MARKET DAY in ARGENTEUIL!

After almost a month of intense sim work, switching over all inventory to ad board vendors from the hippos, and building the venue, Market Day is ready to launch the GRAND OPENING of ARGENTEUIL!

There are a number of special things planned for your visit including the "Two Martini Lunch" Thursday at noon and METALLICA to cap the week on Saturday at 4 pm. It's a true "Dads & Grads" themed musical week! MusicNotPolitics will also provide a great slate of some of the best musicians in SL including KevinThomas Carpool. Our full music schedule will be posted here as well as in your Market Day News.

You'll land at the gazebo, and from there you can walk Vendors Way up the beautiful embossed metal ramp, seeing what all 22 vendors have to offer you. If you're in the mood to start with the music, take the TP straight to the ballroom area where the stage on top offers not only our musical guests, but a great panoramic view! Any TP within the common areas of Argenteuil will take you to great shopping at either LiX for casual men's and women's or formal and dressy casual for women at S0phie's Choice Design. But before you leave, toss a few breadcrumbs to the baby swans and grab a boat ride for a gorgeous view of the waterways while enjoying the lounge sounds of Martini in the Morning.

Thanks for visiting during Grand Opening week!

Home at Argenteuil

Wow, what a busy month! Aside from a lot of real life work, there was much activity in Second Life including May Market Day planning on the Victorian seaside sim in Brink's Cove, the launch of Merchant Guild Weekly--a percentage sales promotion--and the purchase of a new island estate!

Argenteuil is now home to S0phie's Choice Design as well as Sautereau Sky Ballroom. Also making a new home there for main stores are Veralis Basevi's LiX and Arissa Darkheart's Darkhearted designs.

Here are just a few of the upcoming events:

May 17-24 Merchant Guild Weekly 15%
May 25-31 Market May Day
June 1-6 Merchant Guild Weekly 36%
June 7-13 Merchant Guild Weekly 16%
June 15-17 Market Day Sautereau Sky
June 17 Martini in the Morning
2 Martini Lunch Sautereau Sky Ballroom
June 21-27 Merchant Guild Weekly 26%
June 28-
July 4 Merchant Guild Weekly 36%
July 13-15 Market Day (reserved for Ronin)

Feedback Please!

Merchants, I have provided a link within Guild to offer some feedback on this last event. Now is critical as we plan the next one! Thanks for your time and all your efforts!!!

GRID STATUS: Market Day EXPOsed & Uncensored!

We should have known, that if we had a decent idea, it would be targeted. Well, I knew that, I just really figured we were small-potatoes enough that we wouldn't attract enough attention.

Between us and Zindra Unzipped, I'm thinking that the attention of the Lindens is more focused on disabling competition to their "ZEXPO" than fixing the grid problems. As of this writing there are a scant 4k+ logged in, and it's likely they will continue to drag their feet fixing this problem for days if not hours. Why? Cuz they can.

As we frustratedly wait on the grid to come back up for most people, I can assure you the Merchant Guild is in cooperation with our sim host of Market Day EXPOsed & Uncensored! during this time to extend our event, potentially lacking the entertainment we'd hoped to offer, through the weekend.

I think KittyCat our sim host would be incredibly happy, in fact, since our traffic was 7093 on the first day, and 1.5 times that much working up to the second day!

Stay posted here, those of you interested, and we'll update as soon as we can on Market Day status!

Market Day EXPOsed & Uncensored! Apr 27-29 sponsored by SL Merchant Guild

We have an UNBELIEVABLE line-up for Market Day EXPOsed & Uncensored on stage! There will be 40 vendor stalls to visit with a variety of items to browse or services to peruse while your listening to LIVE MUSIC, DJ MUSIC, or enjoying one of the FASHION SHOWS!


The ※SL Merchant Guild※ sponsors its next Market Day in an adult sim lending a unique blend of both Mature (Moderate) and Adult items all captured in the theme of Romanesque Romance! Lush exotic landscaping surrounds a coliseum style venue, entirely created by the Merchant Guild--a coalition of residents representing the commerce of animators, architects, decorators, designers, service providers, and wholesalers. Additionally, this Market Day offers LIVE MUSIC, DJ MUSIC, & FASHION SHOWS plus Mania, Lucky Chair, Lucky Cupcake, and Sploder each day! Sign up for Market Day News at S0phie's Choice Design in Craggen Maw, or ask your favorite merchant!

Visit us and see what the fuss is all about!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Austerity/123/162/29

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Tuesday
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10a-11a Shane Kirshner live music 􀀍
3p-4p Nonge Shipman live acoustic rock 􀀊
5p-6p CrashOV Uladstron Smexy Town Fashion Show
6p-8p Nicktacious Chapman dj rock/punk
8p-9p Gregg Huet live rock 􀀌
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Wednesday
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10a-11a Caoilte Skytower live folk rock 􀀋
3p-4p Matthew Perreault live rock 􀀎
5p-6p S0phie Sautereau ~s0c~* Red Carpet EXPOsed
6p-8p Slater Michalski dj rock 􀀏
8p-9p EricSteffensen Mistwalker live acoustic rock 􀀀
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Thursday
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10a-11a Lexus Melodie live acoustic rock 􀀅
12p-2p Slater Michalski dj rock 􀀆
3p-4p KevinMThomas Carpool live acoustic rock 􀀂
6p-8p RnB Product Demonstration
8p-9p SweetLilly Pinelli live acoustic rock 􀀁

Merchant Guild Market Day--SUCCESS!

The first Merchant Guild sponsored Market Day was a HUGE success, bringing in average daily searchable traffic averaging over 6,000! That includes absolutely no advertising except within sales groups on both Thursday and Friday.

The Merchant Guild will hold its next Market Day on April 27-29 for three consecutive days--3 for the price of 2 ;)--on the adult sim Austerity. The theme will be Romanesque Romance for a classy sexy blend of both adult and mature (moderate) merchants and items. This event will be unique in that we have room for a stage where we will feature live entertainment as well as DJs, and even a few fashion shows! Complete schedule provided via Market Day News which is a web-subscription based pubilcation that does NOT require a Second Life group slot! Sign up at my main store in Craggen Maw.

Spring brings new site, new dress

Yesterday I established *~s0c~* Enterprises website! It's a template (UGH, I hate those) but for the sake of just getting the site up and running so something would be there, I would NEVER use a template for a website!

http://s0c-enterprises.com/

I've dabbled in web design, so this isn't new for me. I just hope I can spend a little time crafting this site with so many irons in the fire. I know that it's a necessity especially after the expansion into residential rental. That's still very very iffy with the launch of Linden Homes. Conventional Wisdom among the Learned says that Linden Homes has negatively affected realty in SL. I predicted that. *sigh* More waiting, then.

My reproduction red carpet Marchesa dress made for Sandra Bullock premiers Sunday, March 21, first full day of spring! I should have named the blue one Crocus ;) Well, knowing me and names, of course, I'll probably do just that....

SL Merchant Guild

I can hardly believe this since I've only been participating a short while but in a conversation recently, some merchants in a Linden group I belong to were chatting about traffic concerns, getting enough marketing exposure, etc. One of my friends, Summer Windlow (fantastic, positive, upbeat person!) suggested a Market Day where one day per week, merchants could rez their things for a short span and do something like a Wednesday Market Day the French have, or a grocery market on Fridays like many other countries do. A huge commerce area only for a day.

Of course, there were nay-sayers in the lot, bashing LL and describing the myriad ways it could not work, but Summer kept offering refutation :) What struck me, though, and an idea I've been tossing around since I became a merchant is that there is no organized solidarity among us. There is plenty of feedback and help to be had just chatting within my own group--well, when a few aren't complaining how that's spam--and I've given as well as received which is why I think Summer tossed me right in the fire skipping the frying pan altogether.

As we discussed, I offered my ideas (still under development), and as people listened, more volunteered. We have a very key player who is willing to give us space to test out this idea, and if it's successful, we have investors! No names or concrete ideas just yet. All is still in the works, so more to follow.

At any rate, it seemed I was the one with the flow of ideas going and Summer nominated me to start the group. I did, but I have an agenda a mile long for this mercantile association, one goal being to provide support, leadership, and training to those who join. A secondary goal is to be independently competitive of LL if they're more interested in feeding off merchants as opposed to viewing us as fellow content developers and creators. So, I saw this coming from a distance.

In the coming weeks it will be interesting to see what this group morphs into as several have suggested it stay closed for now. I deferred since they know their fellow merchants better than I, but apparently, since they volunteered me to run this thing, they must believe as I do....

Stay tuned on this!

Sautereau Sky Ballroom GRAND OPENING

Since I first caught a glimpse of that gorgeous build on Xstreet, I had a vision of what this day might be like, but the build was actually hovering a bit above the ground in the center of a beautiful waterway with aquatic landscaping on a full island sim.

Linden Homes has kind of put that dream on hold for now. It's simply unwise to invest in a full sim until we know how LL giving away homes to premium account members will shake out. I have guru friends, veterans of SL, who say both ways in favor and against this move by LL. It's a controversy that could go on endlessly. Despite it, the point of any purchase of realty in SL is to establish oneself for some longevity, otherwise, why waste the cash, right?

Sautereau Sky Ballroom will open officially on March 7, 2009 when a series of three days of events celebrating its opening will begin with a Silent Auction. Three of my own red carpet gowns will go up: the best-selling PARIS HILTON MTV AWARDS GOWN, the second best-selling NELLY FURTADO MTV AWARDS GOWN, and the one of a kind ROLAND MOURET for HEIDI KLUM OSCARS GOWN.

In addition to these three, I will also auction off a pair of my new Signature *~sOc~* Stilettos which are full foot-to-toe sculpted shoes with an amazing menu of options including the now-standard features for foot sculpted shoes of sizing, placement, and pedicure color and style options, sexy walk, and sound, but additionally some fun features like footprints! What I'm most proud to release, however, ladies, is that most full-foot sculpt shoes simply are never an exact color match for your skin. My shoes will always be a full color match to whatever skin you wear with EXACT color matching! Your Signature *~sOc~* Stilettos will come with instructions on how to determine your skin's exact color so you can use the color matching system to get that exact match. The Signature *~s0c~* Stilettos will be available March 5!

Not necessarily saving the best for last, but the three-day event also includes a L$500 formalwear contest on Monday when we do blues music, and then Cranston Yordstorm will headline the Grand Opening Party on the Sautereau Sky Garden Terrace. He's relatively newer to SL but has found a secure niche in top-notch ballrooms and clubs such as Frank's Place, Bogart's, and Midnight Romance. Come see him at 5 pm SLT. Landmarks, times, and Ballroom News sign up at the terminal in the Sautereau Sky Galleria. Hope to see you there!

GROWTH!

Welcome, Penny & Arissa!

Unbelievably, in one day I had a vendor join my galleria and a manager at the very same time! The traffic is amazing (5k!!!) thanks to Penny and Shawna, and I'm very busy working on getting yet more vendors into the gorgeous build by WeeChee Zenner.

A bungalow was added today for special private moments for Sautereau Sky Ballroom guests who are age-verified, and I created the room myself. I hope it's eye-pleasing to you! It has a couples dance stand, a 170 channel radio, and my extra special Akaesha sleigh bed. :))

Still searching for vendors and maybe another DJ!

RELOCATION!!!!

I know, I know, I just did the Grand Opening!?

Well, as luck would have it, I came across a super deal on mainland, and though I had been planning on purchasing an island for residential rentals, the wrench in the works on that very well could be these prefab homes LL will start giving away with premium accounts starting on February 17. Who knows how that will affect the market, so I took my dollars I'd normally spend monthly anyway and put them into a big enough chunk of mainland to support a small-ish ballroom, a ground level retail area for 9-17 vendors, and of course, my home way up in the sky.

It's not that I've given up on the idea of owning an island, it's just that I realize there are more unknown variables which could affect residential rental at the moment. It's time to watch and wait instead of a major move.

So wait, and watch for the opening of the final relocation. I own this region, so it will be stable for quite some time. :) I'm moving to Craggen Maw, and my neighbor across the street with his own third of the sim is Guy Linden. I'm thinking he won't be partying till the wee hours of the night, huh?

The new region will feature a steam-punk ballroom called Sautereau Sky Ballroom and the retail area is Sautereau Sky Galleria. I'll get pics and SLURLs when I update this post. There is limited retail rental space available right now on the region, so if you're a designer who might be interested, please send me a notecard!

American Beauty Bridal Gown

Premiering today, the American Beauty inspired a bride-to-be who's renewing her vows on Sunday February 14, and she bought 6 of the American Beauty red dresses for her bridesmaids!



That alone was pretty inspiring to get me off the red carpet for just a brief moment to get a design out. It's not my dream dress, but it's definitely someone's dream dress, and I added detailing to the American Beauty to make it a stunning classic romantic bridal gown.

The fabric is a jacquard (JAH kurd or correctly in French zhuh KAR), a special kind of woven fabric that creates a raised pattern almost like embossing. While damask (DAH musk) is very flat and also contains special weaving that produces a pattern, it's reversible with one feature of the pattern in a high shine satin, and the other part of the pattern in a dull sheen. Jacquard is not satiny or high shine, but is basically a 3D weave made on a special loom created by Joseph Marie Jacquard.


The dress is a combination of a rose pattern jacquard in ivory with a complementary rose patterned organza, a stiffer sheer woven often with a very subtle sheen. The bodice, glitch, skirt, flexi skirt, gloves, and one of the trains with large bow trim are all in jacquard. The roses on the neckline and atop the gloves are in a sheer rose patterned organza as well as the bow train for the A-line flexi skirt and the large ceremonial overskirt. The train is shorter and narrower, yet still provides a formal touch.

The store has an ad board with more perspectives of this dress.

This dress is available in virginal white upon request :) As if, lol.....

Karma, Full Circle

I had an incredibly interesting evening last night related to the store and my design work. While handling some details in the Bubbly *~s0c~* store (Island of Romance, see my picks), two transactions went through for the "American Beauty" ensemble. Now this isn't my best design, though made for Valentine's Day in a rose trimmed neckline and rose jacquard fabric. Even less a mystery was that I had it on special, however, two?

So later, I'm forcing the mania board which had the--and wow, thanks to all of you 100 visitors yesterday, and the other 100 the day before!--Blue Rose Jacquard shoes in it that it LOCKED TWICE before 9 pm SLT last night! I'm pushing those last few slaps in the store close to 9 pm SLT last night, and a lovely lady with white hair shows up, pointing another in the direction of the "American Beauty" ensemble. And she mentions bridesmaid dress. WOW! I discover that Verity has been married long enough in real life to celebrate one of those landmark occasions on which some couples choose to renew vows. And she's chosen my dress for this occasion, incredibly happy, telling me it's perfect, just what she had always wanted.

I also find out that when she was first married, she wanted ivory and wine colors, but her mother insisted on virginal white and powder blue. I was so moved by the bride's thwarted dream that I started brainstorming to her about a possible wedding gown coordinated with the "American Beauty" and she loves the idea. I already have a custom project now after grand opening, and Verity is one of the kindest most forthright people you could ever meet.

I have said many times that SL is about relationships, and anyone who's been in my store knows I live that with them every day.

I so enjoy design work, but more than that, I enjoy how my patrons enjoy it. It's like making Christmas gifts and watching as people open exactly what they had wanted for a year or more.

So Verity got an excellent deal on the bulk dresses, but I'm sure I got the better deal by meeting someone like her :) I'm so proud to be an integral part of her day. I'll share pics in comments!

Klum-Mouret SUCCESS!

This gown has been in release since Friday evening and five have already been sold! In case red is not your color (but who, except redheads, DOESN'T look great in red?) this one comes in indigo, lucre, and black. The black and lucre color dresses come with sheer fabric bow train and collar along with the same great peep toe pumps except with sheer bow trim fastened by a bright gem on the toe strap! Yep, I know how to take care of you, girls! ;)

VENDORS, BEWARE!!!

A new sim owner by the name of Hugo Lourbridge had his mall manager Amayenko visit an SL Merchants group today to solicit some vendors to rent out store space with one week's free rent. You know, I'm new, and it's hard to turn down free rent! I jumped right on board, and was lucky enough to get a beautiful corner spot. Many vendors I was chatting with this morning were already concerned though with no rental agreement and no established traffic. Two things a new designer like myself isn't highly concerned with, right?

I'll repeat the name HUGO LOURBRIDGE.....

I'm into setting up a full two hours--keep in mind, I have an enormous list already getting set up for my main store grand opening coming up in a few days--and spending the last half hour on setting out traffic counters, a gift card freebie bag, a group inviter, an affliliate vendor, and of course, some flowers :) Hugo has visited twice already, the second time to tell me how gorgeous the Paris Hilton dress is (and sales support that). This visit, though, Hugo wants to "not be a pain" but could I take down my large picture above the store." I tell him sure, but ask him why. "It's too obvious," was his reply. Isn't it a shopping mall? Okay, so he wants things to be more understated, nevermind that the other vendors have even covered their windows with ads.

No problem, right? No. This guy has to make a mountain out of a molehill, and when I ask him if there's anything else I need to know about strictures in building, he says he doesn't know! It's his sim, yet he has no clue if I can set up an affliliate vendor for some plants and furniture. Wow. I guess that question has him a little peeved since him manager comes to visit me ASAP asking me what my problem was, lol. I tell her there is no problem, but that it's a bit frustrating to be told there are no building restrictions only to be told to take something down for it being too obviously a marketing object meant to attract business and increase sales in--God forbid--a shopping mall. The manager is actually a really sweet young lady, and she assures me that the concerns over no fixed amount for rent and no rental agreement or building codes will be addressed.

They were addressed....

Hugo shows up again, threatening me indirectly by telling me that it's a good deal to have a week of free rent (on a sim with zero traffic), and that if I was unhappy he could put any vendor he chose to in my place. Hugo didn't see how that was threatening, lol. In fact, Hugo didn't like me telling him I did NOT tolerate any sort of threat like that, and that like any other vendor, I expected to have clearly stated preferably written expectations for rent and building. In fact, Hugo disliked that straightforward talk so much he asked me to leave! He assured me though, I could maintain my dignity--he was "being fair" by not kicking me off, lol. Of course, he never followed through on his verbal agreement for one week's free rent though I had done NOTHING in violation of any agreement, had immediately removed a sign he asked me to, and even kept my complaint to him private in IM. Two hours plus absolutely wasted.

He returned my objects (not sure if they're all there) and I assured him I'd make sure as many people as possible would know, especially potential vendors, that he was in BREACH OF VERBAL CONTRACT.

The guy had the nerve to IM me later....I promised him that I'd share our little story to as many as would listen about how he reneged--BREACHED--a verbal agreement with his thin-skinned ineptitude.

HUGO LOURBRIDGE

Lesson learned, Hugo, and I haven't even gotten to the forums yet.

Grand Opening FEB 10!

Now that Xstreet SL has insisted on dragging the rest of us into overexposed communication, I have to take up the paddle or else get drowned in the deluge.
My main store's grand opening will be February 10 with literally L$10,000+ in giveaways over the weekend! Here's what you can take advantage of:

January 29-31

• L$300 Gift Card Giveaway in Mania board

February 5-9

• 5 days of FREE SHOES in Mania board
  

February 10-14 GRAND OPENING!

• Formal Gown FREE in Mania board on February 10 for SL GROUP members ONLY! (This is an enrollment fee-based group)
• FREE gift card upon visiting any/every time February 10-14
  
• Lucky Cupcake giveaways February 10-14

So, I'll be blogging regularly on my store, my designs, and my second life. Occasionally I'll invite feedback from you here, too. After all, this should be fun for everyone, huh?