Yangon Post
We're back on the waves
I can hardly believe I'm writing this, but our container finally left Yangon on Wednesday. This is the third time I've had this feeling in the last year. The first was...
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The Ship is Coming In. Finally.
This time next week, assuming no further curveballs, this glorious container should be backing up to our warehouse and opening its doors. Doors which should have been opened nearly four months ago. Doors which have been sealed shut for weeks battling through queues in Yangon, sitting piled high in the port in Singapore and getting clogged in the Suez Canal. Doors behind which are thousands of beautiful, individual, handmade products desperate to go to their new homes, and which hundreds of you have been waiting patiently for since October...
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The Wonky Sale is Back!
Welcome to the Wonky Sale! These are the things that we can't sell full price. Some of them have little chips, scratches or marks, some have been slightly in the wars, and some are just a little bit wonky. But they are all still beautiful, and perform their jobs wonderfully.And we aren't in the business of throwing away perfectly good things, so want you to have the chance to give them happy homes.Anyway, who doesn't love the underdog...? Particularly when it's a steal. Happy shopping!
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It's our 4th Birthday!
And WHAT an exciting crossroads we’re at. Just out of interest, I googled “developmental milestones for 4 year olds”. It’s scarily accurate...
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INTRODUCING The Kindred Club
We've launched a loyalty club! Primarily, this is a place for us to say thank you to our most loyal customers. But more than that, it’s a way for us to share more with you, to show you behind the scenes of Kalinko, to get you involved in the design process, and learn what really makes you tick. Think of it as being inside the Kalinko Home: one of the family.
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THE WAIT IS OVER!
So. Many. Things. Are. Back. In. Stock. If you missed this post from July, have a read to see why this shipment feels like it has been a VERY long time coming. But that wasn't the end of it. We did eventually get the shipment out three weeks later, BUT... It then got stuck in Singapore for three days...
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Running a Small Business in Burma
The conflicts and challenges of working and living in Burma Our next shipment was meant to have left Yangon this morning. It didn’t. Our jam-packed container is still sitting in the docks, waiting for an obscure new piece of paperwork which conforms to some new regulations which came in last month. “This was always going to be a difficult shipment,” I hear myself say to Rosiam, our Yangon Manager, implying to us both that Corona is behind the problems. And to an extent that’s true: Corona has created more red tape for imports and exports, and some inevitable delays. But in truth, these have very little to do with why this shipment has been a struggle to get together.
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Lockdown Shopping Trends
One of the fun bits about running a small business is watching the data. It's satisfying when things happen as you expect them to, but it's way more interesting when something weird happens and things start to feel a bit illogical. Well about eight weeks ago, something weird happened. We all retreated into our homes, shut the front door, and wondered when we'd next leave them for anything other than a perfunctory leg-stretch or to buy more doughnuts. And for a homeware brand, this does weird things to the data. People have been shopping differently. We've all read about loo roll and yeast and yoga mats, but what about homeware?
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Doorstep Treats - Part II
Last week we asked you to nominate somebody who could do with a pick-me-up. Somebody who's finding life particularly hard. Somebody who needs to know that they're valued and that you're thinking about them. We were overwhelmed by nominations. We wanted to share some of the incredible stories that made us want to send out something to everyone that wrote in. Here they are, with anything identifying redacted.
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