Day 16 - the end

I have been remiss in working on my blog and I guess that is a good thing.  I have had the pleasure of several friends helping me and spending the night in Curvy Cowgirl FEI central.  It has been a great experience for all.  We me many many folks from from other countries - and of course many from here in the us.  But we are all the same.  Everyone has the same reaction when they come in the store... "sooo glad you are here" and when they try on something that fits... everyone is surprised.

The last year has been preparation for this event - but really it is just a slightly bigger version of the faires we already attend. And actually that is a really good feeling.. what we have learned so far and what we continue to learn - this is the right place for me and even after 16 days of 7-7 work and meeting people - I would do it again in a heartbeat.

So the biggest part of this is : I will be able to continue to to this.  Mike and I were looking at this event as a line in the sand as to whether or not we could continue.  And the great news is we can -- so I have set out our schedule an itinerary for the next year and got my reservations and booth space ready.  It is a relief to have this phase over and get on to being a proper store with confidence... learning all the time.  I love this business and our clients...

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!