January 19th, 2013

Greetings, hail, and well met!

As you may have noticed, this blog took a two year hiatus.   We weren't sure just how useful it was, how many people were reading it, and frankly life did get rather interesting in the form of me (Chris) taking on an outside job that pretty much ate up the entirety of my free time.  I'm still working at at that wonderland of forklifts and one ton cubes of correspondence, just so you know, and rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!

That being said, we (Ed and I) have taken on a renewed commitment to keep posting here...even if just to say a few words about what's going on at Where Faeries Live.


I'm going to treat this blog today like an old friend: there's so much to catch up on since we've last seen each other!

Ed has taken over the day-to-day operations as well as becoming the main customer service guy.  I'm glad to have made the changeover.  I've always felt that Ed was far more qualified and knowledgable.

Cara is still with us and we recently welcomed Bambi to our Where Faeries Live family.

And other news: we came to the (somewhat painful) decision to give up half of our floor space in the building we currently lease.  There were a lot of factors that came into play: the recession, much like it did to everyone else, took a big bite out of us and it was challenging to cover all the costs associated with that much space; we never did...quite...manage to be able to fill all those square feet with product.  We always appeared to be just a little bit picked over and stretched just a bit too thin and frankly it was not a good look for us; in spite of all the staff training we did and in spite of all the cameras and other security measures we had, we were *still* being taken to the cleaners by certain someones whose world view included the concept that not all "purchases" actually need to be paid for.  That archway, though a beautiful architectural feature, was nightmarish when it came to keeping an eye out for dysfunctional shopper shenanigans; mostly, though, it was just exhausting trying to keep up with so much space.

So in July, during what may have been the hottest week of the year (when Edmonton was possibly the hottest place on Earth, or perhaps the solar system...outside of the sun), we hauled everything through that archway into where we are currently located and then boarded up the archway for good.  Was it bittersweet?  Yeah, I admit it did at the time seem like a giant step back for us.  Seven  months later, however, I've come to terms with the fact that it was the right thing to do.  Our store layout looks better than ever.  We are finally able to fill all the vacant nooks and crannies with stuff and with the savings on rent, we've been able to acquire some really neat new things to sell.

Sadly one casualty of the move was the awesome copper coloured steel fairy awning that has been a 124 Street landmark since we opened in 1998.  There were thoughts of relocating it just a few feet south so it would be over our current digs, however, when the time came to take it down there was a rapid and stunning realization of just how HEAVY an entirely metal constructed awning of that size actually IS.  It was all we (and our hired muscle) could do to ensure it did not go crashing through the window and get it safely to the ground without crushing any passersby.  

Fred, another fixture of the store, IS still with us (despite the sad and misguided rumour that he'd passed on a few months ago).  He just doesn't spend as much time there because Ed's many commitments to various community things means that it just isn't practical to haul him around and force him to spend hours waiting in a car.  Fred does still make the occasional appearance at the store and I do try to let people know via Fred's account on Facebook (Fred Canus Domesticus). 

Anyway, there's a lot more to tell but I'm going to have to portion it out or I'm not going to be able to get everything done today that needs doing.

 Take care, all, and until next time!