Both shows went super well.  We met a lot of new friends, saw a lot of old friends, and all-in-all had a great time.  To all our new and returning clients – Thanks very much for your confidence in us and your interest in our product !  OK, I can’t miss mentioning a couple facts that we are really proud of… We were awarded the “Best Booth Award” in Charlottetown and the “Best New Product Award” in Halifax.  Pretty big deals in our humble opinions and both were something we had been shooting for so it was nice to close those loops.  Another awesome aspect of the Halifax show was that we bought ourselves a huge-big 16′ cube van to take the stress out of getting out inventory and displays from point A to point B.  What a difference   Finally and because we always bring a wheel to shows (to entertain me and keep me out of trouble) I got the chance to throw a bunch of one-of-a-kind pieces.

We got to talking during the drive back to PEI late last night (on the crappy slushy snowy windy roads) that there are as many methods that buyers use to decide on their orders as buyers themselves.  There were the folks who hit the booth early and hard and seemed to know exactly what they wanted the second they saw what was available.  15 minutes later and the order was done and done.  Then there was the buyer who would pass by a few times to get a glance, then swing in for a good chat before deciding on placing an order.  That sort was always fun as it gave us a chance to get to know the person behind the retailer and vice versa.  A third type of buyer was the one who would come by for a look, get our retailer’s information package, then come back the next day with a carefully crafted order that seemed so very precise, like they could see directly into the future and decided that they will need 38 goblets… not 36 and not 40.  Very very precise.  We gained one new client in Halifax (more than one, but that’s another story) who placed an order on Sunday, then came back and padded their order on Monday. In the end however we were more than happy to meet every single one no matter what the method.   

We also had 3 opportunities to attend seminars at ACTS.  Day one was an hour and a half on Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark information delivered by Cécile Klein from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).  Very interesting stuff that I had never considered before, especially with respect to copyright rights either registered or not, and the option of a simple intellectual property employee agreement just to keep the facts straight.  Day two’s seminar was about exporting to the New England States put on by Wendy Diltz and an extra bonus of a 4-person panel of gallery / shop owners that were able to both support Wendy’s advice and also offer different opinions.  Monday’s presentation was done by Jeff White of Kula Partners all about the ins and outs of social marketing and how it can help business grow.  I must admit that Jeff’s presentation is part of the reason I’m updating our blog.  Thanks for the insight Jeff.

So that’s about it.  We’ve had a busy couple weeks and we’re glad to be back home on PEI.

Cheers !    Darryl

I said I would comment on our New Year’s Eve meal at the Stonewall… It was GREAT !!!  The service was great (thanks to Niclole), the meal was great (very tastey pepper steak) and the company of course was perfect. We all enjoyed our meals and the time spent in the intimate atmosphere of the restaurant and we’re pretty certain we’ll be returning.  I must add a quick comment about the Athens Restaurant up on Quinpool where we ate on the 30th… The new location is much nicer than the old one down a few doors and the rice pudding is still the greatest on the whole planet !!!  OK it wasn’t perfect… my lamb came to the table cold somehow but our server took care of it.

Cindy and I spent the entire day on the 1st relaxing and watching a Sarah’s House marathon on HGTV thanks to the storm that decided to roll into Halifax on New Year’s Eve.  Yup… 13 shows in a row.  Seems we did that on Jan 1st a couple years ago too.  Good way to ease into the year, wah?

All our best to you in 2009 and keep in touch !!!

Cheers

This is a very beautiful city overflowing in history and cool things to look at. We must plan on getting away and coming back for a weekend when the summer comes.  Tonight – New Year’s Eve – we’re headed to the Stonewall Restaurant downtown for what we hope is an excellent feast together (I’ll let you know how it turns out), then we’ll have to get the kids to the airport BEFORE 5 AM !!! as their flight back to Ottawa leaves at 6:05.  Yes, crappy timing what with their plans to go to The Lower Deck pub tonight for the big night, but what can you do when you’re trying to find reasonable airfare rates?

It’s about that time… our goin-to-supper clothes (you know… the ones without clay on them) are all ready and we’ve got to get cleaned up…  We wish you a very prosperous 2009 and hope you drop by either in person at the studio or to the Clayblog soon as you get a chance.

Cheers !

Darryl, Cindy, & Carley