Up front and....

personal. Having the front location inside of ABC is a privilege and something I take great pride in. The one drawback is that our shop is in front of the Broadway windows and in order for the visual team to install and un-install them we have to open the wall the constitutes the entire back of the shop. Usually that means I have to be there at 8 ish to remove all breakable items from the shelves and supervise the removal of the wall pieces. The one cool thing is the visual (above) of being able to see onto the street from inside the shop. Sometimes when I look out the hole in the wall and onto Broadway I can't believe we have a shop (2) in NYC! It's a long way from Idaho.

Bonanza!

Wowza, look at all the new merch that arrived while we were gone. In all of these boxes are new greeting card collections, lacquered boxes with dots, o check journals, Japanese tape, k studio embroidered pouches, yellow owl workshop and Poketo...whew that's a lot of good stuff!
I'd better get to work!!!!

Welcome back....

Carter? No just me!

This is a view from a small motorboat on lake Atitlan, Guatemala and yes, that is a volcano. We had the most relaxing and rejuvenating vacation we have ever experienced and it was in no small part to the shops staff. A big thank you for running the shops so well and not e mailing or texting for 10 days... a miracle!

Lot's more to come.

Into the GAP

So last night on my way home from ABC something happened that hadn't happened in a long time. As I was walking down lower 5th I was overcome with a retail urge, in the window of the GAP I saw this shirt, a perfect shirt, could it be in a GAP? I hadn't been into a GAP in about 10 years but from what I saw I could of bought 4 or 5 shirts, a few pair of jeans and maybe a jacket or two.

Could it be that the GAP is back? I had read all about Patrick Robinson's make over of the line but the ads and the still hideous store designs hadn't lured me back in but the clothes certainly deserve a second look. A perfectly faded, crinkled and fitted chambray shirt for 49 bucks, just what the doctor ordered! I'll be wearing my new shirt in the evenings as i sit and contemplate the world in Guatemala later this week.

When it rains it snows...

... woke up to this. Being from Idaho I love the snow but sometimes it would be nice to sleep in and watch it fall but when you're the owner of a small business a "snow day" is not in the cards! Fortunately though I can walk to the shops so our poor car (above) can have a "snow day" and I don't have to shovel and scrape to get to work.

When it rains....

it pours and starts fires! Yes once again a little rain has caused the lighting tracks to burst into flames, sparks and lots of smoke!!! Everything is fine except for the fact that half of the shop is in the dark but no serious damage, thank goodness.
People, if you think that owning your own business is all cheery and wonderful you haven't been paying attention to this blog! You never get a rest, never get to take your mind off the business and hardly ever get to just check out. We are doing just that, checking out, next week as we will be in Guatemala and will have no cell or e mail access, oh a dream come true!!! I thank my lucky stars we have great employees who can manage without me! But, please if your listening oh benevolent one, don't let this happen again while I am away.... PLEASE!

Disappointing reading...

So today since it's a blizzard outside and the shop is slow { see above picture of GCT at morning rush hour, it's NEVER this empty!} I decided to catch up on some blog reading.. and I wish I hadn't! You see I came across something that made me sad, not tears sad but sad non the less. I find it funny how people don't understand that it's all a collaborative effort and respecting everyone who has helped you to get you were you are today is a big part of the picture. Some people haven't the manners or self awareness to see the big picture and are only into self... it just makes me sad!!!

So I thought I'd acknowledge those who have helped me to get to were I am professionally today.

First: Pier One Imports for giving me a job during the worst recession that California had ever seen. I learned what I didn't want to do with my life!

Then: Lisa Graves for letting me intern to become a jeweler and then handing me the reins to her table top empire. It changed my life in more ways than one.

To: Douglas Duncan for believing in my talents and letting me run free.

To: 280 Design for letting me launch them and expand my horizons.

To: Frederic and Alan who pushed me to explore the world and led to, Jean Rouget, A.Purr.A, L' Atlier Des Tuilleries, Marie Papier and all the great years of collaboration and wonderful lunches.

To: Sesame Letterpress, together we changed the color pallet of greeting cards for the better.

To: ABC for believing in my retail talents even though they didn't exist in the real world.

And finally to the future creative and fearless people who will cross my path... here's to you!