Here Comes Santa Clause, 2013!

Experience the magical arrival of Santa at 7pm. A traditional tree lighting follows his arrival, heralded by our own Town Crier. The Village will be decorated with thousands of twinkling lights and whimsical, animated light displays featuring a 40’ sea serpent, fiddling pig, giant dragonfly, marching ducks and more!

Complimentary hot-roasted chestnuts will be served at 4pm while supplies last, and local groups will perform holiday-themed music on the stage throughout the day. This event is free and open to the public. Train rides and pony rides are available for a nominal fee.

Christmas Extravaganza 2013!

You're Invited! Our annual Christmas Extravaganza is coming up on Saturday December 14, 2013. From 6pm-8pm, you'll shop by twinkle light, enjoy some fun and games (the scavanger hunt, and we're working on some other ideas, too!), fantastic food and drink and samples of some of the things we sell, festive music, and so much more!

So, call up your friends, grab a date, and come on over to The Weed Patch to experience our annual Christmas Extravaganza!

Halloween Preview is Out!

I don't have a lot of photos of this yet, but we definitely wanted to let you all know that our annual Halloween Preview is out for your enjoyment, and things are already selling like crazy (which is actually crazy!) If you're not a local so that you can come check this out, you can take a look at the Halloween and the Fall & Harvest categories on our website!

Ladies Night Out August 2013 at Country Village Bothell Shops!

The second Thursday of each month is Ladies Night Out, and this coming Thursday is no exception.

From 6pm - 8pm many of the Village shops stay open for your shopping pleasure. We'll have treats, giveaways and specials, and so much more!

If you haven't been, or if it has been awhile, then come on in this Thursday and see us! If you're on FB, check out the official event information . You can also visit the Country Village Bothell website for more information!

Facebook Contests: Wonderful Wednesdays!

If you don't follow us on Facebook, you're missing out!

We have changed our Facebook "Friends of the Week" promotion out, due to the number of fans we have and limitations Facebook has placed on our ability to see our full list of fans.

So, instead, we choose a product each week that we think is awesome. We post a video that asks a question, and everybody can comment to answer that question and be entered in to win the product that week!

It's very easy to play along, so head on over to our Facebook Page, Like us, and get yourself into the game!

Country Village Home Decor Mother's Day Gift Guide 2013!

As part of the Country Village Home Decor Group, we put together this gift guide of the participating shops.

We'd love to know what you think, because we're strongly considering putting together some shopping guides - seasonal guides, specific collections or themes (for example, Lori Mitchell Figurines, New Park Linens, Victorian Heart Window Treatments, etc).

Each product can link off to our website directly, to make it super easy for you to find and purchase the products you want... Let us know in the comments if this is something that would interest you!

As a home decor group located in Bothell, Washington, we cater to the surrounding areas, such as Mill Creek, Woodinville, Kirkland, Redmond, Lynnwood, and more!  If you're looking for Home Decor, you definitely need to check us out!

The New Support Ticket System

One of the new features that we're the most excited about on the new website (we're still working on the "look" to make it more user friendly) is our "Ticket Support System". One of the problems with the old site is that all email was basically monitored by one person; so when Janene got sick, or for whatever reason couldn't keep up, those emails took a while to get responses (and unfortunately - in rare occassions - even got lost in the shuffle).

The new system generates a ticket, which all of our staff will (soon) be monitoring. This means you should get much quicker responses. When you place an order, it will generate a ticket - and any time we need to communicate with you about that order, we will do it in the ticket. This way, if the email doesn't get through to you for some reason (this has been on the increase), you can still see our questions or responses and reply accordingly.  We will also be able to track all the details of the interaction - which means if Janene gets sick, the rest of us can see where she left things and step in to finish! :)

It seems so simple, and yet we're just thrilled to be able to have this tool at our fingertips! We sincerely hope that this greatly facilitates easier communication for you with us, as well!

Home Decor Month : March 2013

One of the big things that the new Home Decor Group has going is Home Decor Month - which is THIS month (March). We've set different themes for different weeks, and each shop is holding some great discounts for that week! Additionally, if you have questions about a difficult to deal with area, you can ask the Home Decor Group via our Facebook page, and get suggestions from all twelve shops!

Here's the press release about Home Decor Month!

 

This Ain’t Your Momma’s Country Village Anymore!

Country Village still has the chickens, ducks, and quirky buildings, but you’ll soon discover that we aren’t ‘Your Momma’s Country Village Anymore”! Within the Village, there are 12 Home Decor shops working together to make your house a home. Whether your style is classic or contemporary, rustic or eclectic, we have you covered. We’re also here to offer advice and suggestions for all of your decorating questions.

The Country Village Home Décor Group is excited to announce that we have claimed March as ‘Home Décor Month’. What does this mean to you? A whole month of featured items, ideas and specials! Each week will feature a different theme, including specials and design ideas. Together we have decades of experience we would love to share with you!

The first week of The Country Village Home Décor Month will be ‘Illuminating’! Within the Home Décor Group at the Village, you’ll be able to find that perfect light among our 460 lamps. You’ll also be able to add just the right touch of warmth to your home with our 21 lines of candles with more than 160 different scents so you know you’ll find the one (or five) that suits your home and your mood! We also have candle holders in every color, material and style. Come in to any of our Home Décor shops and let us help you find the perfect piece to complement your style.

During the second week of the Country Village Home Décor Month we will be helping you accent your style! The Home Décor Group has everything you need to switch things up or finish your look. From picture frames to vases to birds; new and old, our shops are full of the little things which add that special touch to any design. We have a large variety of pieces for the walls, the table, or even for the mantle. Check out our mantle designs, displayed by each of the Home Decor Shops, on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/countryvillagehomedecor.

If you’re looking for something funky, traditional or unique, but don’t know what it is, or where to find it, post a comment on our Facebook page and you’ll get the expertise of 12 different points of view to find you the perfect answer!

Following Home Accessories week, the third week will be featuring the many different Textile’s throughout the village and in some cases, the world! We have pillows, window coverings, table lines and much more!

During the last week of Home Decor Month, we will be featuring our amazing array of furniture choices and specials. Weather you are looking for a customized sofa, a funky end table or an industrial piece to make a statement in your home, we are sure you will find it at Country Village!

Be SURE you mention Home Decor Month when you come in to shop, so that you can receive the deals and discounts on your purchase!

 

 

 

Check back soon for the details on Week 3: Textiles!

The New Website is LIVE!

So.... yeah.  We weren't ACTUALLY planning on our online storefront (http://www.theweedpatchstore.com) being down for a week for an upgrade.  The PLAN was to develop the upgrade, get it perfect, and then release it overnight one night.  But you know what they say about the best laid plans, right?

So a little over a week ago we ran into a situation where we had to upgrade one of the software pieces on our server.  As it turns out, the shopping cart software that we were running at the time wasn't compatible with the new server software, so down went the website (unfortunately, I kind of expected this).

What followed was a full week (Thursday through the following Friday) of 20 hr days in front of my computer trying to get the latest version of our shopping cart software up, running, and secure.  Not only was it not how I was anticipating spending that week, but it really hurts a lot to sit in one spot that long. 

Finally, last Friday I was trying to get the buttons to look nice (one of the last things I was trying to accomplish before I "flipped the switch") - and I woke up from being fast asleep on my keyboard.  So I flipped the switch so that you wonderful people could start shopping again (it wasn't a security issue), and lo - our new site was finally live.  (As a side note, I STILL haven't had time to get back to those silly buttons).

So, while there are some issues still (like the buttons, a few content pieces, redoing all the product images to the new larger size, etC) - the site is live, shoppable, secure, and (mostly) functional!

There are a couple of new features that I'm particularly excited about.  The first is the "my account" area.  From here, not only can you manage multiple addresses - but you can view your orders (and any order notes that we may have entered) including tracking numbers; you can initiate a return if there's a problem with your order.  You can even view past orders to look things up, if you decide that's important.  Additionally, you can now log into the system using your social media login - such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, PayPal, etc - hopefully this will make your life just a little easier!

Another new feature that we're SUPER excited about is our new Support Ticket system - but more about that in its own post soon!

So, in summary:

• Larger thumbnails and product images
• Easier login system + account creation
• Streamlined "Related Products"
• New Support Ticket System
• Improved Navigation
• Improved Search
• Improved Product Galleries with detail images
• Video integration (coming soon!) for product demos and reviews
• Improved account management, order tracking, return features
• Improved On Sale functionality (coming soon!)
• Sign up for Back In Stock notifications
• Social sharing (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest) (in progress!)
• Blog integration
• Weed Patch TV integration (coming soon!)
• Improved text clarity
• And SO much more!

Take a look, give it a spin, and let us know what you think!  As I mentioned, we're still working out some of the kinks (those buttons'll be fixed soon, I promise!) - but it IS secure and safe to use, and we'd love some feedback!

~Chris

Facebook Friends of the Week is BACK! (And Welcome 2013!)

Happy New Year!  :) We hope that 2012 wrapped up for you very well, and that you're as excited about 2013 as we are!  We have tons of new awesomeness coming along this year -and among the things that we'll be doing this year is our weekly Facebook Friends of the Week!

As a refresher to how all this works, please check out The Original Facebook Friends of the Week Blog Post.

If you're NOT already a friend of us on Facebook, check us out: The Weed Patch on Facebook.

The first randomness of the year will start on Monday January 7, 2013! Keep your eyes peeled!