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kinzelReally, I guess someone's been talking about us, somewhere. This is good news-bad news situation, you betcha.
I guess that because while we were away for the weekend SRM Publisher's website was very busy; in fact as of now I am declaring both the Meisha Merlin Crystal Dragon and our SRM Publisher Liaden Universe Companion Volume One as unavailable. I may find some of each, and hope I do, but in the current cramped basement office of SRM ... I'm not confident that I have any more of either and the website may have taken more orders than I can fill of both of them. I still have about a dozen of the Hellspark's sitting in the last case, IIRC...but again, since we returned from the ocean I haven't had an opportunity to print all the orders out. So now things are printing, and with luck I won;t have to refund too many orders...
Oh yeah...
we did go to Old Orchard Beach, and I'm for telling you that as soon as we win that lottery we're for moving to the ocean. We got in a lot of walking, a bit too much eating, and a fair amount of lazing about... and a bunch of story-conferences and other conferences as well. You know, what-if things...
And so I'm suddenly and without much warning considering the advantages of an actual in-town office for SRM Publisher. This thought first struck me last Monday when I discovered that a small computer shop had gone of business, leaving it's quiet side-street location (see gone of of business above) empty. So I sat at the end of the street in question, looking over the Kennebec River as it flows under the Two Cent Bridge and drank a bottle of milk while I nibbled on a brownie bought from the bank's "Support The Food Pantry" bake sale.
Thoughts: SRM doesn't do much in the way or retail-walk-in type traffic, but we do need a certain amount of dedicated space, and we need it in a place that's not subject to seasonal wetness. A dehumidifier is, in the long run, not sufficient... sigh.
Thoughts: We could use a commercial address because that way we'd get shipments more consistently. Where we are in east Winslow there's a local seasonal road load limit that means we've had to drive as much as 300 miles (multiple car loads back and forth to Augusta) to pick up shipments. That limit is in force as many as 75 days. Hmmm.
Thoughts: The first three in-town locations I looked at averaged about 1/2 mile from the PO, and one I really like was 1/4 miles. Hmmm... So in gas alone we could save oh... $50 to $80 a month, not to mention the hours of drive time.
Thoughts: Then again, if we have a commercial location we might be able to get some help from the local business college, in terms of interns from the business programs. They have a firm, set in super-grade concrete ringed in barbed-wire policy that none of their interns will work with an in-home business. Since many of their students are people who are returning-to-school types, they represent an experienced and motivated resource that I don't have access to right now. Marketing help is good!
Thoughts: Of course, there's the cost. One place I looked at yesterday... is a one fee covers it all: Rent, power, heat, air conditioning, trash, water, sewer... and there's plenty of parking. Not sure if the tractor trailer loads of books could make it in directly .. but if they have to park on the street the distance to the office is about 25 paved feet instead of the 50 unpaved and sometimes mud that we have now.
Down side -- being away from the cats more. Up and down -- not being able to do laundry and dishes and such between things.
Potential: might could finally do the small writing group/s I've been thinking about... for which our house and location in the sticks are unsuited. How much is a two hour weekly in-person workshop experience worth? When I was tutoring one writing student (some years ago) she was paying $15 and then $20 a session.
Upside, reclaiming large living areas at home.
Comments welcome ...
I guess that because while we were away for the weekend SRM Publisher's website was very busy; in fact as of now I am declaring both the Meisha Merlin Crystal Dragon and our SRM Publisher Liaden Universe Companion Volume One as unavailable. I may find some of each, and hope I do, but in the current cramped basement office of SRM ... I'm not confident that I have any more of either and the website may have taken more orders than I can fill of both of them. I still have about a dozen of the Hellspark's sitting in the last case, IIRC...but again, since we returned from the ocean I haven't had an opportunity to print all the orders out. So now things are printing, and with luck I won;t have to refund too many orders...
Oh yeah...
we did go to Old Orchard Beach, and I'm for telling you that as soon as we win that lottery we're for moving to the ocean. We got in a lot of walking, a bit too much eating, and a fair amount of lazing about... and a bunch of story-conferences and other conferences as well. You know, what-if things...
And so I'm suddenly and without much warning considering the advantages of an actual in-town office for SRM Publisher. This thought first struck me last Monday when I discovered that a small computer shop had gone of business, leaving it's quiet side-street location (see gone of of business above) empty. So I sat at the end of the street in question, looking over the Kennebec River as it flows under the Two Cent Bridge and drank a bottle of milk while I nibbled on a brownie bought from the bank's "Support The Food Pantry" bake sale.
Thoughts: SRM doesn't do much in the way or retail-walk-in type traffic, but we do need a certain amount of dedicated space, and we need it in a place that's not subject to seasonal wetness. A dehumidifier is, in the long run, not sufficient... sigh.
Thoughts: We could use a commercial address because that way we'd get shipments more consistently. Where we are in east Winslow there's a local seasonal road load limit that means we've had to drive as much as 300 miles (multiple car loads back and forth to Augusta) to pick up shipments. That limit is in force as many as 75 days. Hmmm.
Thoughts: The first three in-town locations I looked at averaged about 1/2 mile from the PO, and one I really like was 1/4 miles. Hmmm... So in gas alone we could save oh... $50 to $80 a month, not to mention the hours of drive time.
Thoughts: Then again, if we have a commercial location we might be able to get some help from the local business college, in terms of interns from the business programs. They have a firm, set in super-grade concrete ringed in barbed-wire policy that none of their interns will work with an in-home business. Since many of their students are people who are returning-to-school types, they represent an experienced and motivated resource that I don't have access to right now. Marketing help is good!
Thoughts: Of course, there's the cost. One place I looked at yesterday... is a one fee covers it all: Rent, power, heat, air conditioning, trash, water, sewer... and there's plenty of parking. Not sure if the tractor trailer loads of books could make it in directly .. but if they have to park on the street the distance to the office is about 25 paved feet instead of the 50 unpaved and sometimes mud that we have now.
Down side -- being away from the cats more. Up and down -- not being able to do laundry and dishes and such between things.
Potential: might could finally do the small writing group/s I've been thinking about... for which our house and location in the sticks are unsuited. How much is a two hour weekly in-person workshop experience worth? When I was tutoring one writing student (some years ago) she was paying $15 and then $20 a session.
Upside, reclaiming large living areas at home.
Comments welcome ...
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no subject
2007-05-30 21:37 (UTC)The absolute minimum straight to and straight home Post Office trip is a little over 28 miles; the Post Office and then stop for bird food or hardware goes to 30 miles, the Post Office and then to minimal cat food or people food comes closer to 35. Understand that this is as opposite a direction as possible from Sharon's place of employment ... so that combining a late PO run with picking up Sharon from work results in very little savings and a round trip of 42 to 50 miles. The several locations I've looked at in town would let us combine her going to work with my rounds several days a week. The trip door-to-door of the location in first spot is...6.9 miles one way according to my Delorme, compared to 14.3 miles to the PO.
I do combine trips when I can .. there's just not much more than a hardware store a a minimal IGA in Unity itself...