If you think you’ll want a custom order over the summer, read this first

I hesitate to even say this out loud because I don’t want to jinx it, but there is a good chance that HaldeCraft Headquarters will be moving over the summer. I KNOW! So much excitement; such wow (as the kids say these days).

Under normal move circumstances you might expect production to cease for about a  week… however, the place we’re looking at (and please knock on wood for us) has an unfinished garage workshop that we’ll need to insulate, drywall, paint, and otherwise fix up and get ready. That Poor Man is estimating this might take about four weeks (he does have a job, so can only work on it on the weekends and evenings, and I don’t want to make him sacrifice 100% of his off-work time with working for me, so he can have SOME time off – The Queen will allow that, haha).

We’re looking at this happening – if it happens – in the six-to-eight week range from now, so late June or early July. I’m going to go with the eight weeks because it seems like things never happen as fast as you think they will (of course, if I say that, it’ll happen sooner, hahahah!) so the HaldeCraft production line is looking at being closed for the month of July while we renovate the workshop.

What does that mean for buying things during July?
– Nothing! We’ve already talked it over and the HaldeCraft things for sale on my online shop will be the last things packed and the first things unpacked, so barring any extenuating circumstances there will be no delays in shipping out products currently in stock.

What does that mean for placing custom orders?
– Starting Sunday, May 11th, I will no longer be taking custom orders until the beginning of August. It takes 5-6 weeks to work a custom order into my work rotation, and get it finished, and I want to have all custom orders finished and out the door before we move*. So. If you want to place a custom order to be finished before the end of June, you have until midnight on Saturday, May 10th, to place that custom order with me. If you want to order something for any time after that, you’ll need to wait to talk to me about it until August 1st. Remember when I start taking orders in August that there will still be a 5-6 week turnaround for completion.

What does this mean for the Sept-Nov yarn club?
– Hopefully, nothing. Current club runs though May, June, and July; May is ready, I am almost done dyeing June’s yarn, July’s yarn is on order, and I hope to have all of June and July dyed and wound by the end of May. August would be my off-month for club anyway, so even if we get the place and renovations take longer than expected, we should still be on track with club.

What does this mean for Christmas orders? Don’t you usually stop taking holiday orders in October?
– Well, yes, it does mean you’re going to have to either think about what you want me to make for your loved ones early, or buy off the shelf (trust me, I have a lot of awesome things that would make a wide variety of people happy). As usual, I will stop taking ceramic custom orders (for December delivery) around the middle of October, and custom soap and yarn orders (for December delivery) towards the beginning of November. The good news is that this new workshop is going to have a lot more storage space than I have now, meaning once the renovations are complete I can really get cranking on having a lot more backstock than I have now (so hopefully I won’t run out of popular items so quickly).

So, now. Everyone think happy, positive thoughts for me, because That Poor Man and I really want this, and are actively working towards making it happen. “Pray for help, but row for shore.” And of course, if our offer is accepted, you will all be living the renovations with us because trust me, I will be taking so many photos you’ll think you’re doing the work with us. Your backs will ache with ours!

* If we move; we have not yet closed on the place, so even though I want this to happen with every fiber in my being, and the universe seems to be setting this up pretty darn perfectly, I’m trying to be realistic.

Cross-posted on my work blog, except for the following paragraph:

I feel weird talking about this, like it’s going to happen, six or eight weeks before I know for sure that it is. But I’m trying to put my head in a positive area, because when you put out positive, you get positive back (and the opposite – how many times have you been in a bad mood and everyone around you seems to be in an even worse mood?!). And I would rather put this out there, tell people I might not be able to take custom work in July, and have to say “damn, we didn’t get the house” rather than get to July and tell people with no notice that I can’t take custom work for a month. So. There it is.