It was a mad run up to Christmas at Inspired by Script. Normally it quietens down a little before the holidays, but I've come to realise that with the Wedding Industry it's more likely to be a mad dash to get your stationery ordered before the studio shuts it's doors for Christmas. This year was no exception. Can you believe I even took my first order for 2016! (more of that later).
Because we take such little time off during the year, due to the type of industry I now find myself in, the only time to have a good hard think about the business and the way it works is during that 2 week window... so when I say "I'm shutting shop for 2 weeks" we invariably find we somehow end up there at some point.
The studio has gone through many changes in the 15 years that I have been there. I started this life offering Calligraphy & Lettering Art services, but to be frank, it was tough. People just didn't understand how many hours were involved in creating something hand written. I mean, if you can hand write a small note to a friend in 10 minutes or so, how in the world can it take you 2 or 3 hours? It's because people didn't understand the years of training to actually be able to write in that way, that they almost fell over when you quoted a price. Hand lettering was in demand... but usually to write the deaths of young soldiers in memorial books for the M.O.D. (a very depressing job indeed!).
And the work I used to do seems a very long way away......
Anyway... fast forwarding to more cheerful stuff. The wedding side of things was a leap of faith. I wasn't convinced anyone would pay for bespoke, made to order and created especially for them, invitations and stationery... how absolutely WRONG can anyone be! I'm not going to lie and say it was easy... there were many hours getting to grips with a lot of things.. Facebook, web analytics, Twitter and Pinterest... and these ways of marketing you have to understand and keep well on top of as they change on an almost weekly basis..... and did I mention how time consuming they are??? Time that takes away creating and designing time. Eating away into your day but non the less necessary for today's modern day Bride & Grooms. Also known as... 'The Young Ones' :-)
My first display stand for the cards wasn't really very practical... and it gave way to perspex ... which soon outgrew itself..... more ideas than space I'm afraid.
And in my higher wisdom I invested yet more money on these cardboard point of sale stands
But finding anything quickly became an impossible task.
With so many ideas the shop could quickly
descend into chaos during consultations
Even the display area of
'Our latest orders' was at risk....
Of course.... we don't just make Wedding Invitations,
we make anything connected to paper and Card
that is printed or constructed.
I've been playing with paper all my life....
so this feeds my creative spirit :-)
And then there's the personalised postboxes too...
It's only a little place.... trying to cram in a lot of ideas.
Fitting a quart into a pint pot springs to mind!
So over the Christmas holidays (did someone mention holiday?) we decided to have a big rethink. And the idea of Inspiration Boards was born.
First a Butterfly themed one....
Then a Heart themed one.......
Then Ivy... which seems to be increasingly popular.....
And of course my favourite... The Wishing Tree Design
In all it's variations........
Because we want to give our customers the best possible experience, we are forever changing the little shop around. The 'Inspiration Boards' at least show the choices you have and variety of ways your invitation can be made: flat, Folded, Wallet or Pocket Fold. Card colour, foil colours and of course the all important Designs.
Ahhhh yes... the designs .... the many, many designs which are forever growing! Each design, because we make everything ourselves, can be changed and tweaked and there's just not enough room to display everything.... So I have succumbed to putting them all in an album. Far easier to brows and less in yer face and overwhelming than when they were on the shelf.
Of course.... we'll still have a display of our latest orders,
and dedicated shelves for Wallet & Pocket fold Invitations
but the shelf unit at the end will be better used to display all the other little bits of ephemera.
It's very much a work in progress and I'm sure things will change as the year wears on, but I'll keep you updated with snippets of the inside of the shop, mainly for those who haven't the pleasure of actually visiting and have to rely on mail order.
The plan for this year is... the blog will change. It will incorporate stories from the studio, sometimes informative, sometimes funny, sometimes simply sharing someone's great ideas.
I love hearing all your ideas and plans and we take an active part in the overall look of your big day.
We are not 'just another shop that sells stuff for weddings', we pride ourselves on giving 1 to 1 service which will totally compliment your wedding day.
If we can help you in any way, shape or form or you're simply looking for some friendly advice, contact us directly at the studio by
calling 01609 776 866.
Email us at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk
or visit the shop at:
288a high Street, Northallerton,
North Yorkshire, DL7 8DW
we're always happy to help :-)
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happy planing! Sue x
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