Retro Robot is currently in the process of moving out of Arkansas. While the whole process is trying its best to short circuit us, we hope to begin processing orders after a 2.5 week hiatus. In the meantime we hope to devote some more effort to this blog to keep you updated on our progress.
Once we get settled into our new place we have some changes to the site in store: we’ll begin working on a new look, and revamping our inventory.
Hey folks,
I hope you’re having a lovely December and enjoying the holiday season. I am. Now that I’ve taken my last final! Oh man, it’s been a stressful couple of weeks, but I have the next month to sleep in, drink hot cocoa, and devote all of my happy energy to Retro Robot. Yup yup friends, there’s lot’s of work to be done: blog ads to be designed and purchased, a business plan to be written, handmade goodies to be crafted, and inventory to be updated! So, let me mark the first thing off the list by introducing you to another one of our cherished crafters. Jed Thomas is a friend of mine (go psych majors!) who makes the lovely edible treats you see on Retro Robot.
“My name is Jed Thomas. As a senior in college, I’ve begun to wonder where my life may lead me. Though I love my major, psychology, my real passion is for cooking. After I graduate, I plan to seek out as many opportunities as I can in the culinary world. My ultimate goal is to open up my own restaurant and become a chef.
In our society today, it’s far to easy to run to the store and pick up mass produced goods. It is in my opinion that a certain quality has been lost in our world of mass production. This is why I strive to prepare only the best handmade food for myself and others.
Retro Robot has become an outlet for my handmade passion. Everything I make to sell is made fresh from scratch, as all food should be. I’ve worked hard to perfect these recipes and I feel like they demonstrate a quality of cooking that cannot be found in your local supermarket.
So I hope you enjoy my food, and I hope to hear some suggestions on what to try next.
Jed Thomas.”
Make your way out to the Holiday Bazaar this upcoming Tuesday! Retro Robot will be there, in addition to several other vendors from the Conway area. It’s a great way to support local craft and small business! Plus, a portion of all proceeds go to charity!
I better see you there.
We’re in Bust Magazine! Above is the lovely ad, created by your’s truly and the ever-so-savvy Brian “B-Bops” West, that’s in the back of the Dec/Jan issue! I’ve never been prouder of our little RR baby, she’s just sproutin’ like a weed. And this is all because of two very supportive businesses: Bust and Chateau Bizarre. Bust has a great advertising program for small business that enabled us to purchase a very affordable (thanks to Hendrix Odyssey funding) full-color ad. Chateau Bizarre (chateaubizarre.com) is a blog devoted to highlighting indie businesses, and they made us Shop of the Day earlier this week! So, devoted readers, support your beloved Retro Robot and these helpful organizations by visiting their respective sites and buying the Dec/Jan issue of Bust Magazine!
Retro Robot loves you,
Sarah
Time to take a look at another one of our fantastic crafters!
“My name is Kelsey Fox and I am in my second year at the University of Central Arkansas. I really enjoy sewing and prefer doing it by hand, as I get to spend more time on what I’m making and, I feel, pass on more personality and character to the craft that way.
I really enjoy creating new, unique crafts and will never tire of seeing people wear what I have put my time and effort into! Thanks to everyone who enjoys what I make!
I got the inspiration for this bracelet when I found the material in an antique store in downtown Conway. The thin, flowery material came in the shape of several squares, bound together by a string and stuffed in a brown paper bag, but begged to be made into something more exciting than simple squares, and that’s where I came in. Each bracelet is hand-sewn and is reinforced by a stronger, softer strip of material on the bottom for comfort and durability.”
Retro Robot needs you! If you’re an artist or craftsperson looking to sell your handmade creations, you can join the Retro Robot Craft Force. Retro Robot loves your creative spirit and wants you to help us fight uninspired and overproduced mainstream merchandise! We’re working hard to expand our handmade selection, but we’re having trouble finding sellers. Can you believe it? Surely with two colleges in Conway there are bound to be some crafty students who could use a few extra bucks. Help us get the word out!
Part of this problem has been not being able to advertise in the local paper. In order to let people in Conway know we’re looking for artisans, we tried to buy a small bit of ad space in the classifieds but were denied! Who knew they could refuse to let you pay for an ad. I got an email saying, “As your ad reads now we can not accept it due to the fact that it is in competition with our paper as a venue to sell items.” I realize any paper has to make money, but should our local media be a purely profit making enterprise? Aren’t classified ads supposed to help members of the community sell things, and therefore support the exchange of goods within that area?
I guess this isn’t that surprising, and I should have considered it. But I was hopeful that the market for handcrafted goods would be more supportive than competitive. Art and craft and the people who make it are a colorful and important part of any culture. Supporting the artistic activity in an area not only benefits economic exchange, but fosters originality, inventiveness, vision, resourcefulness and so much more. So, as a way to do just this, we want to share with you some of the businesses that we appreciate and admire. If you want amazing handicraft or great vintage, check out these sites:
cutxpaste.com
indiefinds.com
frecklewonder.com
rewarevintage.com
bythebeardofzeus.com
buyolympia.com
handmadejulz.com
It’s time for Retro Robot’s first ever Crafter Spotlight! Throughout the upcoming months, we’ll be highlighting one of the artists or craftsmen who sell on the site. As you keep up with the Retro Robot blog, you’ll get to learn more about these lovely consignors from their own words. In doing this, we hope to support these talented individuals, promote the creative and artistic activity of Conway, and (hopefully) inspire others around the globe.
Kathy L. Owens of Conway, Arkansas
“I have always been interested in art but have no formal training. From the time I was very small, I horded small objects, beads, ribbons, bits of paper and cards. When my grandmother died, I inherited a similar box of stuff over 90 years old! … So this hording must run in the family! Now, I delight in combining my collected ephemera in just the right ways to create interesting arts and crafts. Most of the tags, tiles, boxes and shrines are industrial, and hopefully you will enjoy combining them in your own art work, jewelry, and gift projects. Media: stazon inks, sponges, fingers, bits of paper, ribbons, beads, acrylic, paints, neat boxes, and decoupage media. Have fun, Kathy”
It’s a new season. A new semester. A new chapter for Retro Robot. Not only have we recently celebrated RR’s very first birthday, we are now the very excited recipients of a Hendrix Odyssey grant. This funding will offer us some tremendous opportunities for advertising and expanding our craft force that could take us from being a fledgling campus shop to a successful nationwide business.
We’ve so much planned for the new $$: ad’s in Bust Magazine and online forums, a new site and logo (like it?), plus tons of promotional products! That being said, it’s probably no surprise that while this semester of changes and opportunities is just beginning, I’m already plagued with tension headaches and worry-filled tummy aches. Stress! Without a doubt this is the busiest I’ve ever been, dividing my time between classes, two campus jobs, and my extra-curricular responsibilities on top of the countless hours I’ve logged working for Retro Robot. However, this is probably the happiest I’ve ever been. My plate is overflowing, but it’s deeply fulfilling.
AND OF COURSE I’m overjoyed to be surrounded and supported by my fabulous friends. Thank you Brian, Grace and Megan for all the work you have/will put into the site. Thank you Jess and Lynne for putting up with my hectic roommate antics (and being purdy models). And thanks to all my other pretty models and our cafty consignors, too! Momma loves you all!
I’m so happy and grateful to have Retro Robot, to have something I’m so passionate about and proud of. We’ve definitely had some fun, and while there’s still a long road of hard work ahead, I see these next few months as a cheery challenge. So pass the bottle of Excedrin and those tasty fruit-flavored tums, ‘cause momma’s ready to paint this town retro!
