I hope you said yes....because I really am tickled pink to share the great thing that just happened to us with all of you.
About 6 weeks ago we received a call from the editor of Gifts and Decorative Accessories Magazine ( The main magazine for the retail trade industry) that we were one of three finalists for the 2008 Retailer Excellence Award in the category of Retail Internet Innovation.
To say that we were surprised and honored would be a huge understatement. Instead of acting all cool and sure of myself (when will I learn??) I actually asked them....how did you find us? I guess I keep on forgetting that this is cyberspace and that with our website and blog we can now reach people around the globe. Well anyway, I must have thought that this was my Oscar moment because I went on and on about how it is an honor just to be nominated...you like us, you really like us, and who knows what else I said. When I realized that I really must not be sounding all hip and cool....I think I finally shut up long enough for the gracious and kind editor to tell me that they would be sending out two tickets for us to join them at the fancy 150 dollar per person dinner in New York City on Aug. 17th. They would be announcing the winner in all the categories at this dinner.
Long story short....for personal reasons we realized that we would not be able to get away that weekend. And I mean honestly....I did not think we would win so I figured that I would just be happy with the nomination and call it a day.
Flash forward to yesterday...Monday August 18th 10 am. My phone rings at home, I answer.
(Hello) Hello is this Megan? ( Yes it is. ) Hi this is Caroline Kennedy, the editor of Gifts & Dec. Magazine. (Hi Carloline. ) I just wanted to call and say that we are very sorry that you were unable to attend the dinner last night.....because you were the Gold Award Winner. (Oh my gosh...that's so cool!!!)
Caroline went on to say the kindest things about my team and our site and I got off the phone feeling so happy and grateful. It is a wonderful feeling to realize that sometimes hard work does get noticed and appreciated.
I can say that having a shopping website is like having my third full time job. I work on it at five thirty in the morning and sometimes until the wee hours of the nite. My sister Courtney processes, packs and ships every order and our good friend Lindsey was instrumental in helping me build, launch and maintain it. Of course we owe a huge thanks to our super-talented web developer Ralph De Stefano at Direct Response Web Solutions. He gave me everything I asked for and that's never easy!! So kudos to my team....as in all of my life and business endeavors, I couldn't, and wouldn't want to, do it alone. Go team go!
For anyone who is interested, here is the text from the story written by Jane Kitchen.
Megan Morrison says she “misspent” her youth looking for junk. “The good stuff — you know, bits and bobs, doodads, other people's trinkets and trash,” she explains on her Web site, shopatmoxie.com. Little did she know then, that she was going through her basic (buyer) training. But, it all made sense when she grew up and opened a store filled with an amazing assortment of things you don't find just anywhere.
After opening her first store, Megan Morrison Home & Garden in DeKalb, IL, in 2000, she soon expanded across the street, and opened a second store fronted with peacock blue double doors. She filled this new 8,000-square-foot space with “…the most random, quirky, beautiful, interesting, useful and unpredictable goods around.” She called the store Moxie.
In 2006, she realized she needed to share her store with a wider audience, and set out to translate the unique qualities of Moxie to the Web. The vibrant peacock blue from Moxie's doors serves as the background color to the site, and fun vintage fonts and more bold colors set the scene. Shoppers can easily find a gift for just about anyone, with a choice of 22 clever categories, including “Makes Life Easier,” “Artsy Fartsy,” “World Traveler,” and “Funny Ha Ha.”
A “Product Highlights” page features suggested gifts for everyone on your list, including “Your Crazy Aunt” (suggestion: a Sherlock Holmes Doll, complete with a genuine magnifying glass), “Your College Roommate's 21st Birthday,” and “The Cat Lover in Your Life.”
“I wanted to have categories, but I wanted them to sound fun,” said Morrison. “It does help people. People have limited time and attention spans.”
Serious about service
ShopAtMoxie definitely specializes in humor and quirk, said Morrison, but when it comes to customer service, they're dead serious.
“Everything purchased is wrapped in tissue and boxed exceptionally well,” said Morrison. Giant blue Moxie stickers adorn the boxes, a testament to the power of branding. Customers also receive a small gift and hand-written note with each order, no matter how big or small.
“Our customers really feel like there are real people attached to their order,” said Morrison. “…It makes them repeat customers. We have great products, but they also trust us, and it's harder to build that trust online.”
Photos and text from Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine.
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