Internet Tax

The crassness of shopping at a brick and mortar and then whipping out a cell phone and purchasing online while in the store is undeniable.  Asking to match pricing isn't much better

If internet taxing is going to be done on the face of fairness then don't ask on line retailers to collect and remit sales tax to 10,000+ entities, on a quarterly or monthly basis, while a b&m collects for 1. 

Expanding a regressive tax such as sales tax to such a scale is an overcomplicated version of VAT.  But instead of VAT to the federal government it is to 10,000+ state level governments.  It always is easier to pass taxes on middle and lower income which can be the only reason this idea has bipartisan support in Congress. 

I actually try to buy local when I can.   Here is my latest experience.  I went to my local Game Stop, they didn't have what I wanted, but the store 3 towns over did.  The item was held for me and I went the next day and made my purchase.  I paid sales tax, BUT I also wasted gas on a trip to a store that did not have what I wanted, spend more gas going to the other store; not to mention the time spent for both trips.  Customer service at both stores was good.

I actually knew the item was available at Amazon and at Game Stop online, but I wanted the item in my hand at that moment and buying local made the most sense.  Was selection available?  No.  Was it convenient?  No.  Was it priced competitively?  Yes. 

Adding the pluses and minuses to shopping local wasn't a win for the "local" column.  Will I go back to Game Stop? Yes.  Will I shop Amazon? Yes.

The online experience is about selection, convenience, and price.   Want to destroy that, then put in a tax law where a business has to hire someone just to stay in compliance.

Since I run an online business I watch with amazement that this is even an issue.   Many state's have laws requiring their citizens to report sales made to them that did not have sales tax included and requires them to make that payment to their respective state.   My preference is for the 49 states I don't live in  take care of their your own back yard and stay out of mine.
 

Adding to Schedule

Good news! Soar will be part of our travel plans for the year. Soar will be Oct 20-26,2013 at Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, Ill; we will be vending at the Spinners' Market, Oct 24-26.

This year has a wonderful assortment of classes, as usual, and a free, open to the public market.

 

Changing Focus

The biggest change is the evolving focus of the business. After years of spinning pet hair on a production level my hands have developed pains that just aren't going away. In July 2012 I stopped taking in new orders. I don't have anyone I'm recommending to send their pet hair to. In response to this the number of fiber related events attended will be expanding slowly.

One of new shows that was added is Stitches South. It is a knit-centric event and I knew that going in so I set realistic expectations for attendance. What I didn't expect was the unpleasantness some of the attendees showed me. I know 99.5% were pleasant or just didn't say anything nasty, but those few were an eye opener.
 
The short version is comments were made that there was nothing in my booth that was wanted or could be used (by them). Truly. I know spinning your own yarn is not appealing to everyone, but it is part of the fiber world that includes knitting, crochet, weaving, felting, etc.... and to act like my products didn't belong at this event was surprising and a little upsetting.

And let's top it off by the 5 finger discount someone gave themselves with an ounce of bison roving.  Really?  Yes.  

I haven't decided if this show will be done again.  I did have a few who where happy to see something different and expressed that sentiment really sweetly.  

   

The SGK Pink Load of &(#$%!

I will preface this with I have never been totally sold on the SGK Foundation. Their actions of the last few years have confirmed my suspicions of them.

Vast sums of donation dollars have been spent on legal expenses to go after the small backyard/c­ookie charity events which use "xx for the Cure" because they trademarke­d the phase. Isn't all cancer important? Is breast cancer more a priority since it is sticking out of our body, literally wearing it on our chest for all to see rather than hidden in a body cavity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/komen-foundation-charities-cure_n_793176.html

It also seems that little funding even is for research or looking for the cure. Most of the fund goes to raising public awareness/­education aka promotions and advertisem­ents.

Now one of the most recognizable "charitable" breast cancer organizations is pulling the funding for breast health and screening for poor women from an organization that helps women stay healthy when they can't afford medical care, Planned Parenthood. This is political &^&#*@&!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/31/komen-planned-parenthood-cuts-karen-handel_n_1245568.html?ref=mostpopular

Whether you believe in reproductive rights or not, the facts are that when women gained control of when and how many children they would have, women raised their education levels, which in turn increased their ability to increased earning levels, which increases the overall health of women and their families.

How much are the executives of SGK being paid to keep the "brand" out there. How many millions are these executives being compensated with from all those sales of pink ribbons, pink shoes, pink blenders, pink envelopes, pink yogurt labels, and even a pink bible.

Give your "charitable" dollars to organizations that promote charity and not themselves.
 

Arkansas Fiber Extravaganza

This event was moved to Hot Springs from Mt Magazine to grow the event. The venue (convention center) was big and well lit; and the city itself is nice. Winter is the off season, but I really enjoy that more.

This originated as a retreat, but with growth comes change and this is more of a festival now were you come for an hour or so to shop and then leave. There were classes to enjoy from some fine teachers so you could hang out for a few extra hours. Unfortunately, there was a $15.00 door charge, ouch! It included one admission to the Vendor Room for the weekend with the opening cocktail hour and opening remarks / meet and greet with Annie Modesitt plus a complimentary tote bag.

Here are a few pics of my booth from the show...







Here is my new line, Tree Silk Batts. I'll be adding handspun Tree Silk Yarns as well at a later date.