Quick Digest:

• IT IS OUR BIRTHDAY
• Restocks and New Items!
• The future of Dumbyworld
• August Subscriber Code: LITERALLYEVERYTHING

 

WE ARE ONE YEAR OLD WOW!!!

A WHOLE YEAR OF DUMBYWORLD... WOWY...........

Last year, when I started up my art shop, I had not intended to make it into my full-time job. I also had not intended to learn about marketing and business licenses and sole proprietorship and taxes and all the additional work that must go into running an online and in-person retail business all by oneself!!! It's... kind of a lot. But wow I have been doing it for a whole year. Thank you for being here with me :)

To celebrate our birthday, please enjoy a very special Buy One Get One Free applicable to literally EVERYTHING in my store!!!

AUGUST SUBSCRIBER DISCOUNT CODE

Please enjoy BOGO FREE on your next online order with code:

LITERALLYEVERYTHING

(Free Shipping on orders over $75! Yaaaay :) automatically applied at checkout)

It is also my actual birthday today, so if you wanna do something for me, treat yourself to a sticker or somethin hehehehe.

 

RESTOCKS AND NEW ITEMS

I've got a whole slew of new items available online (finally!!!!)

We've got fridge magnets and stickers out the wazoo!!! The Bug and Beeby stickers mentioned in last month's newsletter are finally listed online for your enjoyment! I've listed a bunch of fun shaped magnets, too :) Please do enjoy them!!

Check out our New! collection to see everything freshly added to the store!

I've also restocked the PIKMIN!!! And I'm excited to share that I have White and Pink Pikmin available as well!! :) I hope you like them aaaaa

 

STOCKIST UPDATE

So... it looks like the consignment with Big Whale Consignment in Seattle, WA fell through. I'm a little bummed about it because it seems like the agreement failed by way of miscommunication, but I will not be deterred :) I'll reach out again to them soon to see if we can still make it happen. Until then, we're still based in California! Still vending every other week at my local farmers market and stocking in Central Valley establishments hehehe. Dumbyworld will take over the planet sooner or later.

THE FUTURE OF DUMBYWORLD

After one year of operating Dumbyworld by myself, I am finding that it is increasingly difficult to keep up with everything. Being the sole employee of this brand, it is up to me to keep everything running. Most of what I make is done by hand as well, which adds to the difficulty in keeping things stocked online and having ample inventory for the markets and conventions I attend. And after all that work... admittedly, I am not earning a living wage.

To be honest, a lot of the time it feels like this brand is unsustainable. Doing everything alone feels unrealistic and I don't have the means to hire employees to help me with the massive amount of work I find myself doing. This is the most fulfilling job I have ever had, but I am not making nearly enough to cover rent, groceries, gas, medical bills, pet care, etc. I want to be able to have nice things, too. Not even big things, I just want to be able to take my friends out to dinner sometimes or buy a sticker from artists I like.

After much difficulty, I've come to the decision to redirect some of the energy and effort I pour into Dumbyworld. Moving forward, my online storefront will mainly house stickers and other items I am able to manufacture through a third party and hold larger quantities of. Handmade items like crochet softies and magnets likely will be sold at in-person events only. I'd like to have an online drop of softies and keychains and magnets (and any other handmade things I make in the future), but realistically it would be a batch drop once a season. I'll still be looking to consign with local businesses and will stock handmade items through those avenues as well.

I've been thinking about going back to school. I have been applying for jobs. It makes my stomach hurt, thinking about the state of our economy, the rising prices of our every day needs, the nightmare of the job market... but I want to be able to take care of myself and my cat and my loved ones and unfortunately that means being able to afford stuff that costs money. I want to do something that feels human, something that allows me to connect with others and feel fulfilled. I don't want to go back to a desk job. I don't want to take up some seasonal retail position I'm going to suffer through and then be booted out of. But... I can't be too picky either, realistically.

I'm thinking about going to school for mortuary studies. I think the burial rituals of human beings are so beautiful and special and singular. It's something that makes us people, something that computers can never take over, something that everybody on this planet will experience at some point. It's a little dark, a little macabre, but I find it lovely and touching. I want to do something meaningful.

Sorry this is kind of a bummer note to end on, especially on Dumbyworld's/my birthday hahaha. But really, at my age, I've become pretty accustomed to change :) this is just another exciting thing I am embarking on. Thank you, as always, for being here alongside me. Take care out there.

 

With love,
Ciara