AngelaJossy's Blog
Dec. 13, 2012 at 6:41pm
A full bus is a happy bus!
Shopping Tour on Saturday afternoon
I'm not going to lie to you, its been like pulling teeth to get people to participate in the three shopping tours we organized this month. The ones who came to the first two could not be shut up about how much fun they had (OK, we don't actually try to shut people up when they say that, we usually give them a microphone and ask them to facebook about it too). We had a decent size group last Saturday (about 15 people) and we laughed alot and took silly pictures together. It was awesome. Fact is, these ART BUS tours really are a hoot. It never fails to be a good time and I've been on a lot of them now. I'm never bored and I meet the most amazing people! But we have room for 40 people and a full bus is a happy bus! Let's fill it!
This project (Shift Your Shopping Tours) was a collaboration between my company Tacoma ART BUS and GoLocal Tacoma. Getting it all together has been a lot of hustle and coordination but I think its worth it in the end. Even if all you saw was the facebook posts with the shop names and photos of their stores, that's helping to build their brands and to get people more familiar with Tacoma's great local shops. And maybe its fair that this year we struggle a little so that next year it can become an annual tradition for people. That's how it works sometimes.
Saturday is the last of the three Shift Your Shopping Tours. And I think it might be the very best one. We are heading to see my neighbors to the north: Stadium District, Old Town and Proctor. More specifically, we are going to Rankos' Stadium Pharmacy, Throwing Mud Gallery, Bluebird Boutique, Meg's & Mo, Pacific Northwest Shop, Amore Artisan Boutique,
Envy and The Design Cottage. If you can't find something you like on this tour, you might need to seek counseling. I'm so sure that people will enjoy the trip, I'm offering a satisfaction guarantee. I will seriously refund the ticket of anyone who says they did not enjoy it.
And by the way, the tickets are not expensive. Just $10! (Or $20 if you want one of our legendary VIP swag bags). Today I heard about another shopping tour that costs $100 a person and they seem to have a good size group every year. This one is 90% less expensive. And we are giving away over $1000 in raffle prizes (actually closer to $1500 now). Seems like we should have to beat you people back with a stick but its Thursday now and I still have plenty of seats for Saturday's tour.
I know, its the holidays and people have parties to go to. And it gets dark early so some people think 4 - 7:30 pm is staying out late. LOL. But we'll get you back before 8 pm for sure and if you're tired you can go home and if you're not, you can go to the party afterwards. You might even find something better to wear and be able to grab a bottle of wine for the host to boot.
Come on, don't you wanna go shopping with me?
You can buy your ticket online now, or show up curbside between Union Station and Tacoma Art Museum between 3:30 and 3:55 pm Saturday. We start boarding the bus at 3:45 and depart at 4:00 pm.
GET TICKETS ONLINE HERE:
http://
Jul. 27, 2012 at 4:13pm
Just 1 week to go until Proctor Arts Fest
Just 7 more days until Proctor Arts Fest! I just thought I'd give you a heads up so you can add this to your calendars!
16th Annual Proctor Arts
Fest (August 3-5th 2012) www.proctorartsfest.com
Proctor Arts Fest is community-based street fair on 26th
& Proctor Streets in Tacoma WA organized by the Proctor Business District
Association. This event attracts approximately
10,000 people and 140 art vendors every year. This year’s sponsors include Safeway,
Proctor Chiropractic Center, Artco, KeyBank, Mason United Methodist Church,
Chalet Bowl, The News Tribune, Rainier Connect , Tacoma Public Library, Umpqua
Bank, Willow Salon & Spa, Columbia Bank, Metropolitan Market and Click!
Cable TV.
Event
attractions:
Friday August 3
- PROCTOR MERCHANTS SIDEWALK SALE 10-6 PM on sidewalks in front of shops on 26th & on Proctor
Saturday August 4 (Festival Day)
- JURIED ART SHOW – 10AM-5:30 PM Mason Church on 27th & Madison
- ARTS & CRAFTS VENDORS – 10AM-5:30 PM in the streets on 26th St. from Washington St. to Madison St and on Proctor St from 25th St to 28th St.
- PROCTOR MERCHANTS SIDEWALK SALE – 10-6 PM on sidewalks in front of shops on 26th & on Proctor
- THE BITE OF PROCTOR - 11AM-5PM at locations throughout the district - see events map & Bite of Proctor page on our website
- QUILT DISPLAY by the Comforters Quilt Guild – 10AM to 5:30PM at the Masonic Lodge on the Lower Level
- METROPOLITAN MARKET MAIN STAGE Entertainment – 10AM-5:30 PM at N. 26th & Proctor
- CLICK! FAMILY STAGE – 10AM-5:30 PM at 28th and Proctor
- BLUE MOUSE STAGE – Free Movie at 1pm
- FARMERS' MARKET STAGE – 9AM to 4 PM Farmers' Market in street on 27th between Proctor & Madison
- FARMERS' MARKET – 9AM to 4PM on 27th St. between Proctor and Madison
- DEMONSTRATION AREA – 10-5:30 PM in the street at N. 26th & Adams
- KIDS FEST – 10AM-5:30PM N. 28TH & Proctor
- TOP DOG FASHION SHOW & PARADE – 12 noon at the Click! Family Stage on N. 28th & Proctor
Sunday August 5
JURIED ART SHOW 10:30-2 PM Mason Methodist Church, 27th & Madison
Live Performances on Stage
Metropolitan Market Main Stage
10 am Hook Me Up (Jazz)
Noon Demonstration by Steve Curran Karate & Fitness
1 pm Sherri Woolworth
2 pm Reilly and Maloney
4 pm The Shy Boys
Click! Family Stage
10 am One World Taiko (drum ensemble)
11 am Mario Lorenz
Noon Dog Parade and Fashion Show
1 pm Bakra Bata Steel Drum Band
2 pm PK Dwyer
3 pm The Bears Upstairs
4 pm The Zambini Brothers Puppeteers
Farmers Market Stage
9 to 11 am Tom Brooks & A Ukulele Revival
Noon to 2 pm Morse Pacific
2 to 4 pm Spare Thyme
Blue Mouse Theater
1pm Free Family Movie
For more
information contact Eugene Kester – Email: ekester5@gmail.com
Phone: 253-759-4012
Jan. 27, 2012 at 6:46pm
Duchess of Downtown - This week in 2 parts
Snow fun, spa time, good food and more
Since we took the week off last week and this week was so busy and packed full of adventures I had a lot of great content to share in my blog today. Because there was so much, I decided to split it into two parts.
Please enjoy them both and feel free to comment to let me know what you thought.
PART 1:
http://duchessofdowntown.blogspot.com/2012/01/shopping-zone-nobody-ever-told-you.html
PART 2:
http://duchessofdowntown.blogspot.com/2012/01/bonus-blog-snow-pics-food-shopping.html
Thanks!
~Angela Jossy
As of Sunday Jan 28 these are the stats for this week. I'm excited about this because not only do I want to help Tacoma appreciate Tacoma, I'd also like the rest of the world to appreciate it too! :) Please help me with this goal by sharing this blog with your friends and family.
Jan. 17, 2012 at 9:20pm
Best Snow Sculptor in the Universe of Tacoma
If we're going to have a giant snowstorm, let's have some fun with this! Tomorrow if we get 10 inches or more of snow like we're supposed to I'm
issuing a challenge. You have until 5 pm to build a snowman (or snow
sculpture) between 7th and 11th Streets on Broadway. At 5 pm me (and any
other judges I decide to recruit) will
walk the length of the street taking photos of all the snowmen and
taking feedback from my facebook friends to help us make our decision.
Sculptors must be present or leave some sign with their name and contact
info in order to win. The winner will be announced on my facebook
page at 6 pm. They will receive a gift certificate to a local restaurant
and the title: Best Snow Sculptor in the Universe of Tacoma. OK people! The
gauntlet has been thrown!!
I am prepared to be impressed. :)
PS. please use common sense with placement of your sculpture like don't block anyone's doorway or put it where a snow plow is going to come along and creme it. 
Jan. 13, 2012 at 2:38pm
Duchess of Downtown 1st post of 2012
Visit 10 local businesses in 1 blog!
Wow, today is day the 13th and this is my
first blog of 2012. Did you know this is a leap year? I'm planning to
leap into all sorts of new adventures and I hope you click the "Join
this site" button on the blog page (see link below) so that I can take
you with me every step of the way.
This week I visited 10 very cool local businesses in downtown
Tacoma: Broadway's Best Antiques, India Mahal Restaurant, Poledello
Studio, Clara Spa, Box Top Vintage, Blitz & Co Florist, Signature
Woodworks, The Computer Hub, Vinum Coffee & Wine Bar and The Villa Caffe &
Imbibery.
If you don't know this already, the reason I do this blog is because I
feel that supporting our local independent businesses is the best thing I
can do to help our local economy (because 75% of what you spend at a
local business stays and circulates in our community and local
businesses are responsible for creating more jobs than large
corporations), to help our environment (the less shipping long distance
we do, the less car and truck pollution we will have), to help our
government (not giving money to corporations sends a message that we'd
rather not have our government influenced by banks and corporations) and
to help build community (because small business owners are an important
part of any community and since I know most of them I can tell you that
they are very good people who give a lot to non-profits and community
events).
OK, let's go shopping, and if you visit these places, please tell them The Duchess of Downtown sent you.
Jan. 5, 2012 at 3:13pm
Local artist Juliette Ricci chosen to be included in TAM's Biennial Show
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (kill date May 20th 2012 )
Contact: Juliette Ricci
Studios
Contact Person: Juliette Ricci
Telephone Number: 253-495-7994
Email Address: juliettericci@gmail.com
Web site address: http://www.juliettericci.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Tacoma Artist included in Tacoma Art Museum’s 10th Northwest Biennial show
Tacoma, WA, January 21 – One of Tacoma’s most beloved artists, Juliette Ricci, has received the prestigious honor of being included in Tacoma Art Museum’s 10th Northwest Biennial Show.
Ricci’s work is a blend of
photography, fine art painting and original prose. Like letters torn from a
diary, her work consists of a black and white photograph center, surrounded by
a colorful painting with her thoughts written across and throughout the piece.
The pieces are emotionally moving, some positive messages, some sorrowful.
Ricci is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Some of Ricci’s influences include Andy
Warhol, Cindy Sherman, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. She grew up in Everett,
Washington and has lived and worked in Chicago, Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. She currently resides with her husband and cats
in Tacoma, Wa. Ricci has an art studio downtown Tacoma which people can
visit by appointment and she is available for commission work and customized
pieces.
The show runs Jan. 21st -May 20th 2012.
The Members’ Opening Celebration and Artist Party for TAM’s 10th Northwest
Biennial Show is Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at Tacoma Art
Museum (1701
Pacific Avenue Tacoma,
WA 98402). Admission $10 or free for museum members. For
more information about the event and the exhibit, please visit the Tacoma Art
Museum website: http://www.tacomaartmuseum.
# # #
Dec. 25, 2011 at 8:06am
My economic stimulous plan
Attention Tacoma businesses
After the success of the Duchess of Downtown Blog (1,678 in 12 days) I realized that there is a real need for this kind of marketing and I'd love to be the one to provide it.
I've come up with the following plan and I wanted to run it by you and
see if this is something you might be interested in. Here's my offer.
Please keep in mind that I am willing to negotiate and in some cases
barter.
Social media marketing plan
I'm offering three options:
$100 per week
- 5
social media posts (1 every week day on your page and mine) (NOTE: I personally have a network of over 3000 in the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area)
- 1 site visit per week to take photos and gather data
- 2 hours per week of social media marketing with the goal of growing your network
- Inclusion in ART BUS VIP affiliate program
- 1 hour of website updating (simple text updates only, anything more cost extra)
$50 per week
1. 5 social media posts (1 every week day on your page and mine)
2. 1 site visit per week to take photos and gather data
3. 1 hour of social media marketing with the goal of growing your network
$25 per week
- 1 social media update once a week on your page and mine
- 1 site visit per week to gather data and take photos
You must agree to a 6 month commitment (26 weeks) at which point we
will review the measurable results (you can survey your customers at the
checkstand and ask them how they heard about you, you can track sales increases
(especially on featured items) and we will be able to easily see the increase in the number of people in your
network).
Additional services available as add ons:
1. Become a stop on the ART BUS route (some restrictions apply) $35 or $65
2. Poster or flier design $100
3. Menu redesign $200
4. Inside track on festival participation (board
positions, sponsorship opportunities, booth spaces, volunteer rewards
programs, etc) $25
5. Entertainment/event planning (must have consultation to determine price and scope) Consultation $25
6. Website design and/or update (must have consultation to determine price and scope) Consultation $25
7. Youtube marketing video $100 (for simple 3 minutes or less)
8. Direct a full scale professional commercial (must have consultation to determine price and scope) Consultation $25
9. Logo design $100-$500
10. Write and send press release to regional media outlets $100
11. Non-profit fundraising (must have consultation to determine price and scope) Consultation $25
12. Grant research and writing (must have consultation to determine goals and gather information) Consultation $25
13. Design gift certificates $50
14. Duchess of Downtown blog sponsorship (with web ad on the bottom of one post) $25
15. Design invitations or customized thank you cards $25-$100
16. Outside the box marketing ideas $25 consult
(These prices are on average and can vary depending on your requirements)
Please let me know if you think you might be interested in working with me. I have a goal to have 15-30 clients on this new program starting Jan. 1st and running through June 30th.
If you know of anyone in the downtown Tacoma, 6th Ave, Dome District, Hilltop, Old Town or Proctor area who might benefit from this please feel free to forward this message to them.
Thanks,
~Angela Jossy
EMAIL: angela.jossy@gmail.com
PH#253.235.9264
PS. Merry Christmas! :)
Dec. 19, 2011 at 9:00am
Duchess of Downtown Day 6
12 Days of Christmas Shopping
Hide your kids, hide your wife! Day 6 of Duchess of Downtown has arrived!!
http://duchessofdowntown.blogspot.com/2011/12/day-6.html
Dec. 17, 2011 at 3:55pm
Duchess of Downtown Day 5
12 Days of Christmas Shopping
Duchess
of Downtown continues her 12 Days of Christmas Shopping Series. Please enjoy this 12 day virtual tour
of shopping downtown Tacoma and share it with your friends!
Dec. 15, 2011 at 2:42pm
Duchess of Downtown Day 3
http://duchessofdowntown.blogspot.com/2011/12/day-3.html
PS. Its not Kevin's fault the blog didn't jump in the feed automatically. I forgot to tag it 'Tacoma!"