After the last version of the website was uploaded, the one that was a year in the making, we all patted ourselves on the back and said ‘job well done, and this version should last us a good long while!’.  Okay, ‘we all’ is really ME.  However, that is truly what I thought…that the site as it is right at this moment is beautiful, functional, and as close to perfection as one can get.

And then I noticed that I didn’t include some very important keywords.

And THEN I noticed that it didn’t display properly in Safari or Firefox.  Not a huge deal, as not that many people use those browsers.  I could fix it a little at a time and that would be that.

THEN came the iPad.

Lynne’s husband, Chuck, is a textbook low-tech fellow.  He just started using a computer a few short years ago, and up until that point couldn’t imagine why people wasted their time doing such things when instead they could be gardening.  This Father’s Day, Lynne’s gift to him was an iPad.  

You know that person who always runs for their computer/internet device when someone asks a question that no one can answer?  That person, in their house, is now CHUCK.  He’s fast on his way to becoming an information junkie, and I applaud that.  Since I am and all.

So, after much mulling and teeth grinding and cookie eating,  I told Lynne I thought we needed to redo the whole site.  Again.  She saw my new ‘draft’ and agreed.

I aim to have it done before the 2011 catalog comes out, and it will be FULLY COMPATIBLE with Safari and Firefox.  So many of you are using mobile devices, and we need to keep up with you!  It’s pretty, will have all our ‘social media’ stuff easily viewable via some very cool widgets, and we’ll be shooting video of all the new items for 2011.  Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get Lynne on camera?!? 

Suggestions are welcome, and I’ll keep you updated as I go.  I may even TWEET about it.  Scary!

-Amy

They’re super, they’re soft and they’re NAVY…and we’ve only got a limited quantity available, so order yours today! We got a great deal on these and can pass the savings along to you. Give us a call or login to your retailer account and check the CLOSEOUT section for details.

Just wanted to let you all know that we’ve gotten word that the Mud Gloves will not be available again until September or so and we have very little stock left.  We do, however, have lots of the Cool Muds and a shipment of the Simply Muds is expected next week…so now might be the perfect time to try something new!  If you’re looking for something grippy and think your customers won’t mind losing the textured feel, the Atlas Nitrile touch gloves are an excellent choice.  If they’re stuck on something heavier and textured, our Flexi Grips will work too, though they’re a one size fits most. 

We always hate to be the bearer of bad news, and we’re so sorry we can’t get the Muds in for you.  We’re hoping big sales numbers for the factory will translate to a better supply next season!

Hope your spring is going wonderfully well!

Amy

From last Tuesday through Saturday we received about 36 inches of snow.  No, that’s not a typo.  Sadly!

We were unable to get into the office last Thursday or Friday and were not plowed out until mid-day yesterday, and as a result many folks called and we were not here to answer.  Please accept our apologies…we normally plan ahead for these things (Lynne, our owner, lives next door to the business and is usually available to answer calls but she was away at a show), but the first wave of the storm was not predicted whatsoever (that one dropped 12 inches overnight!) and the second wound up dumping a foot more that we expected to receive.  We thought for sure we’d be able to get in on Friday, but nature decided otherwise.

We’ve returned all the calls and answered all the emails we received during our downtime, but we are running behind on shipping your orders.  Which, of course, we HATE.  We anticipate being able to send all orders out to you by the end of the week, and if you need something for a show PLEASE call us and let us know and we’ll rush it for you. 

Again, we’re so sorry, and many thanks for your patience and understanding.

Best,

Amy (who is very, very glad that it’s MARCH!!!)

Was just thinking that I should mention that we had several items actually go DOWN in price for 2010 – off the top of my head, they are:
Nitrile Touch Gloves (yes, our best-selling gloves!)
Copper Markers
Copper Tags
Green & Tan Plant Coasters
Super Soft Kneeling Pads

Life is good, eh?

Our 2010 catalog has been mailed, so everyone who’s on our list should have received it by now. Please let us know if you haven’t! We’re excited about all the new items, but most especially the OXO garden tool line. We’ll be heading to Atlanta for AmericasMart the first week of January – looking forward to seeing many of you there. We love the new location of the garden temps (Bldg. 2W, third floor, booth 722) – great lighting, and a big bonus of being able to see outside through those nice windows. In the meantime, have a terrific holiday season. All of us here wish all of you a Happy, Healthy, and Profitable New Year!

Over the years we’ve carried several garden totes, most of which we liked and thought were well done…and we’ve seen many more that we just didn’t think were useful enough to carry.  Much to our dismay, the vendor of nearly every tote we’ve tried has either stopped making them or gone out of business altogether.  Word around the office is that we have the proverbial ‘kiss of death’ when it comes to garden totes…once we decide to carry it, its days are numbered!

Since we’ve never really been THRILLED with any tote we’ve carried, this year we decided to stop looking and instead have concluded that we can make our OWN tote that will have all the features we want it to have and none of the features we think are useless.  We would LOVE your input on the matter and have crafted a survey for our current customers to complete…and all of you that take some of your precious time to do so will be entered into our drawing for a FREE pair of Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors! 

You will need to fill in your name, your phone number AND your DBS account number in order to complete the survey and enter the drawing.  If you don’t have your account number, you can find it on any invoice.  If you still can’t find it, call us toll free 888-712-3239 and we’ll be happy to look it up for you.

Make  your voice heard…and help us create a GREAT new product!

CLICK HERE to take the survey.

I was surprisingly pleased with the new facility for the PANTS show in Oaks PA.  When I first saw the building, I thought “this is going to be awful!”.  But once the show was set up inside, it was great – good lighting, good traffic flow.  And best of all, there were attendees!  It was the best PANTS show we’ve had in several years.  Our new items were well-received by the buyers, so I came home happy.

The following week I went camping w/my family up at North Lake State Park in the Catskills – our first family camping trip in 15 years!  It was really fun spending 3 days w/Chuck and our three ‘kids’ Matt, Mike, & Liz (ages 32, 30 & 26) – we hiked, kayaked, and spent lots of time sitting in front of the campfire.  I found that sleeping in a tent is not quite as easy as it was when I was younger, but was grateful for the Thermarest mattress.  Take a look at the photo of us on Sunset Rock… a beautiful spot!

Oh boy, it’s that time of year again…no, it’s not Christmas yet (but darn it’s close, isn’t it?)…but it IS time for us to add our mid-year new items.  There will be more when we print the 2010 catalog in the fall, of course…and yes, we ARE going to have the catalog out in the FALL!

My favorite new item is…okay, actually, I have TWO favorites: the Flexible Flower Stripper and the Haws Handy Indoor Watering Can.  Great products, and they both come in a rainbow of colors.  I’m a sucker for bright, pretty colors…to me, they make a rudimentary ‘useful’ thing FUN to use.  There’s a purple Haws can here with my name on it, and I cannot WAIT to use it.  And I normally despise watering plants.  I’d imagine some of YOUR customers feel the same way, so these just can’t miss.  Plus, they were apparently all the rage last year in Europe (yikes, did I really just type that?) and will be a ‘must have’ here in the states this fall. 

The Flexible Flower Stripper is just the neatest gadjet…heck, if I’ve stripped 100 flowers in my life that’s a LOT, but I want one of these anyhow because if I DO need to strip something I want it to be with something comfy and colorful.

There are more, and you can find them HERE.  The Dramm tools won’t be in stock until September, but they come in bright colors too, just like the Dramm Scissors we already carry.  The Giant Knee Pad is fabulous too, in a funky floral print and it is truly GIANT.  Great for sitting!

We love adding new stuff to the line…we collect samples, drag them out into the middle of the office, then sit around having a tasty lunch while debating the merits of each one, as well as the end cost to the retail consumer.  Then we test them, and if they don’t pass they are put aside.  Sometimes we even have to put aside things we really love but don’t think will sell well enough for you.  I wonder how many companies actually take the time to do this kinda thing?  When you order from us, you can rest assured that we’ve TRIED the product and that we’ll stand behind it 100%.

Gosh I’m verbose today…hope your summer selling season is going super well, and if you have any questions about new stuff feel free to ask.  Enjoy!

Okay folks, finally I have bested what was starting to seem like my nemesis…the new version of www.dorothybiddle.com.  It’s  uploaded, tested, and it all seems to be working just fine.  The categories in the shopping cart portion now match the main site so it should be a much more user friendly experience.  I will be doing more work on the cart portion, and we’ll be adding new items very soon.  I hope you like it, and that it makes things easier.  Your thoughts are welcome!