Refocusing our efforts on catalog and web business

Just wanted everyone to hear/see it from us first rather than through the gossip and rumor mill: This week we completed the move out of our store from downtown Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward. ‘Why’ you might ask? Numerous reasons, but primarily we need to focus our efforts on our growing mail order catalog and website sales divisions.

Sadly, foot traffic in the 3rd Ward has been way down ever since the Thanksgiving shut down of the exit ramps into the area as part of the 2 year I43/I94 reconstruction project. Despite Gallery Night, Red Lite Night, Coquette Café, print and online ads and coupons, we found ourselves spending way too much time and resources on the store for little or no sales from week to week.

Best wishes to our boutique partner James with his continued business (14 years now), actually he will be moving across the hall in the lobby to larger quarters in July or August, expanding both his salon and ladies’ accessories selections. We thank him for the experience of having retail space downtown.

Not to panic, WE ARE NOT going out of business, we‘re busier now than we were last year or two years ago with catalog and web sales! And you’ll still see AlwaysHappyHour exhibiting and selling at various festivals around the area, in fact we just submitted our contract for our booth at the Third Ward Jazz Festival in August and will be applying for space at the Cedarburg Wine Harvest Festival in September, plus we’re researching Minneapolis and Chicago festivals for our future growth.

And of course, everything you love in our line is always available for gift shipment to your out-of-town friends and relatives, and all the fun stuff you can’t live without can often be arranged for pickup at our home office if you live in the Milwaukee area.