Holiday 2022 in Progress

ZOOM just like that it’s already Holiday season 2022!
The story of the fall was getting everything moving again.  I enjoy building a range of pieces and each requires its own subset of hardware and other materials as well as specifically sized shipping box. 
I have been trying to emphasize products that share the same hardware, same box, same plywood in order to make my process more similar instead of so broad.  I have been mostly successful in this but there’s also this:

Because I’m running a young business without established “winner” products that are in serial production, I have to offer a broad variety because I don’t know yet what my greatest hits are going to be.   This means a certain amount of inefficiency as must supply myself with the support materials for a wide range of pieces.  

I finally have room to organize my shipping boxes so they’re easier to use. Before this they were in piles under the CNC and assembly tables. It was awful.

This fall I moved into my shared space and my allotted area was a lot smaller than I was used to. I came from a 1020SF dedicated individual shop and this new location is much larger but I only have about 300SF dedicated for me.   This meant that I had to stack my shipping materials under the tables and machinery and stack completed pieces higher than usual.  Then, a few weeks ago, a nearby tenant moved freeing up another 50SF.  I was able to move my shipping materials into that space and it has allowed me to organize better.  So I’m feeling good! Ready. 

Sales volume. Slow right now. I think there’s a global concern right now for the economy and availability of capital and this is affecting consumer behavior.  Also many people upgraded their furniture during the time they spent at home during the pandemic and so demand for furniture is light.  I saw a reasonable bump during black Friday but it has been slower than in past holiday seasons.  I’m taking this time to prototype new pieces and keep building up stock. 

Future brainstorming directions:  New Birch Cut chair that ships better / file cabinet / console that ships in two boxes / baltic birch shelf brackets /