Memory Lane

I just took a little unexpected trip down Memory Lane. I was cleaning out my basement and came across some boxes of old invoices from the store. I picked one from 1998 - almost fifteen years ago, and decided to look through it to see some of the things we were selling that year. First surprise - many things that we are still selling today - we're nothing if not loyal to our products. Bu of course, many things I had forgotten - the Pop-up New York Story, the Dinobitz bottle opener . . . . the giggling Mona Lisa pillow . . . the punching nun, and the nervous hamster. (that was a great toy - a cute little plush hamster, you pulled a string and he jittered/ran a circle on the desk.) The Japanese animated clown music boxes - we had lots of them (and just the other day a woman came in looking for one - our customers are loyal to our products as well) And rubber stamps - we were still selling lots of those. So many companies I had forgotten, so many items - made me wonder why I didn't keep a yearly list of our favorite things from the year. I guess, because you don't think you'll ever forget anything - until you do. And after 28 years, I'm afraid I've forgotten more than I remember of the many fun things that have passed through our door. But - there are a more boxes down there - and I plan to investigate - maybe I'll start a little blast from the past feature on the website or this blog !

Sometimes Ignorance Really is Bliss !

A slight young woman, probably in her early 20s, came into Joie yesterday with her boyfriend. She looked at our wonderful Coral and Tusk pillows, asked if we had any more and when I brought some out, said she would take at least a few of them - could I set them aside while she continued looking? This was noteable as these pillows are not inexpensive. She continued around, we had other customers, I was kind of curious about her and as she added to her pile, I wondered if she was some young singer I didn't know. At one point as I helped other customers, I saw a couple of women her age approach her diffidently, and begin "I'm sorry to bother you but -" compliments ensuing. Okay, she must be a bit well known. I heard the word "movie." Finally, she finished shopping, ending up with a small pile of things that amounted to as much as I would expect to make for the whole Sunday. She pulled out her credit card and I looked at the name. Of course. I had even seen her, albeit when she was younger, in a few movies myself. I was glad I hadn't realized, because I was able to be completely normal and myself throughout our whole interaction. It did remind me of a time when I (during a past life as a woodworker's girlfriend) had been exhibiting at a craft fair in Manhattan. Early in the day, when there were not yet many shoppers, a rumor rushed through the building "Dustin Hoffman is here!" Many people took off to find him, including my boyfriend who left me alone in the booth. Suddenly, Dustin Hoffman entered my booth! It was just me and him and I instantly my heart was pounding, my face reddened, my tongue tied, and I was certainly not my "normal self." And it was fascinating how the proximity of a celebrity I thought was great had such an immediate and dramatic effect on me. I felt like a total fool. He lingered just long enough for me to finally decide it might be time to say something like "if you have any questions about anything, just let me know". I was ready to say it, my mouth was opening, when he suddenly turned and walked out of the booth. Oh well. In any case, my encounter today was much more pleasant because - I was blissfully unaware.

Event!

On reflection (so to speak, that's me relecting in the poster) we probably should have posted this yesterday so you could have come down and met our artist Leah Miller. The Art Institute of Boston is our new neighbor, and they organized a project where 17 of us Porter Square retailers had students or professors install a piece in our windows. Our artist chose to center her piece on kaleidoscopes and today they are having a little opening stroll. We hope you'll come down and see - there are a lot of interesting windows and of course, we're particularly fond of ours! They will be up through October 12th so you have plenty of time ! And bottom picture - taken with the very cool iphone kaleidoscope app by Scott Collard, available for free and lots of fun.

One of the Many Laws of Retail

One to two days after donating an item to charity that had been sitting on the shelf not selling for months and months - someone will come in and ask for one. "You know, that cupcake soap, they were so cute, I bought lots of them." The customer was so eager to get one that I went in the back and looked, even though I was 99.9% sure that I had not accidentally left one out of that donation box. What can you do - it's just of those odd laws of retail. Another related law - just after you've looked at an item that you've had on display for a long time and thought "maybe I really should give this away" someone will buy it, and - the next day, another customer will walk in and ask for it! The laws of retail - strange, but true . . . . .

R.I.P. Unicorn Pencil Sharpeners

It was such an inspired idea - a unicorn pencil sharpener, with a little silver pencil in place of a horn. Another witty idea brought to us by the same company that brought us the Unicorn Corn Skewers and the Screwnicorn wine opener. An inspired and witty idea - until we tried to sharpen the pencil! No matter what we did we could not bring that silver pencil to a point. We tried some other pencils. Ditto. We tried another unicorn in case it was just one bad one. We tried a third. I wrote to the company to let them know that their product didn't work. It had to be the plastic insert - and we've sold pencil sharpeners for $2 that worked just fine. They never answered our letter. So, sadly, and reluctantly, we let the unicorns go free. We love to sell silly whimsical things - but we do have standards - if it's a pencil sharpener, it has to actually sharpen the pencil. If it's a bottle opener, it has to open the bottle. If it's a pen, it has to write, if it's a medival weapon pushpin, it must push paper into corkboard. We want our customers to feel confident about purchasing our sometimes rather silly items - and that is why our unicorn pencil sharpeners are no more.

The Best Publicity is Free Publicity!

Last night one of our all time favorite companies, Blue Q, got an informal shout on on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Michelle Obama took the stage and the cameras panned out over the wildly cheering crowds. One person was holding this bag, waving it slowly back and forth and the camera stopped and filmed them for a good ten or fifteen seconds. Of course there was no Blue Q sign - so we're doing our part by telling our customers - it was their bag! Available here at Joie de Vivre - and many fine stores nationwide. Go Michelle, Go Blue Q ! (& okay, we'll reveal our prejudice while we're at it: Go Obama!)

Never Underestimate the Power of Bubbles!

I went up to visit my cousin and his wife at their beach house a few weeks ago. Almost as an afterthought, I threw a half dozen tubes of bubbles in my bag - I like bubbles. When I arrived, the two grandchildren, 3 and 6, were variously watching television and playing with an array of electronic devices. They barely looked up when I entered the room. Eventually, we left the house and spent a lovely afternoon boating and swimming, returning to the house in time for dinner. It's always a chore to get dinner for a lot of people to the table, and the youngest natives were getting restless when I remembered those bubbles. I got them and we went outside - and they could not possibly have been more of a success. The kids were blowing them, chasing them, watching my grown-up bubble ability (really big ones, or lots and lots at once, etc.) They were running around, laughing, and the six year old even made a scientific discovery - he figured out, and informed me, that when you blow really hard at a medium size bubble, it turns into lots of smaller bubbles. I tried it, he was completely correct. It was very satisfying to see how those bubbles engaged those kids. Yay for the simple and magical bubble!

Do You Have "that" Candle?

We can confess now - for awhile, we've been selling a birthday candle we thought was illegal in Massachusetts. We thought it was illegal because sparklers are illegal here, and the flame on this baby is about 100 times more intense than a lovely little flickering sparkler. But, knowing it was legal in Europe and 45 of our 50 states, we decided to quietly sell it anyway. We kept it behind the counter, and customers who were in the know would ask - nudge nudge wink wink - if we had the "special" birthday candle. Or "that" candle. We always showed them a video so they would know what to expect and warned them to keep it away from those who might have imbibed a little too much birthday cheer. Anyway, the other week I saw these candles on sale at our local Shaws supermarket. Shaws is a giant corporation, and I knew they would never sell anything illegal. Then I went to the Gift Show last week, met the supplier, and learned that for some reason, as a birthday candle, the special candle had squeaked through the regulations that the (to us) much less dangerous sparkler cannot. So - starting next week, we will have these wonderful candles on sale here at Joie - right out in the open. Besides their spectacular display, they also play Happy Birthday. (And buyer beware - they will play it for up to two weeks if the wire is not cut.) If you have a special birthday event coming up, we have just the thing for you!

Gift Show !

Joie de Blog is at the New York Gift Show, walking the 12 miles of aisles (so they say) to find wonderful new items "the better to delight you with." One of the things we love most about this particular show is the wide range of items and prices we see - here are two items, one of which, due to price, you won't be seeing at the store - and one that you will - (feel free to guess which is which) Illuminated Sign: $600. Small Felt Mouse - $12. Happily most of the things we have found fall easily into the affordable price range. Now, must finish coffee and head back to show!

Joie Product Spotted in New York Times!!

We were perusing the real estate section today - don't ask us why - these things just happen - and read an article about open houses.  The author was speaking of people finding items that made them uncomfortable when they opened a closet or medicine cabinet for a better look, and wound up that section of the piece with this:  "Likewise, all the nice prep work inside the apartment doesn’t prevent a bad impression from being made by other tenants of the building. At an apartment I saw in Brooklyn, the downstairs neighbor had a doormat that read 'Come Back With a Warrant.' I didn’t."  Okay - we sell that doormat here at Joie de Vivre - and we think it's very funny.  How anyone could think that it gives a serious bad impression  is kind of beyond us!   Too bad the people in the next apartment didn't have the Witness Protection one!

Joie Wants to Know !

Why would you change a perfect item?  We have been selling the Penguin Race for over 25 years.  There are some who don't like its incessantly (relentlessly?) cheerful chirping sound but we have come to accept and, yes, love it.

It's a rather inexpensive toy that inspires paroxysms of delight in small children, and shrieks of "I had that when I was a kid, I loved it!" in twenty year olds.  We've bought it from different distributors over the years,  and seen slight variations in box design and graphics, but the actual item has remained the same - until now.  I just ordered a dozen from one of our regular Penguin Race suppliers and they had not only a different look but a very different sound - the cheerful chirping replaced by more of an electronic fuzzy noise.  When I called to ask why, I was told that the supplier had decided to go with a cheaper factory, and that so far, no one seemed to mind.  But - never fear - we will sell only the original here at Joie de Vivre. And suppliers of inferior products take note - we say to the Penguin Race - we love you, you're perfect, don't change!

We Interrupt This Blog . . .

for a week while we admire the waves and beaches of the New Jersey Shore.  And we're not just admiring them  - we're swimming in them, walking on them, and doing all kinds of other things  here.  When you live in Massachusetts and tell people you're going to the Jersey Shore on vacation,  people look at you kind of funny. Like - why would you go there?  But take it from us - many parts of the Jersey Shore are not only Snooki free but absolutely beautiful.  We will resume our regular blogcasts next week at the latest !