Blow-away May

This was the second-best May ever (ending with the best YTD week). It even managed to close half of the astonishing $1,800 gap between first and second places. Might have had a shot at the record, too, if I'd been more actively engaged in daily operations, and if Jackite hadn't run out of Dove kites during the runup to Pentecost. Let's put it this way: This month actually beat last December. That not only tells you what a great month May was, but how awful last Christmas was.

All I've been doing is filling orders and restocking kites; the store's on autopilot while I peck away at a large Blue Hills project and plant my vegetable garden. Kites are going gangbusters, and I even sold off some of the old dead stock that I'd really love to move. If it weren't for this year's 50% pay cut, it would have covered my beer-and-tobacco budget with money left over. June might pull off the same trick if Jackite doesn't run out of bald eagles and I don't tweak anything, since autopilot is working just fine. If June holds up, I'll have to rethink my store closing strategy. Paying off my debt a month or two earlier than I had foreseen would enable me to flog another Christmas, if that seems worth doing. 

The following QuickBooks numbers are getting flaky as they start to capture Blue Hills activity. From here on out, they'll represent "Kraken Enterprises" as a whole rather than "Curio City" itself. Curio still made up the lion's share in May so these numbers are pretty close to Excel's opinion that Curio was up by $1,200 this month and is up a healthy $1,400 YTD. The huge Blue Hills check that we earned in February and March was delayed again, so it will almost surely blow June's numbers out of the water. If that actually happens, I'll think about revising my traditional monthly report.

May

Total income: +40.7%
Total COGS: +32.4%
Payroll: -17.7%

Marketing: -25.8%
Net Income (Profit) vs LY: +341.3% (+$1,943)

Actual Profit/Loss: +$1,055

2017 YTD

Total income: +12.2%
Total COGS: +10.9%
Payroll: -42%

Marketing: -41.5%
Net Income (Profit) vs LY: +158% (+$3,742)

Actual Profit/Loss: +$1,374

I gotta say that Aaron was right about those fidget spinners; media coverage is still growing, and I've even seen them as the butt of some jokes. You know a product has made it big when it's recognizable enough to become a punchline. If I weren't so far in debt, and if I were actively trying to grow my store instead of ruthlessly reducing inventory, I'd plunge into them right now. There is surely a few hundred bucks to be made before they peak this Christmas, and possibly a few thousand. I might reconsider and go there after my debt is gone.