Ready to open up!

The shop is stocked & ready to open.
My busy elfen friends have worked their patooties off & the fabric is all in place. The shop looks great!

I've always wondered about those elves who magically show up without being asked & get the work done ... now I know first hand how that feels. Rotha, George, Lynette, Rich, & Becky have all just magically appeared this week to help us out. Wait till you see the results! Dion & Jenna are quite the creative little whirlwinds. You can meet them Saturday.
The mermaid will even be there Saturday for the first day of business.

Starting Saturday we're open
Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 to 6,
Sundays 1 to 5
Drop in & see what's up!

Caution - Open Soon

Look out P'ville! There's a new fabric shop downtown.
Calico Mermaid is opening on Saturday, April 2 at 10:00 a.m!

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Saturday the sky turned blue, the sun came out & my amazing friends & family toted everything out of the house & into the shop. I still find it hard to believe it was all in & took under 4 hours! Talk about an efficient crew! That's us.

The rest of the day was spent arranging & assembling. This is the view from the back door. We have a great parking lot in the back off Second Street & Oak.

There was mostly work, but a little silliness from certain involved parties. We won't name any names.
Here you see some of the fabric unboxed, ready for shelving this week.

We're looking forward to meeting you all face to face. We'll open next Saturday, April 2.
Open Sundays 1 to 5. Monday - Saturday 10 to 6.
Come see us at 122 N. Main Street in Porterville, CA.

There's still plenty to do, but we're almost ready for business. Drop in & see us sometime. Introduce yourself as a blog follower!

Photography by Kate Stover. She's terrific. I wonder who her Kindergarten teacher might have been???

Quiet blog = busy shop!

This blog may be even a little quieter than usual because we're preparing to move into the new shop! We spoke to the contractor again yesterday - at 7 p.m. they were still working on the shop. They're doing an amazing job. This week they will finish the floors, ceiling, plumbing, & front doors. So they expect to have the final inspection on Friday!
wahooo!!!!
So the minute we get the green light, we'll start moving in. It's hard to believe, but it's all finally coming together.

Watch 122 N. Main Street for the Calico Mermaid - Coming Soon banner.

I'll be very happy to have all this merchandise out of our house & arranged so you can see it. It's almost all priced now, packed & organized...ready to move in. (Even though the last shipment of last minute notions arrived yesterday!) We have some wonderful employees chosen. I know you'll love working with them. We even have classes lined up but I haven't had a chance to prepare a calendar yet. If there's a class you'd be interested in, let me know & we'll include it.

We're also preparing for our first quilt show vendor booth! Look for the mermaid to make her debut at the Best of the Valley Quilt Show April 8,9,10. We're really looking forward to seeing you all there. If you've never been, it's a fantastic show. We have such wonderful local talent!

So maybe the next time I "talk" to you it might be in person! See you soon!

Here's a shout out...

to all our favorite handy folks out there! We appreciate you creative, gutsy types ... we love your brute strength & can do attitude!
This is called Mr. Fix It from RJR Fabrics. Don't you love the colors?

958 bolts

Yep. That's EXACTLY how many we have packed away in every room of our house. And how do we know exactly how many, you ask? Well, because we just spent the weekend creating & preparing the UPC stickers for every item. That's how we found out the half yard cut for online sales wouldn't work in the shop & the computer requires that they be the same. So that created another day's work for my techno wizard.
And we're expecting 2 more shipments later this week. It looks like I'll hit my 1000 bolt goal right on time. There's a miracle.
The construction workers requested oatmeal raisin cookies, so I'll deliver them this morning. We have to keep them happy!
Then today I begin sticking stickers. I'm thinking the oldies will be cranked up & the windows open. If I can't be out in the fresh air, I'll just let some in while I work. Happy spring break to me!

New ordering system

Along with all the details involved in tagging the merchandise for the new shop opening, we discovered a major flaw in our system.
So we had to change up the way we sell fabric online in half yard cuts, & switch to one yard increments. We hope it isn't a problem, but if it is, simply contact us by email or phone & we'll work it out.
In the meantime, check out all the new fabric!
And enjoy the free shipping all weekend.

Free shipping this weekend!

The first sweet peas are blooming...
the daffodils are loving the sunshine...
I'm loving spring break...
so let's have free shipping all weekend!

www.calicomermaid.com

There are some beautiful new pieces to check out. Click the
NEW FABRIC
button & see what you can find.

Birds must be the theme for the week...

First these beautiful Pam Bono patterns & books arrived. She has some great birdie patterns. The best thing about her patterns is that they are so versatile! You can make a quilt - large, small, whatever - or you can adapt her patterns to pillows, table runners or place mats. She gives you all kinds of fabulous ideas for gifts...or to keep!


Then these luscious cranes & peacocks flew in...
There's Pomare by Yuko Hasegawa, a fascinating designer at RJR, & Han e Mai, also from RJR Fabrics. All have rich colors & details, perfect for any of those patterns for large prints. (Which also means fast & quick!) You'll love the coordinates in both collections. Go to our website & see them all. Calico Mermaid online store

Do you love batiks?

These batiks are just so rich! We have brights with brilliant intensity, as well as softer, soothing shades. Layers upon layers of color create the depth & visual texture you're looking for in your projects. Batiks hand painted in Indonesia with traditional methods have such a diverse range of color, you'll want to use them all!