You’re reading 3Bits & Change, a newsletter about building a direct to consumer business on the internet with an occasional Web3 issue. Today’s email was written to the silence of the furnace heating the house at negative something and something degrees.
Good morning,
We’re getting ahead on these right now. This one was written and saved and set to publish 4 days ahead of time. #win.
Bit #1 • Watch the knife, TWICE, on Superb Owl Sunday
Want to cut your hand with a knife? The highest probable way to accomplish that is to whack an Avocado seed with a knife while holding the fruit in your opposing hand. Ouch.
Americans will cut and consume the largest number of Avocados on a single day during the Superb Owl game on the 13th of February.
We implore you to cut your Avos twice (before any other cuts).
Yep, that’s right, twice. Clicky click here for a video. It’s as simple as cutting a half and then two quarters with your first two slices.
Enjoy the game from your home, not the inside of the local Emergency Department. Cut Avo’s twice.
Bit # 2 • A Physical Store?
Store functional areas:
Sharpening and shipping/receiving shop to serve the whole country via mail order (a post office is literally across the street) behind glass in the back. Keep it clean and show it off.
Some kind of checkout solution.
A vestibule with dropoff and empty box pickup (for carry back or shipment back to us for service).
Test drive areas for the knives that double as class room areas. These will be equipped with an under counter fridges regularly stocked with fruit and veg (+bubbles), under counter compost, undercounter commercial bar dishwasher, lots of cutting boards and rolling functional areas.
A video/photo set for edu courses and social content.
Retail displays for kitchen knives that don’t suck (nearly everything on the market sucks for various reasons).
Very select (only the best of each type of tool) kitchen wares. Only one of every type.
Some reasons NOT to do a store now (but later):
Risking the cash (estimated at a few hundred thousand to execute against the vision at this scale right now).
Buildout demands on timing for design, construction availability and a not ideal late Summer open date.
We’re young and have systems, processes, staffing to work out. Those can can and likely should (to reduce risk and be responsible) happen with other efforts first (food truck, farmers market, partnerships with drop off locations, retail, etc.).
Some reasons we’re thinking about why we’d have a physical store:
Embody the brand in well dressed uniformed people, a physical space and experiences.
Connection to a community leverages our in person communication strengths. It builds connections. It gives local news and PR folks a reason to write articles, etc.
A spot to hand out free shipping / knife transport packages for local buyers. Think of a rack in a vestibule to pick up a box and a spot for folks to drop off knives for service securely after hours (we’d ship them back or they could swing back).
Walking retail and great co-tenancy for cooks. 50th and France in Edina is our top target. There were two previous kitchen stores on the block and one that shut down last year that was under 12 mins away on local roads. Plus there are 3-4 salons on the block and a whole handful of women’s clothing stores.
The more time we spend researching kitchen wares and knives the more exciting it is to think about curating top items in the kitchen category and offering them for sale both in store and online. We’re currently thinking of just one of the best of each category, i.e. spatulas, peelers, containers, as a collection guideline. And we’ve come across a number of knife companies that are or will wholesale with Vivront.
A spot for sharpening. It has to go somewhere. Why not in the back of the store? Because it's loud is the typical answer. However, at the core of Vivront is curiosity and a desire to learn and educate. Sharpening is not a mythical act. It's as sophisticated as you'd like it to be, like cooking is, but it’s not a mystery either. We want to put sharpening and service where people can see it happening, ask questions and learn for themselves too. A friend pointed this out as similar to Wolfgang Puck opening up the kitchen in restaurants. We'll do similar with a sharpening room on the other side of the sound proof glass.
We’ve started talking to architects about brand and interiors build outs
Yet, we’re also wondering if a Citron H trailer or truck is a better first step.
A spot for in person knife skills courses, + optional champagne, in small groups. Use the dang knives and you'll see the difference, build preference and increase your enjoyment in the kitchen. That’s the premise anyway. Buying knives doesn’t need to be a meh experience delivered part-time at a national retailer. Let's get out some fruit and vegetables and cut things. Who buys a car without a test drive? Yet, we all buy knives that way. Hum… what say you?
A key reason to do a store now is a market constraint. Space is available in the key shopping district in town on the right quadrant of of the area for walking and like shoppers. Leases are being signed at 3-5 years ATM. Space will very likely be hard to come by for a few years if not acquired now.
Bit #3 • Your friends want knife skills
Andrew Zimmern is running a substack now, Spilled Milk. It’s been a fun follow.
He recently asked folks what they want to learn more about in the kitchen. He provided 10 options to get people’s minds going. 40% of the responses were about knife skills.
Know friends that could use an emailed knife skills lesson or two? Have them sign up with their email at Vivront.com. We’ll be along with our current skills course straight away.
Sum
So, with that… happy Tuesday. Watch your fingers and your football this weekend. Cut your Avocado’s twice before anything else. Reply with your thoughts about a store or a trailer or nothing. And, finally, knife skills. Your friends want knife skills… share Vivront’s email course with them.
Change
Packaging is in it’s 4th round of re-design. Not kidding. Exciting.
We have our first handful of Coop Grocery interested in retail packaging. TBD.
Google adwords is getting an adjustment in approach this week.
Try a sauna soon. It’s wonderful. And if you’re in MPLS… consider —>
https://cedarandstonesauna.com/ at Freehouse in North Loop.
On Your Way
May your sleep be restorative, your meals delightful and your relationships deep and nourishing.
Follow @josephrueter on Instagram or Linkedin. Follow Vivront.com on Instagram and Facebook.
Order your knives sharpened, or a subscription so it just shows up on a schedule, at Vivront.com