The Wedding

Good Morning,

September is going to be a very active month here at TT, as my son Scott is getting married in October, and I've got to kick it into high gear!  On top of our ordinary household expenses, we need to pony up the balance due on the rehearsal dinner... several thousand, purchase 4 new tires so we can get to the wedding... an 18 hour drive in each direction, and buy a new suit (I've lost 65 lbs. since the last time I wore one, and today I look like a homeless person in my old suits).

In order for me to pull this financial hat trick off, I'm going to need some help, and that's where you all come in.  To make it a bit easier, I've created a 10% discount coupon code in ETSY which will automatically reduce the price of general inventory sticks by 10% upon checkout (does not apply to custom orders).  The code expires on 9/15/16, but may be extended depending upon the circumstances.  The coupon code is "Wedding".

So that's it for now, I've got to get back to it.

We appreciate your help!

Doug

Friday Clearance

Good Morning,

Although it's not technically a Friday Night Sale, it is after all Friday, and we're having a clearance sale.  Everything has already been marked down, so if you've had your eye on something, today may be your day.  With a number of unexpected medical bills just beginning to roll in, we need to move some inventory.

Have a great weekend!

Doug

Sunday Afternoon Custom Update

Good Afternoon,

I'm hoping you all are having a good weekend.

As mentioned in the prior posting, the custom list is now back open... for some period of time.  I'm not trying to be vague, it's just that I'm not certain how the next couple of weeks are going to play out.  We've got a few rather large balls in the air right now, and I'm just waiting to see where the balls land... that is to say, if they land at all.

So, if you're interested in a custom or two, send me a note through ETSY and I can put your name on the list.

Have a great Sunday!

Doug

TT Update and Friday Night Sale

Good Morning,

It's been a little over a month since I last checked in, so I thought it is about time for an update. 

The next Friday Night Sale will be held on August 5th, beginning at 1:00 PM CST (US), 8:00 PM (CEST). We will de-activate all inventory Friday morning for price adjustment with an overall discount of approximately 20% - 25%, and everything will be re-activated at exactly 1:00 PM.

Like I mentioned in my previous posting, I've finally whittled the custom list down to a manageable few remaining at this point.  After these are finished, watch for a new announcement, as I'll be opening the custom list back up on a limited basis.

We're still working like crazy on the new venture, and the July 4th kickoff was successful.  The event was much smaller than we had been led to believe, which was actually a good thing, as it was all we could do to manage a small group.  Currently we're kind of in-between phases with the product which will allow me to take on some additional custom orders. 

Thanks again for all of your support, and good luck on Friday if you're so inclined.

Doug

Custom Hiatus

Good Morning,

I hope you all are doing well this Sunday morning.

As I previously indicated, we're putting a hold on custom orders for the foreseeable future, as my time and energies are being redirected.  My goal is to work through the existing list, and once completed make a determination then as to whether we open back up customs again.  The current list will probably take me +/- 1 month to complete, and I'll still be slipping some non-custom sticks into the shop as time permits.

We can't express enough how thankful we are for all of your support over the years, you've brought us here.  I have no idea how this next chapter is going to play out, Lord knows I've been down quite a few rabbit holes over the years.  We'll know in pretty short order whether our new "Tree of Life" will bear fruit, as I've pretty much bet the farm on it.  We're doing a product launch on the 4th of July, and we'll have a good feel for things then.   Just so there's no confusion, there is absolutely zero intersection between sticks and the new project, and I'm going to keep it that way for as long as I can.

TT isn't gone, we're still here, we're just kind of taking a break for awhile.  Like I said in my previous posting, at the end of the day, I'd rather just make a stick. 

Thanks
Doug

TT Update

Good Morning,

I hope you all are doing well this morning.

I have a confession to make, as I haven't been completely forthright with you over the past 2 years.  I've been in the process of starting a new business, the details of which I can't disclose at this time.  It's quite a departure from making hairsticks, and I suspect the overall impression that you all will collectively have is "... Wow, didn't see that one coming".

This is the reason that the hairstick production has slowed down recently.  The new business is requiring a great deal of my time, and is only going to consume more of my time going forward. 

In terms of custom orders, I've drawn a line across the page indicating those customers still eligible for the 10% discount that we offered after my job interview.  I knew going in to the interview that it was only going to be "X" amount of time before I gave my notice, it would have been at best a temporary financial band aid.  As it turns out, this is about the time I would be giving my notice to the employer for the job which I didn't get.  Hey, I knew it was a lousy thing to do at the time, but you've got to do what you've got to do when it comes to eating and paying the bills... we somehow managed to survive.

For now I'm going to continue accepting custom orders but no longer offering the 10% discount.  I'm going to have to play it by ear in terms of customs going forward, as the wait times are going to increase also.

My ultimate goal is to get the business up and running, and hopefully be able to pass off the majority of work to other shareholders in the company, and then ultimately on to employees.  It's becoming an exciting venture finally, but at the end of the day, I'd rather just make a hairstick.

So there you have it, the cat is a little bit out of the bag.

Have a great week!

Doug

What a week!

Hi Everyone,

It's been a rough week here at the Royer homestead, if it's not one thing it's another.  Starting last Saturday, the laser died once again, followed immediately by the untimely demise of our washing machine.  Since we know that problems generally come in 3's, yesterday it was the garage door opener that bit the dust, thus rounding out the triple crown, I hope!

The laser issue is why you've seen a run of paua sticks recently.  So, now that I'm opening and closing the extremely heavy garage door for Erin so she can run her daily errands  (it shall remain un-fixed for now), the new washing machine and laser parts have been delivered and we're now back up and running.

With the foregoing in mind, the next Friday Night Sale is this Friday 6/10, beginning at 1:00 PM CST (US), 8:00 PM Munich time. 

Just a reminder on custom orders, we're still offering the 10% discount on all customs, and have changed the 2 stick rule, as we've had a number of requests recently for 3 sticks.  For those that may not already know, we only ship a maximum of 2 sticks in one box to minimize the loss in the event that a shipment goes missing.  In the majority of instances, the customers usually opt for a 4th stick in order to save a little on shipping, since 3 is obviously an odd number.  Right now I'd estimate that I'm running 2-3 weeks behind on custom orders so feel free to send me a note if you'd like to get on the list.

So here's been TT's story for the past week or so, I hope you all have a great rest of your week!

Doug