Well, boys & girls, looks like it's time to get back to the grind here..... I was out of town for a bit, had to start scoping out potential relocation sites, because we hope to move within the next year. Besides the crowds & traffic, Long Island has just gotten WAY too expensive now. My last tax bill sealed the deal....one year of taxes up here, can carry me FIFTEEN TO TWENTY years in some small town down south, somewhere.
Where is somewhere? At this juncture, I haven't a clue.....Ideally, I'd like to fins some quiet little town, that still has an old time Main Street area, and I'd like to take the business to the next phase, where I'd have the casting shop open to the public, combined with a retail store....sort of like a "living museum" deal... Things still very much in the planning stage, lots of variables to consider. If anyone has suggestions for towns, I'd love to hear them...just no snow or very cold weather, I'm done with that deal!
So, on to business: I know last time I said I wasn't going to discuss future plans, but I'll just lay them out in some very vague & broad terms.....MORE. That's it, just more.... Due to this whole Co-Vid thing, on top of a general lackadaisical feeling I have (probably still working through my father's passing) I realized the extent to which things have been stagnating here. So, basically, my plans for this year, are to get my butt in gear, and get some projects I've been sitting on, in action. Since my time isn't limitless, I'll be concentrating on expanding the following lines:
- Pee-Wee League: Has seen a HUGE increase in sales last year
- Winter Classics: Our most popular line by far, in dire need of some new ones
- For our "Doubl-Glo" bulb cover fans: New styles on the way!
- Large Scale Figures: Many new figures planned, I may have to retire some to make room. Still not sure, because it's inevitable that once I drop something, everyone screams.....
And, of course, orders..... Some of you have been PATIENTLY waiting, now that I'm back in the shop full time again, the backlog should start moving along....But please remember, I'm still flying solo over here & I'm doing the best I can! Some people have been griping about how "You charged my card but still haven't delivered"...I explained this once before in one of my previous blog posts, so in case you didn't see it, let me explain it again:
Unfortunately, when web hosts increased credit card security, they removed the feature that allows vendors like me, to see your credit card info & process it at will. I used to be able to keep your card info in a sort of "holding pen", and charge it when your order was about to go out. Everything's changed in the last couple of years. I NEVER even see your card info, the web-hosts now make it a default setting that requires you to pay, before the order is processed. I absolutely HATE it, it's a tremendous pain in the behind that causes nothing but confusion & my having to explain this whole process at least once or twice a week. Sometimes people will send me an email, telling me to add something to their order & "just charge it"...Nope, can't do that anymore, all I ever see is just a little tab next to your order that says "PAID" I'm looking around for another platform that will still let me do things the "old way", but so far, it looks like that's gone the way of the dinosaur.
Anyway, Happy New Year to everybody, let's hope this proves to be a better year than last.....although, last year was a definite improvement over the previous year, so that'll give you a rough idea of how it's been going, lately!
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