 1982, the philosophy at Books & Books has remained constant throughout the years: it’s about neighbors, books, history, quality, tradition and creativity.

From the seemingly endless shelves in its bookshops to the virtually endless “shelves” on Taigan, Books & Books brings you the best of the written word. Boasting a carefully curated selection of titles in a wide range of genres – from literary fiction to limited edition art books, from architecture to children’s picture books, from new bestsellers to timeless classics, the books shared on Taigan are often signed originals or classics to be enjoyed and shared.

Specialty retailers like Books & Books are tapping into Taigan’s turnkey e-commerce solution to be part a hand-picked community of the best shops, brands and products online; styled and edited by Creative Director Julia Reed.

About Books & Books

Books & Books is currently located in an exquisite 1927 building listed in the Coral Gables Register of Historic Places. The 9,000 square foot, Mediterranean-style building has original tile floors, a fireplace, beamed ceilings, floor-to-ceiling dark-wood bookshelves, and open-air courtyard and a full-service cafe. Our breezeway holds a newsstand with a wide selection of national and international newspapers and magazines. Since 1982, Books & Books has hosted local, national and international writers as part of its award-winning Reading Series. Author List. Guests range the gamut from first-time authors who are just introducing their books, to critically acclaimed writers who are known the world over. Guests in our series have included literary luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, Kurt Vonnegut, and Derek Walcott; journalists such as Walter Cronkite, Dave Barry and Jorge Ramos; political figures, such as President Bill Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter; cookbook authors such as Anthony Bourdain, Rachael Ray, Jamie Oliver, and Bobby Flay; and celebrities such as Isabella Rossellini, Cindy Crawford, and Mariel Hemingway, to name just a few.

Books & Books hosts reading groups, poetry groups, free workshops and lectures, and partners with many cultural, educational and charitable organizations to present special events at its four locations.

About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and named Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure… Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.

Savannah, GA – November 8, 2010 – Media darling Savannah Bee Company is now part of the Taigan.com website, the Internet’s best shopping district of online specialty shops. Since 2002, Savannah Bee Company has made a beeline to the editorial pages of O Magazine, Vogue, bon appétit, Southern Living, Rachel Ray’s Everyday and Real Simple, offering the finest honeys and luxurious natural and organic body care available.

Founder Ted Dennard believes that bees live as people should live: naturally, symbiotically and in a manner that contributes positively to the world around them. This ideal forms the cornerstone of Savannah Bee Company’s business philosophy and corporate culture. Each batch of honey is individually tested to maintain the highest possible quality standards, filtered, then bottled without any processing or additives. All of Savannah Bee Company’s products are packaged in recyclable materials, comprised of the highest-possible recycled content, for least possible environmental impact.

“I’m confident that Savannah Bee Company offers the world’s finest pure honeys and all-natural body care products available. It’s my goal to share my passion for honeybees through education, premium beeswax-based body care, and bottling the most delicious honey you’ll ever taste. I hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy making them!” Ted Dennard, founder/beekeeper Savannah Bee Company and 2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.

With 83 percent of consumers shopping online at least once a week, according to Compete.com’s quarterly Online Shopper Intelligence Study Taigan helps bridge the gap between savvy online shoppers and specialty retailers with an e-commerce solution. Taigan has been a natural solution for many brick-and-mortar specialty retailers, anticipating a predicted uptick in online holiday spending.

Specialty retailers like the Savannah Bee Company are tapping into Taigan’s turnkey e-commerce solution to join an exclusive community of the best shops and products online; styled and edited by Creative Director Julia Reed.

About Savannah Bee Company and Founder Ted Dennard

Ted Dennard was first introduced to honey as a 12-year old boy when he met elderly beekeeper Roy Hightower. He kept bees throughout high school and college and taught beekeeping to village farmers in Central America during a tour with the Peace Corps after college. He traveled the world to see bees making manuka honey in New Zealand, rubber honey in Vietnam, logwood honey in Jamaica, heather honey in Ireland, and tilleul lavender honey of France. When he started selling his home-extracted Tupelo around town upon his return to Savannah in 1998, the word spread quickly. With his passion blossoming into a business, Ted quit his job, mortgaged his house, and put all his money into the venture—the Savannah Bee Company. 2010 finds Ted operating a 40,000 square foot warehouse on Wilmington Island, a bridge’s distance from the City of Savannah. Savannah Bee operates two retail stores, bottles two distinct lines of world-class honeys, and manufactures a luxury beeswax-based body care line.
About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and named Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly-curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and wine and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure… Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.

Boutique wineries added to Taigan.com as Elyse Winery joins this online collection of shops, designers and purveyors, just in time for the holidays

Napa, CA – November 8, 2010 – Elyse Winery, a long-celebrated Napa Valley winery, is now part of the Taigan.com website, the Internet’s best shopping district of online specialty shops.  Owner and winemaker Ray Coursen compares winemaking to cooking without a flame, similar to the approach of a great chef who carefully brings each layer of flavor to the table.

One of the featured offerings on Taigan.com is Elyse Winery’s “Our Spin on Zin”; three bottles revealing a spicy nose, rich palate and expressive fruit.

• 2007 Morisoli Vineyard Zinfandel
• 2007 Howell Mountain Zinfandel
• 2007 Korte Ranch Zinfandel

“A meal without wine is eating; a meal with wine is dining – it’s a conversation, an event. It’s what wine is about. When I make a wine, my tastes and techniques will influence the process, but what’s most important is the fruit. The fruit dictates what the wine will be. We’re fortunate to work with an amazing group of growers and vineyards, whose fruit keeps taking us to wonderful places. The wines we produce depend on the fruit that’s available, because I just can’t say no to wonderful fruit,” said Ray Coursen, Elyse Winery Winemaker and Co-owner.

Specialty retailers like Elyse Winery are tapping into Taigan’s turnkey e-commerce solution to be part this rapidly growing community of selected shops, brands and products online; styled and edited by Creative Director Julia Reed.

“We welcome Elyse Winery to the Taigan Wine and Cigars category of the website,” said Taigan founder Elizabeth Nichols. “They’ve long been a favorite to those who visit the Napa Valley, yet now we can share them with Taigan shoppers around the world.”

About Elyse Winery and Owners Ray and Nancy Coursen

Nancy and Ray came to California in 1983 to fulfill Ray’s dream of making wine and Nancy’s taste for adventure. Ray gained philosophical perspective and practical knowledge working in the vineyards at Tonella Vineyard Management.  Ray’s nine-year tenure at Whitehall Lane Winery honed his skills in the art of blending and was the inspiration for Ray’s winemaking style today. In 1987, Ray & Nancy started Elyse Winery with 286 cases of Zinfandel from the Morisoli Vineyard, which is still a cornerstone vineyard source for the winery. After a decade of nomadic winemaking at various custom crush facilities, in 1997 they purchased a small winery and vineyard on Hoffman Lane, the home of Elyse Winery and tasting room.

About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and named Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly-curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and wine and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure… Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.

Taigan.com Best Online Shopping Splurges for 2010 Holiday Gifts

InStyle Magazine editors say to bookmark www.taigan.com for the best in online gift shopping. As seen in this month’s InStyle Magazine Best of the Web 2010 cover story which named the best shopping websites on the Internet, Taigan.com is the new mecca for online holiday shopping for gift ideas with a splurge of taste and design!

Today Taigan.com gift editors released their coveted list of “Must Haves” for the holidays.

Women’s Apparel

100% Capri: Cintura Cuoio Fusciacca Donna Soft Black Belt

Curve Soleil: Helmut Lang Pelt leather jacket with leather sleeves and fur cuffs

G.Gilbert: Poleci Cropped Poncho with Leather Buckles

Haven: Ambre Babzoe Long Fur Coat

Style Paris: Wool Sage Vintage Style Jacket

Weinstein’s: 34 White Shearling Vest

Men’s

Aidan Gill for Men: Josh Bach Magrite Tie

Peter Elliot: Marcoliani Skull and Crossbones Socks

Sid Mashburn: Silk Knit Tie- Persimmon

Art and Antique

Digs: French Oil Landscape

Evy: Antique Chalice Cover

Revival: Chinese Circa 1885 Parchment Storage Trunk

Richter Gallery: Signed Richard Sexton Print

Steve Vigar Designs: New York Architecture Chess Set

Children

Bonnie Young: Angora Flutter Dress

Odile Luxury Children’s Boutique: Giesswein Brown Dog House Slippers

Clarissa C: Camilla – Ruffle Bikini Navy

Spunky Stork: Night Owl Onesie

Gourmet Food

Blackberry Farm: Blackberry Breakfast Collection

Delaware Chicken Farm & Seafood Market: 2 lbs Medium Size Stone Crab Claws with Mustard Sauce

Partner’s Tea Co.: Tea for Two Gift Set

Savannah Bee Co.: Tupelo Honey 20 oz. Flute

St. James Cheese Co.: Cheeses of the Month Club Membership

Star Provisions: Cheese, Exploring Taste and Tradition Book

Sucre: Peppermint Stick Drinking Chocolate

Health and Beauty

29 by Lydia Mondavi: All About Lips

Maxwell Aesthetics: Clarisonic Skin Cleansing Brush

Strange Invisible Perfumes: Sicilian Lemon Body Wash

Woo Skincare & Cosmetics: Tocca Bagno Profumato Body Wash Stella

Home

Bungalow Classic: Baobab Madagascar Vanilla Mini Candle

Corzine & Co: Gien Sologne Assorted Dogs Set of Six Dessert Plates

Found for the Home: Iron Garden Table

Hollyhock: Babylone Platter

Niba Home: Hand-Blown Transparent Bottle

The Mercantile: White-Burns Marrakesh Votive Orange

Fun

Come Sit Stay: Fleece Lined All Weather Doggie Coat

South of Market: Metal Paperclip Sculpture on Stand

The Stationer of New Orleans: Just Checking In Correspondence Cards

Marco Zanetti: Sunflowers in Bloom, Take a Tuscany Tour in July 2011

Jewelry

Amanda Pinson Jewelry: Elizabeth Showers Mother of Pearl Simone Earring

Elements: Alexis Bittar Champagne Dust Large Organic Hinge Bracelet

House of Lavande: 1980′s Chanel Earrings

Melissa Braniff Designs: Bee of Ephesus Necklace

Mimi: Jewel Ribbon Tie Up Necklaces

Migliore: White Fresh Water Pearl Drop Earrings with Diamond Accents

Richter’s: Aquamarine Ring

Shoes and Accessories

27 E: The Southampton Shopper in Italian Calf

Gavin Evanston: Linea Pelle 3 Buckle Belt

H.Audrey: Saddle Brown Original Flea Bag

Imperio JP: Double Sided Silk Evening Wrap Precious Pink/Tangerine

LUNA Boutique: Cynthia Vincent Black Suede Bag with Stud Detailing

Sabot: Gold Vintage Compact Belt

SCARPA: Diego di Lucca Leopard Clog

Susan van der Linde: Animal Print Cloche

Sporting Life

Anatomie: Diane Zip-Up Coat

Maverick Western Wear: Blue Mesa Blades Prairie Hunter

Wine & Cigar

Elyse Winery: Elyse Lover Case

R.S. Lipman: Makers Mark 650 Cigars

Wine for All: “Kilt Lifter” Zinfandel 2006

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom,

Online specialty shopping website recognized for top technology talent at Nashville Technology Council’s annual awards gala

Nashville, TN – November 1, 2010 – Taigan.com, the Internet’s best shopping district of online specialty shops, was named Start-up Company of the Year by the Nashville Technology Council at its 2010 “Feel the Beat” Technology Awards ceremony. The awards acknowledge individuals and companies whose success has helped grow Greater Nashville into a nationally recognized hub for technology.

“There is tremendous energy in technology in Nashville, so naturally we are thrilled to be recognized among this group of peers. We are also thrilled that we have created a technology solution that has allowed our handpicked group of retailers, designers and purveyors to grow during this challenging economic time. By supporting small businesses, we feel we are making a positive difference, and to be recognized for that is very gratifying,” said Taigan founder Elizabeth Nichols.

About the Nashville Technology Council

The Nashville Technology Council, an affiliate of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is an exclusive not-for-profit organization devoted to helping the Middle Tennessee technology community succeed. Membership is open to technology companies, technology employers, service providers, educational institutions, and non-profit companies interested in supporting the growth of technology business in Middle Tennessee. Since its formation in 1999, membership has grown to more than 400 organizations. New programs and events such as technology roundtables, educational initiatives, annual technology conferences, a technology job board and other activities are designed to foster Nashville’s technology industry. For more information, visit www.technologycouncil.com.

About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and for Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure… Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.