what next?

As a wise friend responded . . . "Don't ask!" We've had an adventurous couple of days--to say the least!
Darren and I had a wonderful trip to Chattanooga. We stayed in the arts district at The Bluff View Inn; very, very nice! Amazing food, great things to do--so much to choose between. We were amazed at how much there was to do--they live like a city so much bigger than they are--only about 40,000 more folks than Clarksville! Anyhoo, we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
While we were gone, however, we received a call from the home front. Seems we had no water flowing in our building. Most likely, frozen pipes. Well, we tried waiting for the thaw--which came Saturday morning--through three floors of the building and into the shop! As the same wise friend said, "I'm so glad this happened while we were here." (My wise friend, by the way, is Jennifer.) Thanks to some quick action and the shutting-off of every valve in the building, damage was minimal and quickly contained. Kendall and Terry quickly responded to my bat signal; thankfully, Darren was still here so he came running (albeit reluctantly); Carol Lynn (former Neblett's employee) was quickly inducted into the chaos of Hodgepodge! The damage was thankfully minimal
It did slow down our start on our renovations. We've opened up Hodgepodge to incorporate what was formerly known as Neblett's Framing Outlet. So, yes, that means we now offer framing at Hodgepodge. It also means that you can access Hodgepodge from Franklin Street (as always) and now on Legion Street, as well. We're expanding our space and our offerings. You'll find more of what you've come to expect from Hodgepodge--which I hope sounds appealing!
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Kendall and I will head to Atlanta for market this Thursday. This time of year always brings a mix of feelings for me. We've just come off a great holiday season--better than I had hoped for, even--but now is the transitional down time. It can't be Christmas all year long, but I sure can dream, right? We've dented, but not depleted the inventory; yet, now is when I head to market to spend more money on more inventory. I'll actually order Christmas '08 while there, but I'll also order some Spring, Summer and Fall things, as well. For those of you who think attending the market would be "fun" I want you to know you're right! It is fun, but it's also exhausting and a more than a little daunting. There is so much to see--it's easy to find stuff I love, but it's hard to decide if it's something that you'll love (and will want to take home!), too.
In preparation for the trip, we need to move some stuff! We're having an unprecedented 50% off of Christmas merchandise sale in the shop! This sale will last two days only. We're also taking some permanent markdowns on other merchandise. We already have some new stuff in the shop and look forward to many new boxes arriving--so I hope you'll help us clear-out the old for the new!