All is complete and now...............ON WITH THE SHOW

Weddings are over, mood is soggy but content. The marriage of a first born in any family conjures up emotions that are both sweet and painfully sad and losing an important family member one month prior who should have been present to enjoy all this only proves to me once more, that there is no god only circumstance. The simple task of designing a sweater for a little dog to wear and keep warm seemed to pale in comparison to the roller coaster ride we've all been on these past few months. All planning is done, wedding dress successfully constructed and beautifully worn, wedding cake consumed and champagne toasted. And a memorable time was had by all. In the end, with the disappointments came joy........with the bad and insulting behavior of some, came consideration, helpfulness and a sense of camaraderie of others.....The true meaning of family was displayed at both events and I'm grateful to my own little clan, for giving me the truest sense of belonging.
But back to the task at hand........Lollypups Pet Wear.
The focus is no longer my personal life but back to development, business plans and designing and merchandising the line. We're at the 3rd phase of counter samples for Misty and Lucky and I've found a good supplier for other items as well, that will coordinate and merchandise back to these two styles. I need to give the go ahead for the Tigger style and correct the glitches in the Sugarplum style, then send the proto out to be made. I contacted a company in Peru (my gut feeling that these sweaters should be in pure wool is still nagging at me) but no response. The words Small start-up company seem to slam a lot of doors........too bad.
I'm not going to China in July this time around since the trade show is not really pet oriented but that's just as well. I need to research more and have more to show and I must GET AN AGENT.........only proving my humble inability to do EVERYTHING which is a rude awakening on my part since I've always done everything in the past. Damn..........talk about being driven......I have to learn how to delegate and let go.........This is a challenge, truly (and to have the funds to PAY for someones help is a close second). I don't want to.......but I must........or this will take me forever to launch. Prime focus is on creating a solid business plan or as solid as one can be in this quagmire of economic uncertainty. Therapy session over.........All is good.

My Italian connection.........

The FIT fashion show made the Italian press. The magazine is called Quattro Zampe and it's the June issue. Since I'm a lousy Italian, and never learned the language, I have no idea what it says so am hoping my pal Paolo will translate. The only Lollypups design featured was the Sorbet Valentine which is the only garment I'm NOT able to manufacture. Crap! But hey, publicity is publicity is publicity. Too bad there's no mention of my name or of Lollypups. No need to speak the language to decipher that .......and so it goes.

Been a while so.........new?

Lacy, ever the loyal companion, sleeps soundly in a yarn box in my studio, while I work, making the perfect "before sweater" picture, I think.


Very little progress has been made during May which is to say it's been a tumultuous month. The Chinese economy is suffering economic woes the same as in the US. Vera, acting as an agent for the factory, did follow through with the 2nd samples of the Lucky Rainbow (this time in both colorways) and the Misty Heart as promised. I received them at the end of the month. She also got a new job with a Hong Kong based petwear company so maybe this will be a good thing. There are still color and material issues that need resolving and ofcourse, will require me to make a trip to China which I had planned on doing in July (after Erika's wedding). That's still the plan (at least for the time being---so many monkey wrenches keep being thrown into the works!) One never knows.
The business plan is coming along as well, though it changes constantly due to the economic situation. Sometimes I think starting a business in this environment is like running in quick sand while other businesses are crumbling like a house of cards around me. Other times I'm sure that laying the groundwork now, when the economy is in flux will prove to be a smart thing once the smoke clears and people are spending again. In any case, I will take advantage of those small business Obama bucks while the opportunity is there.

On a very sad note, Pearl, my much loved and admired mother-in-law passed away on May 19th, and so time was spent in Florida with the family, trying to comfort her husband Gene as well as one another. She was a fantastic Lady, a real mother to me as well as a friend and confidant. My girls and I drove down to Florida with Lacy in tow, my sewing machine (Still working on the wedding dress) and piles of wool to maybe get some designing done. It wasn't going to happen though, since she took a turn for the worst by the time we got there. I miss her a lot. So, since life has to go on (no matter how much I miss her) wedding plans are moving forward, and the bridal shower (afternoon tea in the garden at home) was bittersweet, but a success. The weather was beautiful and Erika was happy. Check that off the to do list.

I'm sorry that the business has taken a back seat at this time but I do manage to communicate with the vendors and keep them posted of my progress, however slow. They've been very patient and we're moving along. I'll be happy to be back on track and in full swing by July 1st.

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.........

This post is in the "You Just Never Know" category since that's been the running comment echoing over the past two weeks. Things at Lollypups were going according to plan , though slowly, due to outside forces filling up my days. (I do need an assistant!!) They are:
* My older daughter's upcoming May bridal shower plans for which her sister and I are collaborating on collecting all the necessary items for a tea party for 40 women.
* Her two (New York and Florida) June weddings, for which I'm making her wedding dress.
* Writing up a 40 page business plan to obtain a small business bank loan so I can start production.
* Communicating with Vera in China on the progress of the 2nd counter samples and color corrections and development of the Tigger style.
.......and throw into the mix, my younger daughter's pending lawsuit from an auto accident which has finally found it's way onto the court roster after six years!!.
You just never know .....what the outcome would be after such a long time and faded memories of that horrible day......and happily, it was decided in her favor. Check one off the stress list and move on.

The samples were moving along fine when I received an e/mail on Monday from Vera telling me the trading company that employs her has unexpectedly closed down their foreign trade division and she is out of a job. After 8 months of building a trusting relationship with a manufacturer, I am now back to square 2. I don't say square 1 because Vera has assured me that she is still able to act as an agent for the factory actually producing the goods and without a middle man (the trading company) the product will end up being cheaper to produce. So she is proceeding with the samples and will advise me as to how we will export them.
She has her BA in Translation and Foreign Trade Business and feels confident she will get another job elsewhere. She also considers me a good friend but again ........
you just never know........

I've renewed my relationship with another Trading company (the maker of the first Tigger sample) and have been assured that they will follow my instructions to the letter and try again. The new sales rep is trying to regain my trust. I hope she succeeds but I'm on the lookout once more, for other factories that can produce the new styles coming down the pike (when I can get back to concentrating on new product). I've started developing an enamel charm with the Lollypups logo with this company and will use it as a promotional piece or give away when the time comes that I have enough product to sell and for the upcoming trade shows.

You just never know......... But I'm moving along as if I do ;)

We made the news on wcbstv

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=127087@wcbs.dayport.com

On the "Cat" walk

Getting my feet wet in this pet product business has been quite a trip . Exposure is great in the right places and so far, my two practice runs--the barking beauty pageant and the FIT fashion show--have been eye openers as to what to expect and what not to expect. The show was actually a graded project for the Event Planning coarse at FIT. The kids did a good job for a herculean task and earned the high marks I'm sure they'll get.
I submitted three pieces by the submission deadline of April 1st and then the deadline was pushed back to the 15th because there weren't enough garments to show, so I submitted one more. I was surprised and somewhat disappointed that of the four pieces I submitted the only one used on the runway was the Sorbet Valentine, which looked beautiful on Zoe, Margaret's adorable miniature poodle and drew oohs and ahs from the crowd. Another disappointment was that we were told garments not used on the runway would be displayed on tables and there would be dog bowls for the designers to put their business cards in. There were no bowls and the displays were so haphazardly arranged that it was difficult to determine what cards went with what display.
All in all, the reaction to my designs was overwhelming and people (though not the "press" that was supposed to be present) praised them and genuinely wanted to know more about their availability.
So now it's back to work adding new styles and upgrading the business plan so I can take advantage of my minority status (woman entrepreneur) and those mighty Obama bucks, and acquire funding to get this real show on the road. Proof is in the pudding and judging by the reaction I've been getting, this is a very saleable product. Sorry we didn't bring the professional camera for Jeff to video the runway, but here's the gist of it using our little digital.

FIT Fashion Show - April 22,2009

FIT’s Pet Fashion Show will be held on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in the John E. Reeves Great Hall Conference Center.

The show will feature petwear by FIT students and will include 4 Lollypups Petwear tm styles;

Lucky, Misty Heart, Tigger and Sorbet. They will be shown on the "cat" walk (ha, this is too cute) and are to be worn by pro dog models. Press and buyers will be present so it's a good venue to introduce the brand.

I attended the Print Source show on the 14th which is a good resource for knit swatches and inspiration. I did end up purchasing a knitdown of a terrific stripe (something I vowed I wouldn't do--but it possessed the stretchability I have been trying to develop) The rep is Catherine B. Designs and the studio is in London. I was hoping to see more but the show was for the Spring/Summer 2010 season so people are less likely to need knits then. I felt it was worthwhile to establish a relationship with a knit studio though, since I know I won't be able to make all the samples myself much longer, as the business progresses. Next up, we'll see what kind of a response we get at the FIT show and I'll use that with my small business loan application. Time to move up the pace a bit. More to come................