UPCOMING EVENTS - Think Holiday gift giving! (already??????)

I'm waiting patiently (no other choice)  to hear about the grants I've applied to so far, so that I can keep this venture up and running, place more ads in pet product magazines and  to submit new designs to add to the inventory (but can't do that just yet).  There are lots of new sketches and developments for black on black and white on white confections, embellished and bejeweled.......another "boy" sweater, easy on harnesses in beautiful brocade and also embellished, matching leashes and new colorways for the existing styles.    The Holiday Festival at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens will take place on Dec. 3 -4-5 .  It's a high end craft event whose opening benefit  reception is a $50 per person gala affair where early buyers get to have cocktails and food from the numerous fine restaurants in the area (it's their 20th year) and have first buying privileges.  This will be my first year doing it and although the Harvest Festival we did there this October was disappointing, this one is said to be enjoyed by more a "affluent and enthusiastic crowd who are poised to buy." Lacy and I will have a table and hope to entice buyers with special sales and offers, gift wrapping service and other perks.  Lots on the Lollypups plate already but additional events will definitely toss in a few obstacles along the already bumpy road of small business ownership. Daughter number 2 is getting married next year so we're already involved in bridal expos, venue shopping, dress decisions etc.  But it's all good and Lacy and I are beside ourselves with joy (though Lacy doesn't know yet that she may not be invited) 
Knee surgery may also throw a monkey wrench into the works when and if I decide to go through with it but things have to all be in place before I do.  Put that on the "to do" list with more added each day.  And so it goes..........

Our favorite cause

Lacy and I attended another adoption event for the Larchmont, NY branch of Pet Rescue, an all volunteer non-profit organization whose mission is to take in abandoned and neglected dogs and cats and provide them with medical care, and foster homes until a forever home is found for them. The dogs were (of course) the most charming, beautiful and loving participants and I'm happy to say, while I was there, 6 of them were adopted. The event was held at Calling All Dogz , a flower shop and pet product boutique in Larchmont NY, owned and operated by Liz Alfari who's very presence bursts with friendliness and affection, making her the perfect fairy-dog mother. Her twinkling eyes and enthusiastic laugh made the event a delight to observe as she greeted each potential pet parent and espoused all the great qualities of each dog and cat present and available to adopt.

I loved Dax, a 13 month old mini poodle who was sweet, calm and loving, regularly enveloping his foster mom with kisses.
Another beauty was Smokey, a Pomeranian mix who lost his left front leg after being hit by a car.  In spite of this, he gets around great and swallows up all the attention he receives.  Such a sweet boy!
There was a sister team of unknown breed who both stood on their hind legs at every passer by as if to say, "look at me", "pick me". They both melted my heart and would make a great pair of companions for any child. A little girl came by twice announcing, “next week's my birthday!! Please mom, please can I have a dog”, and of course, the two sisters jumped all over her and kissed her as if trying to seal the deal. (I think they did)  And there were little puppies, being terminally cute as is their function.  Lacy in her Lucky sweater, sat regally in her usual "buy my sweater" pose.  We handed out brochures and were happy for the crisp fall weather to drive the point home that all pets NEED a Lollypups sweater. Old man winter is approaching fast.

After doing wedding stuff for my youngest for the past 3 days, it will be good to get back on track. We stopped in on a few pet boutiques in Manhattan on Sunday, that will need following up as well as the two or three that looked right in Westchester. I'm slowly moving over to the retail possibilities at this point. Though not totally discouraged, the lack of traffic to the website and slow sales are making me rethink my strategy. People still LOVE the product......I need to focus on bringing the cost down too-- something I will be working on on my next trip to Peru.

The ongoing education of this Lollymama

It's almost as if mother nature announced "let's give this broad a break for a change" and blew the bad weather out to sea.  I nervously chewed my already stubby nails, anxiously waiting for the weather report to change so the Harvest festival at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens that weekend wouldn't be a soggy, rain soaked disaster.  It poured all day Thursday and into Friday (which of course, was when I had to set up the booth) but the prediction was for two days of brisk, sunny fall magnificence, and it surely was.

I arrived in Stockbridge by three pm Friday, car filled to the brim with all my vendor material and tons of product, and my bad knee throbbing from the two and a half hour car trip.  (Naturally, I said to Lacy while she scurried beside me anxious to find a suitable pee spot).  Luckily the volunteers were very helpful in supplying a big wheelbarrow-like cart for me to lug the stuff to my spot. 

Being it was my first venture into craft fair commerce and completely on my own (what was I thinking???),

I was totally inept, all thumbs with the brain function of a platter of chopped liver.  Can't believe what a non-spatial thinker I am.  If I had my friend Jo with me, (proven to be the ace of solution calculation) it wouldn't have taken me three and a half hours to set up one canopy which was similar in structure to a giant 10x10 square umbrella and supposedly as simple to open. ( on the box of course)   I also purchased separately, three side wall tarps which (I finally surmised at hour #3) had to be rolled up and left open to allow the still billowing winds to pass through without blowing over the whole flimsy structure. 

But all turned out fine by Saturday morning.  My sister Maggy and her friend Jane were there to help me set up the tables and fixtures.  We hung large pictures of the dogs wearing the different styles, put out the product and set up shop, with a spilled box of straight pins the only mishap. (twice.....butterfingers that I am)!

Lacy was the BEST model ever, mostly because she was so tired.  If people were looking down, they spotted her lying regally in her bed, wearing a sweater, saw that pet sweaters were what I was selling and came in to look around.  The second type of customer saw the rack of sweaters and immediately assumed they were for babies, THEN looked down at Lacy and exclaimed "they're for dogs!!!"  Little kids came over to pet her (or the iron dog with the welcome sign beside her)  Mostly though, people loved talking to me about their dogs and I loved hearing about them and how much they were loved.  The crowds also loved the sweaters, though not the price but then,  there were those customers who purchased 2 and 3 items, and money wasn't an issue.  I need more of those!!

Next project, a) figure out how to make the sweaters cheaper and b) start offering sweaters for babies too!!