Newsletter
THE LATEST FROM JOOLZ...
September 2008
Labor Day has come and gone and another summer season at the lake has passed. Being in the retail business has been a challenge this summer—still good foot traffic but not as many customers buying. All of Main Street is saying that business is down, so I am not alone. 2007 was our first summer and everyone was checking out the new guy on the block—2008 has been an economic roller coaster. We haven’t yet had a “normal” summer season so it is hard to benchmark the state of the business... but we continue to see new and established customers and we are getting the word out.
SPREADING THE WORD
One of the most successful ways we spread the word this summer was through an article published in the local Canandaigua paper and then reprinted in the Rochester suburban papers. You can check it out on our Press Page. As a result, we’ve had many new visitors plus lots of hits on our website and on our new blog…
OUR NEW BLOG
Writing our new blog, www.shopjoolz.blogspot.com, is a ton of fun! I ramble on about all kinds of things, including activities in the area, new inventory, business issues and how I tackle them, getting my laundry done, etc. I’ve learned how to post images on the blog, so that is where I will be sharing pix of new inventory and keeping you up to date on store news. Add our blog to your RSS feeds list and be among the first to know what’s new at JOOLZ, including...
LOTS OF ORDERS IN THE WORKS
Over the past several days I’ve been hard at work placing orders for the fall and holiday seasons, including, for the first time, artists from Iowa and Vermont—I’m always trying to get a good mix of styles and geographic locations. One of the artists I discovered last fall while in Arizona is actually two women from Minnesota and North Dakota who call their company gretchen gray (using their middle names for the business, they say they are small caps people). Robin and Mia are long-time friends and now business partners. They’ve had fun going on trips together to find wonderful stones for their work, but now Mia has gone off on a trip of her own. She joined the Peace Corps and was sent to the Republic of Georgia in June. When the war broke out, the Peace Corps mandated evacuation of its volunteers to the US; Mia, however, decided to stay in Georgia on her own and will be teaching at a university there for 2 years. Meanwhile, Robin continues to run their company and will be sending some new pieces from their collection in a few weeks. They work with big, chunky, raw stones that take your breath away. This smooth and faceted citrine necklace is one of our favorites (notice their sterling signature GG clasp); both the necklace and its matching earrings are at JOOLZ.
REVISED HOURS AT THE SHOP
Working long hours has been another challenge. We’ve experimented with extended hours this summer (evenings, Sundays, etc.) and have made the decision to go to a set schedule of Tuesday through Saturday, 10am–5pm. If we need to stay open later in the day for a festival or special event, we will do that on a case by case basis. You can always check the website or call the shop to hear the hours listed on our message announcement... and we’ll look forward to seeing you soon.
All the best!
Francie Schenck |
