Monthly Round up - We LOVED February

Another great month at The Ruby Orchard, here's a look back at what we have been up to...

// You met the rest of the team - Zak, Tsepi, Jenny & me in our 'meet the team' series.  Zak would love to have dinner with Denzel Washington, Hannah is a nerd and Tsepi loves Chocolate!

// We received some great new stock of signs and quotes for your home.

// Some of our creative suppliers answered some questions for us. Anja from Paper-tales cards, Nicky from Savage Jewellery and Neil from The Streets Furniture.  Check out our full 'Feature on Creative series' on the blog.

// Valentines love was in the air this month.  We had a little chuckle at all the last minute chaps dashing in to grab a gift for their loved ones late on Thursday 13th!

// We had a huge frame clearance with up to 75% off!  We still have some left... so pop in and grab a bargain!

// Our Exclusive shopper newsletter was launched! Sign up today to receive your 10% discount voucher!

// We took a trip to Durbs to stock up and grabbed a cuppa with Nadia Van Der Mescht.

// Finally we launched our Creative 'In Store' Workshop details and date.  Book now to avoid disappointment.

March... lets do this!

Meet the team - Week 6 Hannah Keppler

The sad news is that it's our last week of our 'Meet the team' series (awww) fear not for the good news is we've left the best for last! If it wasn't for this lovely young English lady there wouldn't be this gorgeous new shop in Howick to buy yourself or your loved ones something nice. The 3 words Hannah describes herself as (obviously minus her husbands) is spot on - read on to find out exactly what they are....

1// What were you doing before you started working at The Ruby Orchard?
Somersaults, Round offs, umpiring, hurdling, dancing... I was a PE teacher for almost 10 years and loved it, loved the people I worked with, loved the funny things 11 year olds came out with, loved the school ski trips. I hated the hours, the marking and working impossibly hard for average remuneration. Hats off to teachers.

2// What do you like most about your role at The Ruby Orchard?
The freedom and creativity that working for yourself gives you.

3// When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?!
A PE teacher... I never wanted to do anything else and never thought I would do anything else.  Now loving my new challenge.

4// Describe yourself in 3 words!
Reliable, Easygoing... I asked my husband for the third... he said 'nerd'! I think he means efficient!

5// What do you on your days off?
Rest, eat, sleep, drive, meander, shop, play - all with my hubby and our little chap.

6// 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself
One peanut could kill me.
I am an exercise fanatic and run at least 4 times a week.
I don't like animals very much, especially those who live inside.

7// I never leave home without…
A handbag full of diggers, trucks, juice and little boy pants.

8// What’s your....
Top Song – Mr Jones - Counting Crows
Top Food - Pizza
Top beverage – Traditional, old fashioned style lemonade
Top Place – Mid Devon, England
Top movie – Slumdog Millionaire

9// Imagine you are heading out for dinner with a bunch of famous bods - who would be sitting around the table with you?
Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston, James Corden, Miranda Hart, Sarah Millican - American superstars meet British comedy Genius'!

If you'd like to read more about Hannah's South African journey click here.

A Creative 'In store' Workshop

 

We are so excited to launch our Creative 'In store' Workshop!

Sunday 1st June 2014

Since opening The Ruby Orchard we have creative entrepreneurs approaching us weekly asking us to stock their products.   As soon as we engage in dialogue regarding wholesale prices, mark ups, margins and exclusivity the creative is often unprepared with answers, confused and negotiations are often met with fear!

At The Ruby Orchard we are in a unique position and want to help creatives grow using a retailers point of view.

We have set a date and are inviting creatives to join us for an interactive workshop that will assist them in getting their products onto the shelves of independent retail stores.

For an investment of R450 (1st course offer price) the workshop will cover:

• How to select the best shops for your products
• The best way to approach shop with your products
• How to pitch your products
• Formats, layouts and IT advice for your catalogues and order forms
• How to price your products for wholesale and negotiation tactics
• The advantages and disadvantages of consignments and exclusivity
• How to use personal touches to create great relationships with shop owners
• How to make the shop work for you to grow your product and brand

The wonderfully knowledgeable creative consultant Nadia Van Der Mescht has come on board and will be sponsoring and attending the workshop.

Places are limited so booking early is going to be essential - for more details and a registration form contact Hannah and Nicola - therubyorchard@hotmail.com

Feature on Creative: The Streets furniture

2 weeks ago the above arrived in our shop and with great joy we installed it into a special corner of it's own. Dressed with beautiful Urchin Art mugs and Foreva candles this furniture set looked deliciously ready for our guests to arrive! We've had many compliments on our new addition to our furniture collection and it's all thanks to Neil from The Streets furniture. 
We asked Neil a few questions about how The Streets came about and what his plans are for the future. Read on to find out more....

1// How did The Streets Furniture begin? When / where / how did it all start? 
It all started about 4 years ago. I was busy completing my bachelor of music at varsity and all though i love and still compose music, I was not loving the pressure of that particular environment, needless to say I was looking for a new creative outlet. My father owns a large timber mill and I used to enjoy tinkering about in his factory, one day a friend came and saw us and wanted to know if I could build a dining room table, we agreed!and after a loooooong time and many painful mistakes along the way the table was birthed and thus 'The Streets Furniture' began. From then on friends and family started asking me to build furniture for their homes ,which i was happy to do, and now I have my own style of furniture which i supply to people all over the country.

2// Why do you do what you do? 
I do it because I love the medium of wood, I love the ways it looks, feels and especially smells! I guess i'm just a creative person and get a kick out of turning imagination into reality, Its a very satisfying process, especially since what i'm creating is tangible.

3// When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?!
I wanted to be exactly what i am now to be honest, a wood worker and a musician. I'm still grappling with what it means to be those things but I feel that in many ways I am living my dream.

4// What inspires you when designing new products?
I enjoy scouring the internet for new ideas, obviously the reclaimed/green furniture is very 'in' at the moment. So I try to incorporate that as much as I can but I especially enjoy the clean lines of steel in conjunction with the unpredictability of timber. Basically if it's going to look good and its made from timber, i'm inspired!

5// What are your hopes and dreams for your products?
Through eyes of faith I see the Streets becoming a well known contemporary furniture brand with range of unique products that are instantly recognizable! A set range of products as opposed to a my rad of different custom made products like i have been doing. I also see several outlets for my own and others designs.

6// About you… 
What’s your - Top Song? where I end you begin by Radiohead
Top Food? Hmm Ive just been to Cape Town so sea food I'd say
Top beverage? Good old coke o cola
Top Place? Anywhere in Switzerland

7// Imagine you are heading out for dinner with a bunch of creative geniuses - who would be sitting around the table with you? 
Steve Jobs would definitely be one of them if he was still alive, his philosophy on design and the general aesthetic of his products are absolutely remarkable, I'd pick his brain about as many things as possible, Thom Yorke and Matthew Bellamy would also need to be there as I don them as some of the all time creative geniuses in music!