Adagio TeaV: IngenuiTEA

We have this!

Before I owned a gift store I made stuff for the gift market.   I sold to large department stores.  When I first started in the mid 70’s the buyers would buy for each individual store in their region.  It was  a creative job and they took a lot of risk.  Then slowly computers and their reports were required to do the buying.  My appointments would consist of them sadly reviewing long columns of numbers. (wide paper, perforated, with holes along the edges) They were required to reorder what sold.   I remember doing a personal appearance at Barney’s in LA and all the furry hats and mittens were on sale.  Because a computer had made that decision.   If a certain Banana Republic in New York was out of a velvet vest that I coveted,  I would call Hawaii to special order it.  I knew velvet and Hawaii was not a match.   It is why kids come to the store and soak it up as if it is a novelty they have never seen.  They are used to a formula chain environment not one person choosing stuff for you.  We are applying ourselves to building a shopping site that reflects this ever changing fun world we have built within four walls .  It is has been a creative, challenging journey.  I sort of cannot wait to launch.  

Reasonably priced ….function and form…the Oh chair from Umbra.

I love this chair. We use them in our office and when i have a meeting we pull them out (they stack).    We keep a few in stock and I will special order them for you.

braiker:

I remember.

(via laughterkey)

It is truly spring here at the store and we are here to boast about all the bounty that is arriving daily.   I am enjoying the buying process of our kitchen gadget section. 

Sometimes I purchase a particular gadget and I am not sure how you will react.  I almost buy as if I am testing the market to see if it is cool, functional and fun.  Today I am featuring one that is tried and true and another that is brand new.

Design Boom says this about this gadget.

“Designed by a Belgian company Lekue, Citrus Spray is an attachment that turns fruits like lemons and and oranges into instantly useful condiment carriers. Simply screw in the apparatus and your salads, seafood, etc. will have new life. No bottles to recycle or trash, just totally fresh flavors. Smart food design.” 

The day we tried it Ben and I constantly sprayed lemon juice into our mouths.  But I love the idea of spritzing a cocktail glass or spritzing your salad and then adding a bit of olive oil.  Let me know what you think.

I bought these spatula colored paddles a few years ago.  We still sell them.  They are part fun,  part practical.   A great whimsy gift to go with a baking cookbook or with bright dish towels.  They ice a cake really well or smooth out then whip waves into the merengue on top of a lemon pie.

We are now making goodie bags.  This was motivated by the many questions and desperate shopping I sensed  from mom’s or dad’s the day before the birthday.  We hope it makes crossing off one more thing on your list easier.   Check them out on display in the store and ask about price points and contents. 

Enjoy our spring local grown flower bounty at this time of year. It  is stupendous.  Monique does an amazing job.  We both make arrangements.  Feel free to ask or order a special one.

 Thanks for stopping by.

d

this was very exciting to be featured with other small business folks 

I follow a design blog called Swiss Miss created by Tina Roth Eisenberg.  I relate to her taste and often get excited about what she posts.   Yesterday she featured a toy that I sell.  How exciting I get to tweet….this is a great toy and it was fun to see it endorsed by Swiss Miss.  Her own child loves it.  I clicked on the link on the Swiss Miss site and it took me to Amazon. Hmmm it was quite a bit less than I charge which is a standard keystone mark up.  I assumed it was a clerical error in our data entry to our POS system.  I searched for the order, it was not.  My wholesale price was a dollar more than it was being sold retail online.  How is this possible.  I wrote my rep, she explained they only distribute it and make it possible for Ma and Pa stores to sell.  They do not set the price.  Yikes I understand when this is a few dollars difference but I cannot expect my customer to pick up a $12 or more difference.  I am writing to Batat the manufacturer.

I am not a big complainer.  I can stop carrying this line of toys and Heartfelt will not be the worse for wear.  But it gets you thinking of all the challenges small retail meets.   I thank all my loyal customers everyday.

And promise to bring in well made creative toys at fair and competitive prices.  By hook or by crook.  

I try to not say I am too busy or I have no time.  It just seems silly.  I love being busy and there is a lot of time in the day, just depends how you look at it and which bucket you put your to dos in.  Once I place my busy work in a spot where I know I will get to it, my mind feels freer.  I place my stuff in TeuxDeux….a great app that does a lot of the work for me.  One has to always keep in mind that urgent problem solving stuff pops up.  You will feel less stressed thus more productive if you your other” to dos” are safely waiting in their buckets.  

We are working on a new website to sell stuff that we carry at the store.  Often when I post favorite products on Heartfelt’s facebook page, people ask how can I buy this?  I have spent a lot of time on line searching shopping sites that appeal to me and would make me step past window/screen shopping.  What does that involve….obvious things. secure site, easy maneuverability but what brings folks outside of my brick and mortar store to the site?  But more importantly stepping over the threshold and making a commitment. I am having a ball discovering the golden path.  

I love kitchen gadgets and I want to carry this.  

Designed by Belgian company Lekue, Citrus Spray is an attachment that turns fruits like lemons and and oranges into instantly useful condiment carriers. Simply screw in the apparatus and your salads, seafood, etc. will have new life. No bottles to recycle or trash, just totally fresh flavors. Smart food design.

[via DesignBoom]

my feelings on small business ownership

I try to choose and feature a large variety of price points in the store.  I feel one can get equally excited about the $2 pinkie ball that gets out the knots in your back as you can something like the dolls pictured above.   But perhaps not…these dolls are treasures and the creative excitement they instill in me go beyond many things I carry.  They are exquisite.