The Big Re-Brand
In the course of running any small (or large) Business, there come points where reassessment and change seem necessary. I have spoken in past posts about my struggle to integrate ecological, social and spiritual ideas and ideals into our business. So, there is that, and the fact that it has been a strange year (not the only one recently) in Fort Davis, and for much of the world in fact.
Business in this small town has been impacted by seemingly unrelated, yet perhaps not so much that as merely incidental factors. This series of circumstances, ranging from weather to a struggling economy have too often caused flagging sales. Places to dine in Fort Davis have been very scarce as often as not this year, and that definitely impacts folks decisions to linger and shop, or to visit someplace with more choices. With the Old Drugstore, certainly an institution and mainstay in this small town, closed for most of a year, along with several other places, the flow of tourists into our shops has definitely been affected. I am assuming that the galleries and other businesses are impacted to.
Having friends in various businesses in both Marfa and Alpine as well, I am aware that we are not alone in the sporadic levels of our sales. Tourism has been on a strange roller coaster for this entire year. I truly believe that if we can weather this uncertain period, that recent developments may lead to a better all-around climate for tourism next year, but nothing is certain.
I am not meaning to sound pessimistic. It has been a difficult year though, and we are rethinking our business model from the ground up. Aside from this Re-Branding, we have made a number of changes in our inventory, and will be making more in weeks to come. We will also make significant changes in other areas. Among these is shortening our name from Somewhere Over the Rainbow to, more simply and inline with our Online presence, Over The Rainbow Tx (or just Over the Rainbow). Our website address, as well as Instagram, Facebook and (yes, we have a ) Pinterest Account are all @overtherainbowtx .
This is just the beginning, I hope.
Changing it Up
Besides a Name Change and some design decisions, we are also leaning more toward a circular economy model. We already carry both some vintage and quality used clothing and accessories (belts, scarves and jewelry, etc.). We also have always had an eclectic selection of vintage goods, household wares and decor items. I have dealt in vintage goods through my Etsy shop (recently closed) and other outlets for a number of years. I’ve been a collector since I was a teenager, as was my Dad. It believe it is in the blood.
We stock a nice and eclectic selection of jewelry, from vintage to contemporary to handmade, and plan on doing more of the latter. Besides having a nice assortment of mostly vintage Candle holders, we have a good variety of candles. We carry beeswax and soy, and have pillars, tapers, votives, tea lights with crystals and more. We have both scented and unscented, neutrals and bright colors. With Fall and Winter coming, its a great time to decorate with candles.
We continue to have an amazing, and always evolving stock of Gift Items, as well as Cards for lots of occasions. Our sticker collection, with a number of them designed by our own in house artist, Gaia, continues to expand. We also have buttons, patches and lots of other cute and very giftable odds and ends.
It seems that our style has begun to take on a bit of a Gothic Nature meets the Wild West Vibe, and that suits us just fine. We are all about the eclectic and unique, and like like our Natural World and our decor a little (but not too much) gritty and dark. And it has to have a sense of humor as well. To my mind the tongue in cheek, or even sidesplitting funny, is far too lacking in general these days.
This is just a preview of what is to come. We hope you’ll bear with us as we redesign, rearrange and reinvent. I am in the process of redoing the Website, and hope to have online sales available on the site, and from our social media as well in the near future.
Stop by and visit when your’re in the neighborhood. We’re always glad to see ya.
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