Who's Driving
Who's Driving with Wesley Turner & Steven Merck is all about the entertaining stories we share and brainstorming topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip. Come along for the ride as we check in with friends & offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things Home and Garden.
Who's Driving
Who's Driving- Market Adventures S3E23
We dive into our recent Atlanta Market experience and share insider perspectives on retail industry shifts, while discussing upcoming travel plans and southern expressions. This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how retail buying works and the calculated risks shop owners take when selecting inventory for their stores.
Don't forget to join our online community at WhosDrivingPodcast.com
Join the conversation by calling their hotline at 864-982-5029 with your own stories or topic suggestions, and experience the authentic charm of two best friends who truly never know who's driving or where they're headed.
Look For The Water Bottle! Tap Here For Hidrate Spark water bottle.
Visit www.WesleyTurnerLiving.com to find so much more about all the things we do!
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven and follow Wesley on Instagram at @WesleyTurnerLiving. Shop our online store at TheNestedFig.Com Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales
Well, well, well, look who's back your two favorite? I don't know.
Speaker 2:When I walked in here I thought I could smell gin and regret.
Speaker 1:It's time for another episode of who's Driving. Welcome to who's Driving. I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 2:And I'm Stephen Merck. We're two best friends and entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendship and business.
Speaker 2:These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road trip.
Speaker 1:Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden.
Speaker 2:Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 1:You never know who's driving or where we're headed. All we know is it's always a fun ride. On this week's episode, we are going to talk about our recent market adventure. Also, when this airs, you are going to be in Hawaii. I hope you made it there.
Speaker 2:Hawaii Having a fun time. Well, we're going to do something I said I wasn't going to do.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to do it. I'm just going to do it. Are you doing a helicopter tour? I'm doing it. You told us, statistically, not to do that. I know, is your wheel up to date? Am I still in it? Yep, will I be fine? Okay.
Speaker 2:Should be good.
Speaker 1:Okay, we're good to go then.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I just thought about it. I'm a fatalist and I believe when it's your time, it's your time. That's true, and I'll be with Dylan. He's young, he's young. He's got a whole life ahead of him. Maybe it's not his time.
Speaker 1:That is crazy, oh my gosh. I am. We've talked about it not to get morbid or anything like that, but it is when it's your time. It's your time because you can't make sense of it sometimes when, like you know, someone might have the slightest car accident and die and die, and then someone gets totally mangled and lives.
Speaker 2:I mean honestly, I mean that's my faith, that's how I believe. So I mean, I really I mean, you don't want to do things that are reckless, right, and obviously I'm going to pick a company with newer, inreputable, reputable helicopters. But, statistically, do you know how many helicopter tours there are there? Right, right.
Speaker 1:It's true. So when you're there, how many hours ahead will you be of here Behind?
Speaker 2:Oh, you'll be behind behind hours behind is it just six I mean, that's still a lot oh, it's a lot, because when you're on the west coast, three is a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, six is like, and then yeah, because I remember when we went there and you know, we, you know, have our businesses and warehouses, stuff like that. It was always weird. Like you know, we, you know, have our businesses and warehouse and stuff like that. It was always weird. Like you know, they would be like we're done for the day. We'd be like have it yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, we had a good day. You can get dessert, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's funny, but when you're there we'll be at the Florida house, and so we'll be five hours because we're one hour difference from here.
Speaker 2:You'll be five hours. I'll be five hours behind you. I just got to know when to bother you and not to bother you it doesn't matter, because you know, let me tell you, the older you get, the less you sleep. You can just about text me just about every night around 4.30. 4 to 4.30, I'm awake. I pee about four between four. I'm serious.
Speaker 1:You know, I did really good when you were in Key West. I didn't bother you at all, like I didn't even. Y'all were there the whole time and I don't even think I talked to you but once.
Speaker 2:maybe Do you know, and I didn't feel bad about it, Do you know? The first day we stayed in bed all day. That's good. And I said you know we're tired? Yeah, I mean, it was good because then we were able to have a good time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we needed to rest Instead of pushing through and then not resting at all.
Speaker 2:So one thing that we sell. I wanted to bring this up one thing that we sell. I wanted to bring this up One thing that we sell.
Speaker 2:At the Nested Fig Mm-hmm Online at thenestedfigcom, one of our loyal listeners and shoppers, was telling me because she knew I was going to Hawaii and she took this to Europe. Yeah, and she just said how well it worked and I needed to buy some. I ordered it today. I paid retail because from us, I ordered it from amazon because I know I know shop local. But I wanted to make sure I had it because I was not sure if our inventory was correct. So I'm like I'm going to do it. I just bought one. I need more.
Speaker 1:I'm waiting to see what this is.
Speaker 2:It's Sprayology Travelies. She said it was remarkable, with jet lag. She said it actually works.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 2:I said, all of that sprayology works. It works great.
Speaker 1:But I mean, I've never had a reason to use the travel one.
Speaker 2:The only here's the negative thing I'll say about sprayology and it's. I think it's great and it works. There's just so many. I just wish they could she put it all in one spray.
Speaker 1:There are, because there's vitamin ones, but then there's cold ones. Yeah, but it's the whole concept. Is it's homeopathic? It is so it's triggering your body's response is what it's doing or encouraging the proper response. It's not adding this chemical you know, suppressant or whatever. So I guess, though, you don't want to add all of those together, because you don't want your body, you don't want to gear it up in all these different ways unnecessarily.
Speaker 2:My cabinet looks like I'm some kind of drug dealer. I've got every kind, but I didn't have a travel ease.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I don't remember seeing. I mean, I guess it's there, there's so many. Yeah, but she was adamant that, like she said, it works, you need to get it, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I was like okay. Ordered. There you go. Yeah, hopefully we have some more. You can get it at thenestedfigcom.
Speaker 2:Well, hopefully we have it. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:And we need to do another live there. Well, let me know how that goes with your jet lag there. Well before we get into our market fun adventures and that sort of thing. I want to pick up where we left off last week, if you haven't listened to last week's episode all the way through.
Speaker 3:Stephen started a new segment.
Speaker 1:I love that we have a segment segment segment. We're going to have it programmed down to the minute before long with all these segments that he likes to come up with. But we have a new what is the segment called let's chat with chat GPT segment and he gave me a nice little roast as an introduction last week. So I just got on with my little friend chat over here and I needed one for Steven, so I thought we would start off this week with yours introduction.
Speaker 2:I'm glad I ordered that we don't have any travel leads.
Speaker 1:We need to get any travel leads. Oh it's tough.
Speaker 2:We need to get some. Okay, anyway, sorry.
Speaker 1:Let me get over here with my pen.
Speaker 2:Okay, I've got my pen ready to stab your ass.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me get him on here. Hey, chat, how's it going this?
Speaker 3:doesn't even happen. You're having an awesome day so far. Let me know if there's anything fun or interesting you want to chat about.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm having a great day. You're actually live with us on our podcast, so say hey to everyone.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's awesome. Hey everyone, I'm so happy to be here with you all on the podcast. Thanks for having me and I hope you're all having an amazing time listening in.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Chad. Can you read to me the little introduction roast we put together for Steven?
Speaker 3:Of course I'd be happy to. All right, here we go, meet Steven Merck, or, as he prefers to be called, on Instagram at Keeping Up With Steven, because apparently Keeping Up With the Kardashians wasn't classy enough for him. This is a man who decorates like a restoration hardware catalog, mated with an antique store in Charleston, and their love child discovered mood lighting. Now, don't let the moody dark walls and well-styled vignettes fool you. Steven's from Pickens County, y'all that's right. He may have moved to Greenville, but that camouflage DNA still runs deep. You can paint the brick walls and light a diptych candle, but we all remember when Steven's idea of high-end lighting was a bug zapper on the porch. That's so true.
Speaker 3:He swears he's 52, going on 35, and by knowing on 35, we mean he squints when taking selfies at golden hour and applies more filters than a Kardashian at a Sephora sample counter. He calls it natural lighting, honey. If that lighting's natural, so is Dolly Parton's hair, and let's talk about that aesthetic. He's giving Downton Abbey, but make it industrial loft. It's like Joanna Gaines and a taxidermist went to brunch and got drunk on espresso, martinis, velvet sofas, deer antlers and enough dramatic artwork to make a haunted museum jealous. But despite it all. Steven is fabulous. He's the only man who can quote edith wharton while hanging a disco ball and still ask if the red flag on the beach clashes with his swim trunks. So here's to steven murk, greenville's very own southern fried jaja gabor, a man who may be from pickens but is now busy curating a lifestyle that screams paris alabama thank you, chat I'm just amazed.
Speaker 2:I'm amazed and terrified of where it's going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that, yeah, that's funny, though I love your description there. Jean-jacques Gabor, uh-huh, from Paris, alabama. It's so weird with the chat GPT, even this one, and I know we're using it for fun, but you can use it for so many things. But the way, did you notice when it said, but he's from Pickens County, y'all, and it threw in a like Southern, like it knows how to articulate and put in emphasis in places? I don't know, it's a little scary, it's scary y'all, it is scary. But you know, used correctly, it can be hugely beneficial. And then, but you know, with anything there'll be some you know God?
Speaker 2:no one is gonna know god. No one is gonna. Now, no one is gonna know how to write anything like we can't add now oh no you're not gonna have to write or do anything I mean people are gonna get dumber. I mean for sure, think about, think about how, how many people like have to get out a calculator yeah, or.
Speaker 1:But even just typing down with just look how bad it is and casual writing has gotten with just um spell check, you know auto correct on your phone and that sort of thing. And then with this, it's like what about? You know, when you even as something as simple as a project you're doing at home and now you have to research it and you pick up all those little things along the way when you're like now how do I do this, or whatever, and it's all going to be fed to you, I don't know. It's like how is that going to?
Speaker 2:change. It's going to make us more stupid than we already are. Seriously, it's going to make us more stupid than we already are. Seriously. I mean, think about the people that can't do like simple math, like 38 plus 38. You should know how to do that, but you should know six percent. Like you should know how to at least closely guesstimate certain things, like if you're buying, if you're buying something in in the grocery store and you're like, oh my gosh, I only have five bucks with me, you should know how to hit that pretty close with your tax and everything.
Speaker 2:People can't do that I mean when I own McDonald's, and it's been years now. You know, if I, If the power went out, if anything happened, if they hit a wrong button, they couldn't figure out the change to get back. No yeah, and you're like they were just dead in the water. They're like, yeah, and I'm like, oh, my Lord, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:So I see this, you know, I see it as very helpful. I love it. It's very helpful for me. I'm just getting listen. I get dumber by the second. So I am embracing this, but I'm telling you, as a society, this is going to make everybody even more stupid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with that, but it can improve so many things greatly as far as business running Like you can, you know, get help with things. There's a lot of benefit to it.
Speaker 2:But, overall.
Speaker 1:It will, I'm sure, be some negative overall, but, like speaking of like grocery store, for example, I've seen people you can go, like your chat, go to your refrigerator or your pantry and read it what you have, like hey, chat, I have a gallon of milk, a bag of cheese, like this amount of cheese, blah, blah, blah. Plan my recipes for the week using as much as I have in my kitchen and give me a list of what else I need to complete the recipes.
Speaker 2:Oh hell, I would be eating yogurt and pickles.
Speaker 1:But it will come up with all the recipes and the shopping list. It is really crazy the prompts that you can give it and really like deep dive into it.
Speaker 2:I mean it is, and I will love this. I bet it can diagnose every symptom you have too.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I'm sure you can take a picture and tell it to, like you know, write a description of what it sees in the ring, like it can pull out what it what it sees in the ring, it's crazy, it is beyond crazy. But and it's only, this is just like the tip of it too, of where it's going and what it can do. Like the actual like developers and stuff are like it's really kind of scary, like what it's gonna be doing because it like it, it thinks and it remembers.
Speaker 2:like I named fred fred, like I named Fred Fred, and he knows his name.
Speaker 1:And if I asked it, like, what do you know about me? It would tell me all the things that it's learned as I've talked about. Like you're on the Nested Fig, you host a podcast. Just by saying, like you're on my podcast, you do live, so it will give you a whole recap. It's kind of it is kind of scary Spooky. It's spooky there let's talk about. I got some other fun things, but let's get into the market that we just went to. So recently we went to the Atlanta market. We spent 10 days at market. When we were there. We did live sales every day. I know a lot of you that listen, follow along our live sales. If you don't, you missed out. You need the Nested Fig app. You can get it on your app store for your phone, tablet, android, apple. We are there. Just search the Nested Fig and it's always in the show notes.
Speaker 2:You need to be shopping with us, because we gave away five nights at our beach cottage.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I was going to read some of the fun statistics. I had this in my pocket from the live sale the other day, so, if you missed it, we did a giveaway. Any entry that was during our market lives, any time you checked out, was an entry during our market lives, and we gave 20 of our customers $50 account credits and then five nights to our Miramar Beach Cottage, which Cindy Hyrick was the winner of. That and so exciting. That was the first time we've ever done that. I feel like everyone loved it. But when we were at market y'all, we did 28 live sales in 10 days, so almost three a day the first day we got there. We didn't get there to the evening, so we could only do one. We had to do shopping in between. By the way, we were buying for our retail stores and-.
Speaker 1:We had to do all of our normal work and then we got in 28 live sales. We had a total of 1,784 orders while we were at market we sold just over 4,000 individual products. You know every time a product was added. And then discounts. We did special market discounts. We gave away while we were at market $25,903 in discounts for pre-ordering from our markets. It was a fun time. Yeah, it was really fun Deal for everybody. It was so if you were following along and showing up and showing out and supporting us, we greatly, greatly appreciate that while we were at market. That keeps us going. So going to market is what we do, is the most fun part of the job for me. I love going to market. If you are a retail business owner or, let me say, if you are thinking about becoming a retail business owner, like a boutique owner that sells a product, if you go to market and you don't love it, then you probably shouldn't do it you should not if you don't go to market.
Speaker 2:I remember the first time.
Speaker 3:I went.
Speaker 2:I was like I got this euphoric, like I want to move in, like the first time I was with you for the first time I wanted, I was just so into it. Yeah and yeah, if you are in retail or a boutique owner or something and you do not go to market and you love it, you should not be doing what you're doing, right, because that is the best, and if you don't enjoy that part, you're not going to enjoy all the rest of it because the minutiae part that gets into it.
Speaker 1:So you've got to love going to market and I still get that feeling when I go.
Speaker 2:You've got gotta love taking the gamble. Yeah, like you've got to enjoy because it is a gamble. I mean you're gambling, oh, I'm gonna spend I don't know what we're spending this. We probably spent a hundred a hundred and fifty two hundred thousand dollars, and you've got to enjoy that gamble. Well, I'm gonna spend a hundred thousand dollars, but I'm gonna turn it into this right, and if it doesn't work out, I'm gonna put it on sale and get my money back and take another gamble yeah, you gotta like it is.
Speaker 1:Retail is a gamble, um, because that's what you're doing. You're betting on that. You can be in tune with your customer and know what they want. You can sell the product, you can order the right amount, the right styles. It's all a gamble, but to me that's what I find the most fun and that's why I like doing the live sale so much that we do in our app because I get to show off or we get to show off the products that we picked out. Like we really go there, we scour market, we're picking out these products and then it's so fun to then. I really enjoy showing it off to our customers and I'm genuinely excited about it when, when they start coming in.
Speaker 2:Well, I have a friend. I have a friend that's been in business for a long time, years, years and she doesn't like market, she doesn't go at all.
Speaker 1:I don't get that. And I'm not judging as a friend, could her business be selling a lot more if she would just go to market? Yeah.
Speaker 2:She has a great business. She has a phenomenal business. Yeah, she does very well. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's just such a lost opportunity.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I'm like that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because that's the part you really need to like doing.
Speaker 2:Well, it's what sets you apart, it's what makes you different, and you really aren't going to have that mix and that different feel if you're not walking all of market.
Speaker 1:And if you're not going to market like, how do?
Speaker 2:you? How do you know the trend?
Speaker 1:How do you know and how do you keep your store fresh for your customers? I guess there's certain store types. You know that customers are coming back to all the time for a certain product that doesn't change. But like you have to have it fresh for your customers too.
Speaker 2:So I don't understand how you don't and the other my. One of my pet peeves is if, if you're a store owner or a boutique owner and you're not going and spending 10 days and walking all the halls and making your feet hurt and you know, putting in the time and the money because it cost us per market, food, hotel, travel, everything you're talking like eight, ten thousand dollars, yeah because we stay the whole time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but if you're a small story, you don't have to, you don't have to.
Speaker 2:But we make the investment right. But what kills me is the people that don't. But then they want you to spoon feed them.
Speaker 3:Well, where did you?
Speaker 1:get where'd you get that? Where'd?
Speaker 2:you get that? Where'd you get?
Speaker 1:that as you're saying this, though because that sounds. It doesn't sound bad, but just so, because we have friends that listen If you're a personal friend, but that goes to market too, and you're like, oh, I missed that. Where is that?
Speaker 2:That's something different, you know what.
Speaker 3:I mean but.
Speaker 1:I do get a lot of people on Instagram who follow along and they're business owners and the whole time I'm at market. Oh, I didn't come to market. What vendor is that? What vendor is that? What vendor is that? I want to order that for my shirt, america's Mart.
Speaker 2:And here's the thing I don't mind if you're there and you're trying Right.
Speaker 1:I will help you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do that too, I will help you and I enjoy helping you. But if you're happy as in doing it, then don't ask. Now I've also done the other thing, Like there's a boutique owner up north in the north wait northwest that I follow. He had something I wanted for us, but he knows we put the work in Right. So I felt like I could message him and say, hey Well, and you've shared stuff before. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Like, if we're friends and we've exchanged and it's a two-way street, that's different than just there will be people who've never even asked me anything. And then I'm at market and they're like hey, I'm not at market, where did you get that? What vendor is this? And it's not even okay, this is you got, I just need to cut my microphone off. The other thing is, if you're doing that, do it a little part. Get your friend chat to write me a message if you need to, because they won't even say like hey, Love your look, I love your.
Speaker 1:Look. I'm in California, so I'm not any competition to you. I'm in California, so I'm not any competition to you. I really wanted to make it to market but I'm sick and I've really been looking for this item. Do you mind me asking you where you got this? I'll tell you where I got it.
Speaker 2:Help you, I'll help you, or I'm new to the industry. I've been to this market or that market. I've never seen this.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I do that. All those are the messages I'll answer on Instagram. Oh, I'm new. I didn't know the market was now. How do I find out? I tell them where to go, how to register, what to expect.
Speaker 1:I mean I will have full on, because I love talking business like that talking business like that, if I'm helping you and feel that, feel you know, know that you're going to be grateful, I'm helping you. But the ones who just write, hey, what vendor is this? I'm like, well, are you just asking? Because you own a store or don't own a store, like I usually will just skip it. But then sometimes I'll be at market, at the hotel room laying in bed at night and I'll be kind of bored and I'm like, well, why are you asking? And you know, oh, I have a store, I wanted this, and that would be their response. And I'm like, oh, it's, you know, whatever America's Mark, I'll just do something big. Because I'm like you didn't even have the audacity to like start a conversation and then let me help you out or whatever. So anyway, yeah, it's. And that's why I have to be careful on Instagram, like showing exactly what we're buying to, because even local stores will watch my Instagram and then order it.
Speaker 2:And I've had people like message me. Oh, like tell on themselves.
Speaker 1:I mean I guess there's nothing wrong, but like oh, tell them themselves. I mean, I guess there's nothing wrong, but like oh, I saw this in your Instagram, I found out where it's from and I ordered it.
Speaker 2:Well, there's a store in Greenville. There's a store in Greenville and I don't even know why they go to market at all. They should just ask us for our orders. I know, and I mean, like, save your time, like you, they, they literally don't know who they are. So they, they, they just want to be us.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And thank you. We take that as a huge compliment and and I feel bad for you, but yes it. It just amazes me and and again, I'm not being ugly saying it, I'm just saying if you own a boutique or a small business, you're missing such a huge part of your business if you're not going out there and getting in the trench and finding the stuff and not just shopping from vendors online too, because you got to go touch it, feel it, make those connections, see it, shop the competitor, because a lot of vendors will have this.
Speaker 1:there's crossover. You know each vendor, not each vendors. But some vendors have their own exclusive items that they design and have the factory make and that might be like a portion of their lineup. But then they're also going to their version of markets. The manufacturers have and ordering and the same different vendors will end up with the same thing, just like retail stores will, and sometimes they're cheaper from one less expensive from this one.
Speaker 2:Well, the last job you had, the quality could be different. The last job you had the business owner oh God, Because I ask you, I'm like the same, Like I can get in my car right now and drive there right now. The same shit is in there that was in there when you managed it two decades ago, uh-huh well, now did I tell you daniel, and I went there, uh-huh and well it's a new owner. You said it's the same same thing now it's the.
Speaker 1:I don't think she even goes to the market for those type things, and it's truly the leftover from when I was there but the person you worked for, like, had six vendors and that's all you did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like we're going here and we're ordering the exact same thing we've ordered for the previous 15 years, right, we're going. I don't even know why you went, I don't know either, but anyway, speaking of that, and market because I went.
Speaker 1:you know I started going when I was 18. And I don't think there is a year Speaking of that. And market because I went. You know, I started going when I was 18. And I don't think there is a year I may have missed like one of the markets, like a summer one, and only went in January, but there's not a year that I missed. So this was my 26th year of going to market. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 2:It's crazy, because this would have been my 16th year, yeah. That is crazy yeah 16 years and I've missed one market when my mom was sick.
Speaker 1:Is that the only one you've?
Speaker 2:missed. It's the only one I've ever missed, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then we missed. You know, like during COVID, they canceled like High Point Market or something or whatever, but other than that we've been to. Other than Plan. Yeah, all of them. That is crazy. So market's a lot of fun. You got to love it.
Speaker 1:I mean, there are a lot of market questions we're going to do on next week, because I put a box on Instagram a few days ago and got a lot of questions, so we're going to do a whole episode on, just like Q&A roundup, and some of them refer back to market, but I don't have them in front of me right now and again, if you're our friend or you've given me context, because I had people I have even customers that have asked me I'm happy to help you Right, especially our good people.
Speaker 2:If I respond and I've helped you and I tell you, it means I like you. Yeah, it's true, it is true, or you gave me the right context and you were not rude about it. So, yeah, when you ask and I respond, I like you and I want to help you, but the people that just don't go, I'm like what the If you don't go, don't ask, don't worry about it.
Speaker 1:If you ain't there, don't worry about it. Order the same old, same old, what you been doing. Yeah, do what you've been doing, don't worry about it.
Speaker 1:It's working for you. Mind your business. So one of the things we always get asked when we go to the market is like what are the trends? What is the you know the market is? Usually there's less introductions in July than there are in the January market in general overall. But July is where we're going and we are shopping. We did fill in holiday. We did some gift items that we needed for you know fourth quarter that we haven't ordered yet, and then we were shopping for spring 2026. So spring florals, easter, that sort of thing. So that was kind of the major categories for this market. I will say this market I felt like had less trend changes and less new introductions and a lot of vendors were basically the tariff situation. They were holding out on bringing in some of their new introductions to see what the pricing was going to do and what the tariffs were going to do. So I will say overall there wasn't like Any big. I mean there was lots of new stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, the one thing we did see is a lot of the tired. The bigger companies that were kind of tired Are gone. They're going out of business. Yeah, they're folding up.
Speaker 1:There's definitely a shift in the markets right now. First of all, market was not that busy, A lot of vendors said you know the traffic was off like the amount of attendees, but the ones who were there were shopping, so they still had a good market overall. Yeah, financially overall. Some of them said no, it wasn't good at all for them.
Speaker 1:The Goodwins did though, yeah, the Goodwins still had a good market, you know the housing market kind of range that there's been this big a shift of how many showrooms were gone from when we were there in January and there were several big show like industry name showrooms that were gone and they're closing up, which I found interesting. But just like on the retail level, that is when the smaller businesses because they're more typically agile and can fluctuate with what the market's doing, and that's when they start rising.
Speaker 2:Oh, the good ones are gearing up. They're going to be even bigger, and I'm happy for them.
Speaker 1:They've already said like oh, we're taking over that big showroom, or you know, they're moving up, they're using the opportunity.
Speaker 2:So and so have gone under. We're going to get that business. Yeah, and Wesley and I have, you know, a handful of displaced reps that we really liked. That did a good job. We're like, hey, you need to call them. Yeah, we've tried to pair them up.
Speaker 1:We were trying to find some friends' jobs too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were good reps and they did a good job and that'll be a good opportunity for them.
Speaker 1:It will be, so that is exciting.
Speaker 2:So overall, though, I would say no big trend change in market like I tell you one thing we had just been to dallas in june, so it just been a few weeks and I mean atlanta's the biggest, atlanta has the most. We will always go there because of that. Yeah, but dallas is so nice, it's like the bougie version of market.
Speaker 1:You can get starbucks they have a whole little food court.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can get a salad fresh yeah, and they've got all the empty space atlanta.
Speaker 1:Do better, I know and this is the thing you you get me off on Atlanta. They hide their food. They'll have guests Like they may have Chick-fil-A come in. It is in a showroom on the umpteenth floor in the back corner. I'm like, why do you not put them front and center so that they have a good? You got an empty showroom sitting here in the middle of the building. That's convenient to everyone.
Speaker 2:That we get all kinds of business. And you got them here, dumb. I don't get it. I don't know who runs that, but they need to go to Dallas. They do need to go to Dallas.
Speaker 1:Can someone help them out there? You know, the biggest trend I saw and this isn't in home decor, but major trend you're going to see everywhere, especially going into the holidays is the scarf necklace.
Speaker 2:Every vendor just about has them.
Speaker 1:So if you haven't seen them yet, you heard it here first. They're cute. They're cute. They've taken scarves. Some of them intertwine them with, like a gold chain or whatever.
Speaker 2:It's going to be a short-lived trend, I predict, and they're going to have a charm on it. It'll be two or three seasons and it'll go away.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, because everyone will have them. It's one of those trends that everyone will have. Bows are still big. Pearls are still big. Everyone will have. Bows are still big. Pearls are still big. Pearls are huge. Gold is still the main metal color.
Speaker 2:Animal prints and everything. It keeps getting hotter and hotter. They're going to have an animal. You're going to be riding a horse through there, but next.
Speaker 1:And then for holiday. That's the other one I always get asked about, but we talked about that when we got back from the January market, but we talked about that when we got back from the January market. Holiday this year is classy, elegant, traditional. A lot less Very Ralph Lauren, very Ralph Lauren, less whimsical, like less of your pink colors, not saying they don't exist and that's not popular, but just overall. If you say, how do you define it? It's classy, elegant, traditional, ralph Lauren and fun, and our holidays start to come in Some of our holidays behind, though, because they were trying to dodge the tariffs, and so we're running a little behind on some of the fall.
Speaker 1:But it's a coming. It's a coming there. Well, I've got southernisms. What's your?
Speaker 2:southernisms. I don't know if you've heard this one. We haven't talked about it but this is prevalent in my family.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Elder, elder.
Speaker 1:We're shifting chairs, here we done. Oh, my back would be out. I done squatted down.
Speaker 2:I have an ID.
Speaker 1:An ID.
Speaker 2:An idea.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2:My grandma always said well, that's an ID, yes, I have an ID about that Idea. Yeah, idea, id. So if you move to the south and you hear somebody say, well, that's a good Adi, it means idea.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm Idea. That is true, adi. Adi, I forgot about Adi. Uh-huh, adi, you know one that I say. Is this a Southernism? Or is it just me cutting it off as member Member when we did that?
Speaker 2:Lazy. You've always just lazy tongue.
Speaker 1:Is that what that is?
Speaker 2:Lazy Lazy ass Member. When we did. No, I think that is kind of Southern I. Member. When we went down there and picked them tomatoes.
Speaker 1:You member when we did that. I member, I say member them tomatoes. You remember when? We did that I remember I say member a lot.
Speaker 2:You have always, because I've always made fun of you. Yeah, I member.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll say something. I'll say do you remember when he'll say I member, I member it. I member, I member, I have another one, but I don't know if this is a Southernism. I meant to ask you this Hot as.
Speaker 2:Hades. That's Southern. I think that's Southern, I don't know, but I've always heard it Hot as Hades.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is that a Southernism?
Speaker 2:or does that come from?
Speaker 1:somewhere else.
Speaker 2:I think it's a Southernism. It's hot as Hades. Should I look up?
Speaker 1:I think that's hot as hell, let me see when did.
Speaker 2:Up north they're just going to say hell, what about hot as the Dickens? Hot as the Dickens? Yeah, that's a southernism.
Speaker 1:Where did this is hot, as Hades originates from Greek mythology. Hades was the name of the god of the underworld, a place often depicted as dark, dreary and associated with the dead. The phrase uses the intense heat of the underworld ruled by Hades to describe something extremely hot.
Speaker 2:So it's just hot as hell. It's the polite way we're past that we're hot. As a MF I say when I walk out I honestly think if I had cracked an egg on the hood of my car when I came in here, it would be edible now.
Speaker 1:Probably so. I wouldn't be surprised for sure. So yeah, hot as Hades. So I guess that's not that. Have you seen this? It was back a couple of weeks ago. It was going on on my Instagram. You know things we don't like Someone even. We'll talk about this in the. You know things we don't like Someone even. We'll talk about this in the next episode or we can talk about it now. Someone, when I put up the question box, said they missed us doing our ics, like we would talk about ics on Instagram, which you and I talked about. I feel like it hasn't been giving as many icks lately. I don't know if I've missed them or whatnot, but I feel like there hasn't been anything. Maybe I haven't been as because we've been so busy. Maybe I haven't been as in tune with it and irritated.
Speaker 3:I haven't seen the icks lately.
Speaker 2:I think Instagram.
Speaker 1:You know, it changes the algorithm and what people post and that sort of thing, but one that I did see. Have you seen this one going around? It was Summerween, like Halloween, but in the summer.
Speaker 2:No, that irritates me already, and people were carving watermelons like jack-o'-lanterns.
Speaker 1:Have you seen that? Do you have a take on that?
Speaker 2:I want to kill them. That's just, oh my gosh. And Halloween's one of my favorite well, probably is my favorite holiday, mm-hmm, and that just makes me mad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like why are you trying to make it something it ain't?
Speaker 2:It ain't gonna be. It's not gonna be. Don't do it. Quit trying to make fetch happen, right Wait till Halloween.
Speaker 1:It's coming, yeah, it's coming.
Speaker 2:Let everything have its moment.
Speaker 1:Why you got to try to make it one during the summertime.
Speaker 2:It's just like those damn Easter egg trees that people do in their yard. So the street Okay, we live here. Yeah, the Mills Avenue, here, the next parallel street, I don't know. Uh-huh, their thing on that street. It's a great street. If I moved back to a traditional house it would probably be on that street. Uh-huh, everybody does a damn Easter egg tree.
Speaker 1:But that's cute.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't do it.
Speaker 1:If I ever move there, hang Easter eggs in your little tree.
Speaker 2:If I move there it's.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying, but they have a whole like spring festival and an Easter egg hunt on the street. They close the whole street down.
Speaker 2:So it's a community, so don't move there you, old badger, I will do the I love Easter egg hunts. I will do that, but I'm not going to hang Easter eggs in my tree.
Speaker 1:I've never. Then you don't need to be on that street, don't be that person on the street.
Speaker 2:Do they do that? Yes, yeah, they have a whole they block it off.
Speaker 1:We used to sponsor it for the garden store. They put our name on a shirt, that's why, they do it Jellybean something. I don't know what they called it, but they do. Yeah, they're festive, they're having fun, they're living their life. So you need to be locked up in a loft like you are.
Speaker 2:That's what you need to be. I never, even as a kid, I was like I don't. That's funny, though, because like certain things, like no, I love to die Easter eggs. Give me an Easter egg basket, I'm all about it. Give me some bunnies on the porch, I'm all about it, but I don't want an Easter egg tree. I mean, it's just, everybody has their thing. Everybody can't be perfect.
Speaker 1:You would be that person that moves into a neighborhood and be like I, you would be that person that moves into a neighborhood and be like I don't agree with this. I don't want this in here. It's tacky?
Speaker 2:No, that's not true. Take it down, I would be out there hiding the damn Easter eggs?
Speaker 1:No, this is what I'd hear. I moved into this neighborhood and they have a damn Easter egg hunt. They shut the whole street off. It's just an inconvenience. The stage is in front of my house where they have music and I couldn't get nothing done.
Speaker 2:That would be true. That is one reason I like we're just close enough to Main Street to not interrupt my egress and degress.
Speaker 1:Right and you don't hear the music.
Speaker 2:But close enough, you can walk there too. You can hear the music, you hear the stadium, we hear all that, but not annoying?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can hear it if you listen for it, but not in a way Not annoying. Yeah, that's going to be crazy. All right, are you done?
Speaker 3:We got to wrap this, we got to pull this baby over.
Speaker 1:I need a little break. Oh my gosh, I hope when this comes out you are just. I hope you're on your helicopter tour.
Speaker 2:I hope I am wearing a thong. What if something?
Speaker 1:happens and I have to edit this to say this was pre-recorded. This was pre-recorded before the incident that happened in Hawaii.
Speaker 2:Steven would have wanted this to air. I want you to make a character of me talking from the Netherlands and be like Hello everybody, I can do. I'm storing through the woods.
Speaker 1:I can do my podcast with ChatGPT. I won't even need you. I will feed it all the things about you. I could probably play it old podcast and say listen to Steven, let's see if our chat.
Speaker 2:you call yours chat. Mine has a name, he's Fred. We need to see if chat and Fred can converse.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And and handle the next week segment.
Speaker 1:Oh, they could just have the segment.
Speaker 1:At least a little segment. That would be funny. All right, we're going to pull this baby over. Remember to join our members only community. If you haven't done so yet. That's where you can watch the episode. See us making faces at each other and passing notes to each other. It's also where you can listen for free anytime. You can listen to the past episodes as well. You don't have to join the community for that. But to watch us, that's where you have to join the community. Remember, you can listen to us anywhere you listen to podcasts as well and always share us with your friends. Leave us a review and we'll see you next week. Bye y'all, bye, bye y'all.