Reporting in, friends, and not with much good news. A little good news here and there, to be sure, and I'm thankful for it. As all too often of late, there will be snippets of math. To bounce back to the webstore and browse books, click here.

Bad News First

1. We expect to end December 40% under budget. That's a lot, during what we estimated would be a much busier month. Based on last year's month-over-month from November to December, and this year's average increases over same period last year, we expected December to be about double November. That's not what we got. As you can see from the following graph, of December's 24 "shopping days," only four were what we could legitimately call busy days. Five more were around what we expected them to be. Fifteen days were below budget. Eight were below average. Our highest highs were above last year's, but our lowest lows were below last year's worst days. On our most troubling rainy day this month, we had three visitors in total, and two sales--not enough to cover the day's rent. We've grown used to our graph being spikes and troughs, but this one is mostly trough.

2. We had deferred a significant chunk of debt to December, based on expectations that we thought were reasonable based on our limited but carefully studied data, combined with decades of retail experience. Our rather decent and patient landlords are approaching their limit. They're willing to accept a payment plan, but we have to make the payments AND stay current going forward. Most of our suppliers are paid up front, which keeps our leash tight but also helps us avoid racking up the kind of massive vendor debt that kills young businesses. However, there are a few places we owe, and they are quite reasonably expecting us to pony up. And we do have personal lenders in addition to our commercial resources, with whom we are fighting to keep faith.

3. Only a dozen people took advantage of special offers we created to encourage buzz about the shop and try to connect with new people.

IN SUM: You may have heard me say that every slow day burdens the next day with more weight to carry. December is a clear example of that. The season started late, and slowly, and didn't really begin to feel like what we expect from a retail season until just about the Solstice. We're not alone in this. Other retailers we know are puzzling over their data and having to carefully plot their ways forward. To get out of this pit, we need to come up with about $10,000 in the remaining 5 days of this month. (And then we have to consistently make $12,500 per month in sales to stay out of it.) We deeply need to meet more people, STAT.

The Sprinkling of Good News

1. We had the loveliest Solstice/Christmas evening celebration, with a visit from the Mari Lwyd and a storytime featuring Frog and Toad--attended mostly by queer grownups who cheered for the Mari, and hung out for over an hour after storytime sharing warm cider and chatting about the stories that still resonate for them as queer adults. Some folks brought Frog and Toad accessories, and handmade wearable art, and masks! We are so hoping to host more gatherings like that. Everyone seemed to be warmed by it. I certainly was. Communal joy is powerful stuff. Thank you to everyone who helped co-create that experience for each other.

2. We did see twice as many of you as we did in October.

3. Our "conversion rate," the percentage of visitors who find things they like and buy them, remains exceptionally high at 80%. That's retail speak, but it means that 8 out of 10 folks who visit find things they like or need enough to pay money for, and choose to do so here. (For a typical brick-and-mortar store, that figure is more like 4 out of 10.)

4. Our average sale has continued to hover around $33, which compares well with other bookstores in the area whose histories we know. This means most folks leave with a new book and a used book, or three used books and a sticker, or something along those lines. For December, that average did bounce up to $41.33 because more folks were getting new books or gift items like Lil So and So book sleeves.

5. An author we love, the marvellous Kai Cheng Thom, kindly used her platform to share our concerns about the season. We're pretty sure, based on visitor comments, that Kai's support is a key the reason last weekend went as well as it did.

6. Our new neighbours should start moving into the Nolo building next week, at long last. We hope this will bring more life and activity to our block.

IN SUM: We keep meeting new people every day. They're like you--they love it here. They find us offering books and gifts and activities and queer space and community connections they treasure, and they do come back. When folks tell their friends about us, we do see the difference in our bottom line. We just need to meet more lovely people, faster.

What's to be done?

Both the bad news and the good news point us toward the same basic need: reach more people. So we are lighting the beacon on the hilltop, dear ones. What we need is a mild case of virality, and not the kind that makes you sneeze.

1. MOST URGENT: Tell your friends about us! Do it today! We keep saying this because it really does matter. Some of you have, but not that many, as far as we can tell. We've already seen it work here on a small scale. If even ten percent of our Instagram followers connect us with five new local people each, the math starts looking pretty sexy. Thought experiment: 250 of our followers are local, and each convince five locals to visit. That's 1250 people. If 60% of those folks make purchases similar to our current average sale, that's two months of expenses covered, right there. And so many first-timers do come back, becoming part of the network of relationships we must build if this place is to thrive. We might be hard-pressed to keep up at first, but we would certainly try. More connections mean a stronger store, with a richer selection, more events, and more community involvement. Click here to check out our special offer for your friends.

2. If you don't need a book right now, would you like a tee or a tote? Now in stock, our rainbow crow logo gear is a great way to support and celebrate this place, and spread awareness of us in the community.

3. Join our Patreon. It's a great way to help support what you love about this place, even when buying books isn't the right choice for you.

4. Buy a book when you can. Most of us aren't in a position to get a book every day or even every week, but remember us when you're looking for great reading.

5. And remember also that we love to see you whether you are buying a book that day or not. The Comfy Chairs™ are always here for you.

IN SUM: Tell your friends. This place must grow or die, and we are close to the edge. Five days, friends. Five days that will make or break us.

Here's hoping that we come into the new year with a joyful pack of new friends (and see a bunch of old friends as well!). We look forward to connecting you with more wonderful books, and the writers and artists who nourish your souls. Let's all get there together.

Nena
for Cross & Crows and all its people