So…
2016 is almost over, so it’s time for us to sit down and do a long, hard, honest assessment of what we did right over the course of the last 12 months, as well at what didn’t work out quite as good as we had hoped. You know what they say, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so here’s how it went this year.
First- the Good Stuff
1)Driving Ourselves to Houston – That’s right! It’s still hard to believe we did it, but we DID it! You might remember that the primary reason we even came up with this crazy idea was because we got hit SO hard with the freight and handling charges (to be more specific… the union fees) at the Fall 2015 Quilt Market & Festival that we came to the tough conclusion that we only had two choices; either quit going to the Fall shows altogether, or drive ourselves and our stuff to Houston! And since we couldn’t even imagine quitting, we steeled ourselves for the 2-day, 19-hour trip, and you know what? It really wasn’t that bad. We had good weather and a great ride and the price of gas was delightfully low and what was even better was knowing how much money we were saving, so it looks like we’ll be doing it AGAIN next FALL! 🙂
2) Introduced the Red & White Ministriped Zips to our Line – So last Spring we introduced yet another zipper print to our line and this time it was red & white ministripes. Why red & white? Well first of all, I tend to think of red as a off-beat type of neutral and evidently I’m not the only one since these zippers have been a big success. What’s next for our line? That’s a really good question because so far I haven’t felt a pull toward another color or another print, but if you have a suggestion for us to consider, I’d LOVE to hear it!
3) Stopped Vending at Spring Quilt Market – The tough decision to put Spring Quilt Market on the shelf dovetails very closely with #1 (above). That’s because with very few exceptions, Spring Quilt Market is held a long, LONG way from our home in NC and is subject to the same (or even higher) shipping and handling costs associated with its Houston counterpart. And given the fact that Spring Market is a stand-alone show (with no accompanying Quilt Festival), it just doesn’t make economic sense for us to keep going there unless of course the show is held within driving distance (which has recently increased to as much as 19 hours, hasn’t it!).
And now…
here’s what disappointed us this year!
1) A Theft at AQS Paducah – I know we’ve “talked” a good deal (some might say ad nauseum) about the theft in Paducah last Spring, so I’m not going to elaborate on it again here. But nevertheless, I have to include it here since it was literally the worst moment of our year.
2) Instagram – I guess this entry will require a bit of explanation because it’s really not Instagram I’m disappointed in, but rather my seemingly poor usage of it as a social medium. It was one of my goals last year to gain traction on Instagram this year and even though we’ve dedicated a good deal of time to this effort, I’m still not seeing the results I’d like. So maybe it’s time to put the question to YOU, our audience? Are there things we should be doing? Or are there things we should STOP doing to have success on Instagram? I’d LOVE a few suggestions that might help us get more interaction in this medium!
So…there you have it.
The good, and the not so good from 2016. But hey, if YOU have any comments, or suggestions for improvement for us, now would be a GREAT time to share them! And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.
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