This year, Christmas seems to be speeding towards us like a train on crack (sorry Krackers, no pun intended). I'm finding it very difficult to get into the mood, although I have bought a gift or two. I have found tears on my face at the oddest moments, not really knowing how they got there, not even realizing that I had had any sad thoughts.
Those who love me have been there, a pat on the back, a hug, a joke or just with a smile. Somehow, I can't seem to shake this. I've been doing a lot of thinking and it hit me that I'm not alone in feeling this way now, just a couple of weeks away from what is supposed to be a time of joy and giving and family. So, in my own weird way, I have decided to go all they way and give in to the sadness, if only for a short time, and not by myself.
My biggest debate with myself (and subsequently with my partner) was the wisdom of implementing my plan in the shop. This is not a business situation, this is a human situation. We need to let off some steam before we ruin someone else's Christmas. Therefore, on Friday December 18th, I will close the shop at the regular time (6pm) and then will welcome anyone who has tears in their heart (between 6 and 9 pm). Whether you've lost someone whom you want to acknowledge, whether you are overcome by stress and can't show it, whatever the cause, please join us.
We'll make it a pot luck evening, bring your knitting (or any other craft) and we'll provide the kleenex. There will be absolutely no business conducted, the candles will be lit (tears are more difficult to see in candlelight), talk if you want to, don't talk if you don't feel like it. Bring along anyone who may need to be there or come alone. The burden may be easier to carry if we share the load.
I guess I could hope that not many people feel as I do but unfortunately that isn't reality. I will gladly share a tear and a smile with anyone who will share them with me. See you then...
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Of Endings and Beginnings
It's been a long time since I sat down to write. It seems life happens faster than my fingers can connect with the keyboard.
I want to thank everyone who found out and came to give me a hug when we lost our daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter this past summer (the fire in Kemptville in June). Almost everyone knew Amber, that sweet, chirpy young lady who talked up a storm with every customer and client, knew everyone's name and remembered where all the patterns were.
The pain of this loss has certainly changed me. I find I'm less patient with most situations and this has translated into a move for the business. When the grumbling started about how tightly packed we were, stepping on each others' toes, falling over stock and just general crowded we were feeling, I decided to look around. I found the perfect location, negotiated the lease and started cracking my whip at the contractors to get it all done in time (my time, too short for anyone's liking). I pushed and bitched and pushed some more, wanting it done yesterday.
Of course, there would be glitches - one of the contractors (not hired by me) decided that a 50-year-old urinal in a bathroom had to be preserved because "when you leave, it will be more expensive to put a new one in". So, he built a box around it and siliconed it to the wall.. This was ridiculous, so I ripped it off the wall and had my guys disconnect the old urinal. The other guy then reluctantly proceeded to plaster the wall and refinish that area. The problem was that he then left the drainage pipe sticking out (for when someone would need it, ten years down the road), and it looked like a penis hanging from the wall. I hit the roof on that one and it took him another three days to shove that back into the wall and plaster over it. This is how the whole job has gone.
Not much wonder that I've been a little stressed and trying to stay sane during the process. One day, when I was extremely mad at some contractor and contemplating murder-most-foul, I took a moment to compose my larcenous thoughts and resorted to looking at cute pet pictures on Kijiji. This was my next down-fall. I happened across an ad for a ten-day old "special-needs" Chinese gosling. Without even thinking, I made immediate arrangements to adopt the poor little baby who's legs are deformed and needs constant attention from his family in order to survive (somehow related to real-life needs of a business). This is the story of how Knit-Knackers ended up with a gimpy goose named Krackers. Maybe it's just the story of how I have gone "Krackers".
Either way, we're celebrating ten years in business this week.. We've gotten bigger and hopefully better. We share our joys, our sorrows, our adventures in life and somehow survive the tragedies so we can add another row to the fabric of life.
In that vein, I ask that everyone join in adding a few stitches or rows to a project I'm calling the "Fabric of Life". I will have odd and ends for you to choose from or you can bring in your own left-overs. I know it's just my unreasonable, emotional need for continuity, my own search for a reason to look forward, my sorrow threatening to drown me out, but I figure if we put it all together, it might make us all stronger.
I thank everyone who has supported us, been there through every snowstorm, bus strike and construction woes. If it wasn't for you guys, this wouldn't have been possible.
I want to thank everyone who found out and came to give me a hug when we lost our daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter this past summer (the fire in Kemptville in June). Almost everyone knew Amber, that sweet, chirpy young lady who talked up a storm with every customer and client, knew everyone's name and remembered where all the patterns were.
The pain of this loss has certainly changed me. I find I'm less patient with most situations and this has translated into a move for the business. When the grumbling started about how tightly packed we were, stepping on each others' toes, falling over stock and just general crowded we were feeling, I decided to look around. I found the perfect location, negotiated the lease and started cracking my whip at the contractors to get it all done in time (my time, too short for anyone's liking). I pushed and bitched and pushed some more, wanting it done yesterday.
Of course, there would be glitches - one of the contractors (not hired by me) decided that a 50-year-old urinal in a bathroom had to be preserved because "when you leave, it will be more expensive to put a new one in". So, he built a box around it and siliconed it to the wall.. This was ridiculous, so I ripped it off the wall and had my guys disconnect the old urinal. The other guy then reluctantly proceeded to plaster the wall and refinish that area. The problem was that he then left the drainage pipe sticking out (for when someone would need it, ten years down the road), and it looked like a penis hanging from the wall. I hit the roof on that one and it took him another three days to shove that back into the wall and plaster over it. This is how the whole job has gone.
Not much wonder that I've been a little stressed and trying to stay sane during the process. One day, when I was extremely mad at some contractor and contemplating murder-most-foul, I took a moment to compose my larcenous thoughts and resorted to looking at cute pet pictures on Kijiji. This was my next down-fall. I happened across an ad for a ten-day old "special-needs" Chinese gosling. Without even thinking, I made immediate arrangements to adopt the poor little baby who's legs are deformed and needs constant attention from his family in order to survive (somehow related to real-life needs of a business). This is the story of how Knit-Knackers ended up with a gimpy goose named Krackers. Maybe it's just the story of how I have gone "Krackers".
Either way, we're celebrating ten years in business this week.. We've gotten bigger and hopefully better. We share our joys, our sorrows, our adventures in life and somehow survive the tragedies so we can add another row to the fabric of life.
In that vein, I ask that everyone join in adding a few stitches or rows to a project I'm calling the "Fabric of Life". I will have odd and ends for you to choose from or you can bring in your own left-overs. I know it's just my unreasonable, emotional need for continuity, my own search for a reason to look forward, my sorrow threatening to drown me out, but I figure if we put it all together, it might make us all stronger.
I thank everyone who has supported us, been there through every snowstorm, bus strike and construction woes. If it wasn't for you guys, this wouldn't have been possible.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Of House Rules or biting my tongue...
Somehow, it seems that the week-long deep-freeze we've just been subjected to, on top of the continuing bus strike, recession and general distemper (oops, I think that should have been "bad temper") may have almost caused some mishaps in the yarn shop. Unfortunately, being the "Boss" means I don't get to see these occurences first-hand, since I'm kept busy in other corners. Therefore, I am updated late in the evenings by all my staff members and have the duty of compiling the data and trying to make sense of it all (good luck).
I know my staff is excellent in responding politely to all the questions and comments which come their way, but I thought that some of our customers might like to hear my (the Boss') official answers as well. I've decided to lay them out as "shop rules" -
I know my staff is excellent in responding politely to all the questions and comments which come their way, but I thought that some of our customers might like to hear my (the Boss') official answers as well. I've decided to lay them out as "shop rules" -
Rule #1
Everyone is welcome - We do not discriminate based on level of income, mode of dress, tattoos, age, sex, how many kids you bring with you or whether you work for the competition and just want to scope us out.
#2 We're here to help - regardless of where you bought the yarn or the pattern (refer to Rule #1). The only thing I ask is that you actually bring your yarn and pattern in because it is nearly impossible to help you over the phone without seeing it for ourselves. Don't worry, we won't sneer!
#3 Our prices are correct - yes, I know they may be lower than you expect or may have seen elsewhere. We can't help it, we pass any manufacturer's savings on to you.
#4 Expect to compare - (overheard in the shop: "oh, I've seen this in, and this yarn too, and they have this one too!" ) My answer is that of course you will see some overlapping of product lines in all the shops. After all, we do all get our goodies from the same suppliers. This gives you, the customer, a chance to compare prices and may give you some comfort in knowing that you can get something you need right now, closer to home/work, rather than having to travel a greater distance. Each shop also carries a great variety of yarns which others may not have and again, you get the opportunity to compare prices/gauges/qualities, etc. The well-informed shopper shall never suffer from stash-deprivation!
#5 Browsing is encouraged - Let me make this perfectly clear - browsing is encouraged!! Please don't feel like you have to buy something just because you stepped through our doors. We appreciate that you need to refresh/recharge/get inspired/ or just to warm up. You're welcome to sit and knit, look through the books and magazines (don't forget our free lending library), wait for your friends to join you before you go somewhere together or just to gab with us. Don't worry, we can spot scoping from a mile away.
#6 Ask us to hold something for you - we're glad to put a yarn away for you just in case you need to check a pattern at home, or think you might need just one more ball of that dye lot. In fact, while we won't argue with you about whether you'll need it or not when you make your initial purchase (this is where we bite our tongues), we often put it away for you without you knowing!! Like that, when you do discover that you should have bought it, it's here waiting for you.
#7 Working for another shop - please refer to Rule #1. Everyone is welcome . While I don't need to go to another shop if they have the same things I do, I would hope that if I actually had the time to go see something different, I would be welcomed. We're glad to meet, talk, (yes, even shop-talk) and to share inspiration with you.
#8 Ask us about anything - we don't mind looking something up on-line for you, regardless of whether we carry it or not. You may like a particular yarn which isn't available in Canada and want to know what to replace it with, you may want to see a complete colour chart (if we don't have the shade in stock), etc. Please refer to Rule #2.
We work in a retail environment and this carries a whole bunch of rules I don't necessarily like. One of them is that you can't please everyone. There will be customers who don't like our style or the presentation or the fact that they didn't find exactly what they were looking for. Thank goodness there are many other shops in this beautiful city and we'll even call one of them to see if they have what you're looking for before you make the trek.
I've hired (and fired) many employees over the last ten years and I've agonized over each one, but I have to say that the current members of my team are absolutely the best anywhere. They are compassionate, caring, creative, polite, well-spoken (most of the time) and above all, dedicated to the craft and to the business. There is only one rule I won't abide being broken in my shop and I think you can imagine what that one is...
Happy Shopping!!
The Boss
#2 We're here to help - regardless of where you bought the yarn or the pattern (refer to Rule #1). The only thing I ask is that you actually bring your yarn and pattern in because it is nearly impossible to help you over the phone without seeing it for ourselves. Don't worry, we won't sneer!
#3 Our prices are correct - yes, I know they may be lower than you expect or may have seen elsewhere. We can't help it, we pass any manufacturer's savings on to you.
#4 Expect to compare - (overheard in the shop: "oh, I've seen this in
#5 Browsing is encouraged - Let me make this perfectly clear - browsing is encouraged!! Please don't feel like you have to buy something just because you stepped through our doors. We appreciate that you need to refresh/recharge/get inspired/ or just to warm up. You're welcome to sit and knit, look through the books and magazines (don't forget our free lending library), wait for your friends to join you before you go somewhere together or just to gab with us. Don't worry, we can spot scoping from a mile away.
#6 Ask us to hold something for you - we're glad to put a yarn away for you just in case you need to check a pattern at home, or think you might need just one more ball of that dye lot. In fact, while we won't argue with you about whether you'll need it or not when you make your initial purchase (this is where we bite our tongues), we often put it away for you without you knowing!! Like that, when you do discover that you should have bought it, it's here waiting for you.
#7 Working for another shop - please refer to Rule #1. Everyone is welcome . While I don't need to go to another shop if they have the same things I do, I would hope that if I actually had the time to go see something different, I would be welcomed. We're glad to meet, talk, (yes, even shop-talk) and to share inspiration with you.
#8 Ask us about anything - we don't mind looking something up on-line for you, regardless of whether we carry it or not. You may like a particular yarn which isn't available in Canada and want to know what to replace it with, you may want to see a complete colour chart (if we don't have the shade in stock), etc. Please refer to Rule #2.
We work in a retail environment and this carries a whole bunch of rules I don't necessarily like. One of them is that you can't please everyone. There will be customers who don't like our style or the presentation or the fact that they didn't find exactly what they were looking for. Thank goodness there are many other shops in this beautiful city and we'll even call one of them to see if they have what you're looking for before you make the trek.
I've hired (and fired) many employees over the last ten years and I've agonized over each one, but I have to say that the current members of my team are absolutely the best anywhere. They are compassionate, caring, creative, polite, well-spoken (most of the time) and above all, dedicated to the craft and to the business. There is only one rule I won't abide being broken in my shop and I think you can imagine what that one is...
Happy Shopping!!
The Boss
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