Changes on the way! :)

I've mentioned that some big changes are on the way and it's time for us to let you know about them!  Here is what is happening at twinkie tush:

First off, to address a question that so many of you have been asking - are we moving off of Hyena Cart and onto our own website?  The answer is yes and no ;)  After watching our stocking traffic increase each week to the point of not just excessive error codes but in fact crashing the entire HC site momentarily last week, we are now in the early stages of establishing our own website and cart system.  This will not mean an immediate move to our own site, and overall we really love working with HC!  It's just that our customer base has grown beyond what can be well supported in that forum and we are ready to take the next natural step in the progression of our business.  We will of course keep you updated as things develop and let you know well ahead of time when we are ready to begin stocking independently, but we have no set timeline at this point as we have just begun the process.

For now, stockings will remain at the store on Hyena Cart, every Wednesday.  Stocking times will continue to alternate weekly from 2pm to 8pm eastern.  twinkie tush wool will continue to stock once a month, on the last Wednesday of the month, and Hello Charlotte James headbands and hair clips will now stock routinely on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.  twinkie tush night-nights will begin stocking next week alongside prints.

I mentioned a price increase would be on the way.  The price structure going forward will be as follows:

- All stocked diapers and customs which utilize in stock fabrics will be $35.  This includes both turned and topstitched and serged diapers.  The only exceptions will be imported and HTF/expensive prints which will be priced in direct proportion to the cost of said fabrics.  (For example, the Euro knits that to this point have been priced at $35 will now be priced at $38.)

- SYOF customs will be $33.  (This includes group customs.)

- Night-nights will be $40.

We want to let you know why this change is necessary at this point.  The answer is two-fold and reflects an overall substantial increase in our production costs.  First of all, and this is something I am personally very excited about, we have addressed a concern that I have had about the lack of stretch in the wings of our diapers over time.  Because we use so much organic bamboo fleece (obf) in our diapers, which gives them the incredible absorbency for which twinkie tush has become well-known, over time they become less stretchy as the fleece firms up with months of heavy laundering.  So after much experimentation and testing, we have begun swapping out a layer of our standard organic bamboo fleece which is contained within the body of our diapers for a layer of stretch obf!  I feel strongly that this change will add value to what we already feel are truly high quality diapers, making for an even better fit for growing little ones!

The decision to begin using stretch fleece in our diaper recipe means a higher overall price tag on our materials, as stretch fleece is considerably more expensive than regular obf.  In almost unison with that change, we have seen our other fabric costs rise with the market - regular obf (which will still be a part of each diaper and makes up 6 layers of our 9 layer soaker system) and bamboo and cotton velours are all more expensive now than they were when last we set prices.  The rising cost of materials is the primary reason for which we must raise our own prices.

Now to cover the secondary reason we are seeing an increase in our own costs:  In direct response to the increased traffic and growing customer base, we have sought to amp up production.  I've already told you about Sara W, the amazing mama who cuts our fabric.  We are now welcoming another member to the twinkie tush family - the wonderful Jackie H!  Jackie has been working with us for about a month now and our plan is for her to gradually take over the substantial snapping portion of the diaper-making process.  This will free me to devote even more time to sewing, thereby increasing production.  Our goal is to increase production by 40% by the end of October.  If all goes well you should see that begin to happen in the next few weeks, both in stockings and in custom opportunities! :)  (Group customs will be revamped a bit starting next month and I will devote another blog post to that in the next few days.)

At this point I will still be doing all of the sewing myself, but we hope that twinkie tush will continue to grow and as it does we may make the decision to add team members as necessary to try to meet the demand! :)  It is so overwhelmingly humbling to me - what started out as me cutting, pinning, sewing, snapping, photographing, inventorying, and otherwise maintaining my little diaper company virtually on my own has evolved to include huge partnering from Mike, and now a growing team, including Sara and Jackie.  twinkie tush has already grown beyond what I had ever imagined it could, and now we look to the future with excitement!  We can't thank you enough for everything you do to help our company grow and thrive - we hope to always exceed your expectations, providing you the best of ourselves both in quality of diapers and in open, clear communication.

Thank you so much, and have a wonderful night! :)