We’re still looking for a buyer, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of what we had in mind for Keweenaw Archive had I not gotten my new (and wonderful) job.

By May 2014 we would have paid off our business loan, and the plan was to turn around and take out another, larger one, with enough in it to expand our inventory and potentially buy our own building. Five years after that, I wanted to move to a multi-story structure. I really had my eye on the Backroom building on Shelden. That would have been perfect.

Really, we’ve wanted to be an all-in-one shop for the analog lifestyle. If you’ve been hanging around with me lately, you’ve probably noted my budding interest in film photography. To have equipment for film, including darkroom equipment, in a local shop would be awesome. I had my eye on coin and stamp collecting stuff as well. I think, in a multi-story, almost department store style, this would have worked. A strong web presence would have ensured that.

By 2020, we wanted to be a major player in retail, the kind of place with local and regional renown. With the success we’ve had since day one, I’m convinced we could have done it, too.

That doesn’t mean it has to be the end of the lifestyle, though. If you have an appreciation for a few moments of non-digital bliss, please hold onto those moments. Share them. Pass on what you know. Don’t give in to a digital-disposable world. Our website will stay operational for the near future (and I am working on a refresh on it), with links on where to buy all of your favourite analog stuff. Tips, instructions, all those things, too.

We still sometimes get questions about our name, why an art and writing supply shop would have the word “archive” in it. I hope that gives you a bit better idea what we had in mind. We were going to be so much more, and in all of our minds, in our ways of thinking and believing, we can still be that.

Thanks for reading.

Now that we’ve made the decision to go ahead and move on from our business, I find myself trying to figure out just exactly what I would want from it.  I know I will never recoup the time or money I put into it, but I would like to at least break even and get some neat stuff.

What do I want?  There’s an order with Clairefontaine I would like to place, a few things for me that I’m out of.  Some stuff from Moleskine, too.  And there are five pens I would like, as well as four or five bottles of ink.  All told?  About $2500 worth of stuff.  Combine that with the goods I’d like to take as payment, and we’re still talking less than I put in, to say nothing of the (by my best count) 5400 hours of unpaid work I’ve done.

That’s not sour grapes.  In fact, I know we’re closing down at just about the worst time, before we’re self-sufficient, but after we’ve built up enough to have a following and a lot of inventory.

Again, thanks to all of you for what we’ve been able to become.  And if you’re interested in carrying on the project, please just say the word.

The proposed new lift at Mont Ripley.  Possibly.

flentes:

Tyler Craft

Once upon a time, I feared typing this message, as I thought it meant that Keweenaw Archive had failed.  It has not.  It has been more successful than I ever could have expected.  But some major changes are coming, and the shop you know today will be very different within the next few months.  And more than ever before, we are going to need your help.

If you only want the short version: I basically got my dream job, and at this point in my life, I cannot and will not pass it up.  Keweenaw Archive is not at a point where it is self-sustaining yet, so I cannot afford to hire someone to replace me in the shop.  It’s time for some reinvention, and the storefront you know has its days numbered.

My best-case scenario is to sell off the art supply side of the business.  It is the more profitable side, but I am up against the limits of my art knowledge every single day.  By selling this off to an established entity, I will make damn sure there is no interruption to art supply access in our community.  You have shown there is a market, and given a few more years, I know we would be all the way there.  I simply can’t do this as I have been, though.

I want to keep the writing end of things, moving back to a catalog business, and working hard in the very near future to get our e-commerce portal up and working.  It has been my passion from day one, and I’m not ready to let that go.  Again, our community will not go without these supplies.

What will be different?  In the near-term, our hours will be greatly reduced, though we are always happy to open the shop up if we’re free.  We can always deliver our products to you, or bring a variety by where it’s convenient.

This business started out of a need for the finest in professional accessories, those goods that are durable, well-made, and help to organize and express ideas.  All of you have shown that there is a great need for this, and I will always be in your debt for what you have done for us.  We quite literally would not exist if it weren’t for our loyal customers.

We will remain in our present location at least through the end of January, and we will need your help more than ever to make sure we can cover our monthly expenses.  The holidays are coming, too, and we want to be there with what you need.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.  If you own an existing business and are interested in our art supply business, please do get in touch.  I have some feelers out with some entities who have expressed some interest as well.

Maybe all good things do need to come to an end.  But this won’t be an ending.  Like the Tale of Genji, the story will simply change, the characters moving on, but the shop’s life is all part of the same line.  Keweenaw Archive will live on.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I would like a “transfer accelerator” for Elevation Street!

thisbigcity:

Late for your train? This ‘transfer accelerator’ in the Dutch city of Utrecht might help. Via Smart Urban Stage.

So many stories captured in one photo, stacked near each other.

skyscraper:

Kowloon Tetris by spreephoto on flickr

via surrogateself

Interesting concept, but did we really need to rename the library?  Do we need to wrap it in the garb of consumer sensibility in order to attract usage?

thisbigcity:

In London, UK, libraries have been replaced with ‘Idea Stores’, aiming to attract people to come to the library by providing a comfortable space to hang out with books, computer access, and other features.

Taking a cue from the song Lost Summer by Whitey - a great tune if you get the chance to check it out - where has our summer gone?  The sunshine and temperatures might still be here, but it’s back to school, back to work, etc.

We’re coming out of our summer slumber here at the shop, too, with plenty of new products coming in.  We’re revving up for the holiday season, and what’s cool is seeing more of my vision for the shop come to fruition with each month.  We’re still a year or two away from where I picture us being, and thanks for being part of the journey.

If you haven’t been by the shop in awhile, come on by!  It seems to look different every week these days, and we’d love to show you what’s new!

This looks like something we could do in front of one of the roadside motels up here.

architizer:

The Art of the Tree House

For Houghton-Hancock it would really just be “Bridge Up” or “Bridge Down.”  Or maybe “Bridge Broken.”

thisbigcity:

People of London: the future has arrived. We have bins with TV screens in them.

各位倫敦民眾，未來就在眼前，連垃圾桶上都有電視螢幕。