To Market to market

It's still cold, it's still wet, and I'm still stuck inside.
Boohoo. Did go out earlier and thought I'd become a human popsicle while trying to pump gas.
Never underestimate wind chill!

Dallas Design Market was this past weekend and apparently a few of the hot trends this year are: Organic woods (think 'Nakashima style' for people who haven't heard of Nakashima yet) good looking free edge coffeetables, thick solid pieces. Or knotty jumbled leg organic dining tables.
We've been mixing in free edge pieces for a while and it can hold it's own beautifully with mid century and eclectic furnishings, so I'm happy to hear it's a new lease for an old design trend. Orange and Tangerine are still holding strong, as is the right shade of red. D describes it as a not in your face red... so just say no to "Jungle Red" I guess.

Mid Range and low end Mid Century has been on a decline for a while, so much has been knocked off and cheaply reproduced by the evil empire...
It's been a 'look' for 20 years, it had to go eventually. I don't see ebony, rosewood and quality case pieces going anywhere though.. quality can go anywhere and fit right in.

A&H's reopening is Sat night and C. has invited me to a private party for a modern home builder this weekend as well. I'm not into being social so I have to start getting on a game face NOW so I don't back out at the last minute on Saturday.
Currently the dogs are taking turns tracking mud in and out of the house while I half watch a documentary on Divine and try and send out invoices at the same time.

Someone is going to get a 1500. invoice for Polyester Flamingos if I don't focus on one thing or another....

Had a new stamp made for our hang tags. Big excitement of the day! The guys over at Howl have been using the best hang tag "decorate like you give a damn", I am a huge Howl fan. Their store is edited within an inch of it's life and they do it SO WELL!

In several of the interviews we've done over the years I always talk about the soul of a piece or how certain iconic pieces have a soul or a quality that is missing from the newer reproductions. The new pieces lack soul. I'm all about soulful furnishings. Recently someone sent me a snippet of a online commercial for another store that carries some mid century. Part of the voice over was blah blah blah, furniture with soul, blah blah blah.
I know that I was supposed to feel annoyed. But seriously, I can't be the only person who looks at furniture as having a soul. My customers get it, which may mean they have the same thought process.
What can you do? I look at it as flattery if it was lifted and a 'great minds...' moment if we both had the same thought.

There was a period this summer when someone named X was trying to use our store name with the word mid-century inserted between Austin and Modern. Oh no, that's not confusing at all... Derr!
Sometimes I have a hard time seeing how people do some of the things they do.
I've known X on a first name basis for years and so I was really disappointed by X's decision to stoop so low to ride our coat tails. It's just Tacky. We've since rectified the problem and X has chosen a more original store name.

Words of advice for new business owners:
A) Stand on your own two feet. Don't use other peoples personalities, website copy, business names or concepts as your own. If you can't blaze your own individual trail, indie small biz may not be for you. Chains copy, indies inovate. It's a mantra. know it, learn it, love it.
B) A store manager with a cruddy personality will drag you down faster than cement shoes. This one applies to ALL businesses.

I've sold three items while writing this, isn't the internet grand??