Sometimes you don't get to choose when to open a store.
Such is the opening of Diamond Art Emporium, the flagship store on the new website. The transfer got rushed because of security certificate warnings when the domain was used for the second entrance to the Etsy shop. I've been rebuilding listings and formatting pages and trying to get as much done as possible to get the store opened and functional, that would allow time to gradually recreate what needs to be done.
Would have been a good plan until a shop imploded, leaving Cheryl Carpenter without a huge chunk of her income and risking her ability to continue to make her art available for diamond paintings. So here we are, opened the store and the primary focus is a collection of Cheryl's image that I had in inventory and a few more she is sending to have special order listings available on some of the images that were well received and popular with another shop.
It should be a good sampler collection, time will tell if it will become permanent, become larger or smaller over time -- a really important difference is perceptions of how an artist can grant permission to use the work, but the shop puts the demands on the artist relating to exclusivity and where else other titles are available, etc. We, as a community, then risk the loss of a shop or an artist's catalog if they are so heavily dependent upon one another and the unthinkable happens. There are other shops, there are other artists, diamond painting enthusiasts don't lose their motivation overnight, but to lose just 1 of either is a loss for the community, a less diverse image option, a less competitive kit price, a little here and a little there. Do you see where I'm headed? It is really important that all shops and artists have some level of support, how they handle it or maintain the work flow is up to them, and sometimes it just doesn't work out. So as a comunity we usually stand up and do what we can, it affects us all in one way or another, and especially the human costs, the stress and anxiety. That we all know those emotions gives us a good common ground to do the things that need to be done to give the community its strength.
So I have the opening of a new store pending when this happened and as one of the artists in the Etsy shop, I immediately realized I could help Cheryl if her diamond painting kits could work for her -- they revert back to the artist and not the shop, in time of need --which makes no sense, but this does,...
Effective now and until such a time Cheryl tells me that it is no longer necessary, all net proceeds (after production, shipping, processing fees, incidentals like boxes and bubble wrap--the profits) will go directly to Cheryl when I receive the funds for either Etsy or Shopify for the kits that are sold featuring her art. Not for me, for Cheryl. A full accounting on each kit to be provided and if a third party verification of those figures is necessary then that will be made possible too. there are 18 kits here and that should generate a decent chunk to help her weather this storm. I will leave it up to her regarding the disclosure of the specifics, it is afterall going to be a personal financial matter at some point. I will also be listing additional images that Cheryl is giving permission to offer as special order kits, she is selecting those from her catalog and reviewing their popularity and availability. Those will be coming online as quickly as I can get them up.
But, what about your kits? The new store just barely as anything else to offer? Yeah, and does it matter? If opening the store early to help Cheryl gives the impression that my store is a little tiny shop, so be it. I have plenty of time to build out the categories and get listings updated and new releases out -- Cheryl doesn't have that luxury of time right now. So share as you choose from the Instagram posts, Facebook posts, this blog post, the Cheryl Carpenter Collection category link--it is all helpful.
The first anniversary of Diamond Art Emporium is coming up in May, this will be an awesome 11th and 12th month of that first year if we can help Cheryl out--Then I will start promoting my kits and my store and keep sponsoring events as I am able. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Community is so important, as a chosen family, it is what we can all rely upon in time of need,. My store will always be available to help any artist or other shop that might have a need, reach out to me and we'll figure something out. No one should have to deal with a crisis alone. Right? Right!
Go buy one of Cheryl's kits, get it out of my house. I'll give you a free coverminder.
