May 24, 2014
Last weekend, I made my annual trek from West Texas to the Big Apple for the National Stationery Show (#nss). It was a last minute decision to attend this year (after the added expense of store renovations this spring, I wasn’t sure I could afford it), but when I realized that I had enough airline miles to fly for FREE (plus a small “redemption” fee), I decided to make it happen.
I left EARLY Saturday morning… and one planned layover, two flight delays, one flight cancellation, an extra flight to Chicago and one standby flight to La Guardia later – I made it. A 17 hour travel day wasn’t what I had in mind, AND all of the travel hiccups made me miss my dinner plans at BUTTER (pouty face), but at least I made it to NYC.
Sunday morning when the show opened, I had the pleasure of walking the aisles with my Stationery Academy friend Kari Joy. As I’ve mentioned before, I power shop when I’m in “buyer” mode, so we made one quick lap up and down the aisles before I really dug in and started burning up the credit card.
Overall, the show was good, but I can’t say that I was overly impressed – by anything in particular, really. It was all kind of the “same ole” thing – A handful of really talented (and well known) brands, even more very talented (lesser known) companies, and then lots of… how do I say it nicely? Junk. (I’m mostly referring to the “fresh off a boat from China” section when I say that.)
The truth is, there are A LOT of great vendors who exhibit at the show, but a retailer can only have so many greeting card/paper lines. While I do appreciate seeing new, clever designs, that doesn’t mean that I can actually order all of them. I only took on a few new vendors, and for the most part, I reordered lines that I already know will sell well in my store. The addition of Etsy Wholesale was nice, but since they were mixed in with regular exhibitors, it didn’t make too much of an impact on my buying strategy, which consists of me asking these three questions:
1. Do I need it? (Or do I have too much already like it? No need to trade sales.)
2. Can I sell it? (Is the price point – and content – marginally appropriate and current?)
3. Who else has it? (I love area protection – I work too hard to find something new and different to have it snaked by copycats)
So what DID I buy? Greeting cards, journals, calendars, note pads, gift wrap (that’s a new one for us!), great prints, tea towels, straws and washi tape to name a few. Here are just a few of my faves coming soon to the shop:
Featured: Ladyfingers Letterpress / Wild Ink Press / 1Canoe2 Letterpress / Knot and Bow
If you want to see more products as they arrive in the store, you can follow us on Instagram (@barquegifts).
One highlight of the show was seeing the Stationery Academy booth with more SA friends – Stephanie Creekmur, Jennifer Faught, Josie Parsley and Amy Kinslow. These ladies worked hard to pull everything together, and I think they did a fantastic job!
You know that dinner I was so disappointed to miss? Well, it almost made up for it to see Alex Guarnaschelli in the flesh (walking down the street right next to our taxi). I also had a delicious, impromptu dinner on both Sunday and Monday nights, so it worked out being a nice weekend for my palette too. I loved trying the oysters and seafood at Jeffrey’s (much more fresh than what we get in West Texas!). My favorite detail? Sea salt wells right on the table. I’m just a salt nerd like that, I guess.
As always, it was a quick trip, but one that left me hungry for more – both paper AND delicious dishes. Until next year, NYC!
May 4, 2014
Guacamole has always been one of my go-to dishes to bring to a party. I so fresh and yummy (and it’s really easy to make)! With tomorrow being Cinco de Mayo, I thought this might be the perfect time to post the recipe!
You’ll need:
6 large avocados (they should be firm but pliable if you apply pressure – not mushy and not rock hard)
2 roma tomatoes – de-seeded (cut off the end and scoop out the seeds with your thumb or finger) and then diced
1/2 red onion, diced
juice from 1/2 lemon
2-3 T. cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 T. garlic salt, plus more to taste
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1/8 t. ground cumin
For the avocado, slice in half lengthwise (around the seed), then diagonally score the inside, in two directions – just slice down close to the skin without going through it. This technique makes it really simple to scoop out the inside – just run a spoon next to the inside of the skin!
Next, gently mash the avocado until broken down but not completely smooth. There will still be a lot of stirring, so if you overdo it in the beginning, your guacamole will be too liquid. I usually use a potato masher, but this time I used a pastry cutter and it worked just as well.
Gradually add the tomatoes and onions, salt, pepper, garlic salt, lemon juice and cumin to your liking – tasting as you go. The advantage of keeping everything in prep bowls is that you can easily adjust the flavor (and consistency) as you go. If you just dump everything into the bowl from the beginning, you may have wished that you had added less onion, or tomato, etc.
Once you have the consistency you desire, fold in the chopped cilantro to taste. If you don’t like cilantro, you can skip this step, but I do think that it enhances the flavor.
Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
TIP: If you end up with leftovers, the best way to keep your guacamole is in an air-tight container, with plastic wrap pressed into the mixture. This will keep it from oxidizing and turning brown (which won’t hurt you, it’s just doesn’t look very appetizing).
Apr 29, 2014
With grauation just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about great gifts for grads! Customers always make it sound like “graduation gift hunting” is a daunting task, so we’ve created a handy little Graduation Gift Guide to help you (through a series of questions and answers)… and the best part? We can hook you up with any of these options (quickly and easily)! Just call the store 806-785-1195 or stop by and speak with a sales associate for more information and pricing.
If you’d like to download a copy for yourself, you can get it HERE.
To see this image better, simply click on it.
Apr 16, 2014
Even though it’s been a long time coming (almost 2 years in my head), the transformation (aka – “The Switch”) from being Calligraphy Etc. to Barque happened VERY quickly. Yes, it took a lot of pre-planning, but once we got the ball rolling, the entire project was completed from Saturday afternoon(move out) to Thursday evening (preview party for family and friends). Needless to say, there were a LOT of fantastic worker bees that made that happen, but now that it’s all done, the store is exactly as I had imagined it. Actually, it’s even better. I might need some serious sleeping in over the next few days to get caught up, but at least now I can rest knowing that the hard part is done. I’ve been brainstorming about “The Switch” for so long it’s hard to believe it’s actually a reality!
Here are a few before pics of the store:
Note, I always hated the slat wall and super high ceilings and high bay lights (yuck), but since the purchase of the store (and move to this location) happened in less than 2 months, I didn’t have much choice but to just go with it.
The invitation room before – way too utilitarian and not a very good use of the floor space, especially since now we do more custom invitation than packaged ones.
Our “kitchen corner” before.
A few during:
I couldn’t believe we were able to move all of contents of the store OUT – it was crazy!
The contractors starting to install the wooden “clouds”
One of my favorite moments – the “wood walls” going up! I had collected several pieces of antique wood for them to mix in with the pickled wood the clouds were made of. I’m seriously considering having this done in my dining room next!
Isn’t she beautiful? I’m in love.
And finally…. After!
I LOVE the new feel of the store with the changes – it’s homey, and inviting, and much more interesting… and I think it’s much more ME! In fact, the best compliment I’ve been getting is how much more this looks like me and my home. That just makes my heart happy. Spy that bakery case? It’s full of fresh baked dog treats! We’re the only store in Lubbock to offer them.
The fixture about our register is the same one I have in my kitchen. Thought I might as well have it in my “second home” too!
Check out those fabulous new invitation shelves (made from scratch by my super awesome granddad) – they use less floor space and actually hold more than what we had before – and they’re on wheels!
“Kitchen corner” no more! I think our White Wing Label and Jon Hart displays are so much more appealing in this space!
This makes me happy. And it makes me love coming to work even more than I did before, because it’s really MINE.
A big thank you to my amazing team of girls (who worked like crazy, even juggling school, to make this happen during the week), my supportive family for their prayers and help, my grandparents for their mad skills at making shelves and other necessary installations, friends who have listened to me drone on endlessly about store ideas, Hasco Commercial Construction for the actual manual labor and to God for the amazing opportunity to live my dream.
Feeling extremely blessed,
Kandice
Apr 14, 2014
For the preview night before the official grand opening of Barque, we used one of our newest products to create a super easy (2 ingredient!), signature cocktail for the event.
Wild Hibiscus Barque-tail
Ingredients:
Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup (each jar contains about 11 flowers)
Prosecco, chilled (we used Ruffino)
mint leaves (optional, for garnish, not pictured)
Directions:
Drop one wild hibiscus flower in the bottom of each glass. Add syrup as desired (for more color and sweetness), fill with Prosecco and stir. Garnish with mint if desired.
It’s a beautiful, interesting combination that can be as sweet as you desire, just by adding more syrup! It’s a delicious drink, but I also love the little wooden drink stirrers!
Cheers!
photo credit: Linda McMillan Photography
Sunday morning when the show opened, I had the pleasure of walking the aisles with my Stationery Academy friend Kari Joy. As I’ve mentioned before, I power shop when I’m in “buyer” mode, so we made one quick lap up and down the aisles before I really dug in and started burning up the credit card.
