My, how time flies.....

It's been an interesting year, to put it mildly.
Shortly after my last post, my DH/partner Maurice had several heart attacks, followed by a stent (second time for that), a blood clot in the groin, and a third recurrence of cancer...this time in his lung.
He had half a lung removed,  underwent radiation, and is now receiving chemotherapy that will wind up in December......and here we are, August 14, over a year since my last post.  

During that time, we celebrated our 25th anniversary here in Carriage Plaza, our younger son got married in Tulsa, and our our older son and his family are also in Tulsa, so we now get to see our  family frequently!  

All these factors helped us see how important it is to slow down, and take some time to enjoy day-to-day living! Maurice & I decided to close the gift side of the shop and focus exclusively on the candy/chocolates.  It's what we love the most about our business, and it's what we do the best.

We started a giant closeout sale on all gifts, and are now down to 75% off all remaining gift merchandise. We have lots of store fixtures and displays for sale, and we're glad to see them go!
We're now preparing to move our front door back  and put up the wall that was originally there when we opened back in 1989!

Some of our wonderful customers are unaware of what we're doing, and when they walk in, they're very concerned that we're going out of biz....not at all! They're relived when we tell them what's going on!

Maurice and I are looking forward to being able to focus our attention on what we love the most and do the best....SWEETS!! 
Of course we'll still have some great little gifts, mostly the kind that will make you chuckle!

Thank you, our dear friends & customers, for your continued patronage during the past quarter of a century!  Remember...we're more than just a candy store ;-)

Feast or famine. All or nothing. Peaks and valleys.  Ever heard those phrases? After 24 years, we still find ourselves seeking balance - with our products, staff, time, and basically every aspect of operating a business that is weighted heavily with seasonal merchandise several times a year.

I generally order chocolate about every 10-14 days.  It seems like it all always comes in at the same time, and before I turn around, the cases look mostly empty.  Certainly not attractive to customers ;-(  
By the time I do inventory, place the orders, and the chocolates finally ship, we're out of others that need to be ordered.
Maurice does the general candy ordering, and he tries to order every single week.  Often when it comes in, many things are on back-order, and by then we're running low again on items we didn't order before because we had plenty, or so we thought.

Same with customers - we try to staff the store based on records from the past.  But it never fails that if we're short handed, we get bombarded with customers who actually have to wait in line for assistance.
On the other hand, if we've had a slow afternoon, we're likely to send one of our employees home for the rest of the day, and then we get slammed!  

Today (Saturday) Maurice & I split the day - I worked morning, he worked afternoon.  He said about 4:30 it was very slow, so he sent not one, but both of our afternoon workers home.  You guessed it...he got slammed!  And he was all by himself! Our customers are wonderful, and they waited for him.  He actually did about 25% of our daily sales today in that last hour, because of course customers come in right before closing, and we're not about to run them off!  He was on the way out the door to meet me  for dinner, when yet another customer called and needed a gift for an anniversary tomorrow.  You have no idea how difficult it was for Maurice to tell him he was sorry, that he had people waiting for him.   We NEVER want to disappoint anyone, certainly not a prospective new customer.

As much as we'd like to, we can't be fully stocked at all times. Nor can we count on a steady, perfectly paced stream of customers.  Although we sometimes feel we only go home to eat and sleep, we can't be 'on the clock'  24/7.  It's all about balance~delicate and often elusive.  Even after all these years, we sometimes have trouble maintaining it, but we'll continue to give it our best shot!  

Happy Weekend, friends!
Gyan

Hello again! Happy Birthday!

Two years and two months...that's how long it's been since our last chat.  I recently rekindled my interest in blogging, and it's been so long, I'm surprised I even found my way here again!
It's sort of hard to recap 2+ years in one blog entry. Wow...where to begin....
 
Next Wednesday, July 10th, marks our 24th birthday!  
Besides birthday cake, we're offering a 24% discount storewide that day (except coffee).  I know we'll have a great crowd, and we'll be able to clear out some room for new everyday, collegiate, fall, and yes, even seasonal merchandise that is arriving daily.

A lot has happened leading up to this 24th birthday. The last time I blogged, we had quietly inked a deal to sell The Candy Basket to a local man who was a customer and musical acquaintance.  He was to take over July 1st of that year, and we were looking forward to working for him part time and easing into retirement!
Life has a way of throwing a curve ball or two.  Suffice it to say the buyer was unable/unwilling to fulfill his contractual agreement.  It was a heartbreaking time, and when we finally 'repossessed' the store seven months later, it was like we were reborn!

Maurice & I were invigorated again! We added new staff (all the former staff left during that difficult 'honeymoon'). We're restoring our reputation as a place to find fun & funky gifts! 

The shop has been cleared out, cleaned up, and lots of color has been added.
Our shelves are stocked with great new merchandise, and our selection of MIO (Made in Oklahoma) products is expanding.
We scouted out some incredible chocolatiers whose artisan chocolates are being shipped to us in small quantities in order to ensure freshness.

We reinstated our traditional Friday the 13th sales. 
We're now doing candy buffets for parties and receptions.
We're hosting Private Chocolate Tasting Parties. 
We're very active on fb (do you follow us?)  
www.facebook.com/thecandybasket
Our electronic newsletter (Candygram) is now going out
to over 4,000 customers every few weeks. If you don't
get it, drop us a line at  thecandybasket@aol.com and we'll make sure you get added to our list.
 
Maurice & I are definitely starting to feel our ages, and entertain notions of slowing down. We often dream of being able to take off to go visit our kids and grandkids, all of whom are now in the Tulsa area. 

We know retirement will happen eventually, but in the meantime we're happy to be doing what we love...operating the best little candy store around!!

Many of you have been with us from the start, and we value your friendships and patronage more than you could ever know!
Let's raise a glass to 24 years together!
Gyan

Long time, no see

I suppose ten months is long enough to make you eager to read another blog post!
So much has happened...where to start?
I could bore you with details and go over every event, but I'll spare you the time, and let's just pick it up right here, right now...May 11, 2011!
We've had a great Spring so far, but today's weather was miserable...enough so that I found plenty of time to sit at the computer and write this blog!  
Here's a display we did this week.  Sometimes I don't understand why everyone doesn't love
some of our cool things as much as I do!  These apple candles are a great example...
I loved them, had to have them, ordered them, got them in the store, and there's been basically zero interest in them:-(  
I love that they're unscented, since we can't allow other aromas to mix with our chocolates/candies/coffee aromas.
I love that they're the cool color...they're like a permanent apple display for someone's kitchen, and they're still HERE...not on customers' kitchen counters!  WTH?!

 Anyway, Melissa never did like them and didn't want me to order them, but I was determined, and managed to spend a pretty penny buying so many.  Oh well, maybe I'll just have to change the color scheme in my own kitchen!

That's the thing about owning a retail store....as one of my reps once said "It's all a crap shoot", and by golly, I think she was right!  I'm amazed at how quickly some things sell, while others (like these glorious candles) just sit and collect dust!

Anyway, the dust-ables will hopefully be gone Friday, as it's our traditional "Triskaidekaphobia Sale" which we have every Friday, the 13th.   Everything in the store is HALF PRICE (except food and drink), and we usually have a tremendous turnout.

So maybe, just maybe, our apple candles will appeal to SOMEONE....at half price!
Till next time,
Remember - an apple a day keeps the Dr. away!!!!
Gyan

Oddly delicious!

We're always on the lookout for new and unusual chocolates, and the folks at Cocopotamus in New Mexico don't let us down....Woohoo!

New flavors of Coco-P. fudge ball truffles are here! 

Their diabolical chocolatiers have been cooking up 4 fab new flavors of  handmade dark chocolate fudge truffles for our awesome customers (that’s YOU!)  Good news?  They are yummy and they are in the house! 

BO PEEP – Meet Bo Peep, the black sheep of the Cocopotamus family.  Deeper, richer and of course darker.  She’s a darling at a stunning 88% dark chocolate.  Infused with a double dose of pure Mexican vanilla and just a sheepish hint of organic black raspberry. 

Rolled in Swiss fort brut extra dark cocoa powder.

MANGO TANGO – Meet the extreme fruit around town, Mango Tango.  It’s organic mango like you’ve never seen it before – the fruit flavor explodes!  Enhanced by a pinch of lime and ancho chili (or chile, as they call it in Albuquerque). 

Topped with a dollop of cute mango frosting.

LOVE POTION #10 – Meet their darling romantic, Love Potion #10.  Inspired by Grandma’s pie,  it is organic strawberry and a generous dose of Mexican cinnamon.  Sweet, bashful, romantic.  She’s a darling!  What’s not to love? 

Topped with a cute dollop of strawberry frosting.

COWGIRL – Meet the feisty new girl on the ranch, Cowgirl.  She’s deep (infused with spices), she’s rich (kicked up by molasses), she’s sweet (that’s the organic honey talking!)  Cowgirl is a Honey BBQ fudge truffle, mole poblano style.  You’ve never tasted anything like it! 

Topped with a drizzle of ancho chile frosting.

We'll continue to carry the most delicious, unusual chocolates from around the world, and we'll keep pursuing new avenues of culinary excellence!  It's a challenge sometimes, especially when customers are a tad skeptical or assume it's too unusual.  Our jobs...MY JOB...is to introduce Candy Basket customers to the best chocolates we can find!

Happy thoughts (of chocolate)...
Gyan

Ah, yes, I remember.....

Since it's Father's Day, I've been thinking a lot about my Dad, Robert G. Summers.  He was a great guy - very smart, an accomplished musician, disciplined, thrifty (in a good way), and devout.  
My dear daughter-in-law sent me this, and it made me think of my days growing up in my Father's home.  I think his thumbprint is on everything I do, from being a parent to being a shop proprietress.  This one's for you, Dad.....I miss you.


How's This For Nostalgia?

All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?


It took three minutes for the TV to warm up?


Nobody owned a purebred dog?


When a quarter was a decent allowance?


You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?


Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?


You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, all for free, every time? And you didn't pay for air? And, you got trading stamps to boot?



Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?


They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed. . and they did it!


No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never
locked?



Playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the game?


Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger?


When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited the student at home?


Basically we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we survived because their love was greater than the threat.
 
Summers filled with bike rides, Hula Hoops, and visits to the pool, and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar.

 



Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles.

Coffee shops with Table Side Jukeboxes.

Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum.

Hey, wait.....we still carry these nostalgic gums, but they're definitely more than a dime, or whatever they cost way back when!

Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, 'Yeah, I remember that'?



And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the children of today.



Happy Father's Day, fellas.  Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!

Until next time, I remain Bob's little girl,

Gyan

Initially Yours

Welcome to June!  June always brings Father's Day and weddings - lots of them! It's hard sometimes for me to think of a good gender-neutral gift for the newlyweds.  But this year I have a store full of perfect gifts for both Dad and newlyweds, and I think you're going to like it when I tell you we're offering all of our Mud Pie glass initial gifts at HALF PRICE throughout the entire month of June! This includes this gorgeous barware you see here, plus lots of other great, functional pieces for the home...perfect for Dads and newlyweds!

The  cool decanters pictured below are our favorites.  Think outside the box with these - they're so versatile!  Fill them with bath salts and put them in the bath...or load them up with peanuts or gumballs for a desk or side table!  Do something creative with them now - the timing's great, because they're one of the initial glass gift items HALF PRICE!                            

  

Another great gift for throughout the home are our initial frames.  They're heavy glass, hold a 4x6 horizontal picture, and feature the same bold font. UBER cool for men and women!                                         

These great little bottle stoppers are not only useful, they're the perfect add-on gift to let someone know you're thinking just of them.  Might as well think of yourself, too, since they're now HALF PRICED through June!

                                                                                        

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these trays!  I've personally given them as gifts on several occasions, and they look even more attractive at HALF       PRICE, don't you think?!   If you ever wanted to put out some cheese  and crackers, add some grapes, and maybe some apple slices, these   are the perfect serving pieces!                                                                                     

So we obviously have some great personalized gifts, and obviously I am ready to let them go  HALF PRICE for a limited time, namely the month of June.  It's a perfect match!  I do hope y'all will take advantage and will come shop and stock up on these great gifts!                            

                                                                                                          

Gyan

Happily ever after.....

We're smack-dab in the middle of wedding season!  With so many things to think of,  every Bride can use some assistance! We have a multitude of little things to help her with her journey to the BIG DAY!  Everything you'll see here is from our gorgeous (Tiffany blue) Mindy Weiss collection.
Sometimes even Brides forget!Their brains become housing units for loads of information, and there's NO WAY to remember it all!  This handy-dandy notebook is perfect to use to jot down all the necessary appointments, meetings, etc.  PLUS, it includes a wedding schedule to keep Brides up-to-date on their planning.

No sweat over how to ask friends & family members to be a part of the special day AND let them know how much they mean.  This darling little 'Wish' necklace has a sweet poem, a little silver heart, and is the perfect token for the gals who will be fair maidens!  

                                

Every Bride wants to cherish memories forever!  
This triple photo-album set is a fantastic gift. There's an album for engagement photos, one for the actual wedding photos, and an album for all the pics from the honeymoon!  This triple set is perfect for the Bride-to-be, and makes a wonderful shower gift.

As she's wrapping up all the loose ends, the Bride will need to be thinking about how to thank all those who helped her.  We recommend this set of 8 Tip Envelopes, which includes  note cards and decorative seals.  Might as well share the 'love' with something chic, right?!

 Finally, after a  long day of wedding planning, every Bride deserves to slip her tootsies into something soft and snuggly at the end of the day.  These "I DO" slippers will help her escape the planning and concentrate on feeling good!

There are still many more treats from our Mindy Weiss collection, but we just wanted to give you an idea of how we can help the Bride-to-be prepare for her special day in a special way! 


Never Mother of the Bride, only the Groom....
Gyan

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner!  We haven't had a chance to do anything special at the shop for a while, so we're celebrating the day with another  "Sip & Shop"!

Festivities get underway at 5:00 next Wednesday.   Several of our 'hot and spicy' foods will be served, as well as liquid refreshments.

Best of all, we're offering 25% off STOREWIDE (except coffee).  

It's the perfect time for some last minute Mother's Day and Graduation gift shopping, as well as general "I Want it" shopping for all of us!

We're going to shut down at 7, so for two hours next Wednesday, we hope we have lots of celebrants who will join us with a little spicy sipping & shopping!

Mamasita Gyan

The French Connection

Looks good, doesn't it? Guess what...it IS good! Tres' bien! It's straight from Paris, by a great chocolatier named Michel Cluizel.  He's been creating artisan chocolates since 1948, so I guess he knows his stuff!
Enchante', Michel!

We're proud to announce the arrival (today!) of these terrific truffles and bonbons (bites).
The two featured here are the Cappucino cup, which features a dark chocolate cup filled with coffee and milk chocolate ganache, and the Champignon Caramel, a cute little mushroom filled with caramel croquant.

Other flavors we are now carrying include lots of fancy French names I can't read OR pronounce!  Suffice it to say I'm going to give you a rundown on flavors and let you come in and try your hand at proper pronunciation!

Flavors include a dark chocolate cork filled with a Bordeaux ganache, dark chocolate with lemon marmalade, Cointreau with orange peel marmalade, a dark cup filled with hazelnut praline' and topped with gianduja, a huge raspberry truffle paste enrobed in dark chocolate, a dark chocolate piece filled with coffee ganache topped off with a speck of (edible) gold, Cointreau with dried fruit pieces, and one more dark chocolate with Los Ancones ganache.

We'd love to introduce you to these pieces!  Michel Cluizel is basically the quintessential chocolate, and we feel we have a very pleasing assortment with this first order!  

Bon soir,
Gyan

Administrative Professionals' Day

Next Wednesday is the official Administrative Professional's Day, and we all know what happens when the boss forgets...that's why it's been broadened to include the entire week!!

These delicious Nam's Bits cookies will be a thoughtful way to thank your 'peeps' for all they do...and perhaps more importantly, there are plenty to share in each bag!!  Yeah!

If one bag of delicious baby chocolate chip cookies seems inadequate, we'll be glad to help you give bigger thanks!  How about adding a box of Godiva chocolate, perhaps some coffees or teas, a bag or two of candy, and other delicious treats?  We'll put them all in a gift box/bag for you, add an enclosure card, and we'll even deliver to your office! 

We also have a great assortment of Anne Taintor's outrageous office-related items, like coffee mugs, sticky-notes, file folders, notebooks, boxes of notes, even emery boards!  Anne's off-beat humor is matched with vintage images, and brings howls of laughter to everyone who eyes it!  Some of our favorite phrases are "Someone called about something", "Why, yes, I am over-qualified", and my personal fave "She rather enjoyed working for an idiot"!!!!!

Whatever you decide to do for your Ad-Pro, let her/him know how much you appreciate them!

The boss lady,

Gyan

Easter, be gone!

Easter, you are my favorite time of year in our little store, but all good things must end.  Sorry, but you gotta go!

We've reduced the price of ALL of our Easter merchandise, including CANDY!  

Won't y'all be kind enough to drop by, look it over, and puh-leeeeze buy it!  It's like we're paying you to take it off our hands at these prices! 

It's adios to Easter for this year....we'll have a grand old time next year, I promise!

Gyan

Cuppa' Joe

That's me in the morning>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Just give me a coffee I.V. and I'm okay.
Well...not exactly! See, I love the sound of the beans grinding, the aroma of the coffee brewing, the pouring of it so there's plenty of 'crema', and I love the taste of it!
Did you know we carry 100% Arabica whole bean coffee here at the shop?  Yep - we have since we first opened our doors way back when (1983), and although there's a lot of competition now, we still sell what we consider to be some of the best coffees around!

 We bring in  most of our coffee in whole beans, but we are always  glad to grind it for your coffee maker, and there's never a charge.
One of our favorite non-flavored coffees is from the La Minita Plantation in Costa Rica. We carry the La Minita coffee two ways - light (regular) roast, and Viennese roast, which is darker and has a more intense, pronounced flavor.  We also blend the two.  You'll never guess what we call it?!  La Minita Blend!  We're so stinkin' clever!

We carry coffee primarily from two suppliers - White House Coffee Company in New  York, and Neighbors Coffee in good old Okie City!  For years, Neighbors "Snickerdoodle" has been our best selling flavored coffee.   We also love our White House Creme' de Noisette (Hazelnut), and when we blend the two, it's an incredible aroma and taste.  We call it "Hazel-doodle"...again with the clever!!
We offer other blends, too, and several varieties of decaf.
Whole bean or ground, there's nothing like a good, fresh hot cuppa joe to get the morning (or afternoon) started.

As we always say in our 'tag line', we're more than just a candy store!

The spoiled sipper,
Gyan

Easter Egg Hunt, CB Style!

Okay....here's our own special version of an Easter Egg Hunt!

Behind our counter is a basket full of special Easter eggs, each with a slip of paper offering a different discount amount.

When you come shop Friday and Saturday, let us know you saw this blog post, and we'll let you 'hunt' for your own egg!
We'll then take that discount of your entire purchase!!

Sweet treats for Easter are still available.  Hop on in to The Candy Basket, where we're more than just a candy store!!

Mama Bunny 

Sharin' of the Green!

 Okay, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm trying to think of something special to do for St. Patty's Day for our fantastic customers.  
Here's the deal - When you come in next Wednesday, March 17th (St. Pat's Day), anything you want in the store that has green in it or on it will be 20% off... IF you tell us you read it here!  
We frequently do a little something extra for our e-mail (Candygram) customers without giving away the store! I think 20% is pretty significant for nothing other than acknowledging the color GREEN! 
BTW - if you'd like to receive our Candygrams, just let us know your e-mail address and we'll add you to our list.  
It's a little electronic newsletter I write when I get around to it.
I'll let you know what's new, anything of a personal nature regarding The Candy Basket and/or our family/staff, and we try to offer a little special for our readers.  We DON'T share the addresses, either.  I bring them home, enter them in my personal home computer, and sit down (usually w/a glass of wine) and try to condense all I have to say into a reasonable read.
Have a great week.....come in Wednesday for St. Patty's Day  sweets/treats, and if you buy something with green on/in it, we'll give you 20% off...IF you let us know you saw it here!
Top 'o the afternoon to ya...
Gyan

Choclatique is here!

Our 'chocolate boutique' now features Choclatique chocolates!  Made in California, they are a great new find for us! Marcy and Melissa are showing off four of the new flavors....What's Up, Doc? (Carrot cake), key lime creme, Tuxedo mousse, and Grand Marnier Creme.  

The other new flavors we're proud to sell include Blue Ribbon Cherry Pie, Creme Brulee, Orangsicle, Root Beer Float, their Champagne truffle, made with Dom and adorned with (real) gold flecks, Cherry Creme, Strawberry Creme, and Blueberry Creme!

We love bringing in new and exciting flavors, and Choclatique is going to be a big hit!
If you 'dream in chocolate', come see us during your waking hours!
Madame Chocolate (a.k.a. Gyan)