July News and Updates
Hello Friend
In this newsletter:
- Significant Financial News
- Significant personnel changes: Board, Gallery Store
- Opportunities for members: Facebook, Apply for X-mas Market, On-line store news
- Reminders of members' responsibilities
- Miscellaneous
- Committee updates
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Our history was grass roots, and utilizing the skills of interested personalities to run the organization worked well. This method is presently not available, and the Board does not have the skills to manage something as important and layered as the Circle Craft store or the Coop. The board can (and will) formulate a vision for the Coop’s ideals, but it is time for those who really know how to manage a store and a Co-op to do the work of orchestrating the operations. Dig 360 showed us that. So the board has decided to hire a Retail General Manager.
This hire will be expensive (but not much more expensive than Paul was), but will deliver to our members proper representation and financial benefit.
The goal of this hire is, firstly, to increase store revenue to at least break even point by 2022, secondly, to return the Board to a governance- only- body rather than a managing body, and, thirdly, to engage and promote our members and their craft in the active sharing of their excellence in process, story and community.
Our new GM will be an experienced Retail Manager who has a history of running successful small to medium size retail businesses, has an understanding of coops, has a proven track record of training staff and a willingness to work the floor with them, has the marketing background to elevate (with hired professionals) the Circle Craft brand to the pinnacle of BC Craft, and has experience in developing opportunities for our customers to engage with our Members.
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WITH THIS PROFILE, PLEASE CONTACT US. wendyvanriesen@gmail.com
It has and continues to be a difficult task extracting the Board from the running of our Store but we are almost there. The next iteration of the Circle Craft Board will be a Governance body, outside the inner workings of the Store. If this understanding of our new direction appeals to you, please join the Board.
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Significant personnel changes |
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a) Sadly, Elaine Brewer-White has resigned from the Board. We thank her for her energy and commitment during this time of great change. Thank you Elaine.
b) Board Member Diane Zwickel has taken over the Management of the store until our new GM is hired. She is working on staffing, payroll, IT and member engagement; as well as creating crisper operational strategies to hand over and monitor our new Retail GM.
c) Diana Luong has been contracted to set up the look and efficiency of our online store. She did a great job on our website and we are happy to include her in its maintenance.
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Opportunities for members |
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b) Apply for the Market! We need our Circle Craft Members to be represented there! Your presence at the market connects more people to our Granville Island home for the rest of the year.
We encourage any/all of you with the means to produce enough of your craft for the 5 day show to apply. We have asked Signatures to reduce some booth’s costs and allow for ‘sharing’. None of this has been decided yet, but should you be able to take the ‘risk’ for the show or encourage some other artist to join the show, we may successfully support other artists and our co-op’s future.
Furthermore, if you live in the lower mainland and feel you could offer a billet to an out-of-town member so he/she can avoid the high costs of a hotel stay while vending at the Christmas Market, please contact Jo (ludwigjo203@gmail.com) with particulars . Alternatively, if you need a place to stay while vending at the Christmas Market, also contact Jo with particulars (ludwigjo203@gmail.com). Preference will be given to members doing the market for the first time or the first time in a long time.
c) Thank you to all who signed up. Launch day is the end of July! Our application for the online store is now closed. We received a handful of applicants and will use these member’s craft to create a great online store experience. Our goal is to make it easy for each member to upload and monitor their own product and sales online. You will ship your product from your studio and this cost will be reimbursed at the end of each month when you are paid your consignment totals from store and online.
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Reminders of members’ responsibilities |
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a) Thank you to all the Members who have stepped in to work at the store! It is exciting to have the Members fulfilling the Board’s vision of inclusivity and member engagement.
Thank you Lorna Moffat, Diane Yutal, Lina Cutnan, Pen-Hsuan Hsing, and Fredi Rahn!
A new call went out June 28th. Please go to this link for details on taking a shift in the store. Please remember that your role here is to greet our customers and assist our staff in creating a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere.
b) Please remember our service in the store is to assist both staff and customer. Since the staff have set routines, defer to them on how you can best help. During this time of transition, we are needed as a support to our staff.
If you have any questions or ideas about displays/merchandizing, please contact Diane. Those issues will be dealt with in a different forum.
c) Please bring in new work and take your old! The store needs a fresh look and that can only happen with your input.
d) Note that all members must wear a mask in the store as all staff have not been fully vaccinated yet.
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OUR NEW WEBSITE IS LAUNCHED!!!!!!!!!! Please let us know what you think. If you have any updates for your personal profile, please send them to wendyvanriesen@gmail.com |
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Membership Committee
Jo Ludwig and Jenny Hildebrand would like to thank the many members (over fifty were contacted) who took time out this month to share their thoughts and memories around three main Coop related subjects: why they originally joined the Coop, why they remain members, and whether they feel well served by the Coop at this time. It was a sincere pleasure speaking with all of you, and we would like to assure you that your feedback (positive, neutral and/or negative) has been summarized, presented to the Board, and will be a great asset going forward. For any others who might like to share their views on these subjects, we welcome your thoughts via email to circlecraftmembership@gmail.com.
Retail Committee
In lieu of dig 360 report, we have created a Retail Plan to build a positive relationship between the Retail aspect of the store and the Members representation there. Beyond the hire of a Retail GM, our goal is to increase sales:
1. With trained staff focused on welcoming visitors into our ‘home’,
2. With a store representative, specifically for Members, who can answer your questions about your art in the store and cataloguing your inventory
3. With a cohesive and comprehensive marketing and merchandising plan that builds a unified brand about our gallery/store, about the co-op and builds our relationship to our customers and excites the public about who we are.
Nominations Committee
Please join the Board!
HR Committee
The hiring committee of Tanya Droege, Cameron Dougherty, Susan Nairn, Diane Zwickel (Board) and Wendy Van Riesen(Board) will be interviewing for the position of retail GM in July.
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Sincerely,
Circle Craft Board and Staff
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Circle Craft Co-Operative, 1-1666 Johnston Street, Granville Island
604 669 8021 circlecraft.net
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