Its been another exciting, inconsistent and newsworthy week since the last post...already one week old. An "election" in Iran, shenanigans in South Carolina, the passing of not one but two icons of my youth....and closer to home, an escape to the beach, unpredictable business, and new opportunities.
The Dallas Lighting Market just ended this week. My sources tell me it was the slowest market ever, with several exhibitors announcing they would not be back. The June market is slow anyway, so maybe they should just have it once a year in January. I am getting ready to go to the Atlanta Gift Mart next week, and am looking forward to it because I haven't been in about 10 years. It will be interesting to see how its developed. I am going as an Interior Design Society trade member, and will be sitting in on some design seminars. It will be a good insight into what is happening in design circles these days.
On another front, I visited with Charleston Forge last week. It was really time for us to catch up, since they are such an important supplier to us and have been through lots of changes these past few years. I was really struck by the fact that they STILL make everything by hand. It is really amazing to see these guys beating on iron, bending steel and making beautiful furniture. They have tons of prototypes, discontinueds, and floor samples just lying around in their showroom and factory floor. We (CR) are going to sell these items as closeouts, and you can get a sneak preview here. Sorry for the shameless self-promotion, but I think Charleston Forge is one of the most unique manufacturers in the county, and these closeouts are unbelievable deals. I just think everyone should have a piece of CF in their home.
We fit in a visit to Sunset Beach, and had a great time boogie-boarding in the surf. It was really hot, though, and you could not stay on the beach for more than a few hours. By noon, it was just unbearable. So, thats when I went for my run on Sunday!
June is ending with a whimper, but not before we posted one of our best June sales months ever. That is the inconsistent part of the month. The good days were really really good, the not-so-good days were very quiet. Nonetheless, we are all grateful for the incremental growth in our business and it has opened some doors to new suppliers. But I must save something for my next post......
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