Going Out of Business Sale

Yes, it’s true. After struggling all year to try to make informed wholesale purchasing decisions, marketing decisions (cough), dye color decisions, and so forth, I have ended up so dismayed at my year-end financial figures that it is once and for all time to admit that I can’t run a business to save my life! Therefore, I’ve pulled all my “must-have” items from the shop, and everything that’s left is 30% off with the clearance code CLOSEOUT at checkout. Stop by and take a look. Many of the items are one-of-a-kind, and those that aren’t (Artyarns, Feza) rarely go on deep discount anywhere else.

Some of the goodies you’ll find there:

My design, knit by the wonderful Ravelry user RedAunt.

Snoqualmie

Some real news for a change…on Sunday we went tubing at Snoqualmie. Here are some pics.

He was a lot happier than he looks.

 

So was he.

Of course, he looks pretty happy here.

 

Can you spot the monkey?

A panorama of the slope area. Click to see it better.

The ski slope behind us.

His hat fell off on the slope, and the worker bee fetched it for him.

 

 

 

Shoe Marketing (for a change)

I go to Zappos, I go to Amazon. Both sites (and other US-based retailers like Online Shoes) show a lot of pictures of shoes from different angles. I particularly pay attention to the side view (to see if the heel is too high), the sole of the shoe, and the top-down view (to see how they’ll appear to me while I’m wearing them). All of these sites show the top-down view either toe-up (pointing towards the top of the screen, as if I had them on), or pointing sideways, which is not so bad because I just have to tilt my head to see how they look.

Lately, for grins, I’ve been eying some ($$$$) handmade shoes and boots on Etsy. Most of these are from European makers; I don’t really know why, but they are. England, Greece, Romania, and Spain are the top ones I’ve been looking at. And for some reason all of these European shoemakers show their top-down view with the toes pointing towards the bottom of the screen. As though I’m looking at someone else wearing them. This is 100% unhelpful and I have to pull the photo down and rotate it in my photo program. I’m just wondering why they all think that’s a good way to show it.

The other thing is that the Euro makers rarely show the sole, or an eye-level sideways view. I even emailed the Spanish shoemaker to ask for a picture of the sole, and…she wrote back to explain what the sole is like (but no pic).

I do think a picture is worth a thousand words. I wonder why the Americans have such an obsessive attention to shoe pictures while the Europeans don’t?

Just curious.

Emptying the Closet

A bit of a different theme today.

Recently I spent some time looking at all the shoes I own.  There are quite a few that I haven’t worn in years, and either can’t fit into, or don’t like the style any longer.  I’ll put them up here instead of going through ebay for them, at least for now.  If you’re interested in any, let me know.  All prices include US shipping.

Capezio tap shoes.  Size 7.5M with Teletone taps. Worn for about 2 hours total. Leather. $35.

Biviel granny boots, size 38 (about a 7.5). Worn a lot, but still in pretty good shape. A cobbler should be able to restore them to like-new, but the tongue is really narrow.  Beware if you have wide calves.  They fit me, but with a strip of skin showing on either side of the tongue!  $35.

Biviel platform loafers. Size 38. Purchased on sale and never worn except around the house. Heel’s a little high for me (see below for the side view). $50 shipped.

Yeah, not a pair of shoes. This is a Timbuk2 Cargo Tote that I had customized and never use. Comes with a cross-body strap and buckles to attach (needs sewing). When I ordered it, they did not offer the crossbody strap. When they started offering the strap, I asked them if I could send it back and have the strap added, and they said no, but sent me the materials to do it myself. I haven’t done it.  $50.

Side view (unfortunately sideWAYS as well) of the Biviel loafers.

This is a stock photo. Doc Martens ‘Triumph 1914″ boots, size UK5, bought last year and worn 3 times. I can’t get them to flap down like this without making it uncomfortable to walk, and when I wear them un-flapped, they just aren’t doing it for me.  They don’t have a zipper; these are lace-on, lace-off.  $100.

Another stock photo. New Rock, size 38, inside zip. These we purchased used from Ebay, and one of the medallions at the top of the tongue is missing. I think it’s around here somewhere. $90. Big and heavy, these babies make a statement. Alex’s foot is now too big for them, and they don’t suit me anymore.

And I have a bunch of stuff on ebay, too, mostly all New Rock boots, size 38.

A Vent about Commerce

I’ve constantly been amazed by the number of people who join the dyer’s groups on Ravelry, with their welcome post stating something like “I just dyed a skein of yarn with Kool-Aid and I love it so much I’m about to open my own Etsy shop!  Please help me figure out how to do this!”

Not the Kool-Aid part.  That’s been an accepted way of dyeing for quite some time now (as has Wilton’s icing).  No, I’m amazed that people want to jump right into selling hand-dyed yarn with so little experience.  I’ve been dyeing on and off for ten years and I still don’t feel my stuff is professional to “launch a store.”  I do list some of the things that don’t work out for my own needs, but not “a store for hand-dyed yarn.”  Perhaps it’s simply a confidence thing.  Maybe I don’t have enough.

Once I get past that, I’m astonished that these people have the guts to ask a bunch of experienced dyers (many with Etsy stores themselves) how to do it.  Can’t you do your own research?  And you really expect a bunch of potential competitors to simply hand you the information?

Aaaand…once I get past that I’m always floored that people in these groups do give out the information!  People in these groups are always giving out dye secrets, Etsy tips, undyed yarn sources.  I suppose there are probably a lot of people (like me) who withhold the information, in favor of not inciting too much competition, but I guess you really only need one person to spill the beans.  I’ve learned a lot of interesting dye tips there, but still can’t really believe that people work out these special processes (gradient dyeing, self-striping) and then post the instructions.

But what bothers me the most – the absolute most – about all this, is that half these people cannot spell the word “Dyeing” correctly!  Many of them “love dying so much”!  Argh, even if it didn’t read so funny, it would annoy me; most of you know that already, but…if you’re planning to start a business, and you can’t even spell the technique properly, you probably shouldn’t be starting the business!

What I’m wondering is how many people shy away from stores that can’t spell things properly.  I’m not speaking of a typo here or there, but a whopper like “dying” for a dyer.  Do these people experience lower sales?  Even if I didn’t hand-dye my own stuff, I’d avoid anyone who couldn’t get the basics correct.

I’ve never investigated any of these newbie shops on purpose but am also wondering whether people might fear to shop at a newb store (in case the person wasn’t yet skilled enough with the dyeing).  Maybe the shop owners don’t talk about that in the store information.

Anyway, that’s today’s rant.  I don’t get it.  Do you?