I spent some time last night at Refresh Richmond.  You can read all about what RR is by clicking the link.  I’ve wanted to go to the meetings for a while, but now that I am trying to get some freelance writing/marketing work, I have to get out and network again.  It was good to see some nerds I haven’t seen in a while, like Phil.  I met my new BFF Carrie Fleck, talked writing (and how blogs can get you fired) with @leashal, made obnoxious jokes with Bradley Robb and tried to listen to Wren and Mr. Sterling’s snarky commentary afterward at Legends. 

My favorite tweet of the night was my own. Sorry but it was.  Here it is:  Fav phrase from #refreshrva: minify. In a sentence: “I’d like to minify my ass.” I still don’t know if “minify” is a word, but it’s now going to be used in my daily vocabulary.  My second favorite tweet came from Bradley:  “I am waiting for someone to yell “You lie!” at #RefreshRVA”

Aside from all the techno-speak, I realized that had I grown up now, I would have been cool.  Sometime in the 2000s, being nerdy became cool. I missed my window of opportunity to be cool, apparently, and now I’m not geeky enough to really be cool anyway.  I’m a geek wannabe. 

Becoming more focused on work is important right now, but I realized how out of practice I was when I was driving Carrie back to her office and I literally felt like I was going to fall asleep at the wheel.  Even though the economy is terrible, I feel more positive today about my ability to get back into some paying gigs.  Lots of my friends are freelancing - some of them are even making money writing *gasp* creatively.  I’ve always wanted to write - in fact, I’ve been writing - I just rarely get paid for it. 

Some pictures from last night, and also from Laura’s very cool house:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdelbueno/sets/72157622236670657/

And since I can’t really talk about anything else in my life right now, here’s the rainbow and unicon picture of the day:

Driving through Carytown yesterday, I saw a huge “Closing Sale” sign on one of my favorite stores, Lane Sanson.  I was hoping they were just moving - No such luck. 

Carytown is one of my favorite places in Richmond.  On a personal level, it reminds me of those glorious years of pre- and post-marital bliss, wandering the streets looking at clothing I couldn’t afford and buying crap I didn’t need for the house.  If you want something unusual, Carytown is the place to get it.  It was a nice break from the miles of suburban wasteland and strip malls.  In the back of my mind, I always dreamed I’d open a store there, except I hated working retail, so I kind of knew that was never going to happen. 

Lane Sanson, along with Mongrel, are two of my favorite places to shop for wedding and Christmas presents.  About 80% of my cool ornaments come from LS, and all of my great magnets come from Mongrel.  Most of my friends and family received wedding presents from LS.  Let’s hope Mongrel can hold on - otherwise Carytown will have nothing for me except Nacho Mama’s, and Nacho Mama’s is not Weight Watchers approved.  Mmmm, margarita.  But I digress. 

I talked to one of the manufacturers we carry at Sassy Monsters yesterday.  One of her shirts was featured in People Magazine recently, and she was hoping more stores would pick up her line.  Instead, she got a bunch of individual orders - which is great, yes, but it’s a sign of the times.  Some of the stores that carry her have gone out out of business.  In a nice way, she was asking me about our future.  For now, I’m okay.  Thankfully I never did go to Carytown, or one of the big malls.  Overhead can be managed, and as long as I’m making enough to pay down the credit line (paying myself right now is out of the question), Gloria Gaynor and I will survive. 

Still, the sadness I feel as I roam Cary Street and see all the “For Lease” signs break my heart.  These are small business owners, just like me.  These are places I’ve frequented, supported, and loved since I’ve been in Richmond.  I know that this is cyclical and eventually things will turn around, but it doesn’t make the “Closing” signs any easier to stomach. 

Finally, someone in Congress is taking action against the completely frustrating CPSIA legislation.  Congressman Anthony Weiner from New York sent this letter to the Chairman of the Consumer Product & Safety Commission.  I’m thrilled people are starting to take notice, and hopefully more local government officials will get involved to be the voice for small business in America - especially those of us who are dedicated to buying American and protecting our children from chemicals. 

You can read his fantastic letter here.  cpsc_kids_clothing_CPSC_LTR_jan_07_09.pdf

One other good thing happened today, for other retailers like ourselves:  The CPSIA published this press release clarifying their expectations of us, as retailers:  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

If we as consumers and businesspeople can keep the pressure on to clarify and use common sense on the new lead and phthalate laws, we’ll all benefit - and maybe some of us won’t even go under. 

I took Arden to her eye specialist appointment this morning.  Supposedly this eye doc specializes in pediatric eye issues.  He was very weird in person, but Arden loved him, so I guess he really does specialize in talking to the little people.  I felt like a bit actor in the PeeWee Herman show - a little bit.  The good news is, Arden loved going to the eye doctor - she thought it was a big game. The bad news, her sty, or chalazion requires surgery to be removed. It has gotten too large and has recently started to bug her. There’s a chance it can actually rub away the outer skin of the eyelid, which would mean surgery and stitches on the lower lid - but if it stays intact, they can do the surgery, in under 5 minutes, on the inside of the lid.  Hopefully she won’t remember it.  On a happy note, her depth perception is 100%. . . so far it hasn’t hurt her vision. I will just be glad to have it over and done with.  I’m particularly thrilled that her pre-op appointment doesn’t require a blood draw and the surgery is done without an IV - just a mask to put her out for a few minutes.  Right now it’s scheduled for January 20th but we are on the cancellation list for next Tuesday if something opens up more quickly (I hate to wish some other kid would get a cold and drop out, but I REALLY do not want this thing to bust out of her eye like a miniature re-enactment of Alien, the Movie). 

On another sad, and partially happy note:  my Blackberry officially bit the dust today. The trackball has been problematic for a long time - it kept popping out, and I’d shove it back in there. I even resorted to crazy glue once when I was very desperate.  Today it popped out again and I broke it completely when trying to, as they say in the South, “mash the button back in ‘er”.  I am currently waiting for Mike to get home so I can go get an iPhone. I am not buying another Blackberry. Once I learned, by playing with my brother-in-law Frank’s iPhone, that Lo and Behold, I can process orders on this thing (!!!!) I was sold. 

It’s not the best time to be buying new anything, but I have no choice. I can’t even answer my own phone now. I can dial numbers, but I can’t check emails and I can’t answer the phone when it rings.  It’s been pretty annoying, especially since a customer decided today to call me 16 times but would never leave a message, and therefore I had no idea who it was until she finally broke down and left her name and number in the voice mail. 

It’s off to the Apple store iGo!

It’s been a day.  I’ve mentioned before the upcoming CPSIA legislation and how it’s going to effect small businesses, but until today, the reality of how it is going to effect US didn’t hit. 

First, let me say that I don’t want lead in my children’s toys or my children’s clothes.  That being said, I wholly support a REALISTIC approach to lead testing.  For example, if every single item I use to make a onesie is certified lead-free, I don’t believe I need to test it again on the off-chance that all those items, when sewn together, will suddenly have a party and become lead-filled for the fun of it. 

For those of you who aren’t aware, the legislation was done by some well-meaning politicians in a knee-jerk reaction to all the lead toys coming in from China.  What’s ironic, as one of my friends so eloquently puts it, is that the legislation isn’t going to affect those big corporations who started this mess - companies that mass-produce and can afford to test.  It’s going to affect people like me, and all of our manufacturers.  She says, and I quote: “I can’t even come up with something coherent to say. I just followed the link on your blog and started poking around the interwebs, and here’s what I don’t get. Last year everyone was up in arms about the radioactive lead-filled dogshit toys coming from China, and so the answer is… to put small American manufacturers out of business, thereby leaving only the large companies that outsource their manufacturing to… China? What? Someone jerked their knee in government and this is the polished turd they came up with, sounds like.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

My brief synopsis, though the legislation itself is so complex you need both a Juris Doctor and a Masters in Chemistry with a concentration in Manufacturing to understand it is the following: 

The upcoming CPSIA legislation will require every color and product variation for children to be tested for lead (meaning if you manufacturer a “got boob” onesie in black, red and white, even if all the products you are using are certified, you still have to pay to get it tested three times). Most of our manufacturers do not have the money to comply - each test runs between $250-$1400 depeneding on how many elements are involved. Many will go out of business in August when they are required to furnish the certificates and can’t. However, one thing I didn’t count on was what happens to the inventory we are holding. On Feb 10, 2009, we have to get preliminary certs from everyone we sell.  Those can be from their raw product manufacturers (ie, someone who makes nap mats would get certs from the cotton material manufacturer and the fleece manufacturer). However, all the inventory we are holding may not comply, so we are looking at eating a shload of inventory sitting in my attic. We won’t be allowed, by law, to sell it. Did I mention that cotton has really never been a culprit for lead?  Yeah, doesn’t matter.

And then what happens?  What happens in August when the raw materials certified aren’t enough, and each manufacturer must test every variation of their product? An example from Boutique Cafe goes like this: “To put a real dollar amount to testing one of my products, I solicited a lab quote. I was told it was $75 to test for lead per garment component and each substrate. Coated or painted items such as buttons are $100. So my Little Red Riding Hood Shirt, a 100% cotton knit shirt with an appliqué made from 7 cotton fabrics and 2 buttons eyes would cost $625 to test for lead. Flammability testing is also required and is either $50 for a certificate per component stating it meets weight code or $100 for actual testing. So add another $400-$800 for a grand total of $1,025-$1425. in testing costs for a shirt that retails for $40. If the shirt is offered in another colorway, the same testing is required despite the fact that the same fabrics are used throughout.

CPSIA will be retroactive and takes a guilty-until-proven-innocent approach with extremely hefty fines for violators. As written, any product used by children 12 and under (such as toys, footwear, carpets, clothing, bedding, luggage, lamps, toys, books, magazines, baseball cards, consumer electronics, school supplies, office supplies, jewelry, housewares, sports equipment and so on) without the newly required certification would be deemed hazardous, whether the item poses an actual threat or not. So on February 10, 2009, any unsold merchandise (in big box stores, the corner boutique, your fabric stash, Good Will donations, etc.) will be deemed “hazardous goods” and illegal to sell unless 3rd party testing proves otherwise. By the way, there are only 14 said labs currently in the United States.”

For those manufacturers that do survive, who do you think will pay for the outrageous fees?  You will - the consumer. 

For my small little group of nap mat and onesie manufacturers, we are trying to band together an a.) figure out what the law is really saying and b.) survive.  Here’s what you can do to educate yourself and support amending this law (thanks BoutiqueCafe.com for the list):

What can you do?
1) Email or call the CPSIA - the office of the CPSC ombudsman 888-531-9070.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx
Comments on Component Parts Testing accepted through January 30, 2009.
mailto:Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov.

2) Email or snail mail your representatives.
http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476

3) Call your representatives. For their contact information just enter your zip code.
http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/dbq/officials/

4) Make your voice heard by voting on this issue. The top 3 in each category will be presented to President-elect Obama.
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

5) Sign the petition.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

6) Spread the word! Write about this on your blog. Tell others about this issue and encourage them to do the same.

7) Join others in fighting this cause.
http://cpsia-central.ning.com/notes/Notes_Home

Join the etsy community in the virtual chat with CPSIA Small Business Ombudsmen or send a handmade children’s item that will become “hazardous goods” as of 2/9/09 to Bobby Rush, founder of H.R. 4040.
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences-consumer-pr-3056/

And let’s all hope that enough people make enough noise to get a second, more thoughtful look at this problem.