Summer Update

It's starting to really heat up down here in NC, so I thought it was time for an update!

The monthly market resolution is going well.  It's been more than half a year and I've got another several months planned already.  I'm already seeing the holiday season getting booked up quickly as I look at all those December and November markets.  It's certainly been a learning adventure but it's been really great to get out and get to make new connections across the state.  I'm still not sure I know exactly where all the different towns and cities are, but I recognize more places now.

I have also recently starting doing some wholesale orders which are going really well!  This means more cat toys all across the country - I've gotten orders from as far away as Massachusetts and Indiana! I am really excited to watch this avenue of sales grow.  It's been some shifting of my processes, but I have been working my hardest to ensure that I keep stock on hand as best as I can on a regular basis so I can ship orders out quickly.

Unfortunately, this wholesaling has also shone a light on the increased material costs happening since the pandemic.  I am going to have to raise my prices in August to accommodate some of these increases.  I am doing my best to try and keep things affordable, so they should just be small increases for the most part.  I really wish I didn't have to, but they've been the same for the 4 (!!) years I've been making them.

It just came up on a memory the other day - I've been making cats happy for 4 years!  I made my first ravioli in July 2019 and look how far it's come.  It's bonkers to think that I've made this much progress in that time, but that's the magic of incremental improvement.  Every time I set my table up is an opportunity for improvement and new ideas are happening all the time.

So that's my big summer updates - market resolution is great, wholesale orders are happening, price increases are coming, and an anniversary! How has your summer been? How have you been keeping cool? Any exciting updates?  I'd love to hear about them!