News about Custom orders

We wanted to post a status update on our plans for our made to order/custom sections.

Short version: We have still not set an exact date as to when we will begin taking new orders. We are projecting March 2, 2009 for our CUSTOM orders (you send us your fabric) section. Our made to order section will hopefully be shortly after that.

Long version: We are still in the process of trying to move into our new design studio. The build outs have take several weeks longer than expected (don't you love dealing with contractors and waiting days for permits??). The original completion date of 1/26 has came and gone. Yet we're still starring at unfinished walls.

(photo taken on 1/29)

Our contractor is telling us it will possible be Feb. 13 before he is completed with the build outs and that's if everything continues on schedule with no delays from the inspectors. Once he is done, we still have to apply for our occupancy permit and that is expected to take an additional 7-10 business days to obtain. Until then, we can't move anything in.
This whole process has been extremely frustrating especially since our original plans started back in Oct/Nov and should have been completed before the new year.

It's also been very frustrating on personal level, as I have been struggling with chronic back pain since the early summer and it has limited my ability to physically do any work and rely on others to get all of this done. MRIs and other tests have shown that I have 2 herniated discs in my neck, as well as 4 herniated discs in my lower back. I have undergone countless rounds of epidural spinal injections in both areas with little pain relief. The only option I have left for my neck is surgery (anterior cervical decompression/discectomy & fusion).

Originally this was scheduled (February 11) with the intentions that this move would be complete, but now it's ended up right in the middle of this chaos. Obviously the ideal thing to do is to reschedule it, but unfortunately my doctors and family feel that is not in my best interest to continue to put it off. The numbness and weakness in my hands and arms are only getting worse. The longer the nerves are compressed, the greater the chance these symptoms will not get better after surgery.

We are still trying to determine the best course of treatment for my lower back. Since I have already had back surgery in 1997 for this same problem, the options are limited since my spine is already unstable in this area. Monday (Feb. 2), I will go for a procedure that will tell them how many of the 4 herniated discs are actually causing all the pain in my lower back, hips and legs. We're hoping for only one or two. There are a couple of minor procedures that can be done if that's the case. My doctor is hoping to squeeze one of those procedures in before my neck surgery to gain some relief in my lower back so I am not suffering from both (recovering from the surgery & the current pain in my lower back) at the same time . If all 4 discs are the culprits, then the only thing they can do is to start fusing them together, which can't be done until I'm 2-3 months post-op from my neck surgery. Please send good thoughts our way. I'm terrified beyond belief.

NEWS ON THE CPSIA FRONT:

January 30, 2009
CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.

Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.

The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.

So what this means is we can continue on with business as usual and see what happens in the next 12 months. We have already received certificates from all of our vendors that the fabrics and other products used to construct our cart covers comply the new total lead content limits (actually there is NO lead used in the production of the fabrics we use and there was less than .1% of phthalates found- duhhh, not big news to us).
So even through we have certificates from all of our vendors stating that they meet the new lead content limits and know our product compiles with the CPSIA, as this current law is written, we are still required to obtain our own testing and certification that our finished product meets these new lead contents limits. Which is SOOOO crazy because we do nothing to our supplies except cut it, sew it and package it. Why do we need to spend an additional $1000-4000 for EACH BATCH (each fabric, each run) to get the same results? This is the uproar that many small business owners like ourselves are trying to understand.

We will continue to follow the developments in the next coming months and hope that amendments can be made to protect small businesses all over America.

These new developments have allowed us to proceed with purchasing new fabrics for 2009, however we will wait until the above mentioned move into our new design studio is complete (we don't want to move more equipment and inventory than we have to).

Once again, we appreciate every one's patience and understanding. We'll be sure to keep you posted.