Greetings from AW HQ - I'm in a very rainy Sheffield.

Last week I was telling you about KYS.. the importance of knowing your supplier, in the gift trade and how important it is especially in the gift business. Also updates on my Morrocan trip, you can read it here.

I don't know how wet weather affects your business, maybe online traders will do better. Years ago, way back in ancient history - before the internet (as we call it in the north) I had a couple of AW gift shops in Derbyshire and I remember the best weather was a sunny morning (to bring everyone out) and a rainy afternoon, to drive everyone into the shops. I don't know if that still holds true.. 

It's Father's Day on Sunday - so a big day in the gift trade - so Happy Father's Day.. to all the Dad's and to all you gift traders that are Dad's or otherwise..

So this week has been at HQ - where as usual it is a hive of hectic activity. New products under development in production, new deliveries from Indonesia, a Salt lamp container came - so lots back in stock. Oh and also we had a Silver delivery from an artisan supplier in Bali.

Beautiful Gold & Silver mix jewellery with an exotic mystic feel. Everyone in the office is in love with it - we had packaging made to compliment the product and feel this is a special gift anyone would be pleased to own. Bracelets are suitable for men or women, and Tomas who was there in Bali at the birth of this product and worked with the artisans and designer to tweak the designs for the European market has been wearing a bracelet ever since. See below.

Sooo.. last week I was telling you how banks have to KYC.. Know your customer,, to make sure they don't inadvertently enable bad people to do bad things.. Likewise, we try to KYS.. Know your supplier.. and this Silver & Gold jewellery - you can be sure is ethically sourced. We have all read about blood diamonds, about Jade being produced in drug fuelled open cast mines and even worse things that can happen when greed distorts morals. The jade mines in Kachin state in Burma I was aware of a long time ago, and it is this type of supply that is simply bad Karma to the gift trade. Read about the horrors in this Guardian article here.  

Open the packaging on our new silver jewellery and you can see it says "..wear with confidence.." it's meaning is on two levels..

A word about Salt Lamps..

They come from Pakistan, famously mined from under the Himalayan mountains - the purest salt on earth. Rana (our main supplier) is a gentle guy wears traditional clothes. He meets me regularly in Malaysia with new samples, and we will eat together in a Pashtun restaurant where he updates me all about his business. It's a family business and we have dealt with them for a few years, I'll admit I haven't (yet) been to Pakistan to see the mining and production personally, but I have regular live Whatsapp updates from Rana. He told me a while back about unauthorised mines, open cast mines that use dynamite to blast apart hillsides and then let subcontractors scramble for it.. Many people die in this area each year, the salt from there is half the price of government regulated mines. The area the salt is mined called Khwera and there are good and bad mines. Bad mines have lower quality, poor safety records but very low prices. This really is a case of KYS.. 

Rana assures me his raw salt comes from government regulated mines, while not perfect are trying to improve standards. Salt Lamps Back in Stock.

KYW... likewise know your wholesaler.. do they care? do they check these things? I'm sure you will ask. 

Anyway, more news next week.

By the time you read this, I will be at our Slovakian distribution warehouse. Regular readers will know about our own Brexit backstop, insurance against a Boris no-deal outcome.

More news next week.

Take care - have a great Father's Day.