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Congratulations to Ann M. who won the How Many Balls/Hanks/Skeins of Yarn Can Fit Into A Subaru Outback - Contest. She is one smart cookie with a guess of 995. In fact, there were actually 1025 balls/hanks/skeins in my car that day.
Ann, contact me about how to get your gorgeous Lost Points Shawl kit.
Thank you to all who entered and for all your kind words of encouragement. Stay tuned to the blog since I like this contest idea and am currently formulating the next one.
Often in this process I've thought I'd finally hit "crunch time" but just as often I'm suprised that the next phase just gets crunchier!!!!!
All along I knew that the toughest part of this was going to be dealing with inventory and getting all of those yarns that were/are in all of those many, many boxes entered into inventory. WOW. I'm in the thick of it now and it just boggles the mind. It's a good thing I only have to start from zero once. The POS software is amazing, complicated to learn, but powerful as all get out. I think I probably called the support line 7 times today. If there is a way to do something wrong in this system, rest assured I probably did it in the past 36 hours!!! As usual, the manual and help files don't always help! The support folks are pretty great and it'll be fine in the end. There is nothing quite like a little baptism by fire! Lots of readers here have emailed that they too want to open yarn stores so, if I could start over now, one thing I'd change would be that I'd have gotten this system much, much, much earlier, like before I placed the first order. That simply would have been a lot easier.
The past few days, I've felt badly about leaving RudyBear home alone so much of the time. Lucky guy, he's had me around alot in his short life. When I get home, he gives me this look that simply says "How could you?" So tonight I left the store (about 11 hours after I got there) and went home to get the WonderDog II. Tonight was Rudy's first trip to the store and he was very good company and good security for me. Plus, he loved finding a whole new world of things to sniff. Back in my days as a lawyer, when I'd have to work really ridiculous hours, I often went home and brought Max back to the office. (Max was the original WonderDog - my bichon best friend for 15 years -sigh).
I apologize if this isn't exactly a coherent post - suffice it to say, I think my brain feels almost as fried as it did after taking an exam (not quite so bad as the bar exam but I suspect that's around the corner!). With that, I bid you all a good night.
Thanks again for sharing this big adventure with me. Keeping this blog just seems to make the whole thing better!
Too much to do and not much to say but I'm blogging from the store right now just because I can!
Hope everyone's having a great day - it just keeps getting better and better and better on this end.
It's time for a true confession - this is the first year I watched almost every American Idol show (usually late at night, thank you TiVo!). In previous seasons, I just couldn't get into it. But last night and tonight Fantasia Barrino literally brought me to tears. Wow. Not only is her talent phenomenal she is apparently a wonderful person. Diana is also amazing, even more so when one considers that she's all of 16 years old but holds her own on the stage like a seasoned performer. Kudos to them both!
Okay, did you really believe I could post and not talk about the store? I actually thought for a minute that I could but let's not forget I'm the same person who said over and over again that I'd never ever move back to Nashville (at least not as a single adult!) Well...
Today was really cool. As usual, I was there by 7:30 this morning. It was a good thing too since I got lots done before 9:00 at which point the store basically got full and busy and stayed that way. There was Rick, the accountant and IT expert; Amanda, bookkeeping; Sue , friend, confidant, fantastic knitter and devil's advocate when necessary; a yarn rep (got some GREAT new stuff today that I can't wait to get on the shelves and luckily, I ordered fall/winter early enough that I'll probably get the yarns fairly quickly); the casegoods guys who were installing the checkout counter; Wes, who wasn't really there in person but rather in spirit since he designed the counter (WAY TO GO WES, IT ROCKS!); UPS; and Fed Ex. And if that wasn't enough, today the phone and fax machine just kept ringing. IT WAS A GREAT DAY!!!!
I also realized something pretty cool today. The floor is actually really, really cushy because of the way it's installed, all the better on which to "happy dance." Who knew that was even possible? "Cushy" and "wood" aren't normally words you hear together. I had been concerned about hard flooring since that can be rough when you are working on it all day. Looks like I had no reason to worry though - once again Tonya comes through for me!
We did finally hit a bit of a construction glitch in that the rest of the casegoods weren't ready today as they were supposed to be. But hey, no construction job is ever without any hitches, not even when your contractor is the greatest contractor on earth! No worries though, they'll be done by this time next week and no doubt will be well worth the wait.
Now I think I might go knit a bit - I've not done too much of that lately. Then, I'll hit the hay since tomorrow's going to be another BIG day!
Thanks for stopping by.
will Threaded Bliss Yarns be the most beautiful yarn shop around, but it's also well on its way to being the most technologically advanced. Hey, you don't live in Silicon Valley for years and then lose a love of all things cutting edge!
See: 
That little black box is actually a CPU. And I mean LITTLE - that monitor sitting on it is only 15". How cute is that??? Actually better than the size and cuteness of that computer is what it actually does. WOW WOW WOW WOW. Today all hardware and software and wiring and networking was installed and hooked up and tomorrow afternoon the Threaded Bliss financial team gets started so that by tomorrow night we'll be up and running and ready to price all of that gorgeous yarn.
Speaking of gorgeous yarn - it's still coming in and now I see Brown at home and at the shop. I've changed the 'ship to' address with all the vendors but apparently quite a bit was in transit! That said, I opened one of the boxes Brown left on my doorstep yesterday and was literally overcome by beauty. Just look at this:
The yarn itself is great but they way they package and ship it to show the yarn at its best amazed me! Most companies use big square boxes filled with stacks of bags of yarn but not these classy folks. Apparently this vendor follows the "presentation matters" philosophy.
The First Ever Threaded Bliss Yarns Contest is still open - get in your guesses for how many balls/hanks/skeins of yarn fit into a Subaru Outback (with the other stuff I showed the picture of!).
Happy Stitching!
Due to circumstances beyond my control, early this morning some of Threaded Bliss Yarns' great suprises got spoiled while my brother and I were unloading my car and his minivan at the shop. It was a bummer but I was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. Since I am a very fair person, now everyone else gets a freebie early, suprise PARTIAL-REVEAL!
Is that one awesome floor or what? I've been so incredibly excited about it that this has been one very hard secret to keep.
My plan all along included a big, ol' "Extreme Makeover-Home Edition-Style-GRAND REVEAL." So although you're all getting a sneak peek today, this really is JUST the floor. When all is said and done and ready to go, I'll reveal the entire store both in physical appearance and unique concept. I am pretty certain that when that day comes, you'll all find the end result to be positively extraordinary.
Driving to the store with my car stuffed full of more yarn than I ever thought possible was one of those times when the absolute reality of Threaded Bliss Yarns dawned on me and I broke into this unstoppable grin! Oddly enough, I also started to wonder just how many balls of yarn actually fit into a stuffed Subaru Outback.
Here's the car:
P.S. I love my Subaru!
And this is all the stuff in the car that was not yarn:
Now, I think it is time for the First Ever Threaded Bliss Yarns Cool Contest. The person who gets closest to the actual number of balls/hanks/skeins of yarn that fit into my Outback* wins a Lost Points Shawl Kit from Southwest Trading Company. The kit includes the pattern for a shawl so wonderful and different looking that no photograph can really do it justice, one hank of their awesome hand-dyed railroad yarn called Melody and one skein of 100% bamboo yarn. If you've not yet experienced the fantastic sheen and drape of Southwest Trading's Bamboo yarn, you don't know what you're missing.
The photo didn't capture the yarn very well and the Melody is not black and white as it appears but rather black and a myriad of shades of grey.
Email your guesses to sheila@mythreadedbliss.com and bear in mind that when I said my car was stuffed, I mean it was really, really stuffed! Deadline to enter is May 29, 2004. Good luck and happy guessing!
*Call me crazy but I was so curious I actually DID count them!
P.S. This is definitely the world's most edited post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "If at first you don't suceed..."
Something tells me I may need more employees than I originally thought so I'm rerunning an earlier post...
Seeking creative, upbeat, energetic, friendly persons passionate about yarn with good technical aptitude for knitting and/or crochet. New yarn shop destined to take the local yarn store concept to the next level. Part-time and full-time sales positions available as well as part-time teaching positions. Pay is competitive as are employee discounts. The work environment will be great and the Brentwood location very convenient. Experience preferred but not required.
If interested, please send email with contact information to threadedbliss@comcast.
Thanks!
I think I blogged about the fact that Tonya is a perfectionist and that there could be no better trait in a contractor from my standpoint. That said, the fact that the four existing doorknobs in the place did not match drove her nuts but each time she pointed it out to me, I sort of shrugged it off. WELL, check out this beautiful door handle - they all are just like that now! As usual, she was dead-on right and the fact that they match really does make a difference. If you ask me, Tonya and Mark IV Enterprises (the name of her company) should be crowned best commercial general contractor in the universe.
Don't fret the paint job - they are coming back to do some touch-ups before I open.
Alright, it's time for me to go to work. It is so nice saying that now since now it means I am actually, physically, GOING somewhere other than my house to do my work. I suppose once the 87 boxes (oh yeah, Brown just keeps on bringing them!) are finally OUT OF MY HOUSE I might actually like this place again but for now, the store is actually MUCH nicer.
Hope everyone had a great Thursday!
and that would be positively exhausted but pleasantly so! Today was my first full day working at the store. Until the alarm is installed late Friday, it's best that I don't move inventory yet but I did move all the paperwork (and that includes some 1900+ pages of packing slips from KFI!).
I still can't quite get over just how beautiful the store is. Saying I love it would be an understatement - it's really more like being totally awestruck. If you could only hear my joyful sigh!
On that note, those pillows are calling me again.
G'night!
I'm a bit too exhausted to be clever and I'll make this quick because I can actually hear my pillow calling my name.
YIPEE, YEA, WOO HOO, RAH, COOL, AWESOME, HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today Tonya gave me the go-ahead to start movin' on in. So for those of you who have been so kind as to offer to help, just call me or shoot me an email when you think you might have a free hour or two to move some yarn (and affix some barcodes!) Thanks in advance! Also, those of you who have contacted me about jobs, I'll be calling you all very, very soon. Thanks for all your patience.
The store looks so incredible that I can hardly believe it. There are still a few little things to do (like put a mantle on the fireplace for one thing) but it's really just come together beautifully and what's left to do is no big deal and won't involve a lot of subcontrators waltzing in and out or dust or dirt. That said, the first load of stuff is already in my car.
On that note, I'm off to bed. G'night and thanks for stopping by!
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