So the phone lines were only down for a few hours that day - it's been business as usual ever since.
Speaking of business as usual - we *will* be OPEN tomorrow regular hours (11 am to 6 pm) even though it's Canada Day.
Other news...this weekend we (literally) picked up a new line of jewellery. It's hand crafted by a gentleman in the Portland Oregon area. It's mainly brass, bronze and copper, hand forged and well built. I'm going to attempt to upload a few pictures...
Look for these items in the store after July 2 (I'm going to need time to process it). Also, although we acquired a lot of pieces, we do not anticipate being able to get any more for the forseeable future because the gentleman who makes it has "gone up to live on a mountain somewhere". I know there's a long story there and I wish I knew what it was. But I don't.
Happy Canada Day everyone.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
18 June 2009
So the phone company is working on the lines in the neigbourhood. If you try to call the Store and you get a "this number cannot be completed as dialed" message, don't be alarmed. We're still here and open for business! Hopefully the problem resolves itself soon.
If you need to get in touch, our internet is cable based. storeinfo@wherefaerieslive.com.
If you need to get in touch, our internet is cable based. storeinfo@wherefaerieslive.com.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
11 June 2009
Hello everyone...
Things are starting to heat up at the Store - both literally and figuratively. It's that time of year for, a few weeks at least, it's not too warm or too cold in the building. Fireside Chats will run through June, however, they will be cancelled July and August and will resume in September. There is a Fireside happening tomorrow (June 12). As we do not have a facilitator yet, it will be an open meet and greet.
And in other news, we're starting to receive new and different products as well as new book titles weekly.
In the used books section we acquired a number of fiction titles most of which, according to Ed, are "girly". Interpret that however you will...
Trespasser Ceramics of Calgary just sent us a shipment of some rather amazing pottery pieces - really they're more art than craft. He works heavily with "sprigs" which are basically three dimensional stamps that cause an image to be raised on the surface of the piece. Be sure to have a look at the "Warrior and Dragon" bowl in the display case and you'll see what I mean. Other noteworthy items include the World's Largest Chalice (at least it's the *biggest* I've ever seen). And ceramic beads. 86 of them. All different kinds. And bottles, also sprigged, with matching "shot glass" sized cups (perfect for ritual wine...)
And...I discovered (finally!) where to buy those little wire cages for wearing tumbled stones as jewellery. They haven't arrived yet but I expect them any day now.
And speaking of jewellery, we've discovered a whole new line of pagan jewellery. They are made of sterling silver and many of the pieces have gold vermeil (a thick plating of gold) accent. Keep an eye out for them as we plan to get in a few new pieces each week (depending, as always, upon availability from the supplier).
Yesterday I picked up a number of Ganesha statues - many of them in cast brass and some of which are teeny-tiny and perfect for putting on one's altar. Ganesha is, of course, the Elephant God and the remover of obstacles (among other things), and generally the all-around jolliest of the pantheon. And he rides a rat...
I also managed to acquire some Lakshmi (Laxshmi) statues. They're cast resin and about two or three inches high as well as some small cast brass Durga statues.
I picked the best I could from the vast assortment of mostly identical statues. These statues are one of the few items I get to actually go to the supplier and pick out myself. It's a surreal experience being confronted by shelves full of boxes of hundreds of little statues. The only way to select them is to rummage through the boxes looking for the ones that are just right. I always do it as respectfully as I can (I mean, these are images of Deity, after all) but it's necessary to do it or else we end up with an army of one-armed Ganesha and headless Buddhas. And there was one box full of cast resin Ganeshas, Lakshmis, Buddhas etc with the odd Jesus head mixed in...our supplier really doesn't play favourites when it comes to God and Goddess statues...
And horseshoe nails lucky charms are back in stock. I was able to find a source for Really Big Nails. I admit I'm vaguely disturbed by the idea that there's a horse out there with hooves so enormous that they would require a horseshoe nail longer than my index finger and I confess I'm quite glad that horses are skittish herbivores because a horse that size, under the right conditions, could rule the world.
And lastly, I feel compelled to post a notice here with respect to the grassy area between Where Faeries Live and the dollar store to the north. Last week a guy came to paint the metal bits on the billboard. It is now a lovely chocolate brown. The painter, for whatever reason, left his extension ladder chained to the base of the billboard. At some point earlier this week, an unknown person(s) had a little "accident" right on the ladder which required the removal of some...er...badly soiled undergarments...which were left on top of the ladder as well as all around the ladder.
Now the ladder is still there in all its fragrant glory. I don't know whether the ladder's owner has simply not made it back yet or whether he came back, saw the condition it was in and just said "screw this, I need to buy a new ladder" and abandoned this one.
At any rate, the reason I mention it here is out of courtesy to those with weak stomachs as well as for health and safety: avoid the ladder and the grassy space between the buildings until this situation is resolved.
Things are starting to heat up at the Store - both literally and figuratively. It's that time of year for, a few weeks at least, it's not too warm or too cold in the building. Fireside Chats will run through June, however, they will be cancelled July and August and will resume in September. There is a Fireside happening tomorrow (June 12). As we do not have a facilitator yet, it will be an open meet and greet.
And in other news, we're starting to receive new and different products as well as new book titles weekly.
In the used books section we acquired a number of fiction titles most of which, according to Ed, are "girly". Interpret that however you will...
Trespasser Ceramics of Calgary just sent us a shipment of some rather amazing pottery pieces - really they're more art than craft. He works heavily with "sprigs" which are basically three dimensional stamps that cause an image to be raised on the surface of the piece. Be sure to have a look at the "Warrior and Dragon" bowl in the display case and you'll see what I mean. Other noteworthy items include the World's Largest Chalice (at least it's the *biggest* I've ever seen). And ceramic beads. 86 of them. All different kinds. And bottles, also sprigged, with matching "shot glass" sized cups (perfect for ritual wine...)
And...I discovered (finally!) where to buy those little wire cages for wearing tumbled stones as jewellery. They haven't arrived yet but I expect them any day now.
And speaking of jewellery, we've discovered a whole new line of pagan jewellery. They are made of sterling silver and many of the pieces have gold vermeil (a thick plating of gold) accent. Keep an eye out for them as we plan to get in a few new pieces each week (depending, as always, upon availability from the supplier).
Yesterday I picked up a number of Ganesha statues - many of them in cast brass and some of which are teeny-tiny and perfect for putting on one's altar. Ganesha is, of course, the Elephant God and the remover of obstacles (among other things), and generally the all-around jolliest of the pantheon. And he rides a rat...
I also managed to acquire some Lakshmi (Laxshmi) statues. They're cast resin and about two or three inches high as well as some small cast brass Durga statues.
I picked the best I could from the vast assortment of mostly identical statues. These statues are one of the few items I get to actually go to the supplier and pick out myself. It's a surreal experience being confronted by shelves full of boxes of hundreds of little statues. The only way to select them is to rummage through the boxes looking for the ones that are just right. I always do it as respectfully as I can (I mean, these are images of Deity, after all) but it's necessary to do it or else we end up with an army of one-armed Ganesha and headless Buddhas. And there was one box full of cast resin Ganeshas, Lakshmis, Buddhas etc with the odd Jesus head mixed in...our supplier really doesn't play favourites when it comes to God and Goddess statues...
And horseshoe nails lucky charms are back in stock. I was able to find a source for Really Big Nails. I admit I'm vaguely disturbed by the idea that there's a horse out there with hooves so enormous that they would require a horseshoe nail longer than my index finger and I confess I'm quite glad that horses are skittish herbivores because a horse that size, under the right conditions, could rule the world.
And lastly, I feel compelled to post a notice here with respect to the grassy area between Where Faeries Live and the dollar store to the north. Last week a guy came to paint the metal bits on the billboard. It is now a lovely chocolate brown. The painter, for whatever reason, left his extension ladder chained to the base of the billboard. At some point earlier this week, an unknown person(s) had a little "accident" right on the ladder which required the removal of some...er...badly soiled undergarments...which were left on top of the ladder as well as all around the ladder.
Now the ladder is still there in all its fragrant glory. I don't know whether the ladder's owner has simply not made it back yet or whether he came back, saw the condition it was in and just said "screw this, I need to buy a new ladder" and abandoned this one.
At any rate, the reason I mention it here is out of courtesy to those with weak stomachs as well as for health and safety: avoid the ladder and the grassy space between the buildings until this situation is resolved.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
4 June 2009
Hello World...
If you've come by the Store recently you probably will have noticed some changes. Last week we managed to score a huge pile of display fixtures like slat wall, shelves, etc. from a store whose owners have decided to retire after being in business for something like 40 years. We owe our gratitude to Western Educational for their kind generosity. They were so incredibly civil about it and made it seem like we were doing them the favour, getting rid of heavy shelves and stuff so that they wouldn't have to chuck it all into landfill. All in all it was what you'd call a "win-win" situation. We wish the good folks at Western Educational all the best.
We also acquired from them an RFID tag security system (the same kind that Shopper's Drug Mart uses) that I have yet to install. It's going to be an afternoon of swearing and frustration and a rented hammer drill making holes deep enough to put the lag bolts into the concrete floor. All that is needed is the addition of copious amounts of cheap alcohol and you'd have a pretty good recreation of an afternoon in my younger days that probably are best forgotten (to be clear - *this* time I intend to be stone cold sober. Respect the drill. Truly respect the hammer drill)
Another change you'll see here is the fact that we've had to install real, working security cameras. (For everyone who thought that big brown "camera" that was mounted over the books in the corner for years was real...surprise!...it wasn't.)
Anyway, this is not a decision we made lightly. In fact, I've been putting off getting them for as long as I could because even though I used to work full time installing such devices for corporate clients (or perhaps *because* I used to) I'm really on the fence as to the use of such things.
What tipped the balance for me was about three weeks ago: it was a slow afternoon (snowing sideways - you may recall the day) and I had Fred outside in the alley beside the Store for a well deserved bathroom break (for Fred, not me. Though I bet we could toilet train him. But I digress). I saw the guy coming up the street and go into the Store but Fred just wouldn't come back so I could go back into the Store. I realize it sounds like I'm blaming Fred. I'm not, really, but what it meant was that the guy had about fifteen seconds alone in the Store.
When Fred and I came back in, the guy was facing the till. As soon as he heard me, he turned away, browsed the incense for a minute, and then left. After he was gone I realized that the Food Bank donation jar (that salsa jar we keep by the till) was gone.
Because Rasa was doing a Tarot card Reading, I couldn't leave the Store to go after the guy. I did, however, see him a couple of minutes later, come back down the street and go into the Dollar Store. I swear he smiled at me as he was going in. When Rasa's reading was finished, I went back up the street to where I saw the guy come from and lo and behold...there was the Food Bank jar...empty on the ground beside a hedge.
What's most disturbing about this is that this jerk has been back to the Store at least twice more since then (once per week) and walks by out front a lot. He has the attitude of someone who is "scoping" out the premises and, as we now know from hard experience, he is a thief simply waiting for the right opportunity.
The Edmonton Police Service have been advised of the incident and I desperately hope this cocky SOB comes back at least once more so I can get his image to show them who he is.
The other reason the cameras really became non-optional is because I think we're starting to get a reputation in the "underworld" community as being easy to steal from. We've identified at least one couple who, even though they live two blocks away, regularly came in with big shopping bags. One would distract the staff while the other filled her bags with stuff. In retrospect, they were almost laughably transparent and once we figured out what they were up to, we made it clear we knew and they were smart enough not to come back since.
And I want to say to the 99 out of 100 people who come in the door who are honest and well-meaning...I'm sorry. Truly I am. It is *not* our intention to treat you like criminals. Unfortunately, we need to protect ourselves from that 1 person in 100 who is coming from a not-so-virtuous headspace.
When it's all finished, the system will be a true closed loop on a secure server - and the only time the files will be accessed by anyone but me is if there is an incident severe enough warrant police involvement.
Anyway...
The other news I have to share to day is that we've finally managed to get our hands on five copies of "A Brief History of the Celts" by Peter Berresford Ellis. This is for a limited time because for some bizarre reason, none of our regular suppliers carries this title. Which is sad because the book comes extremely highly recommended by a member of the local Druid community (who really knows her books).
And did I mention we got more fairies? The nice kind? With the metal wings?
If you've come by the Store recently you probably will have noticed some changes. Last week we managed to score a huge pile of display fixtures like slat wall, shelves, etc. from a store whose owners have decided to retire after being in business for something like 40 years. We owe our gratitude to Western Educational for their kind generosity. They were so incredibly civil about it and made it seem like we were doing them the favour, getting rid of heavy shelves and stuff so that they wouldn't have to chuck it all into landfill. All in all it was what you'd call a "win-win" situation. We wish the good folks at Western Educational all the best.
We also acquired from them an RFID tag security system (the same kind that Shopper's Drug Mart uses) that I have yet to install. It's going to be an afternoon of swearing and frustration and a rented hammer drill making holes deep enough to put the lag bolts into the concrete floor. All that is needed is the addition of copious amounts of cheap alcohol and you'd have a pretty good recreation of an afternoon in my younger days that probably are best forgotten (to be clear - *this* time I intend to be stone cold sober. Respect the drill. Truly respect the hammer drill)
Another change you'll see here is the fact that we've had to install real, working security cameras. (For everyone who thought that big brown "camera" that was mounted over the books in the corner for years was real...surprise!...it wasn't.)
Anyway, this is not a decision we made lightly. In fact, I've been putting off getting them for as long as I could because even though I used to work full time installing such devices for corporate clients (or perhaps *because* I used to) I'm really on the fence as to the use of such things.
What tipped the balance for me was about three weeks ago: it was a slow afternoon (snowing sideways - you may recall the day) and I had Fred outside in the alley beside the Store for a well deserved bathroom break (for Fred, not me. Though I bet we could toilet train him. But I digress). I saw the guy coming up the street and go into the Store but Fred just wouldn't come back so I could go back into the Store. I realize it sounds like I'm blaming Fred. I'm not, really, but what it meant was that the guy had about fifteen seconds alone in the Store.
When Fred and I came back in, the guy was facing the till. As soon as he heard me, he turned away, browsed the incense for a minute, and then left. After he was gone I realized that the Food Bank donation jar (that salsa jar we keep by the till) was gone.
Because Rasa was doing a Tarot card Reading, I couldn't leave the Store to go after the guy. I did, however, see him a couple of minutes later, come back down the street and go into the Dollar Store. I swear he smiled at me as he was going in. When Rasa's reading was finished, I went back up the street to where I saw the guy come from and lo and behold...there was the Food Bank jar...empty on the ground beside a hedge.
What's most disturbing about this is that this jerk has been back to the Store at least twice more since then (once per week) and walks by out front a lot. He has the attitude of someone who is "scoping" out the premises and, as we now know from hard experience, he is a thief simply waiting for the right opportunity.
The Edmonton Police Service have been advised of the incident and I desperately hope this cocky SOB comes back at least once more so I can get his image to show them who he is.
The other reason the cameras really became non-optional is because I think we're starting to get a reputation in the "underworld" community as being easy to steal from. We've identified at least one couple who, even though they live two blocks away, regularly came in with big shopping bags. One would distract the staff while the other filled her bags with stuff. In retrospect, they were almost laughably transparent and once we figured out what they were up to, we made it clear we knew and they were smart enough not to come back since.
And I want to say to the 99 out of 100 people who come in the door who are honest and well-meaning...I'm sorry. Truly I am. It is *not* our intention to treat you like criminals. Unfortunately, we need to protect ourselves from that 1 person in 100 who is coming from a not-so-virtuous headspace.
When it's all finished, the system will be a true closed loop on a secure server - and the only time the files will be accessed by anyone but me is if there is an incident severe enough warrant police involvement.
Anyway...
The other news I have to share to day is that we've finally managed to get our hands on five copies of "A Brief History of the Celts" by Peter Berresford Ellis. This is for a limited time because for some bizarre reason, none of our regular suppliers carries this title. Which is sad because the book comes extremely highly recommended by a member of the local Druid community (who really knows her books).
And did I mention we got more fairies? The nice kind? With the metal wings?
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