Slipped Stitch Studios Shop Update: May 26th 2023
Friday MAY 26th 2023 - Shop Closure Update:
Happy Friday Friends!!!
Here we are, it’s already the end of May and I am working harder than I have all year! Haha!
But it’s all good, guys! Due to the enormous response to our LAST PRE ORDER… you guys actually (forced) allowed us to stay open a bit longer!
We are on the second of what looks like 4 production runs for this pre order… which for reference; we usually do pre orders in ONE production…. Yeah! You guys really brought the LOVE!
Olga and Cyndie and I can not thank you enough! Honestly- thank you!!!
I hope no one will hold it against me for completing the shop closure in June instead of May. I know people can be sensitive to that, but I hope that my reasoning is acceptable. I have been so busy planning materials and cutting these fabulous fabrics that I have not been able to properly focus on clearing out my stash and inventory as much as I expected. Boohoo, right? Lol.
So this is what is going on:
Olga is currently sewing the second PO (which to be honest is as large as 2 normal production orders… so instead of a 7 day turnaround, it’s more like 10-14, plus have Memorial Day this weekend so that slows it down a little bit.
My Pattern Wallet Magician is carefully working on the Pattern Wallet Production order which is also a big one! (Yes! there will be more wallets designs for sale in the near future!)
Cyndie also is setting up more Pattern Magnet listings as the magnets for those are finally on the way!
We have a few more collections to release before we hit the bottom of all I have stored up over the last decade. So there is THAT to be looking forward to.
I have been stacking up fabric packs, and ribbon rolls to list and as soon as I get a little time, I will get those listing up in the shop, as well as a few surprises!
Once we get all these PreOrders out, we will have the final extra sale. That will be announced and planned as a shop closing sale and we will close as soon as everything is shipped.
After that, I may do a live sale for anything that is left, or announce a local sale for those in the area… or both actually. There is a lot so please bare with me as I go “ with the flow”
The AFTER TIME: Once everything is done, I plan on ending the madness that is my shopify shop and migrating my designs and my future pattern releases to a more affordable shopping cart. I plan on doing a bunch of things to lower the massive overhead that has come from all the small business tools raising prices without raising the perks. Once I get things whittled down to a reasonable cost; I will reassess and see if there is anything I can continue with. I am hopeful to get to still make yarn socks and lanyards, and maybe a couple other items… I don’t know just yet. But this version of Slipped Stitch must fully close and be re-dreamed to become a viable option again. But believe me when I tell you I will do this with the upmost transparency as I go! That’s it for now- more soon I am sure!
Thank you so much for your support and your wonderful thoughts and love! We LOVE you too!!!
<3 Laura, Cyndie & Olga
Hello World,
It’s been a little over a year since I announced that Slipped Stitch Studios was having trouble with the post 2020 economy. The outpouring of support at that time gave me the tools and the hope that I could find a way to keep going and growing.
I did everything I could think of in the last15months to pivot and after much consideration and reflection, I must realize that I can no longer maintain Slipped Stitch Studios at the standards that we have grown accustomed to- and for me, that means the time has come to put an endcap on this adventure.
What Happened? After the federal and local government’s "management" of 2020 issues rocked the small business world and the small business capital world - (which is the lifeblood to most small biz) Credit cards were the only option left for a company with an excellent payment history, but dealing with a decline in sales. Like all credit lines, you expect to only use it temporality to get out of the woods. But these woods are quite a bit larger than expected. Now with interest rate hikes, and credit cards lowering their limits to prepare for this economic downturn; companies like mine have no where to turn for a reliable income stream. So payroll can't be made on time, newly inflated supplies can't be ordered without additional rush costs, and it seems everything in general costs more, or takes longer.
In this niche, sales have always ebbed and flowed seasonally- but we always bounced back within a few months. So we have ways to make that work. Unfortunately, Sales (mostly the average order amounts) have been ebbing for a while now and with no end in sight. People just can't splurge like they used to, not even with payment options.
Along with that, comes the increasing issue of shopping for new suppliers on a weekly basis as they close, raise prices, or become less reliable in general. And do not get me started on the new Social Media algorithms. Sorry I don't have the energy to be dancing for attention on top of all this. LOL.
We have made huge compromises to keep things going. Cyndie and I have taken huge pay cuts to see if we could weather the storm, but at this point we agree- this is no longer sustainable.
It is with the heaviest of hearts that I must now plan the closure that I feared last January.
This time though, I am in full understanding that it is not our products or services that have failed, but the system is breaking down right now.
On a personal note; I just don’t have the energy to stay creative and jump through all these hoops that keep being laid before me, , while I get further away from the creative aspects of designing.
Not to sound trite, but I just want to make fun, quality, supplies for Fiber Artists and spend time with my Kids.
More and more that dream is making me choose between the 2 and... spoiler alert: Kids win.
Moving forward: We will do our best to fulfill our obligations, with the AWESOME May the 4th Advents shipping out by the 10th of April, and the I Love Lucy bag of the month shipping by the 21st. Alongside all this I am going to be working to close out the handmade portion of Slipped Stitch Studios by the end of May.
Please note, we still do have a few upcoming collections in production to release, but we are winding down.
We will be putting anything left on sale in May- but we humbly request that if you Loved Slipped Stitch Studios over the last 15yrs (and you are able); that you please take a minute to see what is available in the shop that you might want to pay full price for.
Full transparency: Cyndie and I have not been paid consistently for months and it is my biggest prayer in all of this, that she be compensated for her amazing, awesome, wonderful 10+yrs of service to Slipped Stitch Studios & you beautiful fiber artists. Your support will help me fulfill this personal obligation.
What will still exist?
Whew- well -I am working on making a new website that is cheaper to run than shopify & etsy, which have become almost predatory in their fees in the last 15yrs. I plan on continuing the Print to Order items as they have almost no overhead and no inventory. So far I have gotten great feedback that these items are well made and quickly shipped for the most part and so I would like to continue them. I am also working to create PDF patterns of all my designs so they can be purchased and (hopefully) used by the next wave of Quality Project Bag peoples. Beyond that, I do not know. But I have faith I will be put to work somewhere where I am needed.
Thank you all for these 15 years. I gotta say, I never thought this would end. I figured I would just keep growing and expanding to new wonderful supplies. That’s what makes this so hard. I didn’t grow up thinking I was going to make bags, (even though I grew up on a street named “Bolsa Chica” haha!) it just found me when I was at my lowest, fired on maternity leave with my new baby; my knitting group kept me sane helping me find my calling. Bless those women wherever they are now. They empowered me by just sitting and stitching encouragement and inspiration into my heart.
Thank you isn’t even enough.
Stitching or Crafting Groups like this are vital- if you don’t have one near you PLEASE make one! We NEED to build community now more than ever!
Go on meetup.com and set one up and see what happens. That’s what I did, and look where it took me. I had 15 years of getting paid to hang out with creative people, and inspired souls, and YARN!! So MUCH Yarn!
I wouldn’t change a thing- this has been an amazing surprise in my life- and I am looking forward to the next one. Thank you!
Yours in Stitches Forever,
Laura Lundy