charting the store progress

The other day, I had a couple of friends requesting pictures of the new store. While I have been diligently taking pictures and posting them on facebook, I realized that these friends are not singed up there and need their pictures elsewhere.

So here we go:

Maybe it should be noted again, that we decided to give the NEW store a NEW name, as we are merging SOFIA and YedOmi in this NEW creation. Citrine is a beautiful golden colored gemstone which stands for prosperity and happiness (YES!).

After much deliberation and number crunching, we came up with this design for the neon sign on top of the store. This is a preview of what the sign will look like.

Our  new storefront. It is south-facing with about 40ft (12m) of windows.

Here you can see what the colors of the store used to be (pale yellow).  We also decided to replace the brown linoleum floor.

The walls after we painted. They are now a creamy white with golden/yellow accents.

Floor laying in progress. We chose a bamboo look.

The window boxes got a light gray color.

At the time I am writing this, the floor is done. The outside turquoise trim is now white and the front door is being repaired. A once blocked window is opened and I will put up my big ‘ole IKEA shelf up this afternoon.

Doing this is as much fun (or more) as Easter Egg Hunting. Especially when the sun is out.

the countdown

At the end of this week, we are going to be able to start working on our new space!

 

2937 E Burnside

Portland, Ore 97214

I am so excited!

… and I promise to post pictures of the progress!

It’s about time this gal re-emerges from my basement:

She’s been telling me that she is bored.

SewPo handmade sale, 3/26!

I will be participating in the handmade sale this coming Saturday, March 26!

Join a bunch of local peeps showcasing their wares!

Among other garments I made, I will also have my latest projects for sale – the short hooded jacket:

Perfect as a layering piece for Spring.

$49

this is what I’m after

It has been a particular slow day at the store.

As I was getting my afternoon coffee fix, I talked to R. and we both agreed that we have long given up on ‘claiming’ that we know what makes a day slow or good.

Forget the weather: we can have killer days during a heat wave.

Forget other neighboring events: people show or don’t NO MATTER what else is going on.

You can even forget the economy: loyal customers come to the neighborhood stores, not matter HOW much $$ they have to spend.

(I LOVE those people!)

So, this is number 1 of what I’m after (- to keep me AWAKE):

Lately, I have been pondering the idea of a mobile store (I’ve talked about it here and here)

Portland is full of mobile food establishments;

what it is lacking are mobile retailers.

Check out this gal on facebook: Lodekka

…which makes number 2 that I’m after (to keep me EMPLOYED):

We’ll see.

pondering

When you have lot of time on your hands, you start wondering… and pondering… about where the next step is going to take you.

Having been back for exactly four weeks now, I once more appreciate and value the time that I have given MYSELF. I let myself be. I let myself drown in time for myself. Invaluable.

And now, what is the perspective?

I realize what an incredible group of people I have here. (that also comes after the realization that I have NEVER lived anywhere – besides my folk’s house – for THAT LONG) Knowing people makes it easier to pick up the thread.  My old customers are coming to find me and I have have plenty of work to do, which is VERY nice.

It is so nice to be back in a store, having an open door for people to come in and hang out. Admittedly, it is also hard to have a store and all the expenses that come with it. Lately, I have been toying with the idea of a mobile store that I can park somewhere and sell from a variety of places. And then drive it back to my house when I want to be gone.

Because ‘going places’ is addictive.

I live so close to the airport and see the planes taking off and coming down; my car is in the garage, it is easy to get in and go; I hear the trains blow their whistle.

So I wonder how I can can combine the two. And ponder my options.

Stay tuned.

Gotta love free advertising!

One of the perks of being in business for a while is that people notice you.  Your business is still in the phone book, the website still works, email gets answered and customers talk about you.  Word gets around.  This is especially important to a small business owner  (LIKE ME) with not a whole lot of money to spend on advertising.

So it was much to my pleasant surprise when I got an email from the fashion show organizer at the Portland Women Show.  She wanted me to show 12 outfits at two (TWO!) shows.  At first, I was so baffled that I did not even answer her.  Me, my little SOFIA?  Then I thought – HECK – FREE advertising, go for it!

I actually had a lot of fun looking at all the models and fitting them with my clothes.  Most of them are 5ft 10″ at least – when do you get a chance to show off beautiful clothing on REAL models?  Their hair and make-up professionally done?

So off to the show went twelve outfits – AND I DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO BE THERE!

The Portland Women Show runs from today until November 1 at the Convention Center.  The fashion shows are at 1PM, both Saturday and Sunday.  And while I do admit that the hunks at the Firefighter’s show might be a bigger attraction, do check out what SOFIA has to present – some of which is here:

Oh no! … I brought my work home!

I know, I know, I shouldn’t complain…. a lot of people HAVE to bring their work home to get it done.  Usually, I try to avoid it, though, as much as I can.  As a small business owner, I feel like I am wearing so many hats already:  I am shopkeeper, bookkeeper, buyer, marketing exec, website updater, blogger, employer, and many more at the same time.  Let’s say this:  being your own boss has its certain ups and downs.

At least on one of the days that I am not at the shop, I will still do some work:  fabric shopping, ordering, bookkeeping.   This ‘weekend’ I have decided I need to work on my alterations – because they all have a DEADLINE of this coming week.

The bridesmaid dresses are made of a beautiful shantung silk and are one of the mail-order cases:  they fit in one spot and are wrong on ALL the others.  The waist  and the straps need to be taken up, the sides need to be taken in and they need to be hemmed (which is the least of all problems….)

The pink assembly on my cutting table include:  a vintage dress (peach color, left), which had the armholes completely torn – I have already serged around them; now I need to turn the edges under so it can be worn again.  The tutu (middle) needs to have the waist moved; my customer wants the skirt to be a lot more puffy.  The slip on the right has to have the straps shortened and the hem taken up.

This is work for FIVE customers who all need it by FRIDAY!

This is how my room will turn into a WORKSHOP.  And yes, it was designed for that:

My Babylock and the coverlock are always here, because I do not have room for them at the shop.  I LOVE my cutting table:  it can be pushed into the wall and almost disappear – it is the best place to lay out big bolts of fabric, cut and assemble.

Unfortunately, I own only ONE sewing machine.  This Brother is my WORKHORSE and I dread the day when it needs repair because I have NO backup.  I have no other room for it than on my (messy) desk.

So, here I go:  I have my work cut out:

I has taken over my room.

… more FREE promotions

Yes, I know I waited too long with the follow-up on the previous post BUT while I was compiling all the other options, I was asked to be on TV.  Oh my, I am so self-conscious.  I won’t even do the television portion of my favorite radio station’s fund drive. And there are seats that are waaaayyy out – I just don’t want for a camera to find me.  Even back there.   I will only sit in the phone room – I can talk on the phone, yes.

So here they ask me on Tuesday AFTERNOON whether I would want to be on TV the following MORNING.  Early morning, too.  Like 6:30.  Everyone who knows me knows that I am so not a MORNING person.  I’d rather miss a flight than get up.  But then, I miss flights no matter what time, so that does not really count.  I hesitated  2 seconds because of the ungodly hour.  Then said YES.  Because, WHO wants to miss an opportunity to be on local TV when it is FREE???  I got to say a few words after my name and SOFIA were introduced.  I was also asked to bring an outfit to show – I brought six.  HA! – why pass up on that opportunity?  I must have hit the mark, too, with my outfits emphasizing femininity.  NPR did a segment on Michelle Obama and how she is becoming a style breaker and she  – as the strong woman – is emphasizing femininity with her outfits.

To prepare for the shoot, I planned my outfit, knowing that black or white do not look good on camera.  I also put on a little heavier make-up than usual because of the bright camera lights.  Both decisions proved to be good – I wore olive green, which actually looks good with my hair and eyes.  I would love to post the segment but, this having been a live shot, the station did not make it available.

So – do not pass on a TV opportunity no matter what your hang-ups might be.

Another good free marketing opportunity is to get a write-up from a newspaper.  This is not as easy because there are so many shops and causes they can write about.  My strategy is to announce any and everything that I do at the shop to a media list.  It helps if there is an angle such as a charity drive or a Women’s Business Showcase.  For my shop, I do about one announcement per month at the most.  I do not want to spam them.  When we had the Women’s show in December, a small local paper decided to run a story on us.  That is how I ended up as a centerfold.  What an honor:  I am fully clothed, though.

As for the not-for-free promotions, we down here as a strip decided to do advertising together to save on cost.  In the past, we have done group ads and postcards, both mailed and hand deliverd.  We also have a website with all our links on it on which we promote events.  In addition,  I give to school auctions, especially when someone takes the time and walks into my shop.  Granted, every gift certificate will cost me but people see my store and often spend more than the face value of the ceritficate.  And hopefully come back.

Stimulate the marketing… for FREE

I am constantly on the lookout for marketing strategies that are free or do not cost a whole lot.  Especially in “these” times.  Although I do admit that I joined the group “I’m not Participating in the Recession”.  Because I’m not.  It is all about attitude.

Still, I own a business that is intensely consumer driven.  These consumers need to know that I EXIST.  So they can come here.  And spend money.  And keep me in business.  According to the guys that want to sell me advertising in their paper, I need to advertise MORE in “these” times.  I don’t have the money.  And that’s all that there is to it.

So, in order to be ‘out there’, I want to find creative ways that get me there without spending so much.  And here is what I do:

First, I started a blog.  And while I do not get a huge amount of traffic,  people do find me.  They find me by searching for brand names, styles, and the odd ‘alteration’ and ‘vintage’ tag here and there.  Then I found out how to “post” my blog on facebook.  Of course, you need to first have a facebook account.  You can find me by searching for my first and last name.  In order to have your blog posts show up on your page, you select ‘notes’  under the +tab on your profile.  Most blogs have a feed that you can import to facebook.  I did not stop there, though.  I also added a ‘page’ for SOFIA.  While I use my personal FB page to connect with friends around the world, I use the SOFIA page to promote events and sales.  People can become a fan of that page and it is curious to see WHO actually shows up.

Today, I had a customer with an alteration and she found me on Yelp.  I had heard about Yelp from my neighbor who uses their pages when she travels.  Apparently there is a Yelp site for a lot of cities.  Needless to say that it is free.  You can list your business there, add all kinds of information -  they add a map and driving directions and post reviews for you.

One of the cooler sites, though, is flickr.  Again, this was a tip from a fellow business woman who is also a photographer.  flickr lets you post an insane amounts of pictures during a given month and lets you organize these into ‘sets’.  Three sets are free but there does not seem to be a limit to the amount of pictures you put into them.  WordPress then has the ability to import the latest pictures into thier site and you can see my latest additions right here.  Over here ——–>  on the right side bar.

That pretty much sums up the internet world.  I’d love to find more ways to promote my store out there but must admit that it takes an insane amount of time to keep all those sites up.  Tomorrow, I will post about more ‘inner wordly’ (as opposed to outer space) ideas.  Free and almost free.

Popular vs. Unknown

This is the time of year.  Sales people call EVERY day to find out whether I am attending this show or that.  They not only call, they also stop by.  Sometimes unannounced, sometimes I make an appointment.  Irregardless, they all want to sell their wares.

In the beginning, I felt that when I had looked at something, pulled it out, announced it was beautiful – I also had to buy it.  Because most of the sales people are really nice and they have got to make a living too.  I do not do that anymore.  Instead I ‘write’ ‘notes’.  (all new language here for a teacher….)  I take the notes and take pictures of the items when I have a camera on me.  And ponder.  Most of it should be budget driven.  SHOULD.  It comes in handy when one knows about their finances.  Definitively.

But lately, I am also thinking about the popularity of a certain name.

As I wanted to be Miss Europe here, I wanted to pride myself in the European Style AND Names.  Turns out that whenever I mentioned a certain brand name that I carried, there were actually very few people whose face lights up when they heard it.  Those customers had actually traveled to Europe and had admired the brand there.  Not so for everyone else.

So much for wanting to be different.  Which also resulted in a few items that I have left over from the DAY I OPENED THE STORE.  And no, I will not admit which pieces they are or point to them.

Then came this winter and I had some sort of an eye- opening experience.  I started to sell SmartWool.  A very well-known brand and not cheap for socks.  I sold out of them TWICE.  And there are a number of stores that sell them, even in my neighborhood.  This is a well-known brand, people know what they are getting, the price does not matter – and they come back for them.  This is SOOO cool!

I am now thinking that there might be something to an item that gets mentioned in a magazine.  I also wonder whether Jason Wu will suddenly be famous because of Michelle Obama.

I have not drawn major conclusions on this issue.  But is is certainly worthwhile to think about.  Maybe it only applies to socks.