now this is how it is supposed to be!!

We had a great day with loads of Dressage enthusiasts.  We met new folks and visited with some we had met in CA, WI,OH and MN.  Many knew of us from the web and this is really encouraging. - Trying very hard to Make the Curvy Cowgirl name stand out to get keep out brand identity!. People came looking for us and we could have used 3 dressing rooms at times.

Nicole did a great JOB with the boots and 1/2 chaps.. my eyes are too old to read the small letters...but all in all - the Fuller FIllies brand continues to be appreciated by all and worn by many!

What working lots of hours does to a 50 year old

OK - so I could not find my glasses, forgot my socks, and now am not sure where my keys are...oh wait - that is normal for me...:-)  I need a better excuse..... Everytime it gets tough - I remind myself - I could be working for someone else... or in healthcare again.  Ummm yeah - so life is good.

What a difference a day makes...

The weather took a cooler turn today and we had lots of folks looking at our great jackets!  By the way the Americans took the reining championship!

Weather is going to turn cooler and we will be looking forward to more ladies that find MORE great jackets here at the Curvy Cowgirl.

Nicole and I had a contest today to see if we could affect sales with our "merchandising abilities" well actually we did not sell the items we put together - BUT it brought lots of attention!

Day 2 in the bluegrass

Well here it is day 2.  And we have to say we are a little slow to get going this morning.  16 hour days are a bit tiring even for "the boot monkey" ( Nicole).  It is a bit slower than we expected for opening day - but we are hopeful that it will gain momentum.  It is cool and overcast - a good day to sell coats - and of course more boots.  Gotta ramp up - this is such a great opportunity!  At times like this you wonder whether or not you made the right decision to do an event of this size with all of the costs and inventory risks... but I have been planning this for a year and here we are!!!  SO we will  sell sell sell....

more stories like before

it is a long day - from 8 am to 10pm....but made worthwhile by the women who come into our shop and ar so happy to have us.  Went well today - but somewhat slower than expected.  I hope it picks up this week.

Mike went home today - so Nicole and I are manning the ship and although I did not break the truck - breaking out of the storage area may be a trick - they have it blocked off.  I am sure we can find someone to help us get out.  At least I hope so.I guess we could sleep in the truck - there are lots of soft things to snuggle with in there.

So story of the day - a lady came in and said she met Lolly and I in Ohio and she wanted to thank us.  For something we didnt know we did.  Lolly and I have a way of being blunt about proper undedrgarments and well fitted clothes to make one feel good about herself.  Well this lady said we had told her she was wearing her clothes too big and needed proper well fitted undergarments - to show off her lovely figure.  She said she did that -- and it put her on the road to improving her self esteem. She was dressing in well fitting pants that showed off her figure and had on a CUTE western top like all the girls are wearing...and it looked wonderful on her!! - she gave us a big hug!!

We are all set up

Well hours and hours have gone by and we have gotten all set up-- rearranged a million times - it has been a huge challenge to get the goods in a 10x12 booth - but we did it.. and the first sale as well - before we opened this morning.  The games just opened and the Kentucky revenue has been by to see us to make sure we pay our taxes...-- now we begin...ohhh let it be good and great!

The saga of the red vest

For the world games - I asked Suzanne Wild at Fuller Fillies to make us something special to commemorate the event... she came up with a lovely red vest - think of a faux suede - wescot type vest that looks as good in the show ring as in the office.  It is so cute and has "the curvy cowgirl" embroidered on the pocket flap.

So why the "saga" title?  There is so much I don't know or understand about how things work in shipping and customs... the vests were late leaving the manufacturer and so had to be shipped direct...what I didn't realize is how complicated that is... I knew it was expensive...but what I didn't know was that the government has strict rules about who can import goods..Now - Mike and I are just a little company with big ideas.  A married partnership with no official papers that outline our partnership -other than our marriage license.  The Customs folks needed proof that we were partners and a legal partnership  - It was all quite comical - at least now - at this time I seem to remember swearing a little.


So at any rate.. the vests will be meeting us in Lexington rather than making the trip from home - they will make opening day on Saturday-- Every time I turn around ... I am learning something new... and honestly - I don't mind it - us horse people are avid students... I just wish I could choose WHEN I learn my lessons!

How many trucks can I break...

OK so we bought an old Uhaul to take the place to Tug the truck and old Blue - I broke them over the last few months...This old Uhaul is named "Thumper".. and is AWESOME - has loads of room and can take my trailer. Fast forward to today... all the packing and worrying and final plans. Went to start the Truck and ---- thats right.. NOTHING...

I sat in a slightly catatonic state- and somewhere from the porch I hear --- " is everything alright?" no I say quietly. sooo at anyrate-- the starter is dead - and my excellent husband/wonderman... proceeded to get under it and take the starter out and put in a new one...so did I say how sexy he is with grease all over him?

We are on our way tomorrow..I managed to forget to order some of the fixtures to show the boots..( I was soooo sure I did) so I did that.. can I blame that on menopause??  Huuurumph.  It will be here tomorrow thank goodness and we will only be a little late getting started.

Then to top this all off - I had arranged for the farrier - good friend of ours, Tony Vaught to come today.  So could I put any more pressure on myself?  That my friends - was the BEST thing I did all day.  2-3 hours with my lovely horses ( trimmed 10) and good friend Tony.  I was renewed after spending the afternoon working with my big  beauties and was so proud of how they behaved,,, well all but Baby Huey - he was being a teenager... but even that made me smile... and lets be honest... there are worse ways to spend the day, than admiring your farrier's assets..:-)

The road to WEG

I have decided to blog my trip to- from and at the World Equine Games in Lexington Kentucky.  This is the first time the event has been held in the US.. and with a planned attendance rate of 700,000 - it will be a spectacular event.

Although I will be in my booth most of the time...I hope to capture the goings on as much as I can and will blog stories of people I meet and what I see...and what it is like to be a small business owner in this day and age!!

For those of you interested - the journey starts today!!!!

Apryk