Here we are just a few days off of the big fella’s arrival – um, I am sorry but WTF? Where the heck has the year gone? I know everyone says that every year, but seriously…..
Anyhoo, although the shop has been utterly & ridiculously busy the past few months, actually the whole year – but especially since the silly season started – we have been reflecting on the year & how amazing it has been. 2016 sure has been kind to us at Eggplant & Poppy. So, I apologise now for the lengthy post - but there is a lot to cover....
We returned to the shop in January after an epic first few months, Christmas & especially winning the Cairns Post Christmas in The City Competition….. there was a lot of sketching, planning & creating some of our handmade jewellery & décor – we started to fine tune the whole creative process with being in a studio space & utilizing our time in the shop more. We welcomed Damselfly to the shop & were excited to be the first Cairns stockist!!!
February was the month of love which included a massive love letters window display & brought our first charity gig – with our Valentine’s Day Kissing Booth, raising money for the FNQ Cerebral Palsey Support Group. We had such a fantastic couple of days & were so pleased with the success of it all!
March saw the rise in popularity of our jewellery & the intro of our much loved foil accented pieces, you guys still cant get enough of it & after what we thought would be a trial, we are still pumping it out for you! Our handmade custom designed blocks also became a regular handmade item with their popularity rising!
Taco trucks arrived. Need I say more?
I met Pete Evans down at the Paleo café……
Emma & I had numerous “Bin Offs” – to see who could go the longest without emptying the bin at the front counter.
We also celebrated our 12-month Business Launch party…. And Emma chucked a male & completely forgot it.
April – this seemed to be food & beverage orientated – with Easter, our counter lolly jar was frequented regularly by us & others…We became addicted to cold rolls & discovered Annee’s coffee. We also had a very fun & messy night out with the vintage seeker girls.
So I guess you could say April was pretty memorable.
May…. what more can you say, but Mother’s Day! We were super busy with lots of presents purchased & our “what I love about my mum” window display & competition.
Newspaper ads, fruit earrings, earring storage boards (OMG OCD HEAVEN!) and Emma continued to purchase & hoard suitcases.
June arrived & meant half way through the year – we had spent a few months researching & sourcing new & exciting products for you, and resulted in a massive rise in new suppliers – this was super exciting!
Brooches, bags, home décor, rugs, ottomans, scratch maps, hampers, poo pourrii, face mats & more!!!!
It was also in June that we decided to move the shop around. Immediately it felt better & “right” – it seemed to us that we were finally “settling” into our home at Oceana Walk.
July. School holidays. Arent they always memorable whilst running a business? Thank god Emma’s parents arrived from WA to save our sanity!!!! Thank you Barb & Pete!!!
What else? Oh yes – family camping trips to Lake Tinaroo, always fun & exciting & leaving Miss Elise in charge of the shop!
July – Show holiday, we decided to open & spend the day rearranging the shop as you do, and charging for our show ride…arcade office chair rides for 50c. They were a hit!
We welcomed Wrappa Bees to E&P – OMG they hit our shelves like nothing else – Cheryl makes the most amazing bees wax wraps & they popularity has not slowed since coming in.
Emma’s cooking continued to be consistently bad, as did my book keeping abilities & we planned on our first buying trip!!!
August – We left the shop in the capable hands of Elise & Sandie & headed to sunny & warm (scoff) Melbourne! It was SO MUCH FUN! And so daunting! We were certainly fresh meat there but soon found our groove & enjoyed buying up big!
This was the month that saw the “Sexy Clean Man Candle” by bluebird candles officially become our best seller with stocks selling out in just 24 hours….. time & time again.
September – probably the most fun month! Because we celebrated my birthday (very important, and for future reference is 21st Sept) our shops 1st Birthday! oh boy what a fun day that was! So many of you come in to celebrate with us & of course with cupkates, champers, prizes & goodie bags.
We welcomed Darrin Walker & his stunning resin art to the shop. Also saw us sneak away for a trip to Mission Beach.
October - we brought in a new month with a big fat black board wall & massive new ceiling to floor shelves! We had Comp-tober & gave away lots of awesome prizes. Introduced our "Husband Chair", welcomed the ever popular "Elf On The Shelf", gorgeous dream catchers by Tania Birkbeck & I uncovered Emma's "Good Paper" stash which I threatened to cut up :)
November - which is pretty much mushed into December when you own a retail shop because the Christmas shopping begun! This saw me ordering & sourcing A LOT of new stock, which meant more paper work for Emma, a lot of deliveries, boxes opened, 176,324 boxes of pricing stickers & 42,343 rolls of bubble wrap being used.
December - and here we are. At the end of a massive year & blog post (sorry! but I am a sentimental gal)
There are no words to describe December in our shop. The energy is incredible, We have had nothing but the sweetest, most kind hearted customers who have filled us with so much love & confidence that our shop has made a foot print on Cairns.
We are tired, but our hearts are so full of love & gratitude. We cannot believe how many people are going to be unwrapping little parcels of E&P this Christmas. Whether its our handmade creations or our sourced items, we hope you & your loved ones adore your gifts.
For us? We are going out with a bang - 2016 was just a warm up - you think we are kicking ass now, wait until you see what we have planned for 2017.
Thank you gorgeous ones. So very much.
Kirsty & Emma
xx