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Happy New Years 2009!
Wow, has it really been almost a year since my last rant... Time Flies! So what has another
year of wisdom brought us. I still can't seem to find the words to express my gratitude towards our exceptional fine
customers who make my time at the store (mostly weekends) a wonderful experience. Considering that for my part, I don't
get a check, it's satisying knowing we are doing something that is fun, cool, and different!
So with that said, we made it through 2008 without making the big wonderful changes we had thought would
be happening. We are still under one roof, and considering the economic environment, that is a good thing! We
still strive to keep the store fresh and new. We are still having fun with our friends and customers. And we still
want to try and do this at least one more year (we say that every year by the way...).
Christmas sales in the music department was sort of soft this year. Fewer and fewer guitars go out
the past few years and I blame that on "Guitar Hero"! Our kids are getting the instant gratification of "thinking" they
are making music. The sad reality is that the long term effect is that they are not learning anything other then to
push a game controller button to the time of the music... Hopefully, some of these young music lovers decide that maybe
trying the real thing might be cool. (Guys: Girls could care less if you are the high score for "Walk This Way"
on Guitar Hero!).
Winter is also upon us, but we have rounded the bend for daylight, and each day is getting a little bit
longer... But we are also sliding into the coldest part of the year. I remember as a kid, shoveling the driveway
and making a fort out of the pile that my brother and I made. We played OUTSIDE, not in front of the TV. Icey
gloves and hats were put over the heat rediators in the house to dry. Boots were kicked off at the door with frosted
socks and pants frozen tight around your legs. Today, we have to almost throw our kids out the door to get them to play
in the snow. Their lives are not rounded by the wonder of snowflakes or clouds floating in the sky. Summer is
never a mystery of new flowers and the wonder of bugs. Instead, it's hanging on the computer as we download new tunes
for our I-pods, or messaging our friends, or playing video games, or watching MTV... Gone is the stimulation of live
interaction. We are connected to our cell phones, and we have to check our e-mails every hour or so...
STOP!!!
Reconnect with LIFE. Go over to your friends instead of just calling. Make and listen to live
music instead of just downloading songs. Travel to someplace new, and "be a tourist (funky t-shirt and camera
a must). Make a new friend, or make a not so good friend a better friend.
I will be back here before 2010! I have some travels this year that we will share with you. Make
2009 a great year, and enjoy life!
Growing Pains... Jan 13, 2008
When we moved into our current location three and a half years ago, I told Melissa that enough was enough...
We took what had started on a handful of card tables under a 10 x 10 canopy in the old Ame's parking lot during their Hometown
Days, and expanded through the summer of 1999 into 2 10x10 canopies up through International Festival. Customers at
our booth kept telling us that we needed to open a store, which we thought was crazy. So by October 1999, we opened
up our first store in about 500 square feet on Fridays and Saturdays, with the plan to close after Christmas... Well
that plan didn't work, as we stayed open through the winter, and even expanded our days open. In February of 2000, we
expanded into the back section of our store to 900 square feet, and by July 2000, had moved down to the former Dive Shack
location to 1700 square feet. That lasted four years, and in the summer of 2004, we moved to our present location of
3400 square feet. And each and every time we expanded, we said "that's it, we are not moving again... there's no way
we can fill all this space!" Well, here it is 2008, and we are doing it again. Our plan is to actually pull the
music and toy department out of the current location, and expand the clothing department at the current store. It makes
sense to split the store more or less based on demographics of what we do. The younger crew of customers will head to
the new My Favorite Things Too location for music, toys, body jewelry, CDs, and budget jewelry. The ol' MFT will concentrate
one our, okay, I've dug myself into a hole on this one... more "mature" customers with fine gifts, jewelry, and a much expanded
women's and MEN'S clothing department.
I said we would never do this... move again, but this allows us to expand on all of our departments.
This will also grow our downtown just a little bit more! Keep in touch as we move ahead with this new adventure.
Oh ya, and we give music lessons now!!!
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Ba Haba August 19, 2007
Just got got home from a very nice trip to Ba Haba (Bar Harbor). Had a wonderful cruise last
evening on the Margaret Todd, a 4 masted schooner and had a great time!!! Today went around Acadia
National Park, and did a run to the top of Cadallac Mountain. Beautiful clear day.
So what's Carl's Rant... Just wondering why more folks don't run further up the coast and check
out the wonders of the real Downeast region. The fishing villages, the small towns, the gift shops that sell more to
the locals as much as to the tourist, so their prices are reasonable. The lobster and seafood shacks that don't charge
$20 for a plate of clams. Just point your car up US Route 1, and check out the villages and towns along one of
the last stretches of real Maine!
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Still Crazy After All These Years! Sept 23, 2006
It's been like "Mr. Todd's Wild Ride" sometimes at MFT. We have had comings and goings. New lines of stuff
blowing in and out of the door. Trucks dropping of PALLETS of freight unexpectedly. Orders not showing up on time.
Wrong items showing up. Great stuff and odd stuff. You name it, we've seen it. But the last year or so has
been both wonderful and stressful, all at the same time. Running a 3400 sq ft store in a community of barely 3300 people
is tough. We are the largest "Main Street" store in Calais, not counting the big box stores at each end of town.
We try and give that "little extra" to our customers. As always, THANKS to all (well, most of you anyways!!!) customers
who make our day great.
Now, for those in the area, the third bridge in Calais is a GO. This means that in about 2 years, a new bridge
will be finished, so that the through traffic can get past us without having to tie up traffic on Main Street. That
is GOOD news for the folks that like to shop downtown. I am sorry that some folks in the area have literally torn the
area almost in two as they attempted to have the bridge moved. Let's all please work together to make this "Entire Area"
a great place to live, work, and recreate. Please drop it, and let's move one.
And finally, the Downeast Heritage Museum is still hanging in there. This is probably one of the nicest museums
in Maine! No, I am serious. It is just wonderful, and I hope you all take a moment of your time to go through
it. And leave a fiver in the donation bucket when you do!!! (or a tenner or twentier...)
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No soapbox, just to much time on his hands some evenings!
August 17, 2005
What a great summer! After a questionable June, this year has just become one of our best!
And, this year's Sunday Funday event a few weeks ago just renewed my faith in this town. What started out as a
blazing hot Sunday afternoon with only 100 or so arriving, grew to what one observer was at least 600 - 800 people!
A great time had by all, and the music was just over the top this year! To all of you attending, thanks so much!
We had a wonderful time, and I am sure will do it again next year.
We just got home from a very cool trip to the Big Easy, New Orleans. Had to pick up the middle child, as she was
visiting Melissa's sister and her family, and it gave us a great excuse to spend some quality time in the French Quarter!
You have to really search out the jazz clubs now days, as everyone has gone to blues, rock, techno, etc... But Maison
Bourbon is still sticking to it's Jazz Roots! We hadn't been there in about 15 years, and not much has changed, except
the band! We were seated at a small table with another couple, who were from France. Had a great time sitting
through a couple sets. Another wonderful trip! So in the last 8 months, we witnessed SNOW in New Orleans at Christmas,
and this time 90+ degree days with unbelievable humidity! But neither dampened our good times!
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June 7th
Funny, how strange things sort of buzz through your brain at the wierdest times! You wish you had a pen in hand
but you don't. You hum the perfect tune. Come up with the perfect joke. But then, when you do get a chance
to write or play or sing what.. you.. DAMN... it's gone!
This week is a busy one in Downeast Maine. The area Indian tribes have been approved by the State Senate and Legislature
for a "Racino" which is a Harness Race track and slot type casino. BUT, our GOV is thinking of vetoing it. Forget
the tens of millions of dollars to be spent on this. The millions of dollars per year that will go back into the area.
The hundreds of jobs created!!! Now, I'm not a gambling man, but I would bet the family farm that if he does go through
and vetos this, you won't be seeing him step foot in Washington County for the rest of his term!
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May 21, 2005
It's almost June, and it's still FREEZING here in Maine. But, we warmed it up some last Friday evening, when Dana
and Susan Robinson came to town. Those who were there, wow did we have a good time. Those who missed it...
Your loss!!!
So here's my little rant this month. Shoplifters... We, as most of you all know, we are a very small privately
owned store. It amazes me as to the level of dishonesty that is around these days, where young and old think it's okay
to pocket small items! "Ah, they won't miss it..." Well, we do miss it... We are trying to provide jobs
to local folks, as well as provide a very cool store for the enjoyment of lots of people, and it is these types of folks who
think stealing is cool that puts a damper on the whole thing. We have gotten to the point some days that we feel like
just slamming the door and saying enough is enough! And it's not just the one and two dollar items walking out the door.
We have had loads of higher end stuff get picked as well.
All I can say is shame on you who thinks this doesn't hurt anyone. And it is with great pleasure to let these
types of folks know that yes, we do prosecute!
I know that probably the folks doing this are not reading this rant, but thanks for indulging me while I vent a little.
To those GOOD customers, ah, we won't shut the doors on you!!! You are why we are here in the first place.
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April 13, 2005
Nashville was such a great trip!!! I will post Melissa's article here, very shortly.
Have you heard about the, it's either the 7 steps or 7 points of separation... Everyone is no more then 7 people
away from any other person on earth. It is a funny concept, but we just narrowed the gap of anyone that knows us to
the majority of anyone in Hollywood! We met John Travolta's summer housekeeper. So think about it, if you know
us personnally, then you are only 3 steps away from JT, and he knows loads of famous people... SO you are within 7 steps
of pretty much anyone famous right now!
See, not all my rants are about something that frustrated us!
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March 13...
More snow yesterday.. so I am right back where I left off in February. But, I have a great bit of news for
you all. The Winter and Spring concerts are going to benefit the Calais Rotary Club, Sunday Funday event during the
International Festival in August. We are so excited to be able to help out with this event, and felt that it was a natural
tie-in with our concert series. But here's the scoop... I need to get at least 80 people into these shows in order
to make about $200 - $300 for Rotary. Get the picture? And for those that don't know, the Sunday Funday event
takes about $3000.00 to put on! So we need all the help we can get.
Tell you friends, go and buy a few extras to give out! Look, this is a worthy cause, and we are trying to do our
best to bring great talent to Calais, and a reasonable price. So help us out! See you at the shows!
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Feb 1, 2005
Not sure what happened to my January Rant. It was there, but is now gone. I lost a bunch of stuff on the
site. My concert schedule, and some other stuff. Looks like Verizon backed up my site to pre-holiday, as the stuff
I had shown for on sale during Christmas was there again!
Will update shortly, as I just lost all my train of thought due to this web-glitch... Maybe I'll rant about how
it feels to put hours of time in on our website, only to come back later and all that work is gone. Na, that's just
stupid boring s***. I'll just have to pace around on the hardwood floors in the dining room, and get inspiration from
all the snow on the ground. Ya, that's the ticket. Why am I in Calais Maine, and not in a sunny part of the country.
Be back soon with more!
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August 28th.
Wow, summer is almost drawing to an end. As you can see, we go into the new store. WOW! We love the
new location, and hope you do also.
We moved Meredith into her dorm room down at UMM, and was it a HOT day. Literally, the warmest day this summer.
But that's not what I wanted to chat about.
We just opened this summer in Calais, the Downeast Heritage Center. It is a wonderful facility to promote and preserve
the culture and heritage of our fine area. So, what's the problem? Other then one of the worst summers for tourism
in Maine due to the weather, and also some fine groups who reniged on their financial commitment, I guess nothing. Wait
a minute... You mean some groups pledged money to this fine project, and then decided that they didn't want to pay up
when the bill was due? Let me tell you, if this was a resturant, there would be several groups washing the dishes!
And one of them is a department of the FEDERAL government, that literally pulled a major portion of the day to day operational
money out of the project...
Folks, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get involved. They will be forming volunteer programs in the next
month or so. Join up! Also, try and get to the center yourself and check it out, well worth the $5 - 6 to get
in. And send your friends and family.
We will make this a success! Keep the faith...
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