As 2JANE and the rest of the planet approach the final shopping days of the 2009 Holiday season, I’m reminded what it means to play Santa’s Little Helper. Every year we work to ensure that whatever is ordered, whatever is requested, whatever is hoped for makes its way to the right recipient at the appointed Holiday celebration in homes and offices across the country. We don’t quite hop down chimneys, but on some of our busiest days I think I’d rather take on the travel and the soot myself rather than ask the warehouse to send just ONE more package!
A perennial favorite are these frames designed by Anna Rabinowicz for Rablabs.
The clever animal rings by London-based Soop Design, are the latest beloved character products following in the footsteps of the retired Mr. & Mrs. Jones Juicers.
But it’s all in good fun and we love what we do… This season, we were lucky to have a run on our gorgeous Champagne glasses thanks to unbelievably flattering editorial in Southwest’s Spirit Magazine. But, sadly, we felt like very unprepared elves when inventory ran low a good 2 weeks prior to Christmas!
Past years’ magazine coverage have given us equally memorable Holiday moments… Several years ago the New York Times featured a generous write up on a hand-made table that folds up and hangs on the wall when not in use. Well, as fascinating as this product is, it didn’t actually exist except for 1 sample. Needless to say the talented artist, a New Zealander based in London, was wood-working his fingers to the bone preparing tables as ‘must-have’ gifts in the lead-up to the Holidays. I don’t actually think a single table made it in time for anyone’s gift-giving, but we sure tried and all of our customers appreciated the effort!…
And then there was the year that Met Home featured our Mr. & Mrs. Jones juicers. Our erstwhile bestseller was an adorable pair of hand-made white ceramic forms whose hard little heads worked to juice fruits. Well, the precious items caught the eye of many more buyers than we were prepared for and up until 2-days before Christmas we were accepting large crates of the Jones from the artist, yet another London-based designer. This was before we had the good graces of warehouse storage, and I’ll never forget putting on personal Holiday commitments aside and sitting on the stoop of my business partner’s home (enjoying the glorious weather that comes with December in Florida) unpacking the crates and repacking the happy pairs for their expedited journeys to trees and stockings around the country!
So, as this season comes to a close I do hope you’ve all received your requested packages and will be happy getting and giving all the gifts that will be opened by week’s end… Just don’t forget, presents are a year-round occurrence so when the first January birthday, wedding, or other bow & box-bringing occasion pops up 2JANE will be here to help brighten the day!
Wishing you peace in the Holiday Madness,
Roxie Mae
