Most normal people (those who aren't crazy enough to open their own store ) don't realize that January and August are pivitol months for retailers. That seems strange and counterintuitve, of course, since neither month contains Christmas, Chanukah or Valentine's Day. So, what's the big deal?

During both January and August, New York City is host to the New York International Gift Fair , featuring approximately 3,000 manufacturers and wholesalers from around the world hoping to place their products in stores large and small across the United States and Canada. More than 45,000 store owners and corporate buyers crowd the aisles, checking out the latest goods -- an assortment ranging from tea to furniture, and everything in-between -- over the course of five days. The process is exhausting, to say the least.

My wife and I have been attending the show for years, and found ourselves largely sickened by the wasteful, useless stuff we encounter there; how many manufactureres of fake vomit and plastic flowers does the world need? What amount of resources are they using, and how much pollution is generated in the process?

Still, I'm a firm believer that attending the Gift Fair is a good way to measure the American Consumer. If customized sheepskin seat covers for Hummers were the most common item at the show, it would say a lot about what this target market is looking for, right?

That's why the past two shows have been encouraging: there was a noticeable increase in the number of vendors offering eco-friendly items. In fact, there seems to be an explosion in the number of companies making recycled wood furniture and jewelry companies using recycled glass, metal and found objects. Plus, a majority of the candle makers now offer soy wax lines as an alternative to the usual petroleum-based products. There was also a clear trend towards electronic goods that run on solar power or hand cranks, rather than batteries or electricity.

Just two years ago, when we would ask vendors whether they had anything "eco-friendly" to sell, the typical answer was, "Why would we sell that? No one would buy it!" Now, those same vendors are saying "Hey, I was thinking about you guys. I have something that I think you're going to love!" Add that to the fact that you can ride between show venues on stylish new bicycle pedicabs as alternatives to taxis, and I can't help but have a little bit of hope that the world truly is changing for the better.

If you want to get an insiders look at the Gift Fair, check out the photos that I took during the August 2006 and January 2007 shows:

• August 2006 Photos are available in three sets:
  Set One, Set Two and Set Three.

• January 2007 photos are also available in three sets: Set One, Set Two, and Set Three.