It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

Well . . . we didn't open at 6 a.m. this morning, or have any deep discounts . . . and there was no line jockeying for position when I unlocked the door at 10 - but, people were out shopping and it was a fun day. We have donned our gay apparel - or put out almost all of our seasonal merchandise (done yesterday before an evening Thanksgiving dinner) so we're ready - Christmas cards, advent calendars, ornaments, snowglobes . . . all the stuff that comes, like Christmas, but once a year. This beautiful papercut on view in our window was designed by our friend and ex-Joie employee Danielle Nekimken - and made by Annie Howe in Baltimore - check out her beautiful work here! Click on this photo to see how beautiful and intricate it really is - and find the devil duck while you're at it!

Oh the Irony!

"Keep Calm and Carry On" has become a very popular phrase indeed this year. We have it at Joie de Vivre many ways, including the above mug which we've been sold out of for a month or so. We received our reorder this week, priced them, and called the people who'd been waiting for them to return. Today, a woman came in for hers, and when we peeled off our non-permanent price tag (the kind we've been using successfully on all kinds of things for years) - the red paint came off with it. Whoops ! We grabbed another mug. Same thing. Another, fine - customer left happy. I went to the stockroom to try the remaining 16 mugs. Only 4 survived my slow and careful price tag removal . . . . uh oh . .. keep calm . . . . make note to call the company tomorrow . . . carry on . . .

An Almost Perfect Item for Joie

This should really be a series - items that are so right for Joie de Vivre, except for their price. This beautiful machine is a mechanical party popper popper. As our customers know, we have been selling party poppers for 15 cents each (7 for $1) for years and years and they are a very "pop"ular item. This machine, courtesy of the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre folks in England takes the drudgery out of popping poppers - it does it for you. Very elegant . . . and very fun. I love it and would buy one of these for all my friends and loved ones . . the only trouble is - its cost- approximately $700 (depending on pound to dollar fluctation of course) And, kind of chintzy that for that amount, they supply only 50 poppers, not even a complete box! Oh well . . . I do love knowing that someone went to all the trouble of making this machine!

Antlers . . .

. . . they're not just for Christmas anymore! These lovely sets were spotted recently on some California kayakers . . . and I recognize them (& the kayakers too.) They came from Joie de Vivre where we had fun wearing and selling them several Christmases ago . . . but made the mistake of packing them away after the holidays!

Warm Fuzzy Feeling Part Two

So . . . . besides the fact that people who have worked for me for years and now have "real" jobs and/or husbands and kids are willing to come and work at Christmas, I realized something else kind of amazing. Three of the people on the list of former employees that I emailed - started to work at Joie de Vivre when they were in - - - High School ! I have known one of them for twenty five years now . . . and one for seventeen years . . . and one for . . maybe ten? It really is a wonderful thing to have these relationships with these wonderful people. And that's it for this week's posting of warm fuzzy feelings . . . will go back to less sentimental posting - promise !

Warm Fuzzy Feeling

I sent out an email a few weeks ago to all the former Joie staffers in the area, even those who have worked just a little at Christmas, to find out if anyone wanted to work again this year. We always need extra people during December, and its great to have people who already know the store. All of these former employees now have full time jobs, and or kids, or are going to school - in other words, they're kind of busy. I made a point of saying I would love them even if they didn't have extra time or the desire to work this year. But everybody said yes. And two people who live out of town who I hadn't emailed called me to say they would like to work. So, it looks like old home month again this year. Then I was out for a walk this afternoon and ran into a former Joie-ette I had not emailed as she has a full time job and two young children. "Let me know if you have any holes in the schedule," she said. "It would be fun to work a little." That was a nice surprise. It makes me feel very good that these former employees still like Joie enough to want to work - hence the title of this post - and thanks everybody !!

Just Like Mae West Says . . .

You can't have too much of a good thing! Our proof - the latest sound machine - the sci-fi special. Yes, it will make the front desk just a little bit more noisy to have FOUR sound machines sitting there - that's 64 buttons to be pressed by customers total . . . but - they are all so good. And we think this one is going to be as popular as the others . . . space ships, ray guns, transporter room, aliens, UFOs . . . what's not to like?