Foster Pets Are Good for Your Business (and you!)

-

The recent issue of the trade magazine Art Materials Retailer (easily found online at www.artmaterialsretailer.com) has an article about the benefit of having pets in your shop to make your customers more relaxed and eager to visit your shop. Additionally, they believe that having pets in the shop can relax and entertain the staff as well!

We couldn't agree more! While TKB Trading doesn't really have a shop for browsing in, we do have some folks who come by for "will call" pickup. We also have one staff member with strong mood swings (also known as Kaila) who needs regular stress intervention.

But rather than commiting to the responsiblity of a company pet, we enjoy fostering animals in neeed for short bursts of time. This allows us to a) do good, and b) not do good 24/7, just as time and space allows.

Our first bundles of love were three kittens with us for less than 48 hours before they were adopted. Next came three siamese mixes named Cricket, Bucket and Sweetie. We hosted them for about six weeks.

A few months ago, we grabbed the opportunity to foster Cookie, a Katrina Hurricane refugee with heartworm. Cookie (pictured above begging for a walk) was with us for about six months. (Lucky her, she was later adopted by a writer for Bark Magazine, a magazine devoted to modern Dog Culture).

Thanks to the article in Art Materials Retailer, we've been inspired to put in a call to our local resuce organization (www.hopalong.org) for more kittens. So, if you see little pawprints on your invoices in the next few weeks, you'll know that we've added a couple of furballs to our staff -- for the moment.

Won't you consider fostering a needy pet? It really is a short term commitment and can really bring good energy to your business, as well as save an animal's life.

Popular posts from this blog

Hey Dr. Oz, how about Fruit and Flower Pigments in Cosmetics?

-
This past week, Oprah's Dr. Oz tried to increase his ratings by bashing Mineral Makeup as one of the most dangerous forms of color cosmetics. His basic concern was the inhalation hazard. Umm. OK. I'm going to set that one to the side for now and ask, "Hey, Dr. Oz, how about taking a look at the newest trend on QVC, which is color cosmetics made with fruit and vegetable pigments?" Can we say "not-FDA approved and at risk for bacterial growth"? Loose powder mineral makeup is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but the use of fruits and vegetables to pigment cosmetics sure ain't. The FDA strictly regulates color additives and their approved uses in cosmetics. Per the FDA, the definition of a color additive is a follows (source: Sec 201 ) (t)(1) The term "color additive" means a material which— (A) is a dye, pigment, or other substance made by a process of synthesis or similar artifice, or extracted, isolated, or otherwise
Read more

Patent Pending on Natural Pigments

-
Recently I was contacted regarding the company 100% Pure and its patent pending for use of fruit, vegetable, flower and seed pigments for use in cosmetics. The concern was that if 100% Pure succeeds in their patent then it will negatively affect all natural cosmetic companies. The author requested that we call the examining attorney Tania Ashby at 571-270-1348 and that we write a formal complaint to the commissioner for patents The Commissioner for Patents PO Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 OK, I have passed the word along, now here is what I have thought about this over the years. 1) The folks at 100% Pure are based here in the Bay Area and I have talked with them as well as sold product to them. In particular, the female founder has taken a mineral makeup class from me when I taught years ago at thenovastudio .com. This in itself doesn't mean anything but I wanted to let you know that the people behind 100% Pure are just people. In some ways they are small, independe
Read more

Increase Lip Gloss wear-resistance with new Citrine Clear Wax

-
Image
We are often asked how to make the Tkb Gloss Base (formerly known as Versagel) more resistant to being wiped off the lips.  The best ingredient to accoplish this is a wax and we are happy to recommend our new:  Citrine Clear Wax! Here is how we found that works best:  To 1 gram of TKB Gloss Base, you will want to add from 10%-20% (by weight) of the wax. The more you add, the stronger the fix on the lips. Add too much, and it may have somewhat of a heavy feel, so please experiment.  Instructions: To fill one Silver Rectangular Gloss Container:  Take 20 grams of TKB Gloss Base and add 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax Heat in the microwave for approximately 2 minute. Stir and allow to cool. Test to see if you like the results.  If you feel that it needs more "staying power", add an additional 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax.  Once you have decided what you like, we suggest you remelt it, and add your colors before dispensing into the contai
Read more