Good tidings and a wet and windy hello from Little Dog Towers.
It has been brought to our attention from some of the more eagle-eyed, on the ball, amongst you, that we had promised newsletters when you signed up to our mailing list. In the daily hustle and bustle of life at the Little Dog this has been neglected. Our sincerest apologies for the oversight. To make amends and celebrate the first of quarterly email letters, this December issue has a very handy 20% offer code (at the bottom of this newsletter post) to help your pennies stretch a little further this month.
So. What has been going on behind the scenes at Little Dog Towers?
The big news is that we have dipped our toes into the murky waters that is the high street.
(Just like us to join the party as everyone else is leaving!)
We have our very own pop-up shop in our hometown of Derby. With a lease of just 8 weeks, we are hoping to gain many things from the experience. As over 80% of our business is directly to trade e.g. small independent gift shops and garden centers, we thought it was about time we walked a mile in their shoes. By putting ourselves on the front line, so to speak, we can get a better idea of how we can help our trade customers at what is a very difficult time for retailers on the high street.
Our second hope is to hold a little art exhibition. For the last two years, Anna has been promising herself to find time to draw for the sheer pleasure of drawing. A bit of a pitfall when you turn your hobby into a career. Taking on the shop has been the kickstart she needed to draw for fun and hopefully we will have something new to show you in just a few weeks time with an exhibition entitled Hounds, Hares & Hens.
This piece is still a work in progress but all original artwork will be available to view or purchase on our website as well as in the shop.
And whilst Anna is rediscovering her joy of working with soft pastels, the rest of the team have been very busy with hammers and nails. We’d love to tell you that Little Dog Towers is a beautiful, old converted factory building, full of character and quirky corners. Sadly it’s not.
It’s an industrial unit tucked behind a scrap yard! Over the years we have tried to make the most of the space but like all well-fed muffin tops, we’ve begun to exceed our waistband boundaries. An unexpected opportunity arose at the start of the year to purchase the unit next door and over the summer the big knock through had begun. As with many DIY projects, juggling work demands means the progress has been steady but thankfully we have one hell of a talent in Martin, our warehouse manager. Working alongside him every step of the way has been Nathan, the third sibling and business partner at the Little Dog. Nathan is the logical practical one and between him and Martin, we are hoping to have a new office space ready just in time for our eagerly anticipated* staff festive bake-off challenge.
We have all agreed on the Industrial look which is proving very cost effective as we do not have to box in pipes or hide ceiling joists!
And finally, on the design front, there has been progress and setbacks in equal measures.
The good news is that our It’s A Good Sign Collection, (which we have affiliated to the RSPCA for the next three years) has exceeded the sales targets that the charity had set for each quarter. And just as lovely to hear, they are thrilled with our efforts and even said we have set the standard for other companies to follow. Can’t begin to tell you how proud that makes the whole team feel.
And so, as the silly season descends may we take this opportunity to say thank you for your support, inspiration, and feedback and wish you all a very happy Christmas.
Take care from all at Team Little Dog
Your 20% loyalty code NLDEC18 is valid until midnight Tuesday 18th December*
*There has been much grumbling and resistance to this festive bake-off idea from the more humbug elements of our team. Gavin.
Feel free to spam his email account chastising him for his misery!
Great to hear from you!!
I have a wired haired visual in fact she is a long haired wired visual that has changed colour from russet to golden sand according to her birth paper.
Anyway I love the couple of cards you have of a “wired” and am really looking forward to loads more as they are personality dogs….
Great news! Good luck.
Please can you send me a new catalogue please to Sara Thomas, Staveley Grange Main Street Staveley knarsbourgh North Yorkshire HG5 9LD thank you
Just love the Newsletter – switched on my computer 8.30pm after a truly awful day and had a smile on my face by the time I’d finished reading it. New unit conversion looking great!!! Wish I lived closer to Derby so I could visit the pop up shop, but my local town has a small selection of your cards so I’ll go there instead; meanwhile I’ll be looking to see what I can buy online with the discount benefit of my loyalty code. By the way: I love the look of Anna’s Hare drawing – got to get one of those.
To everyone at Little Dog Laughed……have a wonderful Christmas, enjoy your festive bake off! I wish you continuing great success in 2019.
Best
I love it i think a brill idea so bar humbug Gavin i think u r wrong ..i could just imagine my cat doing this ..
Love the news letter and the updates really excited about the new hare designs