ugh

10 days til the holiday of your choice. i am wiped out. it's been a while since i've written. i have made myself sick actually, i had a terrifying headache for 2 days straight...now it just comes and goes. and it's not like the store itself is swamped, but i am busy. next year it is definitely worth trying to hire someone, if only to give me a break now and then.

i'm making a lot of decisions (or trying to start making them) for The Future. granted the shop has only been open two months but i feel a solid plan would help me chill out about the store a bit.

1. overhaul of website, adding products, making e-commerce much better
2. deciding how much online sales i want to push, what products to feature, etc
3. what lines i want in the shop for winter/spring, what kinds of products do i want to be known for
4. how to rearrange the shop to make it seem more spacious, what to keep and what must go, how to make it visually appealing
5. deciding who is my audience and how much is actually who drops by and how much to cater to their taste

oh, and
6. creating, photographing and sending out Spring 06 jewelry to retailers, and putting on the other website

whew! gonna be a heck of a winter "break".

Things Learned In December (already!)

1. Cherish your space heater. The door leaks heat badly, and that isn't even when it is open when people visit. Because on a windy day like this, nobody wants to visit.

2. Don't bring downer music to work. Instinctively I bring "cozy" music but when you are by yourself all day, it's kind of tough. No Joel Phelps. No Uncle Tupelo (though possibly Wilco's 'A.M.' is okay) and no drony electronica, or you will fall asleep in front of your toasty space heater.

3. For next time - plan yet more parties, trunk shows, sample sales and the like for weekends in December. It seems to be the thing to do.