Is it better to start super slow, then have things pick up and get busy in the afternoon, or have a good busy morning only to have everything come to a standstill by noon?
How can one maintain a cheery attitude when people come to your CARD store, to mail cards they bought somewhere else? Do they not realize there are still impersonal drop boxes in the city?
Is it really worth updating a facebook status more than once in a day just because you can?
If our shoppe gains an online presence, will that negate my ability to have a blog where I can complain with candor? Has that, maybe happened already, and I should learn to deal with it?
Why can't blogger and Apple get together so I can easily post photos from my iPad so this could be more interesting?
When it rains, people don't want to go out, when it's sunny people want to go out, but not back in, so when is it optimal for shoppers to show up?
Is it better to focus on business type projects on slow days, only to feel even more bored by the gloomy topic, or to spend time catching up with pretty/fun/interesting things online to get your mind off it?
End note, business is not bad, just slow at times, and my mind wanders, so I thought I would share. Is is not a pity post, but anyone who wants to come shopping, rain or shine, would be welcome ;)
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
It's In the Details
Everything has been about the details lately. Making sure every last piece is placed perfectly, every dirty smudge is wiped away (as far as is humanly possible), every product is made available. We've been working on renovations for almost two months now, and, at long last, Holliday Card Shoppe is looking like it's ours. Gone are the old clunky glass cube displays, most of the old merchandise is boxed up, or in a sale section, and new items are filling the refreshed shelves. it has been an exhausting process, but we're actually starting to feel like this place is really ours.
I think taking over a store that has been in action for more than two decades is a tricky business. On one side, you have customers that come faithfully. The post office option draws people in on a daily basis. There are those old timers who come back time and time again because they know what to expect. But knowing what to expect isn't always a good thing. We still have stacks of merchandise that have been sitting there since we took over in April of last year. And we don't have a clue how long it was there before that. This means that those tried and true customers have been seeing these products for years. If they didn't buy them then, why would they buy them now. Not to mention, if they bought them before, why would they need to buy them again?
I spent the past year just trying to figure out what I was doing. I've worked retail. I've been an employee. I've followed a list of pre-described routines. But owning a store, that's a concept I still have trouble wrapping my head around. When I know what to do, I can do it, but innovation, that's a whole different ball game. I like plans and routines, so it was easy to get trapped in keeping up with the old store standards and just maintaining. Thankfully, I'm married to an innovator. Now, the game has changed.
There is still plenty to be done, but, at long last, we're taking the stores out of the 80's. We're moving it beyond a run down mom and pop card shop, and we're making it into a place worth spending time in. I have no pictures to post, but let me tell you all, it's worth popping your head in for a look :)
I think taking over a store that has been in action for more than two decades is a tricky business. On one side, you have customers that come faithfully. The post office option draws people in on a daily basis. There are those old timers who come back time and time again because they know what to expect. But knowing what to expect isn't always a good thing. We still have stacks of merchandise that have been sitting there since we took over in April of last year. And we don't have a clue how long it was there before that. This means that those tried and true customers have been seeing these products for years. If they didn't buy them then, why would they buy them now. Not to mention, if they bought them before, why would they need to buy them again?
I spent the past year just trying to figure out what I was doing. I've worked retail. I've been an employee. I've followed a list of pre-described routines. But owning a store, that's a concept I still have trouble wrapping my head around. When I know what to do, I can do it, but innovation, that's a whole different ball game. I like plans and routines, so it was easy to get trapped in keeping up with the old store standards and just maintaining. Thankfully, I'm married to an innovator. Now, the game has changed.
There is still plenty to be done, but, at long last, we're taking the stores out of the 80's. We're moving it beyond a run down mom and pop card shop, and we're making it into a place worth spending time in. I have no pictures to post, but let me tell you all, it's worth popping your head in for a look :)
Sunday, January 20, 2013
A New Year
So last year I wrote up a bunch of goals for 2012. I thought I might go back and reread them as it is January again, and then I realized just how depressing that would be. They were pretty good goals, as I recall. And I didn't do any of them. Naturally, there are plenty of reasons for that. We bought a store, which sorta changed everything. All the same, I can't help but be a little dissatisfied with my performance over all.
I'm not sure I really want to set a whole lot of visible goals for myself this year. We still own a store. It takes up at least 75% of my time. There is no way to work around that. However, I do want to do better with certain things this year. I want to remember that living is still the most important part of life. It is crucial to find a way to live well, even in the midst of working for success.
Being a business person is still not the core of my being. It won't ever be. But it is the life I have now, so it's time to make the most of it. We are currently in the midst of a massive makeover project on the shop. My sweet husband has been working tirelessly to find ways to dress the place up, and searching for new inventory to make it a place we can really enjoy spending time in, rather than being filled with left overs from the previous owners, and a style that clearly reflects that it was founded in the 80s. This breath of fresh air has the potential to invigorate us and our customers in this new year.
Besides seeking to be more driven in business, it is essential that I find more ways to connect with people. Sure, I spend all day chatting with customers, but it just isn't the same as spending quality time with people. Hopefully we will find more ways to engage with friends in the area, as well as maybe getting to know some new people. A girl's got to hope.
I did join up with the Portland Bloggers list, and I would really like to attend some of their meetings this year. It would be good to network with other people in Portland, as well as having a chance to keep my writing skills in focus.
So here's to hoping that this year will be more successful, social, and balanced than the last one. Happy 2013, all :)
I'm not sure I really want to set a whole lot of visible goals for myself this year. We still own a store. It takes up at least 75% of my time. There is no way to work around that. However, I do want to do better with certain things this year. I want to remember that living is still the most important part of life. It is crucial to find a way to live well, even in the midst of working for success.
Being a business person is still not the core of my being. It won't ever be. But it is the life I have now, so it's time to make the most of it. We are currently in the midst of a massive makeover project on the shop. My sweet husband has been working tirelessly to find ways to dress the place up, and searching for new inventory to make it a place we can really enjoy spending time in, rather than being filled with left overs from the previous owners, and a style that clearly reflects that it was founded in the 80s. This breath of fresh air has the potential to invigorate us and our customers in this new year.
Besides seeking to be more driven in business, it is essential that I find more ways to connect with people. Sure, I spend all day chatting with customers, but it just isn't the same as spending quality time with people. Hopefully we will find more ways to engage with friends in the area, as well as maybe getting to know some new people. A girl's got to hope.
I did join up with the Portland Bloggers list, and I would really like to attend some of their meetings this year. It would be good to network with other people in Portland, as well as having a chance to keep my writing skills in focus.
So here's to hoping that this year will be more successful, social, and balanced than the last one. Happy 2013, all :)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Quest for Beauty
My life is full of routines. It's a must really. I depend on routine in order to be certain that important things are accomplished. I function best when I have a schedule. It is far to easy to become complacent and lazy when I don't have a clear view of what needs to be done.
But when life becomes routine, even when busy, it is easy to lapse into a different form or complacency. Things become mundane, and beauty is lost. I may not be the girliest of girls, but I do have an appreciation for beauty, and a need to experience it in my life on a regular basis.
Recently, I have become enamored with the blog of a friend of mine that I met in Hong Kong. We weren't particularly close, but we attended the same church and hung out together in groups. But I never really got to know her well. As most people realize, Facebook has made it possible to connect with the people you never really got to know very well, or knew once upon a time, but lost track of. A post here and there pops up, and occasionally leads to a new development in that relationship. This is one of those cases.
I started reading her blog and found myself transported to a world where beauty still exists. She posts beautiful pictures, and writes about lovely things. Something about going there just feels lavish. I needed that. Just a little jolt of something more to remind me that life in this moment is precious, and there is still beauty in this world.
I drive a lot these days. It takes about an hour to get to work one way. On most evenings, as I exit I-5 and head onto 99, I pass a man holding a sign "Laid Off, Now Homeless. I want to work. Anything helps." The patterns of my life, the routines of my existence, have taught me to be high suspicious of such people. I know there are jobs out there to be had. They might not be dream jobs, but they're better than standing on the street. I know there are organizations designed to help people in such situations. Churches, homeless shelters, etc. go out of their way to serve the least of these. I also know that a large number of these people just want to score easy money to support their detrimental habits.
The truth is, I've seen at least three different men working this intersection. One is young and his posture reeks of cockiness. Another is probably in his late fifties, and seems more suited to a motorcycle than anything else. The the third man has always had a look about him that made me wonder...
One of my chief concerns is to avoid enabling people like this to continue down a destructive path. I won't hand out money. But the other day I was parked only a few from him, and I knew I had an orange in my bag. So I rolled down my window and called out to the man, "Would you like an orange?"
His response was immediate, and his gratitude clearly evident. "I would love an orange," he said with utmost sincerity. He walked over to the car and I handed it to him with a smile. The truth is, we aren't flush with money right now in the slightest. I could have used that orange. But the beauty I experienced in that small gesture was truly explosive. He returned to his post and slipped the small orange into his nap sack. I rolled up my window. The light turned green, and as I began to roll forward he made eye contact and mouthed a silent "Thank You."
My eyes flooded with tears as I moved on. I don't know how he ended up on that corner. I don't know what he really needs to get himself into a better place. But he took an orange from my hand, and passed beauty back to me.
There is not enough beauty in the world, but if you open your eyes, it does still exist, even on the worst of days.
But when life becomes routine, even when busy, it is easy to lapse into a different form or complacency. Things become mundane, and beauty is lost. I may not be the girliest of girls, but I do have an appreciation for beauty, and a need to experience it in my life on a regular basis.
Recently, I have become enamored with the blog of a friend of mine that I met in Hong Kong. We weren't particularly close, but we attended the same church and hung out together in groups. But I never really got to know her well. As most people realize, Facebook has made it possible to connect with the people you never really got to know very well, or knew once upon a time, but lost track of. A post here and there pops up, and occasionally leads to a new development in that relationship. This is one of those cases.
I started reading her blog and found myself transported to a world where beauty still exists. She posts beautiful pictures, and writes about lovely things. Something about going there just feels lavish. I needed that. Just a little jolt of something more to remind me that life in this moment is precious, and there is still beauty in this world.
I drive a lot these days. It takes about an hour to get to work one way. On most evenings, as I exit I-5 and head onto 99, I pass a man holding a sign "Laid Off, Now Homeless. I want to work. Anything helps." The patterns of my life, the routines of my existence, have taught me to be high suspicious of such people. I know there are jobs out there to be had. They might not be dream jobs, but they're better than standing on the street. I know there are organizations designed to help people in such situations. Churches, homeless shelters, etc. go out of their way to serve the least of these. I also know that a large number of these people just want to score easy money to support their detrimental habits.
The truth is, I've seen at least three different men working this intersection. One is young and his posture reeks of cockiness. Another is probably in his late fifties, and seems more suited to a motorcycle than anything else. The the third man has always had a look about him that made me wonder...
One of my chief concerns is to avoid enabling people like this to continue down a destructive path. I won't hand out money. But the other day I was parked only a few from him, and I knew I had an orange in my bag. So I rolled down my window and called out to the man, "Would you like an orange?"
His response was immediate, and his gratitude clearly evident. "I would love an orange," he said with utmost sincerity. He walked over to the car and I handed it to him with a smile. The truth is, we aren't flush with money right now in the slightest. I could have used that orange. But the beauty I experienced in that small gesture was truly explosive. He returned to his post and slipped the small orange into his nap sack. I rolled up my window. The light turned green, and as I began to roll forward he made eye contact and mouthed a silent "Thank You."
My eyes flooded with tears as I moved on. I don't know how he ended up on that corner. I don't know what he really needs to get himself into a better place. But he took an orange from my hand, and passed beauty back to me.
There is not enough beauty in the world, but if you open your eyes, it does still exist, even on the worst of days.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Oh The People You'll Meet
Life is such a random trip sometimes. You never know when someone will walk into your life carrying poetry in their hearts. Or when an appreciative eye will recognize a work of art correctly positioned. It's a slow day in the shoppe, but it has lent itself well to interesting conversations.
A woman came in, noticed the poet stamps, and quoted William Carlos Williams. It's amazing how much really does depend on a red wheelbarrow... It led to a discussion of the usefulness of English degrees, as well as how they suck a bit of joy out of vapid reading... And it brought a spark of joy to my soul. Somehow it served to remind me that the lives we live matter, even on days when we seem insignificant. Her day had fallen behind schedule, but she spent a good twenty minutes just chatting with me about the joys of literature and learning. I felt somehow elevated.
Sometimes it seems that every day I'm reminded more and more how little I know, and what a dramatically huge step I've taken into uncertainty by buying a business. I don't know squat about running a business. Filing taxes is a deep dark dread that makes me quiver. A calendar of the Czech Republic on the wall at home, and a week spent watching an episode of Prostreno every night on the computer, reminds me of other lives lived, and how very distant that relatively care free life is now removed from my future.
Poetry, however, has not been forgotten. And the bits of art that are cropping up on the walls reminds me that there is beauty all around, just waiting to be expanded upon. Even in the face of gargantuan uncertainty there hope quietly sprouts in my heart, like the radishes and peas, cilantro and mint in our tiny clay soil garden.
A woman came in, noticed the poet stamps, and quoted William Carlos Williams. It's amazing how much really does depend on a red wheelbarrow... It led to a discussion of the usefulness of English degrees, as well as how they suck a bit of joy out of vapid reading... And it brought a spark of joy to my soul. Somehow it served to remind me that the lives we live matter, even on days when we seem insignificant. Her day had fallen behind schedule, but she spent a good twenty minutes just chatting with me about the joys of literature and learning. I felt somehow elevated.
Sometimes it seems that every day I'm reminded more and more how little I know, and what a dramatically huge step I've taken into uncertainty by buying a business. I don't know squat about running a business. Filing taxes is a deep dark dread that makes me quiver. A calendar of the Czech Republic on the wall at home, and a week spent watching an episode of Prostreno every night on the computer, reminds me of other lives lived, and how very distant that relatively care free life is now removed from my future.
Poetry, however, has not been forgotten. And the bits of art that are cropping up on the walls reminds me that there is beauty all around, just waiting to be expanded upon. Even in the face of gargantuan uncertainty there hope quietly sprouts in my heart, like the radishes and peas, cilantro and mint in our tiny clay soil garden.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Who Saw This Coming?
I'm still at work, and therefore not on a machine I can upload pictures to, so this will sadly be another blank piece. We have ordered internet for home, and should rejoin the connected world on Friday. Hopefully, when we get the internet revamped here at work, I'll be able to use my iPad here during those summer down months everyone keeps telling us we're going to have...
Anyhow, as odd as it all appears, owning a card shop and post office was meant to be. When I was 9 I started my card selling career in order to raise money for Christmas gifts. Every Autumn my Dad and I would brave the blustery drives along the Klamath and Scott River roads, sending the little fog ghosties scurrying away as we offered the local residents the ability to shop from home. Dad saw it as a great opportunity to visit with people he wouldn't necessarily have an excuse to see, while I spent the evenings wishing he wasn't quite so chatty so I could make more sales.
This tradition continued all the way through High School, and went hand in hand with my insatiable letter writing phase. I began my pen pal lettter writing career around the same time, with friends from camp and school exchanges, as well as college aged siblings. After moving from Horse Creek, CA to Blodgett, OR, my letter writing skyrocketed as I would send in excess of ten letters a week back to my friends on the river. Postage was a wee bit cheaper back then, and the internet had scarcely been invented, so my parents thought it was a pretty good deal.
Due to my writing and mailing fixations, when I took a business class in high school (the only way I could learn more about computers and keep my typing skills functioning) we did a city simulation in which I ran the post office. Eerie, isn't it?
Perhaps the funniest part of all is that I didn't even think about any of these things when Mark first brought up the advertisement for a card/gift shop, and post office business for sale. It wasn't until we had made it through the harrowing negotiating process, and managed to land the lease, the business and the postal contract that I realized just how much I had been training for this opportunity. God really does work in mysterious ways :)
I still can't say I've become business minded, or that the prospect of figuring out how to do taxes next fills me with glee, but the actual job is far more interesting than I ever thought it would be. We're working in a great neighborhood in Southwest Portland, meeting lots of lovely people, and falling in love with cards all over again.
I haven't forgotten about my writing. When I think about the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year I cringe a bit in the face of all the new responsibilities I have taken on, but the desire to still have a personal life remains. Guess I'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out, but at least I'm writing again, bit by bit...
Anyhow, as odd as it all appears, owning a card shop and post office was meant to be. When I was 9 I started my card selling career in order to raise money for Christmas gifts. Every Autumn my Dad and I would brave the blustery drives along the Klamath and Scott River roads, sending the little fog ghosties scurrying away as we offered the local residents the ability to shop from home. Dad saw it as a great opportunity to visit with people he wouldn't necessarily have an excuse to see, while I spent the evenings wishing he wasn't quite so chatty so I could make more sales.
This tradition continued all the way through High School, and went hand in hand with my insatiable letter writing phase. I began my pen pal lettter writing career around the same time, with friends from camp and school exchanges, as well as college aged siblings. After moving from Horse Creek, CA to Blodgett, OR, my letter writing skyrocketed as I would send in excess of ten letters a week back to my friends on the river. Postage was a wee bit cheaper back then, and the internet had scarcely been invented, so my parents thought it was a pretty good deal.
Due to my writing and mailing fixations, when I took a business class in high school (the only way I could learn more about computers and keep my typing skills functioning) we did a city simulation in which I ran the post office. Eerie, isn't it?
Perhaps the funniest part of all is that I didn't even think about any of these things when Mark first brought up the advertisement for a card/gift shop, and post office business for sale. It wasn't until we had made it through the harrowing negotiating process, and managed to land the lease, the business and the postal contract that I realized just how much I had been training for this opportunity. God really does work in mysterious ways :)
I still can't say I've become business minded, or that the prospect of figuring out how to do taxes next fills me with glee, but the actual job is far more interesting than I ever thought it would be. We're working in a great neighborhood in Southwest Portland, meeting lots of lovely people, and falling in love with cards all over again.
I haven't forgotten about my writing. When I think about the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year I cringe a bit in the face of all the new responsibilities I have taken on, but the desire to still have a personal life remains. Guess I'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out, but at least I'm writing again, bit by bit...
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
March Madness and April Angst...
Fallen off the face of the earth? Well, not exactly. More like, fallen into business. Of all the most random things. It's really quite a story. And one of these days I'll have a few minutes to spare and an internet connection in my own home, and I'll fill in those missing details. For now, I'll keep it brief in order to keep up appearances.
We got back to the US and jumped straight into the frightening world of negotiating to buy a store. About the craziest thing you've ever heard? I could say the same. Perhaps I should always have known it was meant to be. I sit here in the Holliday Card Shoppe, a business owner, selling cards like I started doing when I was nine in order to buy my family Christmas presents. Now I'm doing it full time in order to, well, live.
So the writing has fallen behind. After fifteen years of writing EVERY day in my journal, I haven't opened my most recent one in more than a month and a half. I've a feeling I won't be able to fill in every moment of every day that I've missed over the past couple months, but I'll try to slowly recreate the turmoil and the terrifying thrills that have led us to this moment.
Forgive the hiatus, but there should be something of note coming in the future.
Thanks for peeking back in, and I do hope to be back to my old ways again shortly.
We got back to the US and jumped straight into the frightening world of negotiating to buy a store. About the craziest thing you've ever heard? I could say the same. Perhaps I should always have known it was meant to be. I sit here in the Holliday Card Shoppe, a business owner, selling cards like I started doing when I was nine in order to buy my family Christmas presents. Now I'm doing it full time in order to, well, live.
So the writing has fallen behind. After fifteen years of writing EVERY day in my journal, I haven't opened my most recent one in more than a month and a half. I've a feeling I won't be able to fill in every moment of every day that I've missed over the past couple months, but I'll try to slowly recreate the turmoil and the terrifying thrills that have led us to this moment.
Forgive the hiatus, but there should be something of note coming in the future.
Thanks for peeking back in, and I do hope to be back to my old ways again shortly.
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