In an earlier newsletter we mentioned that we have been working on adding more Modern Madder silks to our collection. Our Modern Madders which are printed in Macclesfield, England by Adamley combine the best of classic designs and modern printing and silk finishing. The detail on the Modern Madders is amazing. This year we should have 100+ new Modern Madder designs in addition to reweaving many of the grenadines and other classics in our collection. Our grenadines are woven by Bianchi and Fermo Fossati in the north of Italy. Late last year the two silk mills merged into one company.
We have built our UK and American reppe weave stripe collection each year but have slowed down recently. For weaving regimental stripes in the past we liked to use the Vanners silk mill in England which had been around for hundreds of years but sadly it went out of business during COVID. We are actively looking for a silk mill with a lot of experience with regimentals that can custom weave limited editions.
Our partnership with the Thai Post office continues and they are doing an amazing job. Super friendly and very organized. They even deliver/pickup on Sundays and are open 7 days a week. DHL is used only for weddings and rush deliveries.
We continue to accept PayPal and major credit cards but we are considering adding Apple Pay, and briefly I thought about adding a QR code instant payment system but it didn't work out.
It has been a busy year and just before New Year's we always work 6 or 7 days a week. Then we have a break during the first few days of the year. The New Year's break has become my favorite holiday - quiet, with cool weather but not too cold - no snow here... I go for long walks with my two German Shepherds Ginger and Max. This year while walking i realized that Sam Hober's greatest strength is our staff, each of whom has on average more than ten years experience with us making custom made ties. And of course our customers many of which have been with us for more than ten years - so we don't need to advertise.
Our biggest change is coming soon - Sam Hober (Samantha our daughter) will be graduating from high school and going to college in America. She will be helping us remotely with our computers and software and other projects.
Wishing everyone All the Best in the New Year!