22 February 2010

Announcing My New Agency

Scribe's Note: While the heart and gist of what I'm sharing here is still 110% true, please note that since I posted this back on February 22nd, 2010, I've decided to do business under a different name than the one I announced here. Please see my next, more recent post for an announcement of Abby Kerr Ink. Abby Kerr Ink is for keeps and there shouldn't be any more announcements of a name changing variety.

Announcing the birth of a new business and the beginning of my newest adventure...

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

The Abby Kerr Copywriting Agency


The Abby Kerr Copywriting Agency {that's me!} specializes in web, digital, and print copy for creatively oriented businesses. I love working with entrepreneurs who are passionate about building their brand and communicating with their customers in innovative ways.

What is copywriting? As one mystified stranger recently asked me, "Is that where you put the little c's next to a word?" No. That's copyrighting. Different thing altogether.

COPYWRITING {noun} - def: the art of words or text designed to inform, influence, or sell, such as for websites, advertising, marketing, press releases, etc.

COPYWRITER {noun} - def: one who practices the art of copywriting

My new biz puts my skills, experiences, and instincts as a creator, brand director, and marketer of a successful business in your court. I hear the story your business or product wants to tell and the voice it wants to speak it in, then I shape that story and that voice into energetic, effectively copywritten pieces for web, digital, or print--copy that will resonate with your customers or clients.

What I Do

My clients hire me to get inside their brands, inside their heads, and most importantly, inside their customers' heads, to write effective copy for a wide variety of needs. Effective copy compels their target market to identify with the brand in the right way, want to know more, and ultimately, buy in to it. And the copy must do this subtly. Authentically. And with clarity, in a way that builds trust and confidence. This is what I do. {This is what I loved doing most for THE BLISSFUL. Read back through this blog's archives you'll get a sense of what I mean.}

I bring to my clients' projects a remarkably high degree of professionalism, natural instinct, and a smart, contemporary point of view on branding, marketing, and sales. As an entrepreneur and a business owner, I understand the challenges of doing business, the value of meaningful relationships with clients, and the urgency of resonating in the right way at the right time with the right people {your target market}. The words you put out into the world are an important part of that resonance. Sound like a tall order? I'm here to help.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Who I Can Help

I'm my own girl, a true freelancer. If you have an existing website or a graphic designer you like working with and all you need is great copy, that works for me. If your business, too, is a one-person show and you need help in the writing department, I could be the interpreter of the brand in your brain to the brand that makes it onto the page. I love to brainstorm with entrepreneurs. I'd love to chat with you about how I could help your business put its best foot forward, copywise.

If you're working on a website {or would like a website} or have other design or print needs, I don't do the design and development part, but I do partner with a phenomenal, award-winning art and design studio that offers that side of the coin. Together, we offer our mutual clients a premier and personal level of service and deliver complete web and graphic design solutions to meet their wide-ranging needs. My partners are as detailed and deliciously prompt as I am, so I'm confident you would enjoy working with them, too.

I can write copy for...
  • websites {including SEO copy, which means Search Engine Optimized} and digital formats
  • retailing and products {in-store signage, brand communication pieces}
  • catalogs and online stores {product descriptions, policies}
  • advertising and direct marketing {print ads, sales letters, brochures}
  • company magazines and newsletters {print and digital}
  • brand, marketing, and internal communications
  • blog posts
  • articles and reviews
  • interviews
  • press releases
  • names, taglines, slogans, and descriptions
  • packaging
Get In Touch

Let's have a conversation about your project. E-mail me at abby AT abbykerrink DOT com. {E-mail address was updated on March 4th, 2010, after my announcement that this venture is now called Abby Kerr Ink.} Give me an idea of what you're looking for and what your timeframe is. I'll e-mail you back within a day or so, probably with a few more questions. This is the work I love to do, and if it feels like a great fit for the both of us, I would be so delighted and honored to work with you on your project.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

P.S.
Soon, I'll be launching my new website and a new blog there. Meanwhile, keep checking Lettres for updates! Thanks for reading.

11 February 2010

Valentine to Our Customers

A valentine to our customers...


Thanks for dreaming the dream of THE BLISSFUL with us for four amazing years. We couldn't have asked for a better experience; even our closing sale was swift and sweet! Without you, your loyalty, your passion for the store, your joy in the discovery of our Finds, your connection with the brand...this store wouldn't have been what it was. Because of you, our dreams were able to come to fruition.

We'll always treasure the beautiful relationships we made with so many of you. You shared stories of your families and friendships with us--some light and funny, some warm and true, some sad and bittersweet. We are touched to have been an important part of your life--your gift-giving, your celebrations, your milestones, your memories. Thanks for being one of THE BLISSFUL.

I, Abby Kerr, hope that you will continue to follow me here on Lettres from THE BLISSFUL. I have some exciting new enterprises in the wings that I look forward to sharing with you--a new brand, new endeavors, and new adventures in entrepreneurship. Inside, I'm bubbling over with excitement, but on the exterior, I'm trying to keep my cool about it until all is ready to unveil. So thank you for reading...and Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. to Retailers and Aspiring Retailers -- Our Cash Wrap Desk {click link to view photo and post with details} is still available! Also for sale: THE BLISSFUL's much sought-after Vendor List--where we've sourced our unique Finds & Furnishings. Contact abby@theblissful.com to inquire.

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05 February 2010

Cash Wrap Desk for Sale


Attention retailers, people who do a lot of gift wrapping or crafting, and those looking for a great bar...

THE BLISSFUL's Cash Wrap Desk is for sale. $450 or Best Offer. Can be picked up end of next week. 8' L x 25.5" D x 40" H. Nine deep shelves behind, as well as two drawers and a secret compartment. Built by hand in Ohio. Solid hard wood. Front is painted zinc, top is natural, shelving behind is unfinished. You can paint and beautify to your heart's content.

Take an important piece of THE BLISSFUL home with you, or to your own store!

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"Store's Closing Bittersweet. . ."


For any who haven't already seen, here's a recent article in the Massillon Independent about our store closing and my future plans. Thanks to writer Christina Redekopp for doing such a great job in telling our story!

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02 February 2010

New Markdowns on Large Items

Mossy Garden Settee, originally $299, NOW $149.50. Used to sit outside the shop. Updated 2.3.10 -- Settee is now SOLD.
Swedish Blue Candelabra, originally $237, NOW $118.50.

Are you a fan of THE BLISSFUL on Facebook? Click to become a Fan today to view our photo album called Last Week of Business, where we've rounded up photos of several large, statement-making pieces that we've just marked down lower than 50% OFF!

E-mail us at sales@theblissful.com for more info or call the shop at 330.492.2500 to purchase. Customers must arrange their own pick-up/delivery/shipping on large and heavy items. Retailers welcome!

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01 February 2010

It's Our Very Last Week

Here we are! It's our very last week of business at THE BLISSFUL. Stop in and see us and enjoy shopping the best of what's waiting for you at 50% OFF of regular price! Here's just a preview. . .

Armillary Sphere Chandelier that used to hang in our Kitchen department.
Originally $1040, NOW $520.


Melange of pillows in burlap, flax, amethyst, and black and white. Also Bella Notte fabric swatch rings and individual fabric squares.


Props and oddities, garden iron, interesting accent tables aplenty, and a really cool Old World Column {originally $878, NOW $439}.


Vintage Glove Forms, originally $256, NOW $128.
Zinc Painted Vintage Mantel, so iconically THE BLISSFUL, originally $650, NOW $325. {We can't believe this is still here. So many people have looked at it, measured it, photographed it. We can only figure it must be waiting for you. :) }


John Wind's signature Chunky Gold Initial Bracelets. Originally $89, NOW $44.50.


The last of our Sid Dickens collection, now at 50% OFF! Sid enthusiasts know that Sid can never be discounted by the law of Sid's camp unless a store is going out of business. Fans and collectors, now's your chance! Active Tiles originally $76, now $38. Zodiac Tiles originally $84, NOW $42. Retired Tiles originally $106, NOW $53.

And more than we can show here. Hurry in for lower than ever discounts!

Hours This Week: Mon-Sat 10 AM - 5 PM. Our anticipated last day of business is this Saturday, February 6th.