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UPDATE: Monday 9/18~ So we have the new space but there is so much to do. Everything needs to be replaced and then we wait for deliveries. Unpack the boxes and set up whatever was in the box. So far we have a conference table and a couple of chairs.
This is going to be a very long process!
UPDATE: Friday 9/01~ Guys, we did it!! We officially signed a lease to a new building yesterday afternoon! We are beyond excited about this new journey we are about to take. We are also so grateful for everyone who stood by our side and supported us during this hard time. Of course, the difficulties aren't over just yet, so please continue to bear with us as we deal with moving into the new building and setting it up. It could take a good bit to be comfortable enough to work in the new building, but we are making great progress just by having the building in our name! SteveO will be making a separate post about our plans for next week, so check that out if you'd like. To sum it up, we will be working our butts off next week to salvage what we can from the old office and move it to the new office. We should have the keys in our hands by the end of the day, and we will be all set to get moving!
Again, thank you guys so much for being so supportive and so kind while we dealt with this. SteveO and I are so lucky to have a family full of such amazing people.
UPDATE: Wednesday 8/30~ We might have found a location. Our Real Estate broker just got the contract and we are reviewing it.
UPDATE: Tuesday 8/22 ~ There are really no updates. The insurance company has dropped us as a client after weeks of going back and forth on the new facility. They said it was because they misclassified the business and we need to be in a higher-risk category. As a result, we lost the new building. It does not affect the open claim, however.
I've been searching for a new facility and a new insurance company. It takes time and a lot of effort. We live in a small town in the country. I will not move the business to Memphis as it puts our lives at risk. Everything we look at is retail and does not fit the bill.
Every day we run lower and lower on products and we have no way to replenish them at this time. To do this it requires equipment that was destroyed and until the claim is settled there's no way to replace it. To be honest and transparent I'm not sure XS will survive if this continues longer than 2 more weeks.
I did receive word that the insurance company finally got their adjuster's loss report. I'm still waiting to hear the numbers.
UPDATE: Monday 8/07 ~ Insurance company will not add the new location. What a fucking waste of time! Not sure what to do from here. I'm sure we will lose the new spot. I guess it's just not meant to be.
UPDATE: Thursday 8/03~ There has been a lot going on this week. Hayley has been out all week and I have been doing whatever I can to keep XS afloat. I have been unable to sign the lease as I had to add a new location to our current insurance plan, which I did last Friday. As of today, because we have an open large total loss claim on the existing policy the underwriters have not yet approved the new location.
Due to the complete destruction of the facilities and everything inside I cannot make anything. It all requires sterilizing equipment, scientific scales, labware, mixers, bottles, and a bunch of other stuff including the chemicals to make everything. All gone.
I don't know when the products will be back in stock, or when a particular order will ship. We receive tickets about this (10-20 tickets daily about stock). Add that in with the daily phone calls (same questions) and it becomes frustrating. It's not because all of you do not deserve the very best XS has to offer, it's because I cannot offer anything but guesses. It's very disheartening to tell you I don't know when your order will ship or I don't know when that product will be back in stock.
Thank you to all of our loyal friends and clients who have offered your heartfelt kind words. They are the fuel that helps me get out of bed in the morning.
UPDATE: Monday 7/31~ I've added International shipping but please expect processing delays. There are a lot of extra steps to ensure you get your packages without customs fees and delays.
UPDATE: Thursday 7/27~ Still no fragrances available and products going out of stock. I just don't have the tools to make any new products, including my stockpile of molecules. No labware, beakers, magnetic stirrers, deep freezers, etc.
The Fire Chief/Marshal has approved our storage/handling protocols for SD-Alcohol 40B and other lab regents so that's one step closer to the signing of the lease. The next step is to transfer the Insurance and we are in a new building. While it's about 400 sq feet less than the old, I'm positive we can make it work.
UPDATE: Wednesday 7/21~ As you all can tell, we did not ship yesterday, Thursday the 20th. However, we got more orders out today, and this time stickers are back! The next step is to start back with candy and toys. XS is coming back slowly but surely. As for the insurance update, we hit a bump in that. We are working on smoothing that out, but who knows how long that will take. This means that the building we were hoping to get is now being put on hold. As always, we will keep you guys posted. Have a great weekend
UPDATE: Wednesday 7/19~ Hayley shipped another 15 orders today (she is amazing!). I'm still trying to hammer out the details of the potential new lease, but they have a lot of verbiage in it that simply precludes Aser as a tenant. Our alcohol use and I'm not talking about just Hayley's drunkenness - LOL, but perfumers' alcohol is always a sticking point. It just needs to be hashed out properly and that requires code enforcement, fire marshal, insurance, and of course the landlord. Hopefully, everything goes to plan.
UPDATE: Tuesday 7/18~ We got several more customs out today as well as FedEx, with a total of 21 orders! We are definitely making progress and hopefully, we are 100% caught up soon. We will resume shipping tomorrow, however, Thursday will be a day focused on negotiating a new building. Shipping will continue on Friday, but keep in mind our hours differ on Fridays, with shipping ending at 2 pm CST.
Thank you guys for continuing to support us in this trying time. You're all amazing!
UPDATE: Monday 7/17 ~We got out a bunch of custom orders that had been delayed, along with some new FedEx orders. Still no candy or stickers or even halfway decent-looking labels on the customs.
SUB-UPDATE: Monday 7/17 ~I went to see a potential new location and asked my realtor to review the contract. Different direction but actually a bit closer. There is nothing else around it except a gym.
EDIT: ~Looks like I'll be signing a 5-year lease. Hayley and I were both feeling a bit optimistic and excited today but at the same time, I harbor a ton of anxiety. I hope to be there by the first of the month. From there it will probably take us 1-3 months to get back to normal. Everything we had needs to be replaced.
UPDATE: Thursday 7/14 ~ Hayley here again. Great news guys! I got the last order out that we were behind on that wasn't a custom! The total orders from today was 13. Next week will be about finding a way to make the customs in the appropriate environment. We will still be using the shipping items that we have been using which isn't the prettiest, but it's all we can manage right now. After the customs are caught up, I will be attempting to start with stickers and candy again. No promises there, but I will do my best.
EDIT (XSteveO): Just want to add to please understand there will be continued delays. Catching up is amazing and a relief, but so much is missing or just unusable. Please continue to be patient. We are going to look at a place tomorrow.
SUB-UPDATE: FRIDAY 7/14 ~I posted some videos to the facebook page: If it wasn't for Hayley and Silvia I don't believe I would have gotten through this. Whenever we go into that place, we cough the entire next day. I was inside last night for not more than a few minutes and have been coughing all day today. It's really bad and dangerous.
UPDATE: Thursday 7/13 ~ I (Hayley) got another 9 orders out today. It may not seem like much but we are finally getting to the point in orders where we can attempt to get to customs soon. We are doing the best we can while trying to deal with insurance claims, orders, emails, calls and still trying to find a building.
Thanks for bearing with us this far.
UPDATE: Tuesday 7/11 ~Hayley managed to get 21 orders shipped today. There are however a few others that while receiving a shipping confirmation will actually ship tomorrow or Thursday. It's because we have no labels... Without Hayley and Silvia, we'd be sunk.
No luck on any new offices. I'm considering building, but I guess that depends on Insurance. Hayley and I will be meeting with one of the adjusters first thing in the morning for a final walk-through. We will then need to sit down and go over the value of every little thing that has been wrecked which is most of everything. I presume this will take hours. This is why I mentioned we will do our best to get some stuff shipped tomorrow but more than likely it will be Thursday.
UPDATE: Monday 7/10 ~Today we will focus on real estate so no order shipping today. We are in desperate need of new space. That means no shipments today. Again please be patient. I don't believe anyone has any idea just how difficult it is to get things done. Everything is a mess and we are doing what we can
UPDATE: Friday 7/7 ~10 orders (6 FedEx 3 USPS Priority 1 PFCM) shipped today. It's a very slow arduous process.
We started to ship yesterday but it's extremely limited. We do not have candy, postcards, bags, absorbent pads, invoices...
Printers are home inkjets and not equipped to handle specialized software like invoices and labels. It's just a mess, but we are trying
I’ll be posting just about every weekday/workday daily here on the recovery aspects we are doing.
I want to preface all this with please understand if I’m short, ill-tempered, or worse, outright angry. I don’t often get mad and usually, I’m the type of person to forget wrong-doings within a few minutes. I yell and curse a lot, but this time it’s different.
XS was my baby. It’s taken me 13 years to nourish it and grow it into something beautiful I loved. XS was all about helping and connecting people to their better selves. Over the years we’ve made lifelong friends with most of our former employees who are more like family. To watch it all get destroyed in 13 seconds was heartbreaking.
Every day we drive to what's left of our offices and it takes everything to keep the tears and emotions from ruining our day. We are not okay. There is a lot of trauma and strong emotions that tear us apart daily, but we continue fighting.
The good news is we have a little inkjet printer, and we started shipping some orders yesterday. Today we hope to get more out.
We are only shipping Domestic USA orders and you can expect major delays.
We will not be honoring any discounts, Lifetime Discounts, and VIPs. We cannot afford to offer these right now, but they will be back in time.
Our EU facility is still operating and they have most customs. Silvia will start building the product pages soon.
No candy, samples, postcards…
We are doing our very best.
Muestereate, I've called you but haven't gotten through.