Copper Blog

New Copper Invite – Tammy & Greg

A Beautifully and Brilliant Buffalo Bracelet

It was only a short time after we finalized our bracelets and put them on display that we had an awesome opportunity to start working on a custom design. While at the Town Center First Friday Art Walk we had a women by the name of Pam come to our tent that was ecstatic about the finding of our bracelets. Just short of jumping up and down she smiled as she fired question after question our way. Her boyfriend had previously purchased a copper bracelet while they were at Yellow Stone National Park and it had begun to crack. For Pam this was her chance to not only replace her boyfriend’s bracelet but to give him the best anniversary gift that she could think of.

In a hasty effort to bring us the broken bracelet she ran off down the city street yelling in the distance that she would be back. Not but a few minutes later she returned and presented us with the broken buffalo bracelet and asked if we could possibly help her by recreating it. We gladly took on the project and much to her delight we had it completed in just a few days in time for her to wrap it and give it to her boyfriend on their anniversary.

We soon after received word that the gift was well received:

“Derrick loves the bracelet! He is wearing it – everyday. Just like the last one. You guys did a great job. I’m really happy with the piece and he loves it too. Thanks again for the quick service and even the delivery. It was a just one of those days, and you really helped me out.”

Thank you Pam for letting us be part of something so special.

Douglas

Copper Art Designs Progress Report: Starting a small art business during a recession, sounds good to me, lets do it!

Before starting the monumental task of creating our art business we went ahead and tried to prepare ourselves the best way we knew how. We picked up about a half dozen of the best selling small business and entrepreneurial books we could find and started reading. Being that none of us went to school for business we had a lot of catching up to do. Through our reading there seemed to be an underlining theme that popped up over and over; most business take two to five years before they become settled and profitable. We mentally prepared for the up hill climb that was ahead of us never seeing the economic storm that lay just beyond the mountain. It wasn’t but a few months after getting our business license that the recession was a reality and it was already leaving casualties in its wake.

I think it was about this point that we started to make jokes about how nobody was going to be spending money on the arts especially when most people were having trouble just filling their gas tank to get to work. The two year countdown to profitability looked like it may now take the full five and that was if it was even going to happen at all any more.

But since then we have put our shoulder to the wheel and kept grinding. Here we are now at the beginning of our second year and there are many signs of promise on the horizon. We have recently started to do work for a local military command and even have a variety of our merchandise in the Virginia Aquarium gift shop. This is still just the beginning but our dreams and hopes are still as big as they were on day one.

Make sure to stop by and check in on us to see how the story pans out.

- Douglas

Sunflower Journal

This personalized journal is one our first, but you would never know as it came out elegant and beautiful. The design includes a sunflower (the recipient’s favorite flower), a passage, and the owner’s name and date.

Keep your face to the Sunshine and you cannot see the shadow,
It’s what Sunflowers do.

May you Live, Love and Laugh everyday of your Life.

Let us know what you think. We hope to create more journals this summer. Maybe they would make great holiday gifts? We’ll see…

Thanks for stopping by!

- JSuar

Contracts and Aquariums

We finally made it to a shelf that wasn’t sitting in our gallery! The Virginia Aquarium right here in Virginia Beach has purchased some of our bookmarks and magnets to showcase and sell at their gift shop.

Needless to say we were pretty stoked when John went to talk with them last month and they wanted to put in an order right then. It is a small step for us but a very important one in paving the way for future contracts. We are currently in the process of getting our promotional and pitch packages together for several other places in the area and even places like Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Keep checking in to find out if we have made it to a store or gift shop near you. Or if you know of a place that our pieces would be a good match for, shoot us a line and let us know.

More good things to come soon!

-Douglas

Honey, how long have we been married?

Last year we had a gentlemen stop by our studio in a panic, as most men in his situation often are, searching for the proper wedding anniversary gift to give to his wife that evening. He said he found us on the web and was in a rush to get his beloved a gift before their dinner that evening. His eyes were wide and shifted around looking for anything he could put in a box that had just the right meaning. Fortunately for him we had exactly what he was looking for…copper.

Being that Copper Art Design’s is composed of three bachelors this run in got us thinking and so we checked up on wedding anniversaries and found out that traditionally the 7th anniversary is celebrated with a combination of copper and wool gifts. There is also a more modern celebration of the copper gift on the 22nd wedding anniversary.

We currently have a site under construction that will be specifically tailored for wedding gifts and will have a large focus on copper wedding invitations. Our goal is to help happy newlyweds etch their dreams not only in one another’s heart but in a small memento that details the special event that brought them into a union as one.

The site should be ready this spring and we will be sure to let you know about it when it is up and running. And for all you guys out there who don’t know what to get your lady, stop on by or give us a call and we will be sure to help you give her a gift that will last a lifetime. Hope to hear from you soon.

- Douglas