Tag: Family business

Posted on by — Leave a comment

We’re packing everything up…

…ready for our three day market at Wynyard Hall. My stock room looks a mess with plastic tubs and cardboard boxes full of lovely Christmas decorations stacked everywhere. I’ve even made a list of the display equipment we need to take with us as I’m really anxious we will forget something.

I also have a very long list of jobs that still need doing, including printing, cutting and sticking. I only have this evening to get that list done. Me, leave everything to the last minute? Don’t be silly (ahem).

Anyway, I’m really excited to see everyone over the weekend. I’ve got my fabulous team taking care of Friday for me but I will be there on Saturday and Sunday (hoping it warms up). I hope it has that magical feel of the other Christmas markets we do, it certainly looks like it does. If you’ve been before could you share your experience below?

If you place an order after Wednesday (20th November) lunchtime then it may take a little longer than usual to be despatched. I’ve got so many boxes and tubs all packed that it’s easier to pick and pack your order Thursday evening once we’ve got set up.

It’s going to be a cold but fun weekend, fingers crossed the weather is kind and they have lots of visitors!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Welcome Santa into your home

For children (whether the adult kind or not) the build up to Christmas Day and all the memories you make is what makes it such a special time of year. I always make sure to choose some decorations that children will love, whether it’s our ever popular town scene with moving train or the now out of stock twerking Santa (my husband said they wouldn’t sell!). This light up Santa stop here sign is ideal to pop on your child’s window ledge, giving a nice gentle glow.

Some children adore snowglobes, and these teacup size ones are ideal for smaller hands – please remember they are not toys though so should always be supervised by an adult. Would you choose Santa or Snowman?

Bring the magic of the North Pole to your home with this metal sign, you could even go one step further and create a role play area for your child so they can ‘work for Santa’ in the post office!

Whatever memories you choose to make with your family this year, I hope they are magical and bring the joy of Christmas to your home.

Cari xx

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Christmas has landed – part 1

The first of our Christmas stock deliveries has landed.  It arrived on Wednesday in two big boxes, and my daughter and I unpacked, checked for breakages and priced everything up ready for our first market.

These cute wooden trains are perfect for your Christmas tree – who doesn’t love a train?  They won’t get easily broken either should you have paws or little fingers in your family.

The new range has already launched online, so if you want something snap it up now as we have very limited stock – while I will try to re-order there is no guarantee so please don’t miss out on something you’ve set your heart on.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My personal favourites are these carousel/spinning musical ornaments.  With a range of designs available from Santas sleigh to a traditional carousel, they are sure to fly out.  I’m hoping we can get more but can’t guarantee it, which will be a shame as I would quite like one myself!

We should have more stock arriving over the coming weeks, which is very exciting.  I can’t wait to show you more!

Cari xx

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The cloudy skies make me think of Christmas…

As we don’t seem to be having much of a summer this year, I’ve been starting to prep for Christmas.  Yes, I know it’s still a while off, and I am still hopeful that we will get more days of sunshine, but it seems I’m not the only one.

My website visitors are up 50% so I’m guessing you are also planning ahead.  This is a great idea, because it not only spreads the cost, but also helps on gloomy days like today.  There’s nothing like looking at glittery, sparkly things to lift your mood.

Our new stock order will be arriving in a couple of months, but there are still lots of lovely glass and wooden tree decorations available right now, plus Christmas ornaments for children and adult gift giving.

We also have festive paper tape available, plus more Christmas stationery items over on our sister website (with more to come).

Our new decorations range includes stylish metallic homewares, colourful fun Christmas signs and baubles, and traditional festive decorations like this Christmas train.  I get Polar Express vibes from this lovely red train with carriages, so I’m hoping you love it too!

In the meantime, if we get some sunshine, I will be enjoying the summer in my garden where I’m growing tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes.  Please feel free to share your summer break plans below.

Cari xx

Posted on by — Leave a comment

April update – Christmas market bookings and 5 year planning

The first quarter of 2024 has been a blur, with losing dad and trying to help sort everything (not that I’m able to help that much).  April has been playing catch up, by looking for potential markets for the end of the year and getting our accounts up to date.

I have managed to spend some time in the garden, when the weather has been nice, and I now have several pots of compost waiting for various seeds to germinate and push through.  I can’t help feeling like we’re going to be unsuccessful this year, but that’s the joy of gardening, just giving it a go.

We *may* be exhibiting at the Living North Christmas Fairs this year, I’m just trying to sort out logistics and costs etc.  Have you visited them before?  It would be lovely to have an idea of how busy they are as it’s a step up from what we have done to date.  I feel like if I’m ever going to achieve what I want with this business I need to push out of my comfort zone though, so I’m hoping I won’t regret going.  Just need to sort out what the minimum space we need is and get the display plan agreed.  It’s exciting and scary at the same time!

Our new Christmas range will need to be with us before then, so we also need to raise the funds to pay for that.  You can help us get there by shopping from our current Christmas decoration stock or sharing our website with someone who loves the Christmas magic too.  Every purchase helps fund our dream!

Cari xx

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

New delivery option and our last event for 2023

I must say, so far I’m really impressed with how Royal Mail are handling the seasonal increase in workload.  I know they work their socks off at this time of year, and there has been no obvious delays in orders being received.  Despite that, I have added a new 24 hour delivery option.  This means that all orders received before 8pm Sunday to Friday will be collected next day, and should arrive 24 hours later (Friday orders should arrive Monday).  If you need to guarantee your order will arrive this 24 hour delivery option might be for you.

I’ve also been busy with our stationery website, adding the craft kits we have available.  I did consider adding these festive ones to this business but with limited stock available it didn’t make sense.  If you would like to know more visit https://www.cariscards.co.uk to shop the range.

We are almost at our last Christmas fair of 2023.  Back at the fabulous Bowes Museum, you will find us outside as usual with our 20% off sale on all our Christmas decorations.  If you can’t visit Bowes, then we will have the 20% off sale online over the weekend – but why wait?  You can shop today and save 20% on all our Christmas decor today!

The forecast is looking good for the weekend, here’s hoping we can finish 2023 in style!  Say hello if you decide to visit.

Cari

Posted on by

A few of my favourites for Christmas

I’m so Christmas crazy that I am a proud member of several social media groups of like minded people.  We share decorating tips, latest trends, what’s in the shops etc.  Some have even started to decorate their homes already!

It’s a great source of inspiration and I do use some of what is shared to influence my business purchasing each year.  This stunning standing nutcracker is just one example of this, and I am looking for taller nutcrackers for future years – do you share my love for them?

Standing nutcracker drummer soldier, in red uniform with gold drum and black boots.
Another stock purchase influenced by the lovely group members is our growing collection of Snowglobes.  We now stock three different full size designs as well as three smaller Snowglobes.  I’m still looking for more.

From the rest of our Christmas range, I must admit I’m drawn to anything that lights up, or has tea light candle holders.  The metal forest scene has been on my wishlist for a few years now and I finally have a few in stock.  I can’t wait to put mine on display this year, the candlelight through the trees will be amazing and will add to the cosy atmosphere as I snuggle up with a hot chocolate.

Cari xx

Posted on by

This may not have been my best idea…

It’s the long summer holidays here in the UK, meaning I have more time on my hands than usual as I’m not working my ‘day job’ running the out of school club. I, like the rest of the staff, really look forward to this time each year for a much needed recharge. It also gives me time to plan out our busy season, the run up to Christmas.

As my degree is now complete, I have more weekends to fill with event bookings, so I’m busy looking for new Fayres and markets we can book in to, as well as considering other sales avenues. Since 2021 I’ve been working on increasing online orders, but it’s a slow process.
Building a website isn’t the hard part (although it feels like it some days).  Getting it seen amongst all the other small business websites out there is a bit like setting up a stall in an empty field in the middle of the North York Moors or the beautiful Dales, and screaming at the top of your lungs for customers.  That’s how I signed up for selling on Amazon.

It’s a chunk of money to pay each month for the privilege with no guarantee it’s going to lead to sales.  I was ok with giving it a go until I tried to sign into my seller account, and a glitch (I hope) started sending me round in circles.  As a business run on iPads and phones, I’m concerned this may be causing the issue, but it’s given me a headache so I’ve stepped away from it for now (will try again later).

Have I made a big mistake thinking this would help our small business?  Will I ever get access to our seller account?  Does anyone else have any advice having done this themselves?

Please send help (and chocolate – that’s always welcome!)

Cari xx

Posted on by

2023 stock is chosen…

It’s taken longer than normal to get our stock order placed this year.  I’ve been very indecisive (not like me at all) and with minor health issues I’ve been finding it harder than usual to make time around work and family life.  I finally got my act together last week, and added all the things I’d love to have to my basket.  This week I whittled it down to a manageable order, both financially and logistically!

This year I need to invest in some more space, probably for packing orders as one of our business goals is to make more of this lovely website.  My husband aka the logistics manager has long been complaining that we need a proper packing bench, so my thoughts are for a shed in the garden that we can use for display storage and packing.  As it is the stock is rapidly taking over my dining room, and we are bursting at the seams.  Long term we have our mind set on a warehouse/retail space, but for now we can manage where we are (just about!).

Anyway, here’s a sneaky peek at something we might have arriving after the summer.

Cari xx

Merry go round Snowglobe coming soon

Posted on by

What will be in store for 2023?

I hope you had a lovely Christmas, however you celebrate.  As we all prepare for a new year to start, I thought it might be nice to talk a little about plans for 2023.

The year starts with a visit to a local trade fair which I’m really excited about as we haven’t been for a couple of years I think?  Certainly we didn’t go this year, so it will be nice to search out some new potential suppliers and to see what our current suppliers have planned.  I’m hoping to stock a variation of the nesting snowmen as they proved popular, and maybe some more mini snow globes too?

Bigger plans for this year are to find more markets for our stall, perhaps attend Beverley this year and maybe even Lincoln (if we can get offered a space that is).  I’m going to be working hard to improve the website too, as those sales really keep us ticking over between markets.  I know I need better descriptions and images so that’s the focus.

I’m also changing up our system at our ‘base’ (aka the dining room) so that we can manage orders more efficiently.  If my aim is for ten orders a day to come through online, I need a way to get them processed and out next day as usual.

We have a 20% off sale running right now so that I can implement the new system, so if you had money put aside for January sales hop over to the shop to take a look.

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year for you all.

Cari