Tagline problems

I recently tweeted Rowan for something to add to her FAQs which I have been enjoying. I just cannot think of a slogan/tagline for my shop!


THE PAST

I've always had trouble with narrowing things down. It's partly an inability to make decisions, and partly because my brain races* quite a lot. I couldn't even decide what to call my business when I started it. I had a discussion on Live Journal, and went with a suggestion from a friend.

"Message from Bel, January 2009

Ok so these might be lame but just some names I was thinking up off the top of my head.

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” Pablo Picasso
* The Painting Diaries
* Diary of a Painter

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.” Danny Kaye
* Life's Big Canvas

* Paintings for the Soul
* Chloe's Canvas' "

 Message from Chloe

"I love those quotes!! Life's Big canvas is it. i love danny kaye

THANK YOUUUUU"

 

BACK TO THE POINT....

So Rowan did a very helpful FAQ - and it's had me thinking all week.

Over the weekend, I had a visit from Zoe of Urban Magpie. She admitted being a little confused at first by my business, and she isn't the first one. I've talked on here before about how I see "Life's Big Canvas" as my shop, but then I make jewellery for my own shop, so I obviously haven't defined my business properly enough. I described it to Zoe like this


"My jewellery shop is like, say, Asda, and the jewellery I make is like their own brand range. Like Basics or Taste the Difference or whatever. But then I wholesale some stuff and I do sale or return on others depending where they're from and how well know they are, and how much I like the stuff, and whether it will fit in. Some stuff I buy in and then change, or package better. So... yeah.."

This is clearly rubbish. This isn't a mission statement, it's garble. This is why I asked Rowan in the first place. Her slogan is

"Say No to Boho, Grab Something Colourful Kitschy Funky and Fun"

This says everything about her jewellery range, and she also has a clearly defined mission statement by inviting people to 'say no to boho'. It's short, sweet, to the point. I'm jealous of it.

I also like Kim of Finest Imaginary's slogan

"Defeating bland outfits and boring spaces with a single purchase!"

This works because although it's long, it's snappy, and it brings to mind comic books (When I first met Kim she was making her 'Grrr' and 'Aargh' necklaces)

I have had slogans before. The first was...

"Recycled art jewellery"

There's nothing about this which is either a slogan, or appealling.
Then I changed my Folksy and Etsy banners, and decided that this would be a good one...


"Life is like a big canvas, you are your life's canvas, your accessories are the paint"

However, now I see that this actually makes no sense, is far too long, and not catchy at all.
I had to make an advert very quickly recently for a print deadline, so I rushed off...


"Affordable individual jewellery and accessories and gifts from cult UK designers."

Still too long, and I've clearly stolen the bit about 'cult UK designers' (without meaning to) from Indie Cindy's old flyers. However, it is starting to narrow down what I'm trying to do with my shop.

Rowan herself has also noticed the problems I'm having with defining what I want to achieve.

" ♥ What's your mission?
Chloe sells her own designs and other independent designers' work in her shop.  But what is the mission? To sell limited edition designs from UK based designers? To give first-class customer service? To provide accessories to a very specific sub-culture customer? "

I've worked with Rowan before, and she's known me for about a year now. She's even confused about what I do, and she worked in my shop.


ACTION IS NEEDED

1. I want to provide things for people to buy which are only usually available either online or at craft fairs. This is 90% jewellery, but I also have little dolls, baby grows, some sweets and purses.
2. I want to sell them at the same price they are sold online for, as I know how savvy people are about internet prices
3. I want to provide great service, and help people pick out the right gift for themselves or others
4. The stuff I make is limited edition, but some of the other designers make multiples of the same design. However, I try not to have more than one of the same item in store at the same time.
5. I suppose I want to appeal to a specific sub-culture - people who want to wear stuff no one else is wearing, whatever their age or personal style. I have a lot of customers who are part of the burlesque scene, as well as the Lolita girls, the local tattooist, the lady who flyers outside the hairdresser (who is older than me) and children (who are obviously younger)
6. My shop has been described as being like a sweet shop, particularly because it always smells of jelly beans (I have a Jelly Belly air freshener above the radiator) and I do actually sell sweets as well as jewellery.

Words already coming to mind are: child, candy, limited, appeal, service, people, sweets

WHAT I CAME UP WITH

So far I have come up with the following on my own. I'm writing down all of them, so no giggles please


"Body Candy For the Child Within"
"Providing you and your loved ones with first class service and gifts"
"Limited Edition Body Candy"
"Appeals to the child within"

The one I like the most was this one, however


"Limited Pieces for Limitless People"

So I tweeted it for reactions

"I Like it"
"Love it"
"It's great"
"Too businessy"
"Sounds upmarket"

I got some good advice


"it all depends on the market you are aiming for, you have a pretty good core following from what I see and as long as you don't isolate them it's never a bad thing to try and draw a new crowd"

I also had this suggested as an alternative from someone who thought it was 'businessy' and not 'cool' or 'quirky' enough


"(Indulge in) Life's Little Luxuries"

This has given me a lot to think about. Even more so than before.


HELP!!

Any feedback gratefully received!







*if you don't know what brain racing is, basically it's like having a four year old shouting ideas in your head every minute of the day