Sunday, July 12, 2015

Life With 'The Shop'


My apologies on being delinquent in posting more lately.  Since we had the soft launch in early May, we hosted a successful Grand Opening launch party.  I promise to share photos from that grand event soon.  In the meantime, I wanted to share a few photos from the shop itself.  In the last 2 months that we've been open, I've been trying to establish an idea of what customers are hoping for when they walk into the shop.

The local response has been overwhelming.  I'm amazed by the number of customers that have read this blog and are local!  I ask every customer that walks into the door how they heard about us and most people say from this blog or from instagram or Facebook!  The power of social media!



I have found that almost daily I am tweaking the displays within the store and constantly trying to optimize the way the products are displayed.

The benefit of a brick and mortar is that you can tell almost immediately what products are "staples" and extremely popular.  Some of the items literally fly off the shelves and have become extremely popular; for example, the Gurglepots!   They come in every color and they are great for water, lemonade or iced tea.  They're also great just sitting on a bookshelf for a flash of color or using as a vase with fresh flowers.



A few items are selling like molasses (uh, no I'm not about to share what those items are in case you happen to come into the shop and want to buy one of those items).   ha. 

This has been a dream come true but it is also a lot of work!  It's enjoyable and fulfilling but demanding!  I find myself constantly thinking about inventory, marketing, staging, staying unique and creative!   Yesterday, I was sitting at the pool placing orders for the holiday season.  I do love the flexibility in that I can be outdoors and still with family and 'working.'  No complaints, but my point is that I'm now always "on the clock."  My mind never shuts off from thinking about the business and the brand and continuing to make it great.  

Just recently, Vivid Hue Home was featured in New England Home Magazine's Summer 2015 publication for our urchin planters:

Under the Sea:  The Urchin Planters found at Vivid Hue Home get their organic shapes from spiky underwater creatures.  Farmington, 860-677-0301.  vividhuehome.com


I was thrilled to be included  (and a big thank you to Lynda Simonton from NE Home Mag).  



Thank you to all of the wonderful customers that have already stopped in to support the shop. Thank you for all of my blog buddies that have made the trip from outside of Connecticut to stop by and say hello!  Your support has been tremendous!  Promise to post again soon.

Cheers, 
Heather