Christmas always comes early to ‘mirrormirror‘-land.
life forms patterns,
haphazard and beautiful –
catch them as they fly by
I wrote our first press release back in the summer, which is when the long-lead press start preparing their Christmas issues, and since then have sent out a series of press releases, to try and get mentions in the weekly mags and daily papers.
Over the last two months I’ve been busily searching for new products and making sure that we have sufficient stock of some of our bestselling items, while Diane back in the UK has been ordering in all the packaging. Unlike last year, when I was so tied up with moving country, being ill and searching for a last-minute replacement to take over the UK operations, I feel like our ducks are a bit more in a row, though there’s always so much more you can do.
Today I placed our last Christmas stock order and now we get to sit back and wait, with shredded nerves. The bank account is very unwell, new deliveries of stock are arriving every day and we have no idea whether anyone is going to buy them.
So much depends on whether we get any press mentions – though I’m not entirely sure we’re going to get any at all in this, our first Christmas without a PR company. The anticipation and nervousness is huge, as Christmas accounts for such a big proportion of our sales, and the amount of money we make at Christmas very much dictates how much we’ll be able to grow the business next year. And there’s not a little excitement mixed in there too.
Please wish us luck and please support all small retailers and designers by shopping indie this year.
Holly Decor8 posted a fabulous calendar guide today and I’ve just ordered this gorgeous letterpress calendar from Green Chair Press., which is apparently hand-cranked on a wonderful old 1890s platen press (whatever that is).
I just love the little haiku poems included on each month’s beautiful card. And having said I’ve just done all my Christmas ordering, I’m now wondering whether to get some of these in the shop.
Paola, I could have written that post myself (without the difficult time you had last Christmas of course).
Cashflow is precarious (to say the least!) and I’m desperately hoping that the press I believe is going to happen actually does.
I’m trying to support small businesses myself and have bought lots of toys for my little ones from various places.
Wishing you lots of success over the Christmas period.
Zoe xxx
Oh yes let’s support the indi shops be they on line or real bricks and mortar and here’s to lots of Christmas luck for all of us!
Here’s fingers crossed for all of us shopkeepers. Everyone else, get shopping!
Ha! We bought the Greenchair calendar as well…for a gift. Let’s just say it’s not wrapped yet! Good luck for Christmas, I’m sure it will go well.
Ah yes that slightly sick feeling in the pit of the stomach as you clean out your bank account placing orders for Christmas – I know it so well 🙂 Hope the season goes well for you.