The Boys
Welcome to "The Boys" podcast, where business partners Jeremy, Stuart, and Dwayne come together after two decades of collaboration to share their expertise and passion for all things decor, home design, business, and floral design. Join this dynamic trio as they delve into the world of aesthetics, offering valuable insights, practical tips to elevate your living spaces, and a few laughs along the way.
But it's not just about design; it's about spreading joy and making the process enjoyable for everyone. The podcast is infused with the camaraderie and humor that comes from years of friendship and collaboration. Expect lively discussions, entertaining anecdotes, and a genuine passion for creating spaces that bring happiness and comfort.
The Boys
S1:E22 Just Back From Market, getting ready for Christmas in July
Ever wonder about some of the nuts and bolts of how we do what we do when it comes to going to market and why we buy what we buy! Or maybe why in the world we do Christmas in July! All of that and more is in this episode, including getting a visit from Jeremy's cat, Gracie!
We're working on the images of the Christmas looks discusses in the podcast, these will be up soon.
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Oh shit, she found me.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh, is the cat there? She's like, you've been hiding up in this corner for weeks, bitch. Oh, look at her. Fuzzy kitty. Oh,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:uh, 22 shows. 23 shows. I gave her her treats and everything. Now she'll stay up here and meow the entire fucking time.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:oh, I just heard it. Yeah.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh god. Yeah Well, we've been home for less than 24 hours from market
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yes, that is true. It is true.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Have y'all been have y'all recovered
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:I went out for Mexican and had three margaritas last night. So
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:old yard such a beautiful night out there. Gosh, the weather's beautiful compared to what it's been.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:yeah,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Listen we got in I cooked dinner last night and I didn't I didn't go back outside.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. no, good, good night. Good night to be outside tonight too. So go get your fountain going and get your drinkage and
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:My fountain is always rolling
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:is your fountain always rolling?
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's always, you know, we call it Screaming Jordan Sister Falls. named after our very loud friends and she rolls all the time just screaming. It's just lovely. I love
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:really that loud though?
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Uh, no, I mean, it's like, you know, there's five, uh, Five Pourings out of it. So, I mean, it's not like a little
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:you notice it.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. You know? Yeah. It's, it's, you hear it when the second you open the door, you hear it when you go outside. Um, but yeah.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:So those who don't know that Jeremy lives in a little, uh, beautiful little, uh, bungalow in the older part of Lexington. Uh, what's the subdivision of Meadowthorpe,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Mm-Hmm?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:more of a Cape Cod.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Cod, Cape Cod. Okay. Well, you articulate, well, anyway, it's a great little house. And when you got it, it was, it was a great little house. When you got it, it had good bones. It just hadn't been, you know, Touched, right? For a very, very long time. Anyway, long story. It's, um, it's not, it's one block back, roughly from the, the main road road. Um, do you hear traffic or is it not that bad where you are?
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:You don't really
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Not really.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:No, not really.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Anyway, sidetrack. So we just got back from Atlanta and it was a good trip. I had a good time. Uh, I think we found some good stuff. Didn't we? I think we really did.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I think we did. You know what's funny is yesterday when we got back, I stopped back by the store because I needed to check in on some things with online and um, The girls were like, Oh, did you have, did you have a wonderful time? Did you find lots of good stuff? And I just kind of looked at him blank face. And I was like, I don't remember what we looked at or bought, but I know we did. Cause I know every day it felt like it was a success. I'm like, I don't know. I know it was positive. 2025.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:what we want to tell the world about is to talk about Atlanta and what it is to be buying in Atlanta. And it's kind of the segue into what we find and what we do for Christmas. Uh, the shop and we're doing, we're in the middle of Christmas in July, right? And we want to tell people, what do we look for, because we've been doing this a very long time, this Christmas thing, And what do we look for in our themes and concepts? Yep.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:well, and I think it's important to also say that even though we were just there 24 hours ago, and it is July, we didn't buy Christmas. We bought spring for 2025. So we have, that's how far in advance you have to do it. So our Christmas in July, is what we went to January market for right after Christmas to look at Christmas again, to ship Christmas again,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's fresh, fresh, in your mind.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:fresh. So. You know, working ahead of the curve is what we're seeing in our store is I guess what I would say and not, we just, we just ordered this yesterday and it's coming in for this Christmas. Now we ordered spring
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:no, it's possible. We, uh, well, it's not impossible. It's just not the norm for most people. Yeah. I talked to mom last night when I got home and she was like, now, uh, you were buying Christmas. I said, no mama. We bought that in January and then I'd get it. If you're not in it all the time, like you don't get it. And I was like, no, we were buying spring. And she was like, you're buying spring, but it's summer. I said, yeah. She goes, well, when do you buy fall? I was like, January. She's like, what? And I'm like, yeah, I'm like, we kind of live in all the seasons all the time. I mean, it's like you don't ever know what season it is. And then if you're on the actual like product development side, like you're actually a vendor or factory that we deal with. They're even further ahead. So they're working on spring 2026. And so it's just like, you never know what world you're living in. There's always so many things going on. It's a, it's a hot mess. It really is to keep it all straight. That's not what people ask me. I'm like, my brain's fried. I'm like, I don't know. It's like everything. So yeah, so we, yeah, so we got spring and you know, people always say, Oh, it would be so exciting. It would be so much fun. It is not it is exhausting. Did you look, did you all look, I want to, did you look to see how many steps you did in the last few days?
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:no, no,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:35, 000 steps is what I did. And, um, those over those three days and one of those days we didn't get there till two o'clock.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, if you took 35, 000, then we took close, because we walked about the same.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. We should all be about the same. So it's a ton of water, but it is exciting to see new stuff. Like it's always that kind of, um, Excited just to see if there's, you know, what new is going to be around the corner. Now, 90 percent of the time you walk around like, Well, this is the same damn bunny thing they had last year. But you do find the new stuff, which is exciting. They sprinkle it in. I don't think there's as much new stuff as there used to be pre COVID for sure.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:No, no, no.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:No, I
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:um, but they, they, they are introducing more stuff now than they had right after
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's better than what it was three years ago. Uh, but it's still, we're still recovering from COVID
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:what are you looking for when we go, what makes you excited when you see new stuff?
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Hmm. Always looking for the new shiny object. We've been there, done that and looking for the new shiny. That's one thing. And now you find the new shiny, then the instant is, can I afford it? Right. Doesn't matter how pretty it is, how great it is, how new it is. If I flip that price tag over and go, yep. Oh, that's a honey hole is what I call it. That's a honey hole. That's good. Or if it's too expensive, move on. So that's one thing. And it's always looking for, again, things that we've sold for 15 years, which is okay too, right? You know, it's classics and beautiful and you know that you're going to have it, that people want it. And, uh, um, those, those things are easy, uh, if you can find them. And again, price point, it's always find it. Okay. We got it. We love it. Now. Can we sell it? Can I afford this? Because if you can't, there's no point Even looking at it, you just move on. Right?
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:in, in finding it is. Although it's a hundred percent of the challenge, I think it's even more percent of the challenge that people really think like, you know, you have to go in and you have to find it, right? You have to like hunt it out, but to find it at like the decent price points, that's like threefold because people, um, if they've never been to market, they don't understand how big or massive it is. And so you've got, you know, Massive showrooms with stuff on every square corner. You've got multiple vendors who are actually carrying a lot of the same things because there's only so many factories and maybe they, you know, they twisted this or did this or changed that or they did, you know, something slight to make it a little bit different. But then trying to find it at the right price point. That's like the constant struggle. I think that's that's for me is the constant struggle anyway. I mean, because there's pretty stuff everywhere you look. There's some stupid stuff. Yeah,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:go see all the booths. I'm like the what? They're like the booths of all the people. I'm like, Oh no, this is not like flea market. They're not 10 by 10 booths. You know, one showroom that we go to first and always, you know, it's a 22, 000 square foot showroom for that one company of. Flowers and ribbon and bunnies and stuff. That's a lot of stuff that you have to fit in there. And it's, you know, walls and walls and walls of flowers. And then you're like, Oh God, I'm so tired. You're like, well, this is just the first showroom. We got 4 million other square feet to look at, you know,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I think it's the Atlanta market, which is where we were, um, is the largest I think
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:it is the largest, you
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Um, and it's, it was at the last measurement, I know 11 and a half million square feet. Um, and people just can't, you know, you can't even fathom that, how, how big it is. Now, it's three buildings, a lot of people, like, we don't necessarily have to go to one building at all, cause it's jewelry
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:and
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:clothing and, uh, Perfume and all that stuff that we, that we don't really deal in. So we have the luxury of keeping for the most part to two buildings. Um, and we only worry about every floor cause you've got outdoor furniture and you've got outdoor rugs and you've got, I mean, you've got all kinds of stuff. But the, the pure scale, I think the first time anybody ever goes where they see like how massive it is at all, it's just like, Oh yeah, it's, it's big.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:I mean, over the course of three days, we spent an hour and 12 minutes on escalators. So there you go.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:there you
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's a lot of escalators, and you know, there are elevators, but the elevators are my personal hell. I hate the elevators.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, cause
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:there or everywhere in the world
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:There, for the most part, they, elevators don't bother me at all to use. The problem
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:cram in.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:know, the 47th person's trying to fit their fat ass in there with their,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:with their wheelie bag. Mm hmm.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:and, um, and you know, they're all bedazzled. And, um, and they have their Stanley cups and they're like, excuse me, excuse me. And then they get on and go up one floor and I'm
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:That's what the escalator's for. One floor. You don't need that
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:um, the bigger thing for me is there's also no air conditioning in the elevators. Um, and I wouldn't let you get that many people together. It, I almost become like wrecking, was it wrecking Ralph? Is that what it's like? I just want to like beat everybody out of my way. Regular.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:what I hear is you would not want to be on the elevator with Matthew McConaughey and his anti deodorant rent.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Uh, no, I mean, I wouldn't mind being on,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:I was gonna say, which
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:fine if it's just me and him.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:and then stinking sweating?
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I, uh,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:No. Okay. Well.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I mean, I, I don't think the smell isn't necessary. It's just, there's so many bodies and it's so hot and you go up and it never fills, it goes up every single floor and stops, right? Cause every I'm just like, get on the escalator. If it takes me three more minutes to get from floor to floor. 7 to 8, 19. I am fine with it. It wouldn't be Escalator.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Mm hmm.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, let's pivot now that we're there and I know that we looked for, uh, spring and stuff, but I want to tell them what we bought and what we've done and what we've seen and how we've gotten there. So they get an understanding of how we create our Christmas in July and what we look for when we go to Atlanta and what we buy, uh, which was in January. let's let's go back a We'll be right back. In January, and we're buying for Christmas in July, which we're sitting up and we're in the middle of right now. So we've walked in the door and here we go. So what are we looking for? January of 2024 for Christmas.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh, uh,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:you too, are you too tired even worried about it? Mm-Hmm.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:no, I mean, it's, well, because then you have to think of what we, um, cause that's a big thing too. Cause you have to think, okay, what do we have left from the Christmas before? Which thankfully we, thankfully we don't
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:you? Not much. Yeah.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:left, which is great. So it's like, okay, we need to get some stuff to sell with that, but we also need Come up with a new theme or a new color style, you know, just because you did red and green doesn't mean you have to do traditional red and green all the time. How do you make that different? How do you add in the extra texture, the extra ribbon or the extra ornament? And like you came up with a, it's basically pink and red. But is that, is that your Dolly theme, you know? So twisting that to be Dolly Parton inspired. So we have, you know, some lipstick and high heels and perfume, which is fun, but it's also very, um, could be very Coco Chanel looking as well. So it's, it's, it's twisting that and then going through. 12 floors and finding all the little pieces for that one theme. You know, sometimes you luck into it and it's all at one showroom. That typically doesn't happen, but it's a constant mind drain. I will say to pull something cohesive together. Is that fair? Right.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah, I think that there's multiple parts to it. So, you know, this year more than in the years past, I do think we went with more with a plan. Um, sometimes we've just kind of bought things that make us happy. Um, but yeah. Uh, this year trying to change how we did think there was more of a plan. So you go knowing, you know, first, you know, your customers, right? So we know that classic and lush and beautiful and realistic greens are always going to be, uh, something that we, we, that we have, and we've always been very successful with. We know
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, you came up with the idea of the Holy Trinity, uh, of the cedar and the white pine and the magnolia. Understanding, And you've done a great job, Jeremy, getting it across to the world. You can have the saddest, bunkiest, ugliest, skinniest Christmas tree. But if you buy these picks from us and cluster them, and you've done a video and all that, uh, and you can, where do you find the video for the,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I'll put it down in the show notes.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:okay, perfect. Perfect. It really shown the idea of you can have the most basic, inexpensive, truthfully tree, and you put these three things on it and you start with that base, you're already ahead of the game of what most trees will ever, ever be. Right. So you've got this beautiful base for me. When I go to Atlanta, when I'm looking for, I'm looking for the jewelry. And so the jewelry for me is, it almost goes back to like the philosophy of interior design. Uh, it's like. Find me that perfect fabric, for example, and I'll start the room around that fabric. Okay. Well, what does that mean in Christmas design world? Find me that perfect ribbon, which is really fabric, right? And that ribbon then has the colors, the textures, the formality, the casualness. If I find that ribbon that's got. For example, and we'll post this. We have a tree that's got kind of oranges and reds and, uh, beautiful colors. That ribbon alone set the tone for what else is going to go in the tree. So we found that ribbon, right? And then we started buying stuff. Based off of what would go with that ribbon. And it's just like with interior design, find that one thing. I think that Stuart found this one, and you correct me, you always love this kind of moody colored, uh, earthy gray greens and blue greens, and you found this one plaid ornament that was, I remember it being blues, but it was plaid, but that ornament, that one ornament. This is special. This is what we want the tree to look like. Let's find the velvet ribbons. Let's find the other things to match this ornament to create this collection. And then you just start building off of literally that one little diamond. That one little thing is some one approach, at least how we do trees.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. So, you know, we went in with the plan and you have You know, your classic things that you're going with, and then you find the things, like you said, that you inspire us to do. So we, at the end of the year, we're always looking also look at, uh, you know, Instagram and seeing what other people have done and posted and how it inspires us. You know, we're always looking for those multiple, um, avenues for inspiration for us to reinterpret and do it in a way that feels very house, um, right. And do it like, like we would. And so, um. I don't know if y'all got to look around in the store this morning, but while we were
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh yeah.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:elves were very busy and they've done some beautiful things. Um,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Beautiful.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:it's always a surprise. I think this year we've lucked out. We've gotten, I think we've gotten more Christmas in before Christmas in July than many years in the past. Um, maybe less. of some things, but more of others. Um, and so it's, it's interesting to see when it comes out in July and the interpretations that we make then versus what, when it comes out for real Christmas, when it comes out at the end of October for November, how it's regurgitated in a different way, you know, in a positive way, I guess, set that way. Because more things have come in and you reinterpret, you reimagine things in new ways. But the, the tree that you're talking about, the, uh, the, the pink and the red. And for me, it's, I see it as more fuchsia and orange is I see there's, and there's touches of red. I think that, you know, we're in a, I love that tree. It was so pretty. I will, I'll be sure to post some pictures, um, of it, but it's just happy and bright and sassy and, um. in your face.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's not for everyone, but it really is a showstopper. But I think most, I think it'll do well. And I think people appreciate it just because it is, it's lush and beautiful and it's got, you know, fusion, whatever definition you want to call it. But anything pink is, is all over the, and I, again, I posted something, um, about being at market and all these pink things we think. We bought for next year and I was like, pink is the new neutral in this one person. She said, I've been waiting for those words all my life.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:We were all very aware that when we were there in January, we ordered Christmas, uh, the pink was in, it was going to be in several themes and interpreted in different ways. And I do think that obviously we have Barbie to thank for that. And, all that that movie brought for people, I'm not going to just say women, but even though that was a huge thing for, women, but I feel like that it brought, um, I mean, I enjoyed the movie. I think it told, it informed me in many ways of what it's like to be a woman. For example, does that make sense? Like, I feel like that whole celebration of Barbie and, and, um, being a woman and feminism and, and all of that. I think that, you It made it look, I don't think it was ever taboo as a gay man. Cause I've always loved pink, but, um, I feel like that it's much more, you know, I don't want to say widely accepted cause it's pink for God's sakes, but I feel like there's less, less apprehension to use it in a ways that people probably did it before, for example, because you would hear pink and you'd think like a lot of people are only going to do that in a little girl's room. Well, you can do pink and coral and fuchsia and you can do them all. Yeah. And each one's, you know, really different and a lot of fun. Um, but there's a lot of pink and
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:well, we've been in this, um, design direction of a lot of neutrals and beige and oatmeal and monochromatic and gray, and I think people. It's still in, it's still beautiful, it's, it's nothing wrong with it, but there's other people that have kind of went, Oh, you know, I'm a color person and I want color. And so there's been this resurgence and, um, pink has been one of those resurgence. And I think Barbie kind of acted as a stronger catalyst to get it out there. But I think there was already a hunger for those who like color. You just couldn't find it for years, right? It was all, uh, it just didn't exist. So luckily, um, the market kind of figured it out and the, and the designers that design Christmas ornaments went, Hey, you know, some people do want color. And, um, also I think it's the catalyst of this whole thing of, um, Frippy and granny, chic and chinoiserie, and I think that pink just relates to that beautifully. And I think, so there's an undercurrent of that little traditional theme that's kind of helped pink also come, um, come up, um, and be more prominent once it's all said and done. The other thing that I, I've just, the thing's just beautiful in the store is that whole chinoiserie again, but blue and white porcelain. Uh, we, you know, this one company, we've got, we've got, uh, blue, green, plaid, um, ornaments that look like little urns. Uh, and you, there's a little Chinese, a little undertone to it. Did you pay attention to that tree, uh, at the front door?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:just going to say that one, um, it's not necessarily mossy green, but it's green and it kind of is like those quilted looking balls, but they're glass. Did you see those?
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. Yeah.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:And some of them have a
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. I did. Beautiful.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:yeah, it's just, it's nice
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:colors. And it's basically it's blue, white, and green, right? Which sounds awful for a Christmas tree, but the colors and the depth of it. And that's just, again, one of those things that plaid ornament in this ornament that again, uh, Stewart was talking about this moody, greeny, black. Color ornament you put those two together. You have a theme and then you throw in a plaid ornament on top of that or a plaid ribbon rather Uh, it's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful And again, we'll post pictures so you can get an understanding but that one ornament for example the plaid one for me It was like the starting point for what that What it wants to be understanding. I'm going to mix blue and white porcelain into this. So anybody that has a collection of traditional house, uh, blue and white porcelain, you'll love this tree because it, it relates to everything that you've done and your aesthetic, and it's going to feel updated, really updated.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:right,\
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:uh, you know, one of the ladies asked me the other day at the store and I, and I, I hesitated when I went to answer her and I thought I need to ask guys this. She goes, why did y'all start Christmas in July? What do y'all do? I, I paused and I was like, well, you know, when I started working with them, that was just something we did. And I think that it was at that time, you know, different company, it was much more Christmas based. And I think that was a way to get people in the door to come in and start getting excited, at least to think about the last, you know, half of the year. But I don't know if that was true. What, when did, is that, what was the catalyst to originally start that before I was around?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:I think it was, um. Well, not necessarily before you around. It's just, like you said, there was a different company that we worked for before we owned our own and, and we did it lightly there, but I think when we opened our own store, we had so many. Inquiries and people following us that are like, are you going to do Christmas? Are you going to do a Christmas in July sale? I don't know that it was ever on our radar. I was like, Oh shit. They asked me for it. We gotta go do it. So I think we just kept doing it because
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:What it's, what it helps to do is, well, first it puts money in the coffers, right? Because we make money from it. Uh, and it's a nice sale and everything in the store is on sale. So you, you know, we, we're, we're recovering from the lull of summer vacations and hotness. And, anybody is in retail in the store that, the traffic slows down substantially for us in this kind of store, at least, during the summertime. And so. What the Christmas in July does is it puts us back out there to remind everybody. Hey, don't forget about us. Quit shopping online. We're, we're sitting here waiting on you, but you can buy it. House floral. com. Also, uh,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:we'll have it for, we'll have it for pickup in the back.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:there you go, Rob. So with that said, um, you. We use this as a catalyst to get people back in the door. At least that's how I see it, but it's also to put it out there to show people like what you said to about the excitement and say, look what we're going to do. And some people will go, well, I'll buy a little of it now while it's on sale. Right. And then I'll buy some more Christmas, the true Christmas open house so that you have two times to buy while it's on sale, you buy a little bit here, buy a little bit now, you can see it now. Get excited about it and say, I don't wanna buy any of it. But then you walk away from it and then you start mulling it over and going, okay, I took pictures. I love that tree. So that's what I'm gonna do, and I'm gonna buy it, uh, in their Christmas open house in, October, November, whenever it's exactly end of October this year, isn't it? Uh, it also for me, rarely do we get it wrong, but it tells us, um. Oh, this is a big theme. We're going to do very well with it. People have loved this. We need to order more of this if we can get it, which a lot of times we can't. What the market's saying. We need more of this or we should have done this, uh, or, oh, that's a dud. What are we going to do with this one? Right. It kind of, it gives you information. you read the audience and it tells you, what would, what. When we do it, the real setup for Christmas open house, we need to blow this theme up and make it even bigger and have more flower arrangements made that match this and get some more ribbon if we can get it or tells us what to shrink if we need to, Right. I use that as a little bit of a tool to kind
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:preview. Yeah. Preview. Right.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:it's a preview. It's a preview. Exactly. It's a preview.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, because, and I agree with that because with some vendors, very few, if, if we tanked on something, we can. We can delete it before it shows up again. Or, like you just said, we can add more to it before we, before they sell out. So it is a good, a good way to kind of gauge the public and see which direction they're leaning. Honestly. Yes,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:does do four or five things, doesn't it? It gets excitement. Uh, it tells us what we've got right or wrong. We tweak it. It gets people back in the door. It gets us talking about it. It also puts it back in front of us. We really haven't seen anything cohesive because we bought it in January. Now we're six months later and we bought pieces and parts and now the pieces and parts are kind of together. It tells us, um, we got it right or wrong. You got to tweak it a little bit. Uh, but it also builds excitement for me because let me tell you, there's a dread of getting this all set up. been drug out and it 99 degrees outside and you're dealing with Christmas glitter and you go home and your little ball of heads glittering and Kathy said, well, what's on your head? I was like, well, that's from a gold glitter ornament. I'm sure. But, uh, so it's, it's a mental challenge sometimes. Right. But once like I walked in today and the ladies we've been in Atlanta, we've said it's 12 times, but the ladies who've been working this week, while we, they have Worked hard and it really looked good and I truly was truly excited about what I saw and it was exciting about mostly what they've done right but it's also oh we found some good stuff and it's that reassurance and you can literally look at somebody when they're in the store and they're excited and you're excited with them because yeah this is fun and this is I love this right I'm never gonna say somebody I don't Love if I don't, I'm just not going to do that. I'll, I'll just won't do that. Um, but there, everything I've seen in the store this year, truthfully, it's pretty good. I like it a lot.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah, I think, I think there's a lot of fun different takes on, um, Christmas. I mean, there's a lot of classics, a lot of classic there too, but there's some fun interpretations of Christmas with color that we've, we could have done in the past, like that we could have put together, but we didn't like, like, like the, the, uh, the blue, the blue and white. Yeah. Chin was like with the pink, like we've made arrangements with white and pink and green in a blue and white chin wallie like container, right? We've had that. Um, we've never really explored it as far as a look and Christmas, and it's, it's bright and happy and sassy and loving it.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Not Stuart. It's okay.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:And I think what people also, um, you know, with Christmas in July every year, I think some of us dread it. Some of us are like, Oh my God, I can't believe it's here already. Because I swear Christmas was like two weeks ago. I don't, I mean, not really, but it feels like it was two months ago. I don't know how we're in July. We're halfway through now at this point, right? Um, but I know some
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:you do know we had an uprising last year,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh, yes,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:saying that there was a,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, I think the air conditioner wasn't working well. There was hiccups, but we had an uprising between at least two people. They were like, as God is my witness, I will never do Christmas set up in July ever again. Uh huh.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:never fails that we have to go to market In the middle of it, so we end up missing three or four or five days out of it anyway um, but that's why we have you know, we rely on our amazing team to help make it happen, but after the sale will be over, all the Christmas comes down and gets stored away and
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:People are shocked by that, aren't
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:so much more. I mean, this is just the start of what's coming and then it gets totally regurgitated. I hope, that's the only way I know how to say it. Like it gets jumbled up. It sounds awful, but there we go. Reinterpreted, reimagined. Uh, it comes out and then it will be even more and
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:More in your
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:not, it's never the same. Yeah, it's even more interesting, but because people are like, oh, is this all you're going to hang out? Oh, no, baby.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:No,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh, no, there's so much more.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:That's the
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:much more. Yeah, just to start. But it does, uh, it makes me excited. It makes me excited. It does. Uh, uh, I always, of course, love the holidays, but I also love fall. And I think we have a lot more fall out this year than at this time than we normally do, too.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. Yeah,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How, how, how, does Christmas in July affect you online or does it?
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:well, we are busy, um, cause some people are eager to go ahead and, order Christmas stuff, uh, or Christmas items, uh, garlands and things like that. If they've saved up some money and they just want to go ahead and buy some, uh, they do that. But then we also sell a lot of other flowers too, cause everything's on sale. I mean, it's the same in the store, right? So not everything we sell in Christmas in July is Christmas. So if they buy art or lamps or florals, you know, everyday florals.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:really it, doesn't, as far as the online part, it doesn't matter. It's really just because it's on sale and it just gives you that bump and people are like, Oh, I'm going to buy it because it's on
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:well,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:is that really?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:is it fair to say that online some people who missed out last year have. Taking their own note and they're getting it earlier this year because
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:they, yeah, absolutely. There could be people that have are waiting to do that. Um, there are other people that, you know, we sold out of and we got it in. And the second we put it, it put it up, they get their little earth and it's back and we've already, we've already bought it. So, um, but yeah, no, some people are, cause they, you know, we do sell out of, by the end of the, you know, I don't know what day, but, uh, we do sell out of almost everything. Uh,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:which is good. It's good.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:yeah.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Okay.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:From here on out, the rest of the year is going to be a blur.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:It is.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:That's all I keep thinking.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:you know, total, total sidebar. It it's, uh, you asked what it signifies Dwayne Christmas in July. And to me is just. Put your head down and go because then we have so many trips between now and the beginning of the year again. And then the beginning of the year, we have another trip, you know, cause we just got back from market. And then we have to go do our product development in Chicago in three weeks. And then we're home. And then thank God I'm actually going to take a vacation. And then we have to start Christmas installs. And then Jeremy and I go to Vegas for a week to install for a company. And then we come back and then we go back to Atlanta to install for a company. And then it's Christmas. And then we come back and it's market. So to me, it's just like,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:so you've got five road trips in that, um, now between
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:between now and Christmas, basically. Yeah.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah, yeah.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:It's a lot. It's just a lot.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:So people, it takes a lot to have an empire.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:It does. It is not.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:of tens of you listening, tens of tens of you listening, it's a lot to do an empire. So this is what I want to ask. Stuart's been doing this a lot longer than everybody else because he's, uh, been
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:seasoned you can I'm seasoned.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Seasons. So are you tired of it?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Uh, I'm not tired of it yet I get tired. Yes, I get tired
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:fair. Yeah. Is there still joy from doing this? I'll say I'll twist it that way.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Parts of it
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Okay. Would you rather travel less or would you, uh, what, what, what's, this is the therapy lesson the last few minutes of this. So we know that ultimately we'll say this. I think we all still love what we do. Is that fair? And there's joy that comes from it, right? Um,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:And I think Jeremy and
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:you tweak it a little bit?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:well So, the, the work, the install trips that Jeremy and I go on, I think he will agree with me greatly, that although it's a pain in the ass, it is rewarding, but both him and I get to catch up on a lot of sleep during that time,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Mm-Hmm.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:because while we're gone, it is a structured, Time environment and the the person that we work for, you know at six o'clock. She's like we're done. We're going to eat It's like oh, yeah, that means we can sleep at eight, you know We still get up in the morning whereas I know you Dwayne are left back here at the store with the staff and the people in the Company and you know all that stuff that you're dealing with here. You might still have 10 and 11 o'clock nights and get back here at seven o'clock in the morning to deal with what's going on here. So it's, it's a trade off, I think, but, um, It's hard to leave, but it's easy to leave.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:this is why it's worked out of wonder because, you know, I offered up once you got a little baby Allie, it's like, look, I'll do the road trip now that my kids are grown and go out there and you're like, no, no, no, let me do the road trip. And I'm like, and it was basically lots of layers, right? But it gives, I just, you, you gave me a little insight that it gives you joy to get out of that. And the thing is, truthfully, I would have happily done the road trip. And I like who we work for. It's a wonderful company. I like what we, what we do there and I have done it, but I don't love it. Truthfully, I almost feel like I have a guilt complex because I leave the mothership, you know, I called the store the mothership and I'm, I'm generally the person of the three of us that most people interact with out front and that's who they're going to come and track down. And, um, I feel like I'm not here. I almost have like a guilt complex. So I'm glad to hear this. Cause I do feel like. I also have the other guilt that I'm sending you away from your little baby girl. Uh, but you're like, no, no, no, I'm
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:No. And it's, yeah, I
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:because ultimately it feels better for me to be here.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:right, right. Because if you were, if you were away. Then people would just be driving you bonkers and you wouldn't get anything done while you were away.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah, I mean, and you just
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:it's true. It's true. It's true.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:and now, little girl's, you know, old enough to understand that work trips for daddy are what he does. Because she gets surprises when I come home. So, you know, that's, and that's the fun part for her. So,
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:What was her request that this Atlanta trip, um, did you put a request
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:she did, she did, she goes, Daddy, since you're going on a work trip, what's my surprise? I said, well, I don't know. That's what surprises are, honey. She goes, okay, how about something pink? I said, okay. She goes, or purple. I said, okay. She goes, or with glitter. I said, okay. And she goes, you know what? You could just do rainbow and get it all. I said, okay. So she got a, um, uh, little octopus that has rainbow colored arms. So she got all the colors. So yeah.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Is that what you stole from that showroom? I wonder why you were doing that. It's like you stuck that in your little duffel bag real quick, didn't ya? I'll take that for the baby.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:put that in Rite Aid on Wheels right there. Yes, that's what we call my market bag is Rite Aid on Wheels because anytime anybody has a headache, I have Advil, I have Tylenol, I have uh, cold and allergy medicine, I have hand sanitizer, I have band aids, I have
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Okay, you segue. Let's, let's end it with, let's tell what I perceive to be, well there's two, but um, I'm going to say the one, the best Atlanta, market, moment that we had. Okay. And it's all about the Rite Aid. Okay. Who wants to tell it?
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Is it the one eating breakfast that morning?
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:This,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:I will attempt.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:this has been
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh, Jeremy.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Years ago, years
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:ago, Years ago.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:were eating breakfast and there was, it appeared to be a large, uh, maybe convention going on of some, uh, some kind of church convention going on, if I remember correctly. And in walks this woman with, um, some kind of like mangy, I don't remember. It was some kind of mangy fur coat. If it was white, I think it was white, but she also had on pants that had fringe.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:it was squirrel that was shedding. Squirrel that was shedding, white squirrel
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:uh, and anyway, she was done. Uh, she was done as we would say, done. She was done.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:They have bedazzles on the bottom of the flared white jeans.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:And um, she walked in and I do not know who she was, um, but everybody else there seemed to know who she was. And she stopped by every table and she was greeting and, how are you this morning? And it was, it was enough of a spectacle that we pay attention to it. Um, cause it was a very large restaurant. And, you know, she's, people aren't coming to her, but she is doing her social graces. And
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, it's also eight o'clock in the morning, white bedazzled jeans And a white squirrel, rodent, long fur coat jacket thing. And she's meeting and greeting. So you, and she was tall and thin too.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yeah, I mean, she was, she would have stood out in the crowd regardless of the squirrel. And the fringe bedazzled, but she was just, you know, she was just doing her thing. And I can't remember if this is when we were leaving or if it's just when she walked by the table. Um, but we have our, we have a little rolly bag that, um, Stuart brings. And we put all the printed out orders in it that we've placed that day. And, um, anything that we need. Plus he's got what he calls his Walgreens Rite Aid bag where there's every, every medication you could possibly ever need. Any snack, a bag of M& M's from 15 years
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:You want Tums? You got it. You want an apple? You got it. You need a scarf for winter. He's got it. MA's got everything in that bag.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:list. I got wet wipes. I got an umbrella.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:she. goes to walk past, and as she does, she, she walks into the bag and then trips!
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Tumble. she doesn't, fall.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:she doesn't fall, but she, she
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:it, it, it broke her stride down the aisle.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Mm-Hmm,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:she was so caught off guard. We were all like, oh honey, are you okay? And she's kind of like, Yeah.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:So, so she stumbles over the bag, and now, part of the jacket is now molting, and there's squirrel fur flying everywhere, and bedazzles running down the, falling off, and she turns to us and she says to us,
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Well, God darn,
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:darn.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:And keeps on going
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:And just
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:it just keeps on going.
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:working her breakfast buffet runway.
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:Oh, that was a, that was a memory. And I think the rest of that trip, that was how we, we, we finished any conversation was God darn.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Anyway market
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:All right.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:There was a good year. It was a good market this year Okay, come and see us at Christmas in July right be inspired by don't go to market. It's
stuart-guest198_1_07-19-2024_085819:Or order online. Either one.
dwayne-guest245_1_07-19-2024_085819:Yes
jeremy_1_07-19-2024_085819:thanks for listening as always. Don't forget we have our hotline. If you want to text in or call any ideas or tell us what you're looking for. That number is eight five nine four one two one five seven two. And as always, we will have a new podcast up for you next Wednesday. So, um, we will talk to you all soon.
