Hwy 58 between Goodhue and Red Wing can be a harrowing drive during the winter.
Hwy 58 between Goodhue and Red Wing can be a harrowing drive during the winter.
That probably came out wrong.
We have been very busy and sometimes things like customer communication can get caught between the cracks. Sorry.
But hey, it’s all good. We promise to try harder to do better at being better.
Harder.
A recent business trip took us to Seattle. We were selling new products, pitching new ideas and creating new partnerships.
Seattle is experiencing significant growth. It may have started with Microsoft 25 years ago, but it is now being fueled by Amazon.
We stayed in the Capital Hill district, which is in the middle of all of the action. It is very expensive to stay in a hotel, so AirBnB is a welcomed alternative.
Most everywhere is walkable from Capital Hill, but if it isn’t, Uber is a terrific shared economy transportation means.
The food in Seattle is fantastic and an upscale, yet informal recommendation is the Skillet Diner.
Seattle is not without kitschy, and this photo was taken for the benefit of our friends at the Red Wing Shoe Company.
We are so excited to have two pieces of original art by Cynthia Weitzel. The piece on the left is called “Enculturation” and the companion piece on the right is called “Resilience”.
Each piece measures 26″x26″5″ (deep) and the medium are screws. The art is very heavy and because of the dimensionality if the screws, it encourages being touched.
Cynthia is inspired by Andrew Myers, who is another screw artist. This is a time-consuming process. Each screw must be mapped and the heights are carefully planned.
It is physically demanding and is hard on the artist, especially if the pieces are large.
We have had these in the front window for several weeks and it literally has been stopping traffic.
We are still struggling with signage issues.
As part of solving this angst, we visited Mike Meyer – Sign Painter in Mazeppa, MN.
Mike is an old school sign painter and we had a good time. There are more images from our visit over here at Red Wing Digital.
When you open a business in a new community (new to you), marketing is a lot like looking for a light switch in the dark.
You fumble around and hopefully you randomly find the switch. Hopefully.
We conducted our first direct marketing effort with a personal letter of introduction and a rack card.
About 1,000 letters were mailed out and about 100 were returned as either undeliverable or expired forwarding addresses.
But…four prospects replied and one of these prospects more than paid for the entire mailing.
So, we found the light switch. This time.
It is a delight to share the news that Valerie Becker (co-owner of this clown college) is the first recognized Master Certified Picture Framer (MCPF) in Minnesota as designated by the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA).
The MCPF designation is a professional recognition within the framing industry that indicates the recipient takes their framing very seriously. Before you can become a MCPF, you need to become a Certified Picture Framer. which is a three hour examination that focuses on framing in a completely archival fashion.
Once you achieve CPF status, you need to re-certify your CPF status after four years and be a professional framer for five years before you are eligible for the MCPF accreditation.
The MCPF is a hands-on practicum, where four different framing subjects are framed (print, fabric, canvas and object art) with advanced framing elements. Each piece is dis-assembled and evaluated. A fifth piece is framed on-site and on-demand in ninety minutes under peer review.
There are fewer than 60 MCPF professionals in the world, so it is kind of a big deal.
Way to go Val! We are so proud of you.
When you are starting a business, there is never enough time and then, there is never enough time.
Time is the most valuable resource for a start-up business. You cannot buy more of it and once it is gone, it is gone forever.
But, be that as it may, we are very excited about some pending announcements. Give us about a week to sort it all out.
We take this business very seriously.
The Rochester shop is finally open and art is beginning to appear on the walls.
We have opted for a ‘quiet’ opening for the time being because the work load right now is nearly overwhelming. Once we get the near term deadlines out of the way, we will begin to think about some kind of exciting opening event.
We have been driving back and forth between Red Wing and Rochester for the last several months and it is impossible not to notice how lush this years’ corn and bean crop look.
We need a few weeks of stable weather (not too dry and not too wet) and it should be a bountiful crop.
The Rochester shop will have a soft opening next week, so we are almost ready to harvest as well.
Okay, that wasn’t the smoothest of transitions, but I am too tired to be clever.
We welcome e-mail!