The Little Dog Story
Chapter Six – And it just keeps coming
The Little Dog Story. We feel awful starting this chapter with yet more sad news, but to not mention those we have loved and lost in 2008 feels disrespectful to the memory and importance they had on the lives of those at the Little Dog.
Dear old Daisy B took her final breath on Jan 17th. A sweet, faithful dog, who rarely left Anna’s side, she slipped away quickly having suffered with kidney failure. She was a quiet, unassuming mongrel, who loved riding up front, chasing squirrels and hogging the bed. Despite never being complimented on her beauty, Daisy assumed the role of artists’ muse with grace and dignity, providing the company with many design ideas. She was a delight to know and a fine ambassador for all canines, always winning over the hearts of those who were nervous around dogs. She was Anna’s furry shadow and much loved dog.
Eight weeks later, Anna’s father in law, John Dickens lost his battle with cancer. A truly exceptional husband, father and teacher, John’s personality and character influenced many lives for the better. He was a voice of calm, reason and logic. His death was heartbreaking for the family, many within the community and those at the Little Dog. He was Daisy B’s favourite human and their ashes will be cast together ensuring she gets regular walks and he gets the dog he planned for his retirement.
With regards to the business, it was another tough economic year but we’ll highlight the positives for fear of sending all those who read this into a deep depression!
February was our 10th year in business and we celebrated with an impressive birthday stand at the Spring Fair. It was a moment to feel proud; especially as three weeks prior to the show we had no new products to exhibit. Once again our long awaited cushion designs arrived looking truly awful. It was very possible we’d be a laughing stock, standing in front of huge, expensive empty stand. Thankfully, there is nothing like a bit of pressure to bring forth the creative inspiration and by returning to the good ‘ole days of “make your own”, we created amongst other items, key racks and memo boards that proved such a hit we quickly put them into production.
The Battersea project was finally completed despite life events trying their utmost to make the deadline seem impossible. It was the hardest yet most rewarding project the company had been involved in and displaying its first published book was another memorable moment.
The young Really Likes Company turned a small profit in its second year thanks to an in-house idea that resulted in the range, Blatant Lies. A collection inspired by our late Nan Ethel who proved you are never too old to tell little fibs and huge, harmless whoppers to get you through the day! It has been an exciting challenge establishing Really Likes but an emotional rollercoaster producing and launching collections.
It was with much sadness that we said goodbye to Esther, who left us to embark on a new career as a maths teacher. With such a sharp brain for figures and a warm, happy personality, we know she’ll be a great success in her new profession and wish her all the best. Thankfully, this is not the end of our relationship and Esther happily returns for shows and exhibitions whenever her training and work schedule allows.
With one gone, we gained another. The young freelance designer, Ashley, her self taught talents on the Apple Mac have been essential to speeding up the design process and with a fantastic work ethic, she is a true asset to the team.
In the last quarter of 2008, we had the joy of officially facing our first recession and the hard facts that greeting cards and gifts are not a necessity when money, jobs and the high street are disappearing. However, just when you begin to loose heart and doubt the value of your work, an email will come through from someone who is also having a hard time but has just had their day brightened by receiving one of our cards. It is these little moments of kindness that strengthen our resolve to be like Forest Gump’s Bubba Gump shrimp boat, a lone survivor after the storm. So our survival tactics for 2009 are too turn down the volume on the doom and gloom media, concentrate on producing quality designs and continue to improve our products and service. Wish us luck!
