Friday, February 18, 2011

School Presentation Recap

Have you been in a modern classroom lately? Oh boy have they changed. The classrooms have phones. They have computers, of course. Do you remember the old over head projectors? They were really clunky and the teacher used transparencies and grease pencils to project the lessons onto the screen. I remember the teacher always had to turn the transparencies this way and that to upright the image. Well, the modern version of this is is now at warp speed. So impressive. Mrs. Krellis held the rock specimen under the scope-thing and the rock just came to life. It showed the brilliance and depth of the characteristics I described and the students oooooooohed & ahhhhhhhed each time.
So I felt like every other word out of my mouth was "abba dabba", but everyone said I did a great job. I was nervous, but it worked out fine. I understand that adults impact children every time we open our mouths, so this was on my mind. I didn't want to mis-inform. I was freaking out that a student would ask a question that I couldn't answer. That's where Mrs. Krellis and Ms. Hohman came in. They saved me a few times. After all, how many times can you say "that's a good question, I'll get to that in a moment" - only adults fall for this....hahahahaha

I never thought I would be doing field trips to schools. I consider myself a retailer. I sell stuff. I do the best I can to make people feel good about coming into my store and making a purchase. But, there's so much more to it and this is a learning experience for me. Funny, I went to school to show my rocks and promote my store, but I came away having learned something. Go figure.

p.s. tell a teacher, "Thank You"

yours in rocks and beads,
Kathy

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

School

The Desert Beckons is going to school today! I'm nervous....I want to impress the kids. Thankfully, the rocks do this for me. It's so much fun to see a kid look at an Amethyst geode and just gaze into it and wonder. "How do they make this?" "Did you make this?" "Can I have this?" I love to ask them which one is their favorite. The girls choose anything pink or purple. The boys go for the fossils and the Primordial Ooze. They all say "this one", "no, that one".... It's awe inspiring.
I know this, teachers are cool. It takes a special person to be one. It takes someone with a mountain of energy to be one. I don't know how they do it. These people are shaping the minds of our youth so why don't we pay them well? It's mind blowing that they get very little in exchange for what they do for the kids. They all spend their own money to make their lesson plans better. Every teacher I've met in my life has said "I love my job". Can you say this?

yours in rocks and beads,
Kathy

Monday, February 14, 2011

February

Happy Valentine's Day! This month has been a whirlwind of activity. The stock was held up so I'm behind the 8ball on that front. People are coming in to see the new stock and they're loving everything!!! I'm happiest in February because it's my birth month. I'm an Aquarian - dyed in the wool. I'm in my element right now. I'm also a rabbit, so I have a new lease on life. I'm not sweating the small stuff. I'm not worrying so much. I'm keeping my wits about me. This is not me. This is a new me. I don't get it, but I'm not searching for the why.

Amethyst is February's' birthstone. Carry a piece to aid in your communication with others. If you are sad, it will lift you up. If you are grieving, it helps you get through the day. If you have people in your life you deal with that are confrontational, Amethyst will smooth these interactions. It's truly one of the "best all around" minerals and you should never leave home without it. If you want to amplify it's properties, add a copper piece (a penny will do the trick) or wear Copper and Amethyst together.

more on Copper later - it's quickly becoming a pet metal of mine....

yours in rocks and beads,
Kathy

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Tucson Gem Show -2011

Well, we've been back for a week now and still we wait on our shipment. The storm that pummeled the midwest is holding our goodies captive. Good grief! UPS is broken. They now have an automated voice saying - basically - tuff sh*t, you'll get your packages when we get them to you. OK then. So we wait.
In the meantime, I am working on the bead inventory. I'm just about finished tagging and stocking. I know what'll happen, the boxes will arrive and so will every customer waiting on the new rock buy. This has happened before and because I'm a people pleaser, I rip open the boxes and make a mess of things. Then I scramble to organize for tagging. I was never any good at this part of retail. Frankly, I prefer to be on the selling floor and have the goods brought to me - silver platter style - to oooooh and aaaaaah over them. Now that I am CEO/floor sweeper, I don't get this luxury. And, my retail education continues.....
I was busy yesterday (Saturday). People came. People were expecting new rocks. I told the UPS story a half dozen times. Mother Nature and her attitude, WHATever.....

The new beads are gorgeous. I am really looking forward to working with them. I've got some great ideas on how to bring them to the jewelry section of the store in wearable form. The metaphysical seekers like to wear their stones and I'm anxious to get a collection of bracelets and necklaces together for them. I plan to bring a $10, $15 & $20 price point to the floor and I think it can be done. I'm using more brass, copper and pewter these days because the price of silver is reaching an alltime absurd high. I'll still use sterling silver, my fav, but I've caved into the mixed metals. Sometimes, the stones look better with a brass compliment anyway.

I'm heading into the shop to get some work done in preparation for the new inventory. I'll post more later....

One more thing, Friday, I was flinging myself around the shop and I tripped over the computer cord and the laptop crashed to the floor. The screen was trashed, but the harddrive survived. I basically worked for free yesterday to pay for the new laptop I'm typing on right now.
$ in and $ out, but I kept my cool, which is very un like me.....I'm trying to be a conservative rabbit this year and this was my first test. I think I passed. What're you gonna do, right?

yours in rocks and beads,
Kathy

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tucson Gem Show - Recap

Hi Everyone,

Well, that was fast! Our visit to Tucson has come and gone already. Really?, it's over????
I'm always amazed at the speed of having fun. Why do the work days seem endless, and the fun days seem to go by in a blink???
The Gem Show, for us, is over for the year. I always hope that next year we will have more time, and more money. One can dream. One can dream.

We met and did business with a few new vendors. Love them all. I am always drawn to small businesses because I am one. I will do what I can to help them grow and prosper. We shop with some biggies, but my heart is with the little guy. This is the "guy" that puts everything available for sale on the table. This is the guy who has no website, has run out of business cards - or scratches out phone numbers on old business cards to save a buck and is so humbled by your purchase, he shakes your hand twice at the end of the sale. I am honored to do business with these people. Dyed in the wool retailers. True blue salespeople - love you so much! I will stick to you like glue on paper. Bravo, to your tireless enthusiasm! Keep on truckin'

Robert Simmons

I recognized him in the corridor of the hotel. He was coming down the stairs as Bain & I were going up to his room. I think I startled him. He was on his way out to his car to retrieve his phone when I said, "are you Robert Simmons?" I could tell he was trying to place the face so I quickly told him I "recognized him from the Gem Show Guide" and was honored to meet him. He was thrilled to be recognized. He is such a nice man. I was so pleasantly surprised by his ease and gregarious nature....and I felt his energy. This man is full of light and life. He is a happy man. He is a "boy in a candy store" sort. I sensed from him that all his education and experience was not what he was about; that it was about "right now" that was important. We hugged at the end of my visit. I won't forget it, ever.

What did I buy from him? A thimble of what he represents. I wanted everything. I wanted the Illuminite sphere he showed me in the bathroom. Yes, I went into the bathroom with Robert Simmons. The sphere (1 of 11 in the world) glows in the dark. It is a natural mineral and it glows blue in pitch black. Gorgeous! Jaw dropping! I am in awe. The color was blue, like tourmaline blue, but glowing. Can you picture it? I took a picture of him holding it. He was also holding a specimen he claimed was his favorite, a huge crystal of Kunzite & Hiddenite.

I brought back samples of Azeztulite, Merlinite, Kuprite, Danburite & Anandalite to name a few. All his recent favorites. I met Burch, who is partnered with him. Burch was such a kind and gentle soul. He was so excited to learn that people in The Ohio Valley are awake, and waking up. I was proud to represent the folks here, they need to know we are alive and participating in metaphysical healing. He gave us a great deal on Tanzanite Topaz. Love that guy. The rock room was so electric with energy that I had a hard time concentrating. It's the same buzz I feel when I'm in the fossil tents. Make the sound zzzzzzzzz and that's how it feels all over to me. Its' freaky. When we left, it was as if we had been in a spa. Peaceful easy feeling. I'm definitely going to attend one of his seminars and will post information on it when I get it. Stay tuned, as he changes his venue each time to accommodate people from around the country.

more later......