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Celebrate how you want, but here's a hint...

This November we are celebrating Storia’s first birthday.  It was just last October when we got our Etsy shop up and running and last December when we finished putting up the first version of thestoriaproject.com.  Hard to imagine it’s already been a year… and funny to think that it’s only been a year.  I guess time flies when you’re having fun.All month long we’ve got some little “thank you” slash “birthday” sales going on, all revolving around 10%, because it’s our first brithday. If you’re getting ready for some holiday shopping our birthday party is right in time.
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First off, all Storia GIFT CERTIFICATES are 10% off for the entire month!  Give the gift of choice, or hipness, as we humbly advise.

Next, we’ve got rotating weekly sales featuring a different product at 10% off every week.  You have to catch ‘em before they’re gone though:

November 1-10: TRUCKERS 
November 11-17: UPCYCLED SACKS 
November 18-25: All LEATHER, this means BELTS & CUFFS
November 26-30: FEATHER DANGLERS
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Beachside Photoshooting. It's been a good year.



Apart from these birthday sales open to everyone, if you’ve been a customer in our first year of business you will receive an email with a special, personalized code that entitles you to an EXTRA 10% off anything in the store from now until January 1st, 2011.  It’s just a little thank you for helping us take off.

More news on sales on the way as well as reflections on our first year in movement, online at least.  It’s a month-long celebration and everyone’s invited!

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For all who didn't get the head's up: I'll be in Alaska until September 9th doing the vacation family thing (fishing!) and doing research... along with lots of Storia biz!  I've got new products from Italy including some super soft Italian silk scarves with retro polka dots and stripes and lots of bags-- plus some other surprises.  Check out the Secret Stash if you want the exclusive access to the new line- discounted from Euro prices and with zero shipping.  You'll need the password, so just ask and you shall receive!  
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Awesome fur hat! Also in this picture, Silvers from the Naknek in King Salmon, Alaska 2010
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The wonderful folks in NYC at StartingStories.com have just posted up a nice little interview of little old me and the entrepreneurial side of Storia.  Click on their logo below to check it out and get juicy behind the scenes information on the Storia Project.  While you're there take a look around and see what other young entrepreneurs are saying about starting a business these days...
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Go there, read it, love it.  The sweet Cara from "The Life Of A Coast Guard Wife" has posted up a great review and fun interview of The Storia Project and yours truly (me).  If you ever wanted to know the inside scoop or "behind the scenes" of The Storia Project, or little ole' Naomi it is worth a looksy... plus Cara's blog has other great stuff such as giveaways. (We all love giveaways, don't try to hide it.) 


Here it is: The Storia Project Review on The Life Of A Coast Guard Wife
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...which means sewing and leatherwork have to make room for eating, passeggiate, and sunshine!  We are back in Rome and back in business- hopefully also with energy to blog more often too!  A month in Thailand will do many things to you including clear your mind of the daily grind and free up space to see new possibilities, new ideas, new designs, new solutions...

So, it is with all these new things that we are starting "anew" in the Eternal City which is bella Roma.  Some of these new designs simply helped me to get back on track and have some creative time for myself.  Some of these designs you may see on Storia gear later on this year.  They're exciting- that's all I will say for now.

We are also looking for fun boutique and street wear shops here in Rome to sell Storia gear.  Of course, we're always open to wholesaling internationally as well.  If anyone has any ideas I am all ears. :)
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It's amazing how complicated things can get in this country.  I mean, I've always known that Italy was a crazy, unpredictable country, but somehow even without the expectation of things running smoothly you always end up surprised when an "easy" thing turns into an unreasonable, unattainable  objective.  To put it bluntly, Italians are horrible organizers.  For anyone dreaming of a life in this (admittedly beautiful) country, THINK TWICE.  If you are on any kind of schedule or have any sort of deadline steer clear of Italy- head for Switzerland or Britain.  But, if you have the whole day to sway between beach, museum, cafe, or monument and you are willing to spend at least 60% of all daily conversation deciding (seriously, as if it were life or death) what you are going to eat then you may find yourself at home.


Basically today I went to go ship the order from two days ago only to hear from Poste Italiane (the Italian Post) that I could either spend twice the value of the contents of the package to get it to the USA within 72 hours OR I could pay HALF the value of the contents of the package and it would take 15 days- wait!- "more like a month" the clerk told us, "IF it gets there at all... but we can't guarantee anything."  Excellent.  What part of that deal sounds remotely profitable, efficient, or responsible?  The buzz from my first sale on Etsy from two days ago was dead.  Welcome to doing business in Italy.


I could probably dedicate an ENTIRE website only to this subject and probably have tons of people write in with their personal stories of the lack of professionalism in Italy.  From pubs to universities to tour operators to the VATICAN ITSELF- I have a story.  But, I never get too far with my ranting before I remind myself of how Italy could never be as humanly beautiful as it is without being completely unreliable.  


You see, if you are late for a job interview and you're waiting for the bus and you're waiting and you're waiting and the rain starts pouring down and you're still waiting and some greasy guy is cat-calling you while you're STILL waiting and freaking out when finally you feel like your brain is going to explode... and you decide to call the office to notify them (nervously) that you will be running late and you're terribly sorry... the secretary answers the phone, sounds disgustingly annoyed with you because you're interrupting her cigarette/espresso/text messaging and they tell you that Signor So-And-So cannot meet with you anyway because he is taking his lunch early and it will run late.  It all comes full circle.  The bus  pulls up in that moment and you are almost convinced that the only reason it HAS arrived is because you don't actually have to be somewhere for anything important- if you still had your appointment it wouldn't have shown up- are you going crazy for thinking this?  On top of that the bus driver is on the phone and driving like a maniac (not a municipal employee) and he'll brake every once in a while to interrupt his phone call to yell at someone who dared cut him off.  


It is in these wet, frustrated, mental-break-down moments you strangely enough develop an affinity for the unpredictability and care-free air that seems to lounge around in Italy.  A Swedish friend once said, "Yes, life in Italy is not as professional, organized, reliable, or well-paid as other countries, but life elsewhere is just not quite as spontaneous."  
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