This past Friday and Saturday, Mike and I had the big Issue Two packing party. We are still so stunned at how incredible it turned out. Readers came up to help from all around Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and even Maryland. We had just shy of 20 people wrapping a few thousand copies in brown paper and string and attach the wax-sealed tradecards. Every copy was shipped in a rigid mailer with a few pine shavings for an extra touch.
Check out the full video for the event above!
I would definitely say it was a success. All the pre-orders are in the mail and we have a pile ready for future fulfillment. Everyone worked so hard and really seemed to have a blast doing it. I was of necessity hopping around to many areas while managing the printing of postage but I overheard so much conversation and laughing throughout the two days. The positive and playful atmosphere confirmed in my mind that this is definitely the way to send our magazine out to readers. We are doing it like this next time for sure. If you missed out and want to join in next time, we plan to throw the Issue Three packing party during the last week of November or first week of December 2017. Put it on your calendars, folks. We hope to see you there.
One of several van loads to the Post Office!
One of the highlights for me was the show-and-tell time we had on Friday. I asked everyone to bring some work they’ve been doing or tools to show off and, boy, was it fun! George Sawyer brought some super comfy Windsors, Danielle Rose Byrd brought bowls, there were axes, books, etc. It was all so amazing see the excitement around craftwork in general and the mutual encouragement around each other’s work.
My sister-in-law, Hannah, is a catering master so hiring her to organize and prepare food was a no-brainer. Totally delicious stuff, all of it. Dinner both nights was at Barncastle. There was excellent lasagna, wood-fired pizza, and Strong’s superb Soulpatch porter.
After Saturday’s dinner, Mike, Wes, and I drove the supplies through the beginning of a small snow storm to the storage unit. We basically shoved everything into the pitch black unit and planned to deal with it today. We were exhausted, it was very cold, and very dark. (Special Thank You to Wes who arrived half a day early and stayed until that bitter cold end!)
Mike and I are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for everyone who came to help. There’s no way we could have done this without you guys. You are amazing all of you: Wes, Steve, Jeremy, George, Danielle, Richard, Ryan, Tanya, Austin, Kerrie, Adam, Paula, Andrea, Hannah, Julia, & Megan.
And thank you, readers for your orders! If you’ve ordered Issue Two from our store, it is on it’s way! If you still have yet to order your copy, you can get it here.
Thank you so much, readers. Every single copy you purchase makes it possible for Mike and I to keep this independent publication going. Thank you so much for your support!
Now we sit back and watch our Instagram feeds for readers’ arrivals!
- Joshua