SmellyGourmet

Why Smelly Is Like He Is

2011-03-30T07:02:00.000-05:00

The fridge magnet (designed, of course, by Smelly Himself) says it all! If you want to sell magnets like these (as a super impulse-purchase item) in your retail store, without the stupid watermarks of course, you can check out Smelly's new "Bits of Wisdom" magnet website. We'll have them available individually for retail sale sooner or later, but for now if anyone's interested, just call or email Smelly or, better still, come visit him at the Smelly Gourmet in Metamora!

Living In Your Business

2011-03-30T06:28:00.001-05:00

People have often asked me what it is like, living upstairs in our old historic home with the shop downstairs, in our lovely little village of Metamora, Indiana.

My wife and I would not have it any other way. Whereas we've had commutes to work in the past that were as long as an hour, now our commute is only sixteen steps. Convenient. When its snowing outside, or below freezing, I used to hate the time it took to thaw out and warm up the car in the dark to get to work. Now, I just let it sit- if I have to go somewhere, I can usually wait until the sun is up.

Some couples like to get out of the house for work so they can have their "own" lives apart from each other. Me, the only life I want is shared with my bride- we've spent nearly 24-7 together for most of the past eleven years and it just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. Living here, working together here, is the only life for me.

And we've got a full-service quality coffee bar just downstairs! They let us sit there and drink our cappuccino in the morning in bathrobes and bare feet (well, before the store is opened to the public anyway.)

I probably isn't the life for everyone, but it certainly beats having a job for us.

Of course, you don't make any money at this like you do with an actual job, but money is overrated anyway. My Navy retired pay covers the basics. So we do this at the Smelly Gourmet for love- of the lifestyle, our little pre-civil-war village, interaction with our customers, and time with each other.

Retirement?

2010-03-22T08:06:00.003-05:00

Was talking about retirement the other day with some friends. What IS retirement? Fishing? being bored?

Naw, I think I'll just stay here in tranquil Metamora making the best cappuccino this side of the Atlantic, converting dead computers into sculptural clocks, and talking with new friends (customers in our shop the Smelly Gourmet), growing old with my beautiful bride! THIS is retirement!

2010-03-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

The Smelly Gourmet has moved - but not far! - just next door into our newly purchased historic home built in 1845- the Jonathan Banes house. Still working on rebuilding the coffee bar area, will be back open soon! Come visit us this spring.

Smelly Gourmet Coffee Bar Specialty Drinks

2009-06-11T06:01:00.002-05:00

Stop in the Smelly Gourmet in Metamora, Indiana and ask for one of our Iced Coffees. You can choose from over 25 different flavors.

You haven't experienced excellent Iced Coffee until you tried one from the Smelly Gourmet. We go the extra mile to assure that you're getting the best coffee available. Don't believe us? We back it up with our money back guarantee!

At the Smelly Gourmet we make our Iced Coffee different than anywhere else. You have to come and try one to see what it is we do that is so different from all the other coffee bar. Our customers agree that this extra step makes all the difference in the world.

Stop in and try it. What do you have to loose? It's guaranteed.

http://www.smellygourmet.com

Getting Ready for Christmas

2007-11-12T19:00:00.000-06:00

Busy busy busy! The shop is currently loaded with boxes full of stuff to get unpacked, priced and displayed for the Christmas Walk. Got clock "Geek Sculptures" to finish, more Smelly Jelly's to make, more cleaning to do, schedules to write, signs to paint........

Hanging Christmas decorations on the outside of the building ranks right down there with accounting for my favorite things to do with this business. But its a necessary thing, and now complete with beautiful weather today.

"Geek Sculptures" a Christmas Walk Hit

2006-12-18T16:39:00.000-06:00

Steve has been making wonderful clocks from old computer parts for some time now, but his newest additions, such as the one pictured below, have really drawn a lot of attention - and purchases- this year. Clocks are made from whatever old dead computer parts are available and put inside Steve's hand-crafted wood boxes made in his shop from maple, red oak, walnut, cherry, whatever wood is available. His carpentry skills improve with every batch of clocks made.

He calls them "sculptures", not clocks. Over a hundred different clocks are available at the store in Metamora. Each one is different and unique. The addition of colored CD's for clock faces (instead of the previously used all-silver CD's) has made a big improvement in the variety and appeal of the display.

We are hoping to come up with a system that allows us to post photos of each individual clock and make them available for purchase on this blog, but for the time being, you'll have to visit the store in Metamora or the All Occasions Gift Shop website to purchase.

Tastiest Popcorn

2006-12-04T23:43:00.000-06:00

We've found the best tasting popcorn we've ever tasted. At our store in Metamora, customers have been going crazy buying the stuff! Click here to find gourmet, hull-less delicious popcorn to make on your stove at home! Wonderful popcorn!

Ideas not a short suit

2006-02-06T16:53:00.000-06:00

Coming up with new ideas for products is never a problem! The problem only comes up in gettins some past ideas implemented before trying some new ones. This drawing will be the basis of a new "certificate" product to sell on the web or in the store.

Head Stinker Rules!

2006-02-04T13:59:00.000-06:00

"Beware of the Head Stinker" very cute!

In reality, one shoule follow that logic. As the Head Stinker I rule. Yes, no mater what you think I am always the ruler of this smelly kingdom.

Today as we drove to work it was snowing. The snowflakes were the size of pancakes! Yes, it was like driving through a giant pancake storm. Now Steve will say I exzagerate a little but those snowflakes really were the size of pancakes.

Once again I wooped your butt in Acy Ducey. Why you ask? Because I am the Head Stinker and I rule!

beware...

2006-02-02T17:23:00.000-06:00

The "Smelly" Way

2006-02-02T16:08:00.000-06:00

I've realized two things about running a business with my hubby as my partner.

1. My work is making all the money!

2. Hubby's work is thinking and thinking and napping (HA)

So, this morning on the way to the store I say "I've got two more boxed to pack this morning and then we can ship them". His response is "so they will be ready to ship tomorrow afternoon?"

It's funny how he thinks I spend all my time doddling when in reality it is the other way around. I'm trying to help him though. Give him priorities so he don't get sidetracked. It's really hard keeping him in line.

One of these nights while he is sleeping I'm going to shave that beard off so he can't twist it anymore! I'm looking over at him now and that is what he is doing. Twist, twist, twist!

The Choice

2006-02-01T06:54:00.000-06:00

The choice this morning, for priorities as to what I need to do once we get to work, is either to finish trying to figure out what we did with cash in our accounting system last year, or continue with inventorying stuff in the store. Whew, some choice, huh?

What about all the creative stuff I wanna do? Producing magnets, working on new post card designs, soldering stained glass pieces into parts for new lamps, building wood boxes for more computer clocks... you know, the really cool stuff?

I hate winter time, even though this is a really warm winter - it means PAPERWORK! Brenda gets somewhat of a reprieve because she is making stuff that people have already paid for and we've got to get it out the door (the internet is wonderful- no customers need visit Metamora for us to have sales of her stuff).

So I guess I'll quit whining and :) get another cup of coffee and get busy!

Love of Coffee

2006-01-31T18:04:00.000-06:00

As we were leaving the store to come home tonight, my Bride, carrying her coffee and purse to the car, exclaimed "Oh No!!!"

Fearing something really bad had happened, I hollered at her "What's wrong!?!?"

Confirming a casualty even worse than I could have imagined, she cried "I spilled my coffee all over the inside of my purse!"

"Hey," I cried, "be careful! Do you know how much that coffee costs?!?"

I guess you have to be a coffee lover to understand how much one can allow coffee to rule your day. Can't wake up without it, can't finish dinner properly without a cup, have to make a special trip to the store to get more cream when you run out unexpectedly.

One of the biggest advantages of us running our own coffee bar is that we get to drink GREAT coffee all the time. In the days before we opened the Smelly Gourmet, we drank an awful lot of folgers (lower-case intentionally.) We would never be able to afford to buy stuff as good as we drink now.

The other day we actually (I still can't believe it!) RAN OUT of coffee at home! Luckily, Bride found a quarter pound of ground coffee sitting on my desk that we had brought home a couple of months ago. We discovered that, even a couple of months after grinding, it was still better than the FRESHED can of folgers we ever drank!

A Beautiful Day at the Smelly Gourmet

2006-01-28T19:10:00.000-06:00

I've been living up to my name "Head Stinker" this week. Making a lot of bath and body products to get out in the mail. Crema Fiore Bath and Body is our own brand. Exceptional product I do say!

For a winter day it was a beautiful sun filled day around 60 degrees! This is my kind of winter. We had quite a few visitors today as well as other merchants from the town. The people in Metamora are wonderful. I can't wait to live there.

Just got another huge Crema Fiore Bath and Body order! I'm up to my eyeball in soap, lotion and oils.

While Steve is playing "Accountant" I get to do the fun stuff. I just wish we could get through our "To Do Board" that has over 40 things to be done. The board is overflowing.

I Hate Accounting!

2006-01-26T19:34:00.000-06:00

Spent several hours today trying to figure out the accounting aspects of our business, including a couple of hours with the accountant, then several more hours fixing things and trying to understand other things.

Then, just when I think I have it figured out, I start explaining to my partner (The Head Stinker) who asks a few simple questions that I have no idea how to answer.

Well, at least she sold some stuff in the store today while I was immersed in how much money we lost last year.

Routine

2006-01-24T10:56:00.000-06:00

Lot of visitors this morning- George for a hot chocolate, "Lion" Bill for coffee, Al R. for coffee, Paul H. to say good morning.

Brenda working on filling a Virgin Islands order, I'm working on getting our end-of-the-year inventory entered into the computer so we can get our taxes figured out.

Taxes: I've always heard that the thing most entrepreneurs hate most is accounting and taxes. I don't argue with them at all! But we can't afford to pay someone else to do them, so I muddle through on my own. I am getting smarter about this accounting business, but progress is slow. Got an appointment with Adam this Thursday to get him, a Quickbooks expert and a CPA, to try and educate me a bit more.

Making great coffee and computer clocks is a ton of fun, selling same even more fun. But all this other crap you have to do (like accounting) is the downside!

Of course, it still beats the hell out of punching the time clock in the big corporate world.

Better get back to my inventory-data-entry work before the boss(Bride) yells at me. First I gotta get out front and stand our sign back up- teh wind just blew it over again.

I'm calling it a day!

2006-01-23T19:31:00.000-06:00

Brenda here. I have spent many hours working on the gift shop site "All Occasions Gift Shop" and it is now time to quit. I have a hard time pulling myself away from work. It is too much fun working for yourself. As the so call "Head Stinker" at the Smelly Gourmet I offically am quiting for the evening.

Day Off

2006-01-23T19:15:00.000-06:00

Monday is our day off at the shop- we are otherwise open six days a week. But, as is typical, we both sit at home and do business stuff, mostly on the computer. Though I did get a little time out in my wood shop today, most of the day has been sitting here at the computer.

Been making progress on our new line of refrigerator magnets though. Gotta lotta magnets designed, but getting all the sales and promotion documents together so we can mail em out is almost as much work as designing the magnets.

Come to think of it, this blog might be a great idea as way for me to communicate with my wonderful bride! Sometimes because of the continual working, we don't always share how we are feeling with each other-- even when we get home, our six kids need attention that can detract from our own communicating. So we can just say it here- she's probably the only other person that'll read my ramblings.

OK, the blog is now set up, like we've been discussing doing for a long time, so now I'm gonna quit here and go fix me a drink (Kessler's and Diet Coke) and relax- "Las Vegas" comes on in a few minutes.

Hopefully my beautiful Bride will quit working soon and come and join me. (She hardly ever drinks, but she does like "Las Vegas".)

Introducing....

2006-01-23T18:54:00.000-06:00

We (Steve and Brenda) are starting this blog to use as a diary of the happenings in our lives with respect to trying to make a living in our retail store/ web store/ bath and body manufacturing/ computer graphics production/ craft making/ coffee bar business(es?)