A Scary Halloween - and Frightened Elves
Halloween was a STRANGE day for the Elves this year.... we had some naughty spirits in the workshop last Tuesday. Our beloved "clicker" machine was the first victim. Our 8 ton Hudson Clicker press is a hydraulic press that we use to "click" or "cut" out all the pieces of our Soft Star Shoes. On Tuesday the 1" thick steel shaft cracked open (see photo) -- we were lucky no elves were injured. According to every specialist that looked at it, this type of failure should "never" happen, but alas - it did and our machine has been inoperable ever since.
In addition, our printer died Tuesday morning which made printing invoices a little tricky (back to handwriting - good exercise!)... but that's not all. Our favorite part of Halloween is dressing up and handing out goodies to all the local kids who trick-and-treat in downtown Corvallis. Because we are in a warehouse kind of tucked out of view, we make a huge poster sign inviting trick-or-treaters around the corner to our place. Last year we had over 350 kids and it was a blast. This year we had less than 25 and couldn't figure out what was going on until we went to reclaim our poster at 5pm and found we had been "tricked" and our sign switched. Let's just say the "Elves" had a lot of extra treats and chocolate to munch on this week.
Soft Star Shoes is a family friendly company located in Corvallis, Oregon. Viewpoints in this blog are those of individual workshop elves, and do not necessarily represent those of www.SoftStarShoes.com
Trish has been an entrepreneur, marketer and maker ever since she crushed her first lemonade stand at age five. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, she spent many summers running barefoot with her sisters. These early memories later inspired her to build a brand which embraced the joy and freedom of childhood with the health and science of minimal footwear.
Trish relishes evolving the company to grow stronger and more competitive with each passing year. She is a frequent expert panelist for both e-commerce and entrepreneurship conferences. Trish enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and ducks on their property in Oregon and loves the proximity to both surf and snow. She has a background in Engineering Physics and an MBA from the University of Chicago.