Dear Everyone ~
Studio Sale 2020 is virtually over, almost in the blink of an eye! Certainly, I’ve never experienced anything quite like this, because we’ve never had an online sale before. I can’t really even compare it to an in-person, in-studio sale. Today, as I am wrapping & packing parcels for curbside pick up and shipping, I am surrounded by utter stillness, reflecting on the connections, albeit electronic, of last weekend. Here are some highlights.
After the sale went live at 8:00 pm (CST) on Friday evening, order notifications flowed (flew?) in with a whoosh. Dozens of emails in a matter of minutes! Several customers placed more than one order! The “star” of this year’s sale was definitely Melanie O., which is poetic justice. Melanie lives in Florida, and for my sale in 2019, she gave me a $100 allowance, asking that I simply select something(s) for her. This year, the shopping field was level, she was at the ready, and she placed three orders! Alas, she experienced a cart-astrophe, about which she was incredibly good natured. She e’d me on Saturday to report:
“ As you can see, I have purchased three different times! Let me explain. I lingered too long on my first shopping spree and by the time I checked out. . . well, most of what was in my cart had sold. (More happiness for more customers, which brings me great joy!) Anyway, that led me to a second purchase . . . and, well, today I decided my blissful blank book needed a friend. ”
Melanie’s description of what the sale represented for her, really was the frosting on the Studio Sale cake:
“ Words will never express adequately just how much fun it was to shop at your studio sale! I know it wasn't the personal and nostalgic experience that you are used to hosting, but thank you for making it available to everyone, both near and far. What a feast you laid before us! And I can honestly say, that’s what the virtual sale felt like: a beautiful banquet table in which to indulge. ”
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A handful of other customers placed two orders, including Sue in Canada, who to her chagrin wasn’t quick enough to get her hands on a Bag of Beribbonments. It was indeed a banner evening for ribbon sales! The other double-orderers, from A-B-C to Z, are: Annie, Barbara, Becky, Cie, Cindy, and Zoe. To you I say: Thanks for coming back for seconds!
It’s one thing to create a beautiful spread, so to speak, on a table for people to peruse and to touch. But needing to photograph and describe all the items somehow caused me to think back on why I had chosen, or made, these things to start with. And that was an unexpected pleasure. Perhaps it’s not so far fetched, that my fond feelings for stationery pleasures and handmade books & boxes somehow infused the photos and listings with extra energy.
In all, 55 orders have been received as of this morning, almost half of them from out of state, and two from Canada. I deem Studio Sale 2020 a glorious success. I send gratitude to Everyone who participated, for your appreciation of what Bari Zaki Studio, I ardently hope, embodies.
I wish (or wishbone!) Everyone a peaceful Thanksgiving, heavy on the gratitude and the gravy.
In deep bow, Bari