INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Gift shops typically have a specific focus, in order to be able to advertise effectively and draw in customers interested in a specific niche. Part of the pleasure of owning a gift shop is that you can use your own passions and interests to determine the style of your shop. For example, the theme of your gift shop could be:  Christmas- or holiday-themed. Designed around vintage toys or antiques. Oriented towards funny or gag gifts. The location of your shop is crucial; gift shops located in tourist-heavy regions of a town or city tend to thrive. Look for a location in a well-populated part of town, with a lot of foot traffic. Gift shops attract a lot of walk-in clients. You can then tailor your inventory and retail price to the neighborhood or town you're set up in. For example, residents of a more upscale or trendy part of town will be willing to pay more for items that are part of a popular fad. Visit successful gift shops in your area, in order to see their inventory variety and display style, and observe how they structure their business. Jot down notes on information such as their business hours, location(s), merchandise and items, and services. If you can, start up a conversation with one of the shop owners. Ask them pertinent questions like:  "How much money does the average customer spend?" "What in-store services do customers most appreciate?" "What age and gender demographics are customers most likely to fall into?"

SUMMARY: Decide on a style for your gift shop. Choose a location. Learn from other gift shops.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Pour the oil into a large skillet and place the pan on your stove over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the hot oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 3 minutes  Wait until both ingredients become softer and more fragrant. The onion should start looking semi-translucent, and the garlic should deepen in color. Place the mince in the skillet. Break it apart with a wooden spoon and stir it into the onion and garlic mixture. Use fresh or thawed mince. Frozen mince should be defrosted overnight in your refrigerator for best results, but if you're short on time, you can thaw it using the microwave's “defrost” setting. Continue cooking the mince, stirring frequently, for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Thoroughly brown the meat before advancing to the next step.  All sides of the mince should be brown before you continue, but it's okay if a hint of pink remains inside some of the larger crumbles since the meat will continue cooking for a while longer. Consider draining any large puddles of liquid or fat from the skillet before moving onto the next step. Pour the undrained can of tomatoes into the skillet, then evenly sprinkle the contents of the skillet with oregano and black pepper. Stir to combine. Other seasonings could be added during this step, as well. Consider using a dried blend of Italian herbs instead of the oregano, or a combination of red pepper and paprika instead of the black pepper and oregano. Stir the beef granules into 1/2 cup (125 ml) of steaming hot water until dissolved. Pour the mixture into the skillet and bring everything to a boil. If you would prefer to omit the beef flavor, you do not need to add the beef granules. Simply pour plain water into the skillet during this step. You could also use vegetable stock granules instead of the beef granules. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mince to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the mince is finished cooking and the flavors have combined.  Stir the contents of the skillet every 5 minutes or so. If the liquid evaporates before the mince finishes, add more water. Pour additional water into the skillet 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time. Do not add any extra water during the last 5 minutes. When ready, the mince should be somewhat dry. You can use the prepared mince immediately or store it for use in later dishes. If you choose to save the mince, remove the skillet from the heat and let the meat cool to room temperature. Place the finished mince in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to three months.

SUMMARY: Heat the oil. Cook the onion and garlic. Add the mince. Cook until browned. Add the tomatoes and seasonings. Combine the water and beef granules. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve or store as needed.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: One piece is perpendicular to the other, with one pointy end lined up with the slot in the top center of the other piece. Both pieces should be face down, so that the corners want to fold in to the table you're working on rather than out into the air. Make sure to choose the appropriate corner and slot so that the squares at the center of each piece are now positioned perfectly next to each other. The diagonal line on the bottom triangle of the white piece should perfectly line up with the diagonal line going across the center of the red piece. It should also be face down and even with the center of the red piece. The diagonal corner of the blue piece should be parallel to the diagonal line pointed out in the step above. The two diagonal lines pointed out above should now meet to form just one diagonal line going from the corner of the red square to the corner of the white triangle, with the blue triangle sitting along the line. The three squares at the center of each piece should be lined up in the shape of an L with the red at the corner, so that the red square borders the other two and the white and blue squares only touch at one corner. The white corner is the end of the diagonal line referred to above. Slip it into the nearest blue pocket. This will create a half cube, formed by three squares which all border each other. Each side should also be half its original color and half the color of the piece that got tucked into it. The figure will now be 3D, so that it can no longer sit flat on the table. When you position the cube with one side on the table, the leftover corners should form diagonal halves of the last three sides of the cube. From this position, you can easily add the next side. Make sure it's lined up the right way. The top triangle will line up perfectly with the triangle from the earlier piece of the same color so that those two triangles together will form a square on one of the other sides left to be filled. The other triangle, the bottom one of the piece you're putting in, should tuck into a fold on a side already in place. Here, slide the white corner into the blue pocket to attach the blue piece. Where possible, tuck loose corners into the corresponding pockets on the sides they should attach to.  Again, make sure the piece is lined up such that its triangular corners can slip into the pockets on the sides they should attach to.  Tuck loose corners into their corresponding pockets. At this point, you should have two loose flaps on the only side left to add; everything else should be tucked in. Again, line it up such that the loose flaps will fit into the pockets of the piece. This will firmly attach the last side of the cube.

SUMMARY:
Take two pieces and position them like so. Slide the corner of the red piece into the pocket of the white piece. Now position a third piece (blue in our example) as shown. Slide corner of blue piece into the pocket of the red. Take the corner of the white piece and put it into the pocket of the blue. Flip half cube to its side so a corner is facing up as shown. Position a forth peace (here, blue) and line it up with one of the sides left to be filled. Slide the corner into the piece you're putting in to attach it. Check the sides for any loose corners. Turn the cube to a side with another triangle flap (here, red) facing up. Position a fifth piece (white) and line it up with the triangular flap. Slide the triangular flap into the corresponding pocket to attach the new side. Check sides for any loose corners. Position the last peace (red) and line it up with the last empty side of the cube. Slide the loose flaps into the corresponding pockets. Tuck all loose flaps into their corresponding pockets and the cube is complete.