Still Chugging Along...
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 08, 2019 at 04:55:44 PM
Hello faithful Shelfie Shoppers! I want to thank you again for being so supportive and patient about our delays. I am working closely with my new manufacturing consultant, Lana Hogue (check out her amazing credentials here), and am thrilled and relieved to have her on board! She has suggested a more in depth size grading check with the factory before cutting and manufacturing. I was going to do just a quick check of the central piece (the short sleeved tee) in an XXL to make sure that the size grading was where we wanted it, but she has recommended a size check of each style in an XXL which I agree, after our discussion, is the right thing to do. This slows things down a bit while waiting for the factory to receive the patterns (the initial XXL shirt pattern had an alignment error that the factory and Lana discovered and have communicated to the pattern maker who has made the corrections-Phew!), but it will ensure quality across the board. We have awesome fitting mediums in every style, and by checking the XXLs, we can extrapolate that the grading rules for the L, and XL, as well as the S are on target.
Once the factory receives the patterns for these specific size-check samples, they'll sew them up, Lana and I will inspect them and check fit with our XXL fit model. If all is well, we will then kick production into high gear! Productions should take 4 weeks and processing and shipping will take 2 weeks, so now our best case scenario looks like shipping will take place the first week of September.
Your support and patience means the world to me as I make my way through this trying and cumbersome but exciting process. Oh how I wish we were all lounging in our Shelfies today. I promise, they are coming as absolutely soon as possible.
Think Cozy Thoughts!
Joanne Jarrett
Shelfie Shoppe
Emailed to Backers May 24, 2019
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 08, 2019 at 04:54:42 PM
Emailed to Backers May 24, 2019
I have good news! Not the news I would have liked to deliver to you today, but it is good news none the less! I have been having significant difficulty motivating my contact at our factory to efficiently move from one step to the next and have been getting increasingly frustrated and discouraged. Their work is of impeccable quality, but I had been warned that they do require some hand holding, and there is only so much I can do from Montana. So, I have hired a consultant that is located in the same area as the factory and has managed many many production runs through this factory.
Lana has been working on the production side of the clothing industry for decades and has worked for huge names like Esprit. She has extensive experience in production, quality control, and operations. Although she is American, she has spent so much time in sew shops that she is now fluent in Mandarin which is the predominant language in California bay area sew shops. I have taken numerous seminars from her and was sure she would be too busy (or too expensive!) to consult for us. But she had done some earlier consultation regarding Shelfies when the patterns were being developed, and she was excited about the line back then. So, I get the feeling she's doing me a favor. I'll take it!
To say that I am excited to have her on board is huge understatement! I have gotten a commitment from the factory to put us on their production schedule right away once we get one last issue dealt with which Lana will be able to get resolved easily. She has an appointment at the factory Tuesday. After she returns from the factory, I will get back in touch with our updated timeline.
I am encouraged and excited. You will be lounging in your Shelfies before you know it! Thanks again for being such loyal, patient, and supportive backers.
Oh! And it occurs to me that some of you might not be aware of my blog, cozyclothesblog. I'd LOVE for you to check it out. You can read about the journey of creating Shelfies and many other articles I've written about parenting, entertaining, medicine, and more! This blog is one way to spread the word about Shelfies, and article comments improve its placement in Google searches. I'd be forever grateful if you'd pick an article, read it, and enter a quick comment!
Think Cozy Thoughts,
Joanne Jarrett
Shelfie Shoppe
Emailed to Backers March 21st
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 08, 2019 at 02:54:16 PM
March 21, 2019
Thank you so much for being one of my patient and supportive Shelfie Shoppers! I’ve been working hard behind the scenes since the Shelfie Shoppe Kickstarter Campaign concluded and have been updating my backers via the updates section provided on the Kickstarter page. It has come to my attention, however, that these updates have not been received by some of you perhaps due to spam filters or the overly twitchy email deleting finger swipe we seem to have all developed over the years.
From now on, I will be updating you all individually and directly from my business email. I have written a blog article detailing the bumps along the road in the last many months. If you'd like to check out the full article, click here. If not, I'll give you the high points to get you up to speed.
As you know, the campaign launched May 8, 2018 and ended June 7, 2018. And man was it a nail-biter! We were on the edge of our seats, but it was a success! Picture confetti and squeals of joy! And then 13 days later, my husband, our 2 kids, our 3 pets, 7 other family members (and their 3 pets) and I, moved from Reno, Nevada to rural Montana. Bonkers!
You may wonder why I launched Shelfie Shoppe the month before a life altering, mass exodus from Nevada to Montana. The issue was fabric. When sourcing fabric for my pieces, I looked only for fabric with at least a year’s availability so that the fabrics I showed in my samples and photo shoot would still be available once manufacturing could occur. During the sourcing phase, I had no idea we were going to move to Montana. If I waited until after the move, I risked having to choose all new fabrics and make all new samples which would have cost large quantities of money and time. Not an option considering how much had already gone into the project. So, when it rains, it pours!
During the campaign, I had two trunk shows with the photo shoot samples, one in Cambria, California and one in Reno. The ladies who attended had an amazing and exciting response to the clothes, and I think they pushed the campaign to success! They were able to hear me explain, in person, the idea of Shelfies, see the cute styles, feel the luxurious fabrics, and try on a few samples! They also provided valuable feedback which led to some final pattern tweaks that sealed the deal on total cozy comfort! I was also able to offer a few additional color combos and solids for those with more understated taste.
THE BUMPS
1. During the campaign, the factory called to inform me they’d lost some employees and could no longer manufacture for me. Instant PANIC!!! I quickly contracted with an equally wonderful factory. Crisis averted.
2. Once the campaign funded, I proceeded to place my orders for fabric, bra pads, elastic, labels, etc. so that the factory could get to work. I was informed that our aqua and ivory striped fabric was no longer in stock. In order to have the fabric milled (a six week process), I’d have to buy a minimum of 4 times the amount I needed. That’s a big hit to the timeline and budget! Finally, the fabric materialized, milled just for us!
3. Once the factory received all of the ingredients, they made first-run mock-ups to ensure I was happy with their product. The factory samples are gorgeous and exceed my expectations on every level. But during the process, they noticed that one pattern piece was not fitting into the garments properly. Another delay. After much remote back and forth between the pattern maker and factory (two completely separate entities each individually contracted with me), my amazing pattern maker took a trip to the factory and was able to see what was happening and advise the factory as to proper assembly. Phew!
4. While the pattern maker was at the factory, she noticed one batch of bra pads was different than the rest. Really?! We are currently awaiting a new batch. When received, the factory will make one last sample to check sizing. Once I approve it, we will be off to the races!
THE TIMELINE
Kickstarter campaigns include a product delivery estimate, and the month of August 2018 was mine. I regret giving what was, in retrospect, inaccurate delivery information, but I have learned so so much with each bump in the road.
Manufacturing will take 4-6 weeks to complete. The Shelfies will then be shipped to me by way of freight which takes another 1-2 weeks. I (and my family of helpers) will inspect, package, and fulfill all of the pre-orders as fast as humanly possible. A pre-order delivery date sometime in June (a dreadful 10 months late) is on the horizon.
THE FUTURE
Once all of the Kickstarter pre-orders are fulfilled, I’ll get busy selling the remainder of my inventory. I'll sell from my online shop and in person at trunk shows and festivals where ladies will be able to see and try on the full style, size, and colorway array! The proceeds will fund a fall/winter line that will knock your cozy socks off! The timeline of that run will be much tighter since we’ll be using the same base patterns and sizes with minor changes to sleeve length, hem length, and fabric type that will transform these breezy summer styles into warm winter Shelfies lickety-split! I am planning for a long-sleeved tunic, full length leggings, a long-sleeved sweatshirt dress similar to our Just Above the Knee Short-Sleeved summer dress, a long-sleeved Kangaroo Pocket Top and full length lounge pants. I can hardly wait!!!
I am also excited to report that after over a year of back and forth with the US Patent and Trademark Office, Shelfie Shoppe has been awarded an official trademark! This means that our name and logo are OURS!!!
THE LESSON
It has been said that the most common cause of failure for entrepreneurs is simply giving up. After this roller coaster, I can see how that happens. Discouragement can feel like eminent defeat, but they are not one and the same. I have allowed myself to get down-hearted at times, but difficulty is not a worthy adversary to my determination and perseverance. I am excited about Shelfie Shoppe, but like infatuation, excitement is fleeting. Strength of will and commitment will get me to the finish line and excitement will be there to meet me.
Thanks again for your support as this journey extends longer than any of us expected. I will keep you posted in the days to come and can't WAIT to send you an email that your cozy package is on it's way!
Think Cozy Thoughts!
Joanne Jarrett
Shelfie Shoppe
