BIG news! in today's newsletter

THE LATEST FROM JOOLZ…
December 2011


Dear Friends,

JOOLZ has been an exciting adventure for me over the past 6 years, one year of incubation and 5 years of retail selling. From the tiny kernel of an idea, it has grown into a full-fledged, successful, well-respected business.

Recently, however, I’ve recognized that I’m missing out on a lot. Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday this year and I needed to be at the store. (Yes, we did have several male customers who had that “deer caught in the headlights” look while doing last-minute shopping). That meant no traveling to see our kids in LA and Denver for the holidays. It was a very difficult decision to be away from our young grandsons for the holidays, a decision I don’t want to have to make ever again. Life is short and I want to enjoy being with family and friends. I also want the freedom to be able to see more of the world.

In my home office this quote is framed and sits on my desk:

Design the life you want to live first
and then design your business to fit your life.

I realized that I needed to re-design the life I want to live and also re-design my business to fit that life.

After several months of agonizing, middle-of-the-night conversations with myself, it is with some sadness, but also a lot of anticipation of new adventures, that I have decided to retire. Our last day at JOOLZ will be January 28 and all our inventory is now on sale. (Most of the fixtures and furniture pieces are also for sale and may be reserved, with a deposit, for pickup after January 28). Be sure to come in early to get your favorites and if you’re not in the area, you can call us at 585.396.3520 to shop over the phone.

Later in the spring we’ll open The JOOLZ Collection online store through our website, www.shopjoolz.com. And as a thank you to our Canandaigua/Rochester area customers, local shipping will be free. Almost like walking down Main Street and shopping in the store, right?

It’s been a true pleasure getting to know so many of you and having you come to love JOOLZ as much as I do. Thanks to you all for your support and thanks to our employees, past and present, for all their hard work in helping to make JOOLZ a success. Finally, a special thank you to my husband, Larry, for being a quiet, supportive force behind me every step of the way.

All the best,
Francie

Merry Christmas!

It's been a busy couple of months and the blog has been silent for a while - apologies to loyal readers. But the busyness has been all about the business and the family, both of which vie for top billing on a daily basis. The business won out this Christmas season, as we have stayed home to oversee the store's holiday activity. Meanwhile, both grandsons and their parents are in Denver, where they ARE having a white Christmas, just like the one above. Here in Canandaigua it's been almost spring-like and today there is only a dusting of snow on the driveway.

Today in Denver they'll be making cookies, decorating a gingerbread house and getting all geared up for Santa's arrival. Thank goodness for FaceTime - we'll be able to see the stockings hung by the chimney with care right along with them. And then tomorrow morning we'll adjust our inner clocks to Mountain Time and watch the happiness and glee of a 6 year old as he first sees the goodies that Santa brought. His 5-month old cousin will be pretty oblivious to all the excitement of the day, but I know his Mommy and Daddy will be recording every smile and babble.

We wish you all a joyous Christmas and holiday season and thank you again for your support of our efforts to make JOOLZ your special holiday shopping spot. There will be lots of joolz under trees for many delighted recipients this year. Enjoy them all!