pugdog
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Jun 28, 2008, 12:36 PM
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Looking toward the future -- Summer/fall 2008 and beyond.
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As some of you know, my health has been not really good. Physically, I've become more and more limited, and it's looking unlikely that I will be able to reopen a retail shop of any sort. I can't put the hours in on my feet/legs any more. It's with a heavy heart I'm thinking that the closure of the shop will be permanent.
I have been looking at continuing the wholesale end, to designers, larger customers, groups and clubs, and even finished jewelry to retail shops and boutiques. Offering smaller jewelry/bead outlets a larger variety in smaller quantities than they could get on their own -- at true wholesale pricing.
The rest of the summer will tell which way I will go -- fully closing down, or switching to wholesale/appointment only.
Either way, I will be selling down a huge portion of inventory that has been collecting over the past 6+ years in the beads and rocks.
We've packed up most of it, and that will have to come out of storage again, but we still currently have the HIGHER end items available for designers and shops that want to carry these items.
We still also have our deal with Fire Mountain Gems and can provide staples such as silver and gold-filled rounds and findings, Swarovski Crystals, beading wire and other materials, and such at the *BEST* prices in town. We have been supplying a half dozen people since our temporary closing in November, and we have been told that we are still offering the best prices and even with 90% of our stuff in storage, the best selections, of the items we are still offering in the findings and consumables areas.
Right now I can only support wholesale customers, individual sales over $100 after any discounts.
I don't want to post rates/prices as they constantly change, but we can offer second and 3rd level pricing (as in the FMG catalog). This applies well to orders of precious metals (gold/silver) and to Accuflex and findings. It also applies well to Swarovski crystals, which allow us to offer them at prices as much as 60% less than other places in town. Designers making jewelry can probably save with us, and we can keep your most used items on-hand for emergencies (like we always did).
Please contact me through the website/private messaging. I will be checking it almost daily, and can usually meet on short notice (1-2 days) or even same day. Regular wholesale customers can get my cell #, but I'm not going to post it, for obvious reasons.
I will be restructuring our bead sites to reflect the new *PROBABLE* permanent closing of the retail shop, and maybe the switch to wholesale-only.
While I enjoyed the retail, and talking with all the people who it brought in, I can't physically maintain the level of activity it required.
I still want to support the beading community with the varied selections, and the best quality/selection possible. If you use another store in the Pittsburgh region, and think they could use more selection and variety, have them talk with me. I can provide small quantities of various materials, from lower-end inexpensive, to higher end top-quality in materials from the ordinary to the extremely unusual. I would like to support the local bead shops, jewelry makers, and designers if at all possible.
For whatever reasons, the bead stores don't seem to want to work together, and many jewelry makers do not either. I don't understand it, and most of our regular customers didn't either. Everyone has different customers, clients, target markets, and such, and working together to find items and cut costs and overhead seems like a perfect, sensible solution. But not everyone (or many) see it that way. What doesn't sell at one store, or with one designer, might sell out completely with another.
I had days in the shop when going through new inventory, I'd show someone some great stuff and they'd say "Don't show me the large beads, no one is interested. All I can sell are the small beads and crystals." An hour later, another person comes in, and I would pull out the smaller items (having just been "put in my place") and they would tell me "I can't sell the tiny stuff. What do you have in large and chunky? Everyone is looking for chunky." So.... what isn't selling for you, in your store, might sell for someone else or in theirs. Cooperation, and the ability to trade merchandise would be a great thing, wouldn't it? We thought so. I still think so.
Those of you who were our regulars, know we tried to work with everyone, and were always willing to work with other stores, designers, and even "competitors" since we never viewed anyone as "competition." There is so much variety, no one can have it all. We had our special niche -- being a rock shop, we knew our minerals and gemstones, and specialized in that over the glass and pearls.
I miss doing this, I really liked it. The strain was physically just too much.
We have a *HUGE* amount of seed beads, and glass beads we'd love to wholesale out to another shop or club, and we can give a full 50% retail margin (or more) on them.
We also have a large selection of lower end, flea-market and street fair type items that would be perfect for sales this summer.
As we move into the fall, and holiday season, and thoughts turn to dressier items, we have a HUGE selection of gemstones, wood and metal, and other materials for your creations.
The economy is changing, and beads were ALWAYS a great investment, and gift. They were about the oldest form of currency, and good quality beads are still being traded and collected.
I'm also interested in forming or working with any bead or jewelry making cooperatives. I can take the supply worries away, and probably beat any prices and increase the overall quality and selection available to you and your members and customers.
I find the buying/selling of the raw materials and products, and finding that one item you needed, (as well as all the others) to be the most fun aspect. I make jewelry only when I'm really bitten (oh, and I *am* selling off some of my "private" stock.... those of you who know what it is...). I much rather try to find the pieces to help you make YOUR jewelry.
I will be posting another update in a few weeks.
Robert (pugdog)
PUGDOG's Rock & Bead Shop
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
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