RPS New Era's

Really excited about our new RPS New Era caps. They'll be available in the shop on Friday, December 26 and then online the following Monday. They feature a varsity style RPS logo on the front, and "RPSLIFE" script on the back. Only 36 of each color were produced!

Round 1

We met with Ian of Domestic Architecture today to go over plans for the new space. Things are looking good so far...

Cards

Printed by Evolution Press, whose new identity and collateral were designed by Tara, Kevin and Kelly at Graphiti Associates, who are also redesigning their own collateral. Designing collateral is fun.

Laser Band Aids

Amazing details.

Elephantine

Some of you may have noticed a new link added under "Friends" in the column on the right, but I've been meaning to post this for a while now since I discovered it a few weeks ago. Little did I know, Rachel, one of our own designers, is actually living a double life as the purveyor of her own store of plush toys and paper goods! Everything is beautifully crafted and hand made. I have to be honest and say that I have yet to purchase anything, but that's because I'm waiting for the plushie with the removable Air Jordan IV's and the RPS New Era cap (hint, hint). However, I wouldn't hesitate to make one of her creations a gift for a friend.

Check out Rachel's blog and also her store on Etsy.

I love the fact that I work with so many people who have lives outside of our day job, but still manage to come in and kick ass on the "corporate" stuff.

Unveiling

Bruce and I put up a new sign at the shop...

Going Out

I tend to be a homebody on days off, but for some reason this weekend I felt compelled to go out and actually be social (a little). Maybe it's all the hours I've been putting in at the store and at the office...

Friday night after a good meeting at the shop, Adrien and I met up with Kevin and Jonathan at Umi to have dinner and catch up.



  



Saturday night, Tara and I went over to Corey and Lauren's house for Corey's birthday. They've got quite the set up of instruments and amazingly, practically everyone in the interactive team at Hornall Anderson knew how to play something (except me). I can not believe how many musicians I work with! Not only can they design and develop your website, they can do the soundtrack too...

Corey plays with Matt, another one of my coworkers, in a band called The Fading Collection. Go see them if you get a chance.

Winner's Circle

I stopped by Winner's Circle over the weekend to reintroduce myself, and to check out the new space. We got a sneak peak while they we're still under construction, but now it's all done! Chatted briefly with JR (he was busy with customers!) and met a nice guy named Phil.

My photos don't do the place justice, as they did a great job; doing most of the construction and finishing themselves. Congratulations on the new space!

Gourmet Burgers & Shoe Displays

Tara and I had dinner with Dana and Joe at his condo last night. We made the most amazing burgers ever, all from scratch. The only thing we didn't do was bake the buns and grind the meat. Good food and friends is always a great way to unwind from a hectic week.













Adrien and I also stopped by the shop yesterday to drop off the new product I shot. The night before we did some rearranging of the space and display shelving, and I think it turned out pretty well. But I'm looking forward to moving out of there and into a new space.

Trying to Relax

Had lunch with Joe at Umbria today.







Then headed up to the shop and chilled with Donna for a bit.

Capitol Blog

We launched a new blog for the site, where we gave a little background info on The Takeover of the store. We also sent out our first mailing using Campaign Monitor and it went off as smooth as could be. So far it's been a great tool for managing subscriptions and creating campaigns.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone that came into the store this past weekend to show love. It was actually my first experience working in a retail environment since I was 14 years old, and I don't think it could of been better.

Last night we began restoring what dignity the current space had while we look for a new spot for the shop - no more ghetto fabulous chainlink displays!

Now The Work Begins

It's been a while since my last post, but with good reason. Over the past month and a half, I have been engaged in negotiations, along with four business partners, to buy a business that affords me the opportunity to work on things that i am most passionate about. More importantly, it's my chance at being my own boss (one of many), and fullfilling on an entrepenureal spirit that until recently, I never knew I had.

The business we've invested in is Capitol 1524, a well-known sneaker boutique here in Seattle. As of late, it's prominence in the saturated sneaker market has diminished; especially compared to GOODS, whose product selection, marketing strategy, in-house line, and overall aesthetic I find to be exceptional.

I don't think I've ever been more scared, excited, anxious, happy, tense, and exhausted. The shear amount of information I've had to absorb from lawyers, advisors, accountants, friends and family has fried my brain. The funny thing is, I know it's only going to get harder from here on out.

I'm still going to be working for Hornall Anderson fulltime to help support Tara and I; but I'm hoping that the store, and all the opportunities it will eventually bring, will be enough to sustain the way I want to live in the future.

We've got big plans for the store which I hope to share with you all over the coming months, but right now we're still crawling.