Happy new year!
Autumn's Latest Window Display: A New Shop Favorite
Autumn, our talented window artist, has created a stunning new display that's quickly becoming a favorite at our shop.
Happy 2017! We always feel a sense of relief when the holiday season wraps up. In our line of work, we don't get to enjoy the holidays much because we are so busy. But, being busy is truly a blessing. Here's to a busy and blessed 2017 for all of us!
Long days and late nights
We knew this was going to be a challenging year. And the biggest challenge is getting everything done.
There are have been many late nights at both the Rochester and Red Wing locations. This won't change any time soon.
Thank you for your patience. It isn't the destination, it is the journey.
Back to energy efficiency
Two years ago we tried LED holiday lights and we were very disappointed. The white lights had an odd blue-ish hue and the lights really did not have very much 'throw'.
Last year we went back to traditional incandescent lamps and the building looked terrific. But, because the lamps are not energy efficient, we had to minimize the amount of time they were illuminated.
This year we went back to LED lights. The lights need to be replaced every year because the squirrels like to chew through the insulation. We opted for a longer icecicles and we are very pleased with the advances of LED technology.
Fall is our favorite time of year
Downtown Red Wing looks spectacular in the fall. The colors absolutely pop and the well preserved buildings look fantastic.
Wetter than water
Wow. It has rained nearly every day for the past two months.
We had a very heavy and wet snowstorm in early May and it has been raining almost every day in June.
But this is farm country and this is the growing season, so nobody is complaining.
The Red Wing Innovation Incubator
Red Wing Innovation Incubator: Supporting New Businesses
As mentioned previously, much of the year has been taken up with the generation of the Red Wing Creative Economy report.
Related, and even more of a time sink, has been the initiation of the Red Wing Innovation Incubator.
This is a physical space dedicated to helping grow and mentor new businesses in the Red Wing Community.
This activity is being driven by Red Wing Downtown Main Street, and our involvement is because of a firm belief that the stronger the local economy is, the stronger our business can become.
Visit the website and see what the hubbub is all about: Red Wing Innovation Incubator.
Catch-up/ketchup
Reinventing and Expanding Our Horizons
We've been very busy reinventing ourselves here at the shop. To start, we've been focused on unveiling Red Wing Digital. This print-on-demand product offers unique large-format presentation options, including the Panel Print and the Acrylic Print. While the Acrylic Print has taken longer to get ready for production, we're excited about its potential.
Additionally, we have a new business partner, Fine Art Prints on Demand, a UK-based company. We've been quietly working and growing this side of the business (printing and framing fulfillment) for several years. FAPoD is our third customer in this area.
These developments have driven our third initiative: moving our production to a larger facility. We've narrowed down our options and expect to make some final decisions soon.