tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post8203055482106605980..comments2021-10-03T18:04:32.247-04:00Comments on The Crafty Retailer: Encourage Crafty Community to Build a Loyal Retail FollowingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01333059163731746098noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post-64195242625904575202012-03-21T16:21:08.976-04:002012-03-21T16:21:08.976-04:00Anonymous:
We have different perspectives, but res...Anonymous:<br />We have different perspectives, but rest assured, you have lots of company in the brick and mortar community! Many, many retailers find that the "no outside bead/yarn/paper" rule is important to their bottom line. Thank you for providing a voice for those retailers! I don't have all the answers...I am just another gal in the gerbil wheel trying to keep up! Just as there are some consumers who will suck the life blood from a generous store owner, there are many other high spending crafters who avoid certain stores because they do not feel comfortable. We all need to do what works for our business, period.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333059163731746098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post-24500499757781647162012-03-21T14:31:38.388-04:002012-03-21T14:31:38.388-04:00ok let me be the dissenter. we have that rule in m...ok let me be the dissenter. we have that rule in my shop: no outside yarn. I don't buy that it builds community: there are many much more relevant ways to build community rather than erasing necessary business boundaries. Outside yarn creates demands and expectations that can't be met: why invite the problem in? And btw, that stuff you're knitting with is not the vision of my shop/brand, or may not even be available for me to stock (hello, indie dyer). So say what you will about all the love-peace-tie dye community and fan base but since we as LYSOs take all the risk, there have to be some fair and decent rules by which a shop, a business, operates. And honestly having people sit around the shop, not shopping, just hanging out, isn't actually really helpful to a business. It just tells me that that shop a) has a lot of space, b) caters to a demographic with lots of free time c) doesn't actually understand what propels the bottom line: SALES. So yeah, no outside yarn in my shop: and btw, you can't bring Dunkin Donuts into Starbucks and then just sit there and hangout. I cringe every time I see a post like this because it puts further pressure on small retailers to accommodate an unsustainable and ultimately unprofitable approach. what a pity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post-43238001662503115742012-01-27T14:26:04.966-05:002012-01-27T14:26:04.966-05:00Congratulations on the move toward an online shop,...Congratulations on the move toward an online shop, Gail! It is critical in today's market to give your customers --and potential customers--an easy way to shop with you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333059163731746098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post-27810283395527830842012-01-26T06:54:56.211-05:002012-01-26T06:54:56.211-05:00Hey Pat - I heartily agree! I have always welcome...Hey Pat - I heartily agree! I have always welcomed folks who attend our weekly Friday night open beading to bring supplies from their stash to bead with. These folks are my most loyal customers, and they choose to buy with me when I have what they want. I always say that a beader needs to shop as many bead shops as she can. Even I am not immune when I travel! <br /><br />I look forward to those Friday nights for all the reasons you mention, except instead of a yarn toting puppy, we swap out a cat named Gypsy who likes to lay on your beadwork while you are working. And then there's the wine.....<br /><br />I get to see what other beautiful things people have in their stashes. That doesn't mean I don't get steamed when someone asks me for a Swarovski Pearl color chart to use to sort through a bag of assorted pearls she got at a "deal" from that huge online retailer that shall remain unnamed here. I keep my scream in my head, put on a smile and politely comment about the annoyances of online shopping while she ruefully agrees that it wasn't one of her smartest purchases. <br /><br />And, I am ever more careful with what I say about online shopping as I plan a shopping cart addition to my own web site. For almost 6 years I have been touting the advantages of in-person shopping, so now I have to come up with a kick-ass shopping cart that won't contradict everything we stand for as a bricks and mortar. More on that later.....<br /><br />Thanks for a wonderful blog - again! <br />Gail<br />White Fox Bead Studiowhitefoxbeadshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14898827434021851646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post-12506822783953588522012-01-25T08:10:58.067-05:002012-01-25T08:10:58.067-05:00Erica:
I am not surprised that you operate a full ...Erica:<br />I am not surprised that you operate a full house on sit and stitch day...you are funny and gracious and warm! Re the link...all better now!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333059163731746098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802349858004048129.post-3252765258196994612012-01-24T22:08:41.265-05:002012-01-24T22:08:41.265-05:00Right on ... I do not have that rule at my shop .....Right on ... I do not have that rule at my shop ... the only problem I have noticed is running out of chairs on sit and stitch day :-)<br /><br />Does that Swarovski link not work or is it just my ipad?ericahttp://knit1bead2.comnoreply@blogger.com