New Format !!

Before

Has anyone noticed how much smarter I’ve seemed over the past month??

Well ... it’s because I’ve been taking a Small Business Marketing Class at the Lifelong Learning Center and let me tell you ... I am so impressed.  

My overall  business plan was re-enforced and I learned a lot of helpful tactics for building my shop, customer base, and serving you - my supporters. 

My Friday Note is going to take on a new format and become an every other week or bi-monthly update from Echo!  (whichever comes first)  Whew!!  That should lessen your reading assignments, ... and give Duncan a chance to dream up some new “looks” for his modeling stints.  

My plan is to discuss “relevant “ material - such as sales, how-to projects, events, of which I have a few in mind for the shop, and other “relevant” discoveries.  Notice I am trying to stay relevant and to the point here.  Sort of elevating  the Newsletter to more educational and less entertaining.  Now, won't that make us all smart!

After

Oh ... speaking of relevant ... here is my latest ...

One of my customers (a budding reupholsterer) has taken a couple of my run down chairs and with the flick of her magic wand and some fun fabric has managed to give them a new lease on life.  Here is a before and after of one of them.   Swing by to see other samples of her creative work

Light Bulbs

I don’t normally let my mother buy things from my shop.  First of all - she has way too much stuff in her house already and second of all, I don’t condone cherry picking ....

BUT ...

Last week, she called me up... or placed a call to me ... as she would say, and quietly inquired about a certain lightbulb decoration that’s been bouncing around the shop for months.  As if it were a national security issue, she demanded that I remove the lightbulb from the 40% off sale shelf, carefully wrap it in tissue and protect that with some cardboard.  Then she asked me to place it behind my desk for safe keeping.

I could tell that she was on the trail of something big.

It turns out that on September 23rd, our big national news folks reported that GE had just pumped out the last incandescent light bulb ever to be pumped out of the GE lightbulb plant.  No more GE incandescent light bulbs, nor any other brand in the USA, will be manufactured, distributed or sold again.  Never.  No where, no how, no way.  Notta!  They will be obsolete AND illegal!  

Mom prefers that kind of light bulb and now has reason to believe that they will become collectors items by the end of the month, so she is buying them up by the truckload.

All I can say is .... {{{ What next? }}}

I hope she is right on this collectors item thing, however, I have a visual of her arguing with the Light Bulb Police when they come checking door-to-door for offenders.  But if she’s not right, it’s re-assuring to know that we have an outlet to sell HER collection.  Hmmm ... Echo - Home Furnishings and Vintage Light-bulbs kind of has a nice ring to it.

I have to admit, this one does look kind of sweet gracing her dining room table and being the showpiece of her new light bulb decor!