How the housing crisis has affected home fashion retail...

The housing crisis has put a huge damper on home fashion retail. People are not buying houses now, and those that own a home don't have the money to "decorate" a house, especially when the cost is so high for furniture and accessories. More people are worried about paying their mortgage than decorating their home.

Although the clothing retail industry has also struggled, it has not struggled nearly as bad as home fashion retail has because clothing is a necessity. Decorating your home is not necessarily a necessity, although it is for me.

I am interested to see if home fashions will pick up in the near future. I believe that once more houses start selling, people will want to furnish them, therefore helping the home fashions side of retailing.

Guest Speaker

I really liked the guest speaker Elyse Mullis. She had a great personality and was very enthusiastic about her job. I liked especially how she designed the layouts for her company. That was neat. It was also cool to see what kinds of jobs you can get with a CARS degree.

I also liked how she lives near Southpark mall in Charlotte. That is my favorite mall. I also thought that it was neat that although she didn't get paid during her internship, she learned alot about graphic design and found out that it was a true passion of hers through her internship. While she didn't get paid, her experiences and what she learned while interning "paid" off and got her a job she really enjoys.

It was also interesting that she majored in English but got a minor in the CARS department. I didn't even know you could get a minor in CARS. I think she made a smart decision. That really also goes to show you that it really is all about connections like she stated during her presentation. She was a sweet girl that loved her job and she will do well in her field.