Music to Pack Boxes By

modest mouse and blonde redhead = good
coleman hawkins, cat power = i want to nap, please let me take a nap

any other suggestions?

Exhausted

Ok...it's not even December and I am wiped out this year. It's the web sales. But I bet if it wasn't the web sales, it would be worrying if people will buy stuff. It's always something.

Today we packed up 26 boxes. When the backordered inventory gets here, that number will double. Yikes!

I think it is time to coerce my helper into working another day a week through the end of the year, so I don't go postal...I am bad at asking for more help but I am finally realizing I can't do everything myself. That revelation only took 33 years :)

I actually need to let go of administrative tasks. I tend to hold the boring stuff close to me, and sometimes dole out the fun stuff so that whoever is helping doesn't get too bored! That is sort of silly. Lots of things about running a business is actually very silly.

Grace posted some business-related stuff she was questioning me about to the Slate business blog. I sound pretty rambly. What I forgot to add is "don't pressure or proposition buyers anywhere in the last 2 months of the year". i really, really do not have time to buy new stuff right now. that's why the gift show is in january, right? I hope I can talk Erin into hitting the accessories show with me this year...

Blogshares

What the heck is Blogshares, and why am I on it?

OK I am in a better mood today...cuz I was only at the shop for 2 hours! Yay for helpers!

I am now at the point where I am getting more orders to fulfill than i can carry home in one day. That is, of course, good and bad.

I need to make some Gift Guide pages to direct people to the things I really want them to buy, ie in-stock items. More Photoshop. My aching wrists!

From a link from Trunkt, it is predicted that while the Monday after thanksgiving will be a big online sales day, the Monday about two weeks before Xmas (the 11th?) is the biggest day of all. Maybe that is true if you are LL Bean but hopefully not true for me. I hope not to be processing any more orders after the 10th! I don't know how I am going to deal with the shop, and the online stuff. Ugh.

Things I did this weekend: order stickers. order tissue paper and bubble wrap (thanks Uline). order more piggy banks and tea kettles and jewelry. order more free USPS Priority Mail boxes. clean the office a bit to store all the supplies coming in.

I also got to visit the Market NYC which is good, I have been neglectful and you really can find good people that way. I found a couple who sew their own cute tweed caps and aviator hats, and a good jewelry person perhaps, and even a budding leather handbag person. I have to go every couple months at least...

Things to do this Monday and Tuesday - visit the Hayden-Harnett showroom and see what their bags are like in person. Go to the metal plater guy and hand over some stuff to gold-plate. Ship! Buy larger boxes at office supply, and a new calculator, and some floodlights for the store, and then come home and ship some more. Meet up with Amy Tavern at the store (yay!) for a quick visit, grab more items, bring home and ship. That's about my life these days. Oh, and mock up how I want my shopping cart experience to be like with the new cart. Did I say Photoshop? Yes, time to wear the wrist braces.

To everyone who wrote in - hi! Thanks! and seriously, if you want to contribute to this blog, please send me a real email so I can write you back (rena at raredevice dot net will do) and set up your account. It should be fun, promise.

Helpful tools undown - backpackit.com and wists.com and potentially rememberthemilk.com though I haven't used it yet.

a saturday...

things that happened because i am a wuss and can't tell people to stop, aka things you shouldn't do:

1. let your child rollerblade in my store
2. let your child ride their razr scooter in my store
3. put your damp drink on top of my display cases where it leaves a big sticky puddle
4. pull the intestines out of the stuffed pig in the window like you are jumping out of an airplane and it is time to pull the ripcord
5. grab a bag from a shelf over your head to look at it and then, when finished, ignore the shopkeeper who says "i'll put that back for you" and start throwing it in the air to try and land it back on the shelf

um, i think that's enough for one day.

November Update

Holiday gift-buying has begun. It began two weekends ago, actually, which is GREAT. Less handbag sales, more jewelry sales. Books are starting to move again, they were pretty stagnant through the summer. And people are checking out the magazines...but maybe they just like standing in front of the very warm radiator :)

Websales have started picking up too, a little worrisome because everyone is picking out things that I go out of stock of very fast. Meaning - if something does well with an initial order, just do a big second order. Get it over with. I am so chicken to tie up money in things like that, and I don't always guess right, but I have to keep trying.

I bought the wrong floormat :( It's too thick! I bought a nice "waterhog" one for snowy days, instead of the cheapie Lowe's variety, and guess what, my door is too close to the hardwood and I need a superthin mat. Bummer.

I have hired Aeolidia to work on my website 3.0. A real shopping cart, with order status and wishlists and inventory management! Wow! Too bad it will go live AFTER the season is pretty much over. Oh well.

I'm not sure who is reading this blog anymore. I'm not sure what to do with it. I kind of want other indie shopkeepers to be authors and contribute, a la Whip Up. Just a place to make comments about what is going on in the biz throughout the year. If anyone wants to be involved, let me know.

Tip: Use technorati to find out who is linking to you. Lisa of Good on Paper told me about this one. Type in http://technorati.com/search/www.yourstorename.com and you will see...