John Chester, Wild Apple

Choices We Make

The moment of truth.  You arrive at the airport just after they "close" checked baggage for your flight.  Your bag is small enough to take as a carry on, but with the new security regulations, you know you'll have to throw away a lot of your "stuff."  What do you do?

An unnamed Wild Apple salesperson was faced with exactly this dilemma today.  She (or he) chose her (or his) stuff over getting home fast: it meant getting home at midnight instead of late afternoon.  And what it came down to, she (or he) confided, was the really expensive shampoo that she (or he) didn't want to part with.

I loved that she (or he) was willing to tell me what happened, question aloud her (or his) own sanity, proclaim embarrassment, and laugh and laugh about it.  I like that this person made a choice, maybe the right one, maybe not, and instead of stewing about it like I probably would have, rode it out with humor.

Good Knight

Confirming that sometimes the world is fair and just, King Arthur Flour won the latest Deane C. Davis Award for the best business in Vermont.  Being a Vermont award, it goes beyond just measuring financial results, and puts equal weight on employee workplace, environmental impact, and community involvement.  It’s good to have a role model company in our neighborhood.

King Arthur Flour is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan company, something that is a dream and intention we have for Wild Apple.  King Arthur exudes passion and quality – I can’t say that I ever spent much time thinking about flour or baking, but the company’s excitement for the product draws you in.  The company doesn’t just sell products, it brings education and inspiration and celebration of baking – there’s a lot to be learned and applied to the art business.

Wild Apple won the Deane Davis Award in 2002, but I feel like we have lots of learning left to do.

John on Johns

I have a question that has been perplexing me for some time:

Why do people decorate bathrooms with pictures of bathrooms? 

It's no secret in the decorative art business that pictures of bathtubs, sinks and toilets have an apparently endless market.  But why?

Not that I haven't done it myself - we used to have this picture of a dozen or so dogs politely lined up behind a mailbox, patiently waiting their turn for relief.  OK, so it wasn't a conventional bathroom picture, but it tied into the theme.

Is it that we haven't shaken a secret affinity for potty humor from our childhood?  That wouldn't explain the whole phenomenon, as only some of the imagery available is whimsical.  Is it that bathrooms represent a respite, some kind of private retreat?  Is it just something that has become customary, a social "norm?"

Don't get me wrong, we love bathroom art at Wild Apple, and offer a good selection (http://wildapple.com/fineart/catresults.asp?Artist=&Style=&Content=Bath&Keywords=&rbSizeType=0&ddlPopularSize=&ddlWidth=&ddlHeight=&ddlSizeType=&Submit=Search%21).  I'd just love to know what it is that drives so many of us to decorate bathrooms with pictures of bathrooms.  Does anybody out there have a plausible theory?

No Fun Allowed

HFN / Home Furnishings News Magazine just ran a cover article titled “If You’re Not Having Fun Anymore, You’re Not Alone.” It cites a number of factors, like the consolidation of more and more power to fewer and fewer retailers, and the buyers at those retailers playing it safe rather than offering fresh, innovative product. The article said everybody is running faster just to stay in place, and the joy, excitement and fun is gone from business. In other words, business today has a bad case of the Mondays. 

Oops – missed the memo. Geez, don’t want to be left behind in the latest corporate trend. Guess it’s time to get a company email message out: No more fun allowed. No more being creative, joking, ribbing, teasing, singing, silly email videos, wacky brainstorming, cool designing, uncontrolled laughing, or other spontaneous and/or wild zaniness.

On the other hand…we’ve always liked the contrarian role. Maybe we’ll just hang in the fun camp, as much as we possibly can. (Better to light a candle than complain about the dark.)

 

New Puggle in the Family

This is  Kiltie,  the newest member of the family.  Too bad we don't  publish  puppy dog  photos at Wild Apple!

Woveling Along

Before you ask - No, I did not get the Wovel from a late night TV adfomercial during a weak moment.  Laurie already accused me of that, as she watched me struggling to assemble the oversize contraption.  Well, I happen to think the Wovel (a combo of a Wheel and a Shovel, get it?) is an entirely worthwhile investment.  A breakthrough advancement in snow shoveling technology.  A back-saving device that transcends the realm of mere gimmickry.  (No matter that you need a new bay in your garage to house it.)  But wait, there's more:  it's not just for snow - you can use it to move hay...and even llama poop.  I'm sure you'll agree with my thoughtful analysis, careful consideration, and intelligent decision-making purchase - and that there is no need for defensiveness on my part regarding any alleged gadget addiction.

What Goes on the Road

Having been in Las Vegas last week, I hereby break the rule that “What goes on the road stays on the road.” Unfortunately for you, it’s a tame read. The so-called West Coast Art & Frame Show (I didn’t find any coasts) just took place, and I finally (yes, I was a “Vegas virgin”) saw why this city is the world’s capital for trade shows & conventions: It’s so dang easy. From air travel, to local transportation, to hotels and restaurants, the business travel hassle factor is greatly reduced. And if you can put up with the over-the-top, over-stimulating unreality of it all, it’s certainly entertaining. 

Having the convention site connected to the hotel where most attendees stayed had intangible benefits. Art publishers, framers, and retailers ended up gathering for impromptu parties in the late evenings, bringing a sense of camaraderie in the industry, and breaking down some of the walls that can exist between fierce competitors.

Las Vegas has been making inroads in attracting the art & framing industry, and it has been pulling a lot of the furniture and home furnishings showrooms from High Point. Seems like a decent bet that some day Las Vegas is going to be the home of every convention in every industry. 

As for gambling, I did sit at the roulette table for a while, and doubled my whopping $50 before losing the earnings and ending up where I started.  For me, I’d rather bet on our artists and employees – I think the odds are a whole lot better.

Company Dreams

That (This is a letter sent to everyone at Wild Apple.)

We might take some moments to reflect on the impact of one person, even if we are open for work on Martin Luther King Day.  King put into powerful, moving words and poetic cadence a message that will resonate for a long time.  His message is build largely around the elementally simple concept of respect for all people.

Can we relate the civil rights movement to our daily work lives and our little company?  That might be a stretch.  We’re not a non-profit, or political, or cause-based organization.  At the same time, I hope we feel plugged into something more noble, something more than just getting through the week.  Do we treat each other (and artists, customers, suppliers) with respect?  Do we create good jobs?  Do we support our community?  Does our artwork improve people’s surroundings?  Does our business provide a living to artists in their lifetimes?  Do we minimize waste and pollution?  Do we understand the positive power of humor and bring it inside and outside our workplace?

If we can answer some or all of the questions with a yes, then perhaps we’re working at more than “just a job.”

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Holiday Work

One of the coolest things we have done for the last several years is shut Wild Apple for the week between Christmas and New Years.  "Cool" from employees' perspective anyway, since it doesn't count against vacation time.  (We try very hard to let customers know about it well in advance!  And if you are a disgruntled customer, call me directly for a personal apology!)  The holidays can be a pretty stressful time, and taking work out of the equation lets people have time with family and hopefully get a little down time.  As much as I love the company, I love the time off myself!

Except that when I breezily come waltzing back in, asking everyone how was their break, I find out that a bunch of people came in and spent a chunk of time working.  Among them, our finance and accounting group did a lot of year end work, and in particular, Linda spent 3 long days fixing a computer glitch.  Not that she would mention it - someone else had to tell me about it.

How lucky to be working with people who have that kind of personal commitment. 

www.nonsense.com

OK, I confess, it’s harder to keep a blog going than I expected. I have new respect for columnists and writers working on deadline. One of my lame excuses is that my discretionary energy obsessed on creating a useless website for my men’s ice hockey team. The team is the World Famous* Woodstock Woodies, and the website is www.woodieshockey.com.  We are the worst team in our league, so I have had to find new ways of describing losses. But we do have the best website in the league, maybe the best in the entire world of pathetic geezer hockey. Not to brag or anything. It has a store, fan club, frequently asked questions, “links” (wink, wink) to the competitors. It might not be the most politically correct website in the world, but it keeps us amused. The goal is to get so much underground attention that Sports Illustrated has to feature us – but don’t tell anyone that – it’s a secret.

*Yeah, right.