May 23, 2010

Well, the open house has come and gone. It was a wonderful time with friends of ours visiting and customers looking at music. We received flowers (I'm still amazed by that) and cards and well-wishes. We could only smile all week long.
Our process of setting ourselves up is continuing as Norm continues to update and upgrade the catalog (a humongous deal) and I continue to set up accounting and the customer area. We are getting in stock orders and working on the web site. I think that is the slowest in coming. Oh well. We are gearing up for the festival in Rochester, making plans, deciding what to bring.
A customer on Saturday suggested we do another "open house" in fall for those who are preparing for the church year. So we may do that. We are also talking about summer hours.

May 2, 2010

I decided to look around a bit on this page to see how on earth some of my favorites blogs look so neat and mine so.....hmmm. Anyway, I figured out how to add a picture and I'll work on this more each weekend.
In the "what am I doing" area, I am now trying to enter 7000 titles into Quick Book. Sigh. Yes, I know how to paste from Excel but you still have to double check entries. Check me out next year. heehee.
The highlight of the week was when Twyla came back and helped me to decorate the teal wall with handbell notation posters. It's very pretty. My crappy pictures don't do it justice. I'm still working on the alphabetical boxes. Yeesh. I need to put in overtime. :)
Another handbell director came and we had fun comparing mallets. That was really fun!! I need to get some Schulmerich ones there so that people can really try out different kinds.

April 24, 2010

I've been working hard at the alphabetical boxes. I finished the "new" music area. Twyla came over this week and helped me reupholster the piano bench. She'll come over later this coming week to help me put posters on the wall. I'm continuing to create an "ensemble/solo" music area as well as do the alphabetical boxes. I need also to work on the boxes that has everything by level. It's a lot, but I'm excited and happy. I've worked on entering all the accessories in the computer. Our website is still slowly coming along. The open house is May 17-22!!! I hope we get lots of visitors.

April 18, 2010

Hey, I got all my filing finished!! Wahoo!!!!! I've been working on the customer area and it's pretty good. I also have to finish the back room and get it a little neater. It's coming along.

April 11, 2010

Okay like I know it's been a while. We spent Easter at my mom's so there was no blogging that weekend and I haven't figured out how to keep myself busy in the evenings when I'm tired. I have finished rearranging all the files. I am now filing away all the music that was laying around...(of which there are boxes). Sigh. The bells have been polished thanks to Twyla's girls and the postcards have been sent to Norm's customers of the last couple of years. The customer room is not perfect, I have to set up the displays. But the tables are together. Yeah!! We are definitely getting orders, although very few call me (no I'm not crying). We have gotten in a few gifty type of items, have another possibility coming, and my sister/brother have created fair trade/organic chocolate bells. Those are dark, milk. Dark, milk caramel filled. And a zebra mint bell which is dark and white chocolate stripe with mint. BUT only for chocolate lovers who come in!!!!

We are definitely going to Rochester. Yeah! I'm excited, still working like crazy and loving it.

Now some pics.

This is known as Carol's mess.









The red clothed table will hold music for area VII events as well as music for the upcoming season. The table without a cloth will have displays of alphabetical music. You will see the blue clothed table as you come in the door and it will have all the new music that has been published during the year. Then the alphabetical boxes will start. There will also be a place for accessories. In the back you can see 2 6 foot tables. The one on the left will have an octave or 2 of Malmark bells so people can ring if they wish. Plenty to buy too!! And the one on the right will have more boxes of music people can look through.

March 27, 2010

Well. Finally have all the music filed except for miscellaneous and vintage. The rooms are a mess. However, we have the furniture in the room. I need to start putting it together and touch up the wood. We may have some assistance in the bell cleaning aspect. I'm excited, nervous. We want to be able to say, we're open and it looks great!!
I want to send postcards out and encourage people to check us out. I want to see the place done first!!

March 20, 2010

Spring!! Yeehaw!!
Anyway, believe it or not, I have finally finished counting and cataloguing our Hope Publishing and Lorenz Publishing music. They are also newly filed. Now comes the really messy part. I'm amazed that we're even considering the possibility of opening any time soon. HA. Anyway..I basically pull all the music out of each drawer and and separate it according to publisher: Alfred, Beckenhorst, GIA, Jeffers, and miscellaneous (which is actually quite a few small publishers as well as the vintage music). Then, I'm just filing all of this alphabetically (of course). I'm up to the F's. The problem is that it makes a real mess. However, Joanne K came over one day and helped organize some cabinets as well as organize the customer room.
Norm is bringing over the piano this weekend. We brought over the bells from the storage area. Now to neaten and put out music in a nice way. I still don't have a desk. That is coming soon:)