BUSINESS NEWS
- Market News
- Earnings
- Recalls
- Recession Watch
- Tech News
- Financial Crisis
- Madoff Scandal
- DailyFinance
- BloggingStocks
- Luxist
- Money Videos
INVESTING
- Stock Quotes
- Stock Charts
- Stock Ticker
- Currencies
- Portfolio
- Stock Screener
- Broker Center
- Mutual Fund Center
- ETF Center
- Money
- 24/7 Wall St.
- Financial Glossary
PERSONAL FINANCE AT WALLETPOP
- Bargains
- Banking
- Budget
- Calculators
- College Finance
- Community
- Credit
- Deals
- Debt
- Economizer
- Food
- Home
- Fraud
- Insurance
- Interest Rates
- Loans
- Mortgages
- Real Estate
- Recalls
- Recession
- Retirement
- Saving
- Simplification
- Specials
- Taxes
SMALL BUSINESS
Mini-Size Me:
Top 'Tiny' Trends
Previous-
Cassandra Shie, AOL
Supersize Is So Over ...
Is the tide turning -- or at least stemming -- on America's "bigger-is-better" mentality?
McMansions, jug-sized drinks, burgers bigger than our heads and garage-bulging SUVs have some new competition in the form of a new wave of minis.
Click through our photo gallery to see some of the "tiniest" trends we've spotted.
Next: Bite-Sized MealsHot Consumer Info:
-
Cassandra Shie, AOL
May I Have a Bite?
For a refreshing change to today's gargantuan restaurant meals, visit Minnies in Chicago. This hot spot is receiving a lot of press for its (literally) bite-sized sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and shakes.
Can't make it to the Windy City? You can still hit your nearest Chick-fil-A for some of their popular bite-sized Chick-n-Minis sandwiches.
· A Minnies Coming Near You?
Next: Home Small HomeHot Consumer Info:
-
Dan Williamson, AP
Home Small Home
No McMansion for this guy: For four years, 6-foot Gregory Johnson has lived in a 10-foot-by-7-foot home. It's cedar-sided with a metal roof, double-pane windows and a small deck. It's a normal house by those standards, except it's only 70-square-feet!
The bigger shock is that he's not alone in his love for tiny houses. There's even a Small House Society.
Next: Wee WineHot Consumer Info:
-
Cassandra Shie, AOL
A Wee Bit o' Wine
Want to enjoy just one glass of wine? More and more respected winemakers are offering wine in smaller portions that can be served at events or popped open without having to worry the rest of the bottle will go to waste, says Portfolio.com.
Sales of these single-serving minis have been increasing faster than those for the overall wine market. Cheers!
Next: The (Mini) Can CanHot Consumer Info:
-
Cassandra Shie, AOL
Do the (Mini) Can Can
Resist the urge to gulp down one of McDonald's newly-returning supersize drinks and instead pop open one of these petite 8-ounce cans of soda.
Brandchannel.com says Coca-Cola is just one of the major players in the beverage industry who has thrown its marketing muscle behind the mini cans.
Next: MINI Cooper ManiaHot Consumer Info:
-
MINI Cooper Mania
In 2007, Edmunds.com editors declared MINI Cooper the Most Wanted Coupe Under $30K. This may be why the one millionth MINI rolled off the production line this April, with a new production and sales record expected this year.
More proof of MINI mania? Do a search on "MINI Cooper fan club" and you can see that the iconic classic has no shortage of adoring fans. Take that SUVs!
Next: Yotel Hotel?Hot Consumer Info:
-
Martyn Hayhow/AFP/Getty Images
Hotel in a Half-Shell
Simon Woodroffe poses at the entrance to a model of one of his Yotel Group hotel bedrooms. A new chain of budget airport hotels, it aims to squeeze luxury amenities into a 10-square-meter space.
Costing roughly 70 dollars a night (but also bookable for four-hour periods), the rooms are aimed at passengers waiting for connections or those who want to sleep or work before a meeting.
Next: Bite-Size ApplesHot Consumer Info:
-
AP | Target
Bite-Sized Apples
The Mac Mini, a petite desktop computer, may be one tiny trend on the endangered list. Whether Apple will squeeze out another revision is unclear, but its ultimate demise looms, thinks AppleInsider.com.
The iPod shuffle, which was announced at the same time as the Mac Mini, seems to be faring far better. Four new colors were just introduced this year -- pink, orange, green and blue.
Next: Diminutive DigitalsHot Consumer Info:
-
Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP | Getty Images
Diminutive Digitals
Digital cameras are getting smaller and sleeker every day. But how small is too small? You need to be satisfied not only with the picture quality, but also with how easy the camera is to operate as well.
We sure hope Sony Chairman and CEO Nobuyuki Idei isn't "all thumbs" as he shows off this micro-sized digital camera.
Next: Pint-Size PetsHot Consumer Info:
-
X17 | Getty Images | Retna
Precious Little Pets
Today's starlets can't seem to get enough of their pint-size pets. Paris Hilton alone owns a small menagerie. Just last week she picked up a new Chihuahua dog. Before that she bought a Yorkshire terrier named Cinderella. Then there's her famous pooch Tinkerbell, a kinkajou named Baby Luv, a ferret and a cockatoo.
Hilary Duff and Eva Longoria are just two more celebs fond of teensy-weensy dogs.
Next: Small TalkHot Consumer Info:
-
Mark Lennihan, AP
Small Talk
Even as cell phones get smaller and smaller, the compact, minimalist style of the C3 flip phone always manages to draw reaction. It's less than 3 inches long and less than 2 inches wide and weighs only 2.5 oz. To get a true feel for its teeny size, take note of how it compares to the keyboard in this photo.
Next: Wee Me, ReallyHot Consumer Info:
-
Wee Me, Really
These days the opportunities to create a miniaturized version of yourself on the Internet are endless. You can "Simpsonize" yourself, become an M&M or design your own "WeeMee" -- and that's just to name a few.
Commonly called "avatars," these caricatures are one real way you can say: Mini-size me!
Next: More on AOLHot Consumer Info:
-
Want to know more about these "mini-size me" trends? Try: AOL Search | AOL Shopping
Mini Trends Talk
Are you a "mini" fan? Do you use a mini mouse on a mini oriental rug mouse pad while you drink your mini Coke? OK, well even if you're not THAT big a fan, post your favorite mini trends here.
More Trendspotting
Today's boomer is not content to retire to a nursing home. From pet-friendly places to "half-backing" it, see the latest trends in retirement living.
- Senior Community Trends
- More Retire in Style
A Special Summer Series
