I know that we usually showcase easy to make projects on Mondays, but I wanted to touch base with everyone about upcoming details that will effect our business and you all. There are a number of very big changes that will be coming this year and I wanted to be as transparent as I can be about what is to come.

Change #1: We are welcoming our first child together!!! If you did not already know, we are thrilled to announce that our daughter, Gracen Carter, should be making her appearance in the next couple of weeks. We have been hustling to get custom orders completed and supplies ordered to be able to have everything in place to keep Tin Box running with no hitches. While I do not know what to really expect as a brand new mom, I do know that Jorge and myself are prepared to work together to make sure there is little impact on Tin Box ordering and production in March. I am very lucky to have an amazing support system and a husband who has paternity leave. Because he is just as involved in putting products together when I am overloaded or away, and I will be home, I do not foresee any major issues.

How will this effect you? Initially there will be about a week where we will be out of the office and not available to communicate, prepare and ship orders, or update you. We are working to get posts and information scheduled out so that you still know what is available and what is happening. Please do not hold back on comments, questions and/or ordering. Jorge and I are prepared to keep Tin Box running during this time. It may seem silly to some that we are doing this, but keep reading and you will hopefully understand why. We have also decided to suspend free local delivery. While working from home will be completely doable, traveling for deliveries will be a bit more difficult. We will announce dates when we know we will be in certain areas, but otherwise orders will be shipped.

We will post a birth announcement and update when Gracen makes her appearance on social media. Make sure to follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up-to-date on delays, announcements and other features!

https://www.facebook.com/TinBoxintheWoods

https://www.instagram.com/tinboxinthewoods/

Change #2 We are moving to Hawaii

We haven’t talked a great deal about Jorge’s career, but he is 17 years into his career with the United States Navy. We have enjoyed the last three years on shore duty on the Pennsylvania/Maryland border, but it is time to move on. Jorge will be heading back to sea duty on a submarine and we will be located near Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. We have a planned move for the end of May and this is where the big impact happens.

How will this effect you? We have decided to make some rather large changes to our product offerings and our initial plans.

#1 I will be closing the doors to all non-digital Tin Box products mid-May and for the month of June. We usually take July as our summer vacation month, but this year we are moving it to June. This will give us some time to move into our new home, have our personal belongings delivered and allow us to settle into our new routine and life. We will slowly bring back products in July that will mainly focus on new digital products and our print shop (Tin Box Tees). We plan to reopen our remaining shops with the Back to School season and get fully operational for the Fall season. (Don’t worry, Christmas will NOT BE affected and we already have amazing new ornaments planned for this year!!)

#2 We will not be offering all of our current products. This is probably the biggest change, after the time off. We have decided to leave our large tools and commercial laser behind in storage. We really want to enjoy island life and the heavy duty projects are something that take up space and require a larger home than what we want to spend money on. We would rather spend the money on experiences and saving towards our next home. While MOST of our products will stay in the lineup, some of our favorites will be on hold until we return. Our family tree and dog leash holders are two that will either be revamped or put on hold. We wanted you to be aware of this now so that you can order before our move if these have been on your list.

#3 Delivery Times will be a tad longer. While we do not expect a large difference in shipping charges (if at all!) it will take a bit longer to get off island and to the mainland. While this isn’t a huge impact, it will definitely be a pain for last minute orders. I will be giving lots of reminders for holiday ordering while we are living there to keep orders for gifts and décor front of mind.

#4 New Products! I’m really just looking forward to a fresh change and new environment. Every single time we move I get inspired to get out and explore and it opens up my mind and creativity. I’m looking forward to be inspired and share new creations with you all!

#5 There is a BIG TIME CHANGE. I will have to adjust working hours, but am not quite sure how that will be just yet. I am hoping to adjust to the BIG difference between the East Coast and Hawaii by the time we reopen in July, but I’m not sure what office hours will look like yet. I would really like to work towards email communication and appointments for custom work and things are more detailed than what an email can help to communicate. Please stay tuned as we figure out what office hours will be in a new place, a new family dynamic and a new home.

So there were 2 very large changes that will change a few things for Tin Box this year. We are still 100% committed to a great year with Tin Box and to serve all of you, but we wanted to make sure to communicate what is happening so that there are no surprises as these changes happen. We will continue to post reminders, updates and changes as they are happening, or about to happen. We will be as transparent as possible about times, changes and as we open up new and fun items/categories and more!

We are so very thankful to have such a supportive and understanding client base and customer family! Thank you for being a part of our Tin Box journey and we look forward to sharing everything we experience with you all as it happens. We appreciate you and couldn’t be here without you. Thank you for being part of our family and our lives.

Have questions on anything you read today? Don’t be afraid to ask, I love to help! You will see links throughout my posts. Some are direct links to Tin Box products & pages, while others will take you to a friend’s page or an Amazon product page. As an Amazon Associate I earn a commission from qualifying purchases that you make from my links.

As always, thank you for reading and joining us on this journey! We appreciate you and the time you take to support our small business!

Simply, Beth