Notes from the HiHo Office AGAIN

THIS POST WAS THE FIRST I EVER PUT ON THE BLOG.
PEOPLE OFTEN REQUEST IF THEY CAN TAKE A PICTURE OF HUMPHREY IN HIS T.V. AND WANT TO KNOW THE STORY BEHIND IT. I THOUGHT THE POST WAS WORTHY OF RE POSTING....
This winter like many people, I promised myself I would take on projects that I can’t get done other times of the year. Things slow down and I wanted to make sure tackling my office was a priority. I needed an office chair, the one I found turned out to be the inspiration for the whole room. Mid Century Modern, sorta. I knew I wanted to apply something to the wall that represented what we do here at HiHo. The home decor magazines fit perfect into the theme and the design was based on the circular pattern in the curtains.
The next exciting find for the office was this 1954 Hoffman TV, which Humphrey’s bed fit perfectly into. It looks great on top of the extra desk and he does nap in it daily. He feels very safe behind the glass.Of course my office has other important things in it, the refrigerator, time sheets but most importantly my computer where I stay in touch with you.
Remember you will always be more productive in a space that makes you happy.

Maybe you will even be able to take a nap.

new goods

I had promised shots of recently purchased goods....

my new camera has arrived.

Cottage Style Painted Chair

matches a wonderful table and four more chairs

Child's Table with delightful enamel top in perfect condition has a wooden base painted pine green along with a chair.

Set of Four Holiday Scene Glasses SOLD

Petite Poodle Pillow SOLD

Vintage Fabric Humpty Dumpty Swing

Different is Fun

"in order to be irreplaceable one must be different"

-CoCo Chanel

Friday a customer gave the shop the best complement. Her words were "everything seemed dull in comparison"...wow. She had been in the weekend of the open house and had brought visiting out of town family in as part of their Thanksgiving tour of Gardiner. Fun, fun , fun is the only way to describe the past two days, the parking lot ,the shop and the register have all been full.( we are thankful )



















SATURDAY AFTERNOON PARKING LOT
The lines at the counter came in waves, while Claudia and Whitney wrapped and bagged sales all day.

HUMPHREY HELPED KEEP THE LINE MOVING

Of course I have had my doubts over the past three and a half years about looking different than all the other stores in the area, some how I just kept telling myself to hang in. Look at us now....they stand in line to be apart of something different.

Thank You!

Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth

I was blogging about and came upon this plea for consumers to think and shop local this holiday season...it was like hearing myself, so here it is....
"I think even the most average of person knows that the day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. The day when retailers (hopefully) bask in the glow of their cash registers and close the day with great profits. This year, all eyes will be on us as the national news will spin the outcome. Please bring in your out-of-towners and show them our little gem of a store. Remember, when looking for something different- shop local! ALL of our favorite homegrown retailers need us more than ever this season. We hope to see you!"
Wow, I could not have said it any better...Happy Thanksgiving!

A Trip to PA

My husband Richard and I realized a few years ago that we could travel a short distance from home and feel like we have traveled to another world. Thankfully going only a short distance, gives us the peace of mind that if needed we could be home or to the shop within an hour. Well as always it's a business run for merchandise, mixed with good food and time together. We waded through many hours of cluttered booths of "stuff ". He brought a camera so I could share part of our adventure.

The Selection of Pottery Was Endless

Every Space Was Loaded

Richard Standing Under a Huge Flag

The longer we wondered about hunting through for things to bring back, the sillier we got. Pointing out outrageous items to each other and enjoying the laughter.

Richard Kissing Up to The Locals

The Vintage Playboy Magazines Were a Hit

I really enjoyed seeing all the great Christmas decor on display. We saw many home made items from the 50's and enjoyed reading album covers from holiday record covers. Yes of course a few items made it back to my house.... a little paper house with a pink roof and three caroling girls in pink robes will now be a part of our Christmas.

Me With a Fantastic Assortment of Vintage Santas

TV Crew Comes for a Visit

WAITING FOR THE BROWN COOKIE TRUCK

Claudia took this shot today of Humphrey looking for the UPS truck. These days he can count on it stopping here nearly everyday.

It was a big day at the shop today, business was strong and we had some special visitors. The host of Hudson Valley Views, Nancy Cozean came to HiHo with Raj the camera man. I took a tour of the shop with her for a future show on decorating and shopping for Christmas. I was under the impression they were coming to just get filler shots of holiday trees and things. I was unprepared for being interviewed and anyone who knows me can tell you, I don't like being in front of the camera. Next time, if there ever is a next time, I will be sure to bring some lipstick to work with me at the very least. It's probably good they didn't tell me I was going to be on camera...I would have freaked! However, I would have prepared myself. After the shoot was over, I was exhausted. I think I was just running on nerves, I hope it doesn't show on camera. As soon as they edit the footage and give me the date/time of airing I'll let you know.

Names for Rooms

Well, while I wait for my new camera to arrive, I guess you will just have to put up with my rambling. (my camera decided it was done working after 3 years.)

A customer was surprised to learn today that we had names for each of the rooms in the shop. I had made a comment about "Dan's Room" and he found it interesting that we referred to the room by name. Susan explained it was the name of the antique dealer that rents the room, and that was that. We didn't tell him that the rooms really do have names and that they all begin with "H". So many men are out of their element here at HiHo and it didn't seem necessary to burden him with too much information. ( if you haven't already looked at the web site, http://www.hihohome.com/ all the rooms are listed by name.) It is because of the friendly exchange with the gentleman customer this afternoon, that I have decided to share the "names" or themes for the Christmas decor in each of the rooms. Traditional, Snowy Owl, Cupcake Buffet, Pink Princess, Country, Green, Blue and the dog room has sold through twice, so it's only theme at this point is...Dog. Naming the themes for the rooms help purchasing merchandise all year, it just keeps me focused when buying. Take a look at some of the holiday posts and see if you can match the name with the photo. I sure hope my camera comes fast....