when i opened my first boutique, i was on a super low budget (and really, who isn’t?). thankfully, i was dating a really creative carpenter at the time who was wonderful in creating fixtures based on my imagination.

one of my favorite projects for the shop was my cash wrap.  it was sort of an “L” shape – but with a curve at the corner instead of a hard edge.  the long part of the L included 4 drawers for jewelry display and the short part was where my computer sat for sales.  but the surface was spectacular. with a teeny, tiny lip around the edge  – we had about a 1/4″ inch of depth.   we  then mixed a self-leveling resin compound with green dye and gold glitter and poured.   a beautiful glossy surface emerged.  the next day – we did the same thing – adding one more layer.   you wouldn’t believe how the glitter sparkled!  it looked like it went on for miles.

anyway  – i’ve been researching fixture options for my new store – and was reminded of how much i love the sparkle when i saw a similar cash wrap surface at a new shop in Portland, House of Lolo.  i wish i had some photos to share – but i don’t.   here’s some glitter resin tables and floors from a company in the UK.

i’d love to hear more creative ideas for cash wraps! send suggestions my way.

I just wanted to take a breather from researching tiny acrylic cubes to display my favorite cards, sifting through linesheets and catalogs (so many skus!), and tweaking my business plan to give a shout out to stationery people. i’ve been seeking advice on small things and big things and the people that have helped me have never met me.  they are simply providing copious amounts of advice from being in the business for a long time and helping out a newbie like me.

it all makes sense though, right?  stationery is all about letting people know how you feel, it’s about communicating with one another, it’s about cordiality and etiquette.   it’s about expression and delighting others through sentiment, humor, or design (perhaps all three).  so the fact that the people in this industry are so expressive and willing to share does not surprise me – though it does delight me!

so many designers have been so friendly and warm.  the ladies who approve attendees at the NSS and the SFIGF (seriously – you wouldn’t need as many credentials to get into the white house) understanding that it’s impossible for a store that has not yet opened to have the proper credentials – and getting me a badge anyway.  and a couple of retailers who have been magnificent in advising on everything from store size to opening buys to what wedding albums are must haves.  i want to specifically thank Lisa from Serendipity in San Francisco and Julie from Sweet Paper in La Jolla. check out their shops if you live nearby  – i’m sure they are as personable and lovely as their owners.

sorry i’ve been MIA again!  of course, the babies keep me busy – but i’ve been working on my new Troolie business plan like mad!  nothing sets the wheels in motion like an available retail space  in a desirable location!!

but alas – i fear i’m not quite ready to jump in.  still have so much research to do (POS! banks!  product!  displays!  fixtures! the list goes on…) and i’m still nursing my littlest boy. and the space is wee bit too large.

i’m glad that the idea of this space set  me into a high gear though.  and now as i continue to peruse the retail landscape, i’ve opted to create a Concept One Sheet – a teeny, tiny business plan in a nutshell.  i think it will be a great tool  for my real estate broker to give to owners of buildings that may be opening in my timeframe.   it’s basically a teaser with just the basic facts, ma’am.

what does my Concept one-sheet include?
WHAT - a quick description of my concept
WHO - a little summary of my business background
WHERE - my ideal locations and building size
WHEN - my time  frame for opening

if my one-sheet sufficiently piques interest – then they can have access to the full blown business plan and financial projections.  but i certainly don’t want to send this to every tom, dick and harry!

so – hopefully i’ll have time to post more thoughts on the preparation of my newest venture.  in the meantime, you can see some of my ideas in visual form on Pinterest!

all the paper blogs are abuzz with NSS reporting and hoopla!    for me – it was a place to make connections, get inspired, discover product and feel the excitement of opening a new business.  but it was more than that – i also was away from my 2 kids for the first time since the littlest was born (he just turned ONE on Saturday – gasp in disbelief).    one of my closest friend joined me – she is also a mother of two away for the first time.   we had a blast!

NYC: alive, big, bustling, fun!   we got to do things like ride the subway, walk for miles, shop our brains out, sleep in,  sit at the bar.   these are things that are not easy with strollers, high chairs, early-risers, nappers.  so it was pretty fabulous.

NSS:  booth upon booth of creative wonder!  colorful designs, super thick papers, laugh-out loud humor, interesting booths, friendly faces, bloggers come to life, fun kid stuff, snarky cool stuff, calenders to make you swoon,wedding invites that make you wish for a do-over (with the same man, naturally).

all in all, a successful foray back into the world of retail trade shows.

and that includes a ginormous amount of catalogs and line sheets and a seemingly impossible process of selection and elimination.  My friend, my parents and my husband all ask, “How will you possibly decide what to buy?”. darn good question.

my answer? it will be intuition broken down into methodical choices.   i’ll start by circling my favorites.  then i’ll create a grand spreadsheet (similar to Kates Merchandising Matrix – but re-tooled for stationery) with everything i love with columns for “style” “price” and “type”.   then i’ll break it down into occasion and/or recipient.  then i’ll decide what percentage of produce to devote to greeting cards, note cards, books, gifts.   then i’ll decide what percentage of cards i need for birthday, baby, wedding, etc. then i’ll make sure i have a good mix of sweet and snarky and everything in between.  then i’ll determine which wedding albums to stock.  it’s gonna take awhile to go through everything.  but as i find bits and pieces of time between naps – i will begin to report on what is making the cut.

i welcome suggestions!!

do you have any idea how difficult it is to come up with a fabulous name for a new business?  not only does it need to be memorable, catchy and match your vision – but it has to be available in the form of a registered business and domain name.  the domain name thing is especially challenging.  no matter what fabulous names/phrases that sprung from my curly head – someone seemed to have beat me to it.

but i dug deeper.

and here is how troolie found me…

brainstorming, thesaurus, doodles.  blogs.  notes to friends.  text messages.  talking out loud.  more doodling.  acronyms.  typing in a domain name.  thinking….lots and lots of thinking!!  and i started to think about ways to sign off letters, cards and notes.  “yours truly”. i liked the “true” aspect of the word.  genuine.  ideal.  sincere.   then i thought i’d like a unique spelling.  trooly?  troolie?  yes.  love the double o sound (and look).  then i started thinking about all the marketing potential:  troolie amazing.  troolie modern.  troolie adorable.  and so on  – and so on!  i liked the way the name looked, sounded and felt.  i think it’s got a lot of personality, it’s easy to pronounce, and i can go so many directions with it!

i hope you like it!

it’s been registered.  the domains are mine.  and now – my fabulous designer (ashley at dash station) is working to present design concepts this week.  can’t WAIT to see and show off!

until then….

yours troolie,

~kate