Purple Crocs?

Julie says everyone will think we're crazy if I post this, but really you have to be at least a little crazy to even be in this business. And I do think that being silly sometimes is good for the soul! So, here goes... I'm posting a blog about purple Crocs.


We all know that putting together a fashionable ensemble every day can be stressful. When you're knee-deep in monster holiday orders, and running on no sleep, it's a nightmare! We decided this year that we absolutely needed something easy, something comfortable, something neat. Maybe even something that ties in with our new sage and plum corporate colors. When I was making our green logo aprons for "The Great Buck Howard" movie, a LIGHT BULB went on. It's perfect! No muss, no fuss... a no-brainer in fact! Tie our soon-to-be-famous aprons on over comfortable pants and a shirt and Voila! Dressed in 5 minutes flat and looking good!


But what about our poor on-em-for-twenty-hours-a-day feet? Foot comfort is absolutely KEY...in fact, it can pretty much make or break your day. Julie bought her first pair of Crocs last winter, and swears they are the most comfortable things ever. Okay then, we decided...Crocs, it is! We sat down together after a crazy busy day last week, clicked on the Crocs website, and placed the order. Green or purple...purple or green? We spent more time on this earthshattering decision than we will ever admit. Green would be the more tasteful choice, but we decided we wanted something FUN...fun, comfortable, and PURPLE!

A week has passed, and our fun and very purple Crocs have arrived. I gave them a test drive on Friday, and my feet are doin' the happy dance!

Support your local economy

Durstons, a local landmark on West Genesee Street, closed for business a few weeks ago after 50 years of operation. 50 years! It's always sad when a locally owned company is forced to close it's doors, but even more so when the business has been around that long.

As a small business owner, I can sympathize with how hard the decision must have been. Entrepreneurs pour their whole lives into their businesses; we spend a lot of time wondering if the "success" we crave is just around the corner...... or if it's time to call it a day. Success requires tenacity, but at what point do you declare defeat?

I always find it interesting when a business like Durston's closes and people say, "I LOVED that place! But I haven't been there in years". Well......maybe that's the problem. People take for granted that a business will always be there, but if the community doesn't support it you can't blame the owners for giving up.

For example - we have some top-notch locally owned restaurants in Syracuse, and yet the chain restaurants are the ones who seem to be busy every night. Why go to The Olive Garden when you can go to Aunt Josie's, or Joey's or Gentile's? Why eat at Denny's when we have Stella's Diner? Alto Cinco, BC, Dante, Arad Evans, Twin Trees and Peppino's all have amazing food from pizza to fine dining and they're locally owned. You will be hard pressed to find pre-made, heat-and- serve menu items in any of them, but in the chain restaurants this is the norm. So why is The Olive Garden packed every night?

I was having a conversation with a friend (also an entrepreneur) recently, and we were trying to decide where to go to dinner. She suggested a few places, one of which was a national chain. I told her that I never go to chain restaurants, just on principle. I believe that every time you make a purchase or go out to dinner, you have a choice - you can support another local business, or you can support a big national conglomerate. It does make a difference. She had never thought it of that way.

I'm certainly not advocating patronizing a business with substandard service or products just because it's locally owned, but chances are good that in the family owned business you'll find better service (and much better food) than the homogenized experience you'll have at the national chain. Which would you choose?

Francis House

One of our favorite customers asked if we would donate a gift for a Francis House fundraiser. Normally, our donations are a little less extravagant than this, but Francis House is one of the most worthwhile causes I can think of. Many of my oncology patients over the years have chosen Francis House for quality end of life care. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about their services.

For this gift I hand-picked the painted trunk, chenille throw, journal, and a couple of bath items locally, then coordinated our own oatmeal and honey bath products, vanilla candle, bath pillow, puff, herbal tea and mug, and a relaxation CD to the colors of the trunk. We're pleased to report that the lady who won this was thrilled!

Marcia

Custom Gift Basket - "The Gardener"

This is a custom gift that we sent out recently to an avid gardener. She is retiring from her job at Loretto and plans to spend more time digging in the dirt!

Virtual Design

Julie and I spent a lot of time this past week trying to nail down exactly what our standard gifts will be this holiday season. We've been tossing ideas around for weeks, but the first of our large shipments is due any day, and it's time to get down to the nitty gritty! Anyone who creates their own designs in this business will understand... coordinating product, boxes, baskets, ribbon from catalogs, picking trim and price points, and having everything come together and look fabulous is a daunting task. Julie used the phrase virtual design the other day, which I thought was pretty appropriate. It involves seeing a gift in your mind's eye, then (hopefully) finding everything you need to make it happen. I say "hopefully", because sometimes a key component in your design is either out of stock, discontinued forever , or not really what you expected. Then of course it's back to the "virtual" drawing board.

With our 7th holiday season fast-approaching, keeping our designs fresh and fantastic is a top priority. And with sales up each year, we're always looking for ways to do it better. Besides changing our design and shipping methods this year, we're focused on using our army of holiday "elves" more efficiently. We're fortunate to have some great people who come back for every holiday season, and there are always newbies who sign on for all the "fun".

But is it fun? There are loads of things we love about this crazy time of year. All of the gorgeous holiday ribbon and trims can be truly inspiring, and seeing our clients' faces when they see the gifts we've created for them is The Best. Flashbacks of 20 hour days and sleeping in our little upstairs bunk room, living on fast food and caffeine, chocolate and Excedrin... really not so fun. BUT, we're digging our heels in, gearing up, and getting down to it. Bring it on!!!