I'd like to expand the links section on the sidebar of this blog. If you have a ceramics-related site or know of a site that would fit in with the other links I've posted here, please leave a comment on this entry. I'm especially interested in artist and gallery sites, ceramic groups and art centers, and informational ceramics sites. Thanks!
We are completely immersed in the back-to-school season right now. This time of year is always a juggling act for ceramics suppliers because almost all of the teachers want their school orders at the same time. Clay is shipping out as quickly as we can get it in even though we got a huge head start this year on stock and deliveries. We started receiving shipments of clay in June to prepare for the rush, and started shipping and delivering after July 1st. September will remain very busy for us, but we like a good challenge. I think we're keeping up to speed pretty well, and that's due to three main reasons:
1. We've been doing this for almost a quarter of a century.
2. Many of our school purchase orders are being sent in early because the teachers are so organized and prepared.
3. We have an amazing staff and the three new guys continue to astound us with their abilities.
Some of you may recognize Fritz in this picture, holding his 6 month old son, Jesse. Fritz and Cindy met in high school and started dating after he returned from Army basic training. Although their romance didn't last, their friendship sure did. Fritz worked at Bracker's while attending Kansas University and participating in the ROTC program. During that time, he also met Dave (another Bracker's employee and Cindy's eventual husband) and became friends with him, too. In fact, when Cindy and Dave got married, Fritz was Dave's best man (and as maid of honor, I was lucky enough to dance with a handsome military man in full dress blues, or whatever they call the uniforms with all the colorful doodads and shiny medals). When he graduated, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army. Unfortunately for us, the Army wanted Fritz full time, and they wanted him in Texas, so Fritz left us for warmer and greener (Army green, that is) pastures. Fritz married a wonderful woman named Kelly and then the Army moved him again. So Fritz and Kelly bought a house in New York and then Fritz was called up to go to Afghanistan. About 9 1/2 months after Fritz returned from his tour, Jesse was born. Fritz and Kelly sure did miss each other! Now Fritz has been called to duty again, this time in Iraq. This picture is from his departure on August 12th. He travelled to Kuwait for a bit of training and mission preparation and now he's on his way to Baghdad for about a year. We all think of Fritz, Kelly, and Jesse as a part of our extended family and will be thinking of all of them very often during this difficult year.
Our Teacher Essentials catalog has been printed! 3000 copies are being picked up on August 18th. If you'd like to get one, feel free to order it on our website by clicking on the link above the picture
We are now able to offer Saturday deliveries in our regular delivery area (Kansas City, Topeka, etc.). Although this won't work for schools, it will work great for art centers and individual potters. A typical delivery charge is $15.00 minimum or 3¢ per pound, whichever is greater, although this can vary depending on a variety of factors (distance, amount of notice, etc.). The delivery charge covers the cost of getting your order to you. Seth (our great new delivery driver) will help unload the clay and move it a reasonable distance (from the truck into your garage, for example) but it does not include carrying clay up or down stairs, through your house, etc. Please contact us if you have special needs for your delivery.
Many schools in this area are starting classes this week, so WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! Our back-to-school season is already in full swing with tons of shipments and deliveries to schools. During this time of year, it can be a struggle to organize incoming and outgoing shipments of clay, glazes, tools, and equipment, so please give us extra notice if you need more than a box or two of clay. Luckily, we have an awesome bunch of guys who are efficient and friendly. They have definitely made this season get off to a great start!
I added a few files to the PDF Library about Dawson Kiln Sitters: full operating manuals for Model P and Model K kiln sitters and for Model LT-3 and Model LT-3K kiln sitters, parts identification illustrations for all four models, and most importantly, a two page PDF describing how to adjust your kiln sitter in very easy, step-by-step instructions. This is GREAT information for all manual kiln owners.
I just sent out a new Newsletter with some special deals and new information (about this blog, for example). It's been about half an hour and the Shimpo 2327BX that was listed in the newsletter is already sold! This is only the second time we've sent out this sort of newsletter, so it's very cool to see what happens as a result. I can't tell the specifics of who opened the newsletter and who didn't, but I can access a report that tells me how many people opened the email and even how many people clicked on each of the links in the email. Technology is so cool!
I want to make sure that everyone understands that you can unsubscribe from the list at any time - there's a link at the bottom of each newsletter we send. We will NEVER give or sell your information to anyone else. If you aren't currently receiving email newsletters and would like to, click on the "Join Now" button on our home page. And we won't send out too many of these emails - one every couple of months. If I get really excited about new information or products, I might send an email out two months in a row. But that's it. There are too many other emails, newsletters, and bits of spam that everyone has to wade through each day, and we don't want to contribute to overflowing email inboxes too much. However, if you are one of those wacky people who like that sort of thing, let me know and I'll personally forward all of my spam to you. :-)
Please feel free to leave any comments about the newsletter here - did you like it? hate it? think it was too long? too short? just right? would you like more special deals? news and info? tips and tricks? Help me make this a better newsletter, please!
Thanks,
Anne
I'm getting ready to put up a new poll on the Bracker's site. What kind of questions do YOU think I should include? Leave a comment here or email me at annem@brackers.com Click on the blog title link to go to the current poll to participate or just to get an idea of what kinds of questions I've asked before.
I was talking to a customer on the phone earlier today about kiln shelf kits. While the customer and I were viewing the furniture kit section of the web site, I started to realize that it wasn't exactly the easiest section to understand. I've made some minor changes to the item titles and descriptions to fix that problem.
Since I'm on the subject, I should mention that our source for High Alumina kiln shelves has changed from Acme Marls to Lumina. Same great High Alumina shelves, just a different supplier. On a similar note, we have started referring to the Thorley triangular posts as just "Triangular Posts" and the Roselli square posts as just "Square Posts" to make it easier on everyone. I haven't completed changing all the references throughout the site yet, but I'll be working on that soon.
Shimpo has made some cosmetic design changes to their ConeArt kilns, so we need to sell the "old style" kilns. We have very special clearance sale prices on the models we still have in stock - the 1822BX and the 2327BX. I'll be sending out an e-Newsletter featuring these kilns as well as some other special deals on selected items within the week. If you don't get one, please add your name to our email newsletter list.
The Vent-A-Kiln section of the web site was in desperate need of a little TLC, so I spent some time on that today. I've added tons of information, pictures, and even PDF spec sheets.
First of all, I apologize for the length of my last post. I get a little carried away when it comes to computer stuff! :-)
I'm back to updating and enhancing the web site. Today I added more pictures to the Large Studio Equipement section, under the Carts subcategory. I also added the Thomas Stuart Universal Stand (shown above left), the Universal Ware Cart, and all the optional stuff. It is a very cool setup that can be upgraded as you need to or as you can afford it. The ware boards for the system can be ordered separately and are super thin and super light yet also super strong - very functional with or without the Universal Stand system. Besides the Universal Stand, I also added pictures for the Alpine ware carts and Laguna Ware carts. I already had pictures for Brent carts and North Star carts online. Enjoy!
