Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Wine Wings win inclusion in the Green Bride Guide's Green Vendor Directory

I'm pleased to announce that Wine on Deck has been included in the Green Bride Guide's Green Wedding Directory of pro-planet vendors. 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Visit our founder's woodworking site

Yes, by "our founder" I mean me, Isaac D. Van Wesep.  I founded Wine on Deck, Inc. in June 2010, just four months after I bought my first woodworking tool (a Bosch router) and plunged into the world of furniture making.  Wine on Deck's Wine Wings are a big part of what I do every day.  But when I'm not making Wine Wings (or marketing them), I'm learning about furniture making as fast as I can.

That means reading a lot of books - about finishing, joinery, designing all types of furniture, the cellular structure of different wood species, tool sharpening...and the list goes on.  More importantly, I make furniture, both for my family and for clients.  To date, I've made three bookshelves (my earliest pieces), two small tables (also early work), a few aquarium stands (using traditional frame-and-panel cabinet construction), two pairs of loudspeakers (in process as I write), and - currently - a chest of drawers

Friday, December 17, 2010

Our first eBay sale!


Wine on Deck is growing every day, thanks to our friends and family.  And we're gradually seeing online purchases coming from people we don't know!

Yesterday, I added an eBay listing to our range of shopping channels.  Today, we got our first sale!  Of course, since the sale was on eBay, 10% of the sale price of our customer's purchase went to support the EcoLogic Development Fund, based in Cambridge, MA.

We're Donating 10% of All Ebay sales to the EcoLogic Deveopment Fund

Wine on Deck's Wine Wings are now for sale on Ebay - and as part of our mission to nurture our neighborhood & planet, we're donating 10% of our Ebay sales to the EcoLogic Development Fund, a Cambridge, MA-based charity organization.  From their website: "EcoLogic works with communities to foster sustainable livelihoods and protect biodiversity.  We aim to conserve unique landscapes in Central America and Mexico by putting poor, rural communities in charge of managing local natural resources."

EcoLogic's mission reflects an important value we hold at Wine on Deck, Inc.: promoting the local management of local resources, and compelling resource managers to adopt sustainable practices by voting with our dollars.  Normally, our vote is with dollars used to purchase raw materials.  This time, the dollars are coming from sales of Wine Wings.

Every time you go on Ebay and buy a Wine Wing (or two!), you'll get free shipping, and 10% of the total sale price of your purchase will be donated directly to the EcoLogic Development Fund, through Ebay. 

To buy Wine Wings on Ebay, visit our online store here.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Taste Spot - A fun online food & cooking resource

I recently came across The Taste Spot on Twitter.  I visited the site and watched some fun cooking videos.  the host was fun to watch, and there are a LOT of good recipe ideas in the archives.  Like to watch food cooking?  Visit The Taste Spot!

Wine on Deck is now on Ebay!

Wine Wings are now on ebay - with FREE SHIPPING via FedEx Home Delvery. If you prefer Ebay to Google Checkout, then please check this link: http://bit.ly/fH2Rc7

There, you'll find Wine on Deck's Ebay sale listing. We're offering our two most popular styles, plus a "random" option that lets us pick a Wine Wing for you from our inventory of pieces that are too expensive to make for regular sale.

Please support your friend in green business! Thanks!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Please join our mailing list!

Wine on Deck's mailing list is ready to go.  By joining our list (through Google), you'll get email updates approximately once per week or less.  The updates will include exclusive specials on Wine Wings and merchandise from our retail partners & blogs, information about Wine on Deck's environmental efforts, new product announcements, and green business news. 

Please join our list and support Wine on Deck!  By doing so, you'll receive a coupon code for 50% off any one order of Wine Wings through our website.  You can use the coupon to buy one, or one hundred Wine Wings.  Sign up now, and you can shop for all the wine lovers on your xmas list in one shot, and get 50% off your order. 

Join the mailing list here:

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Wine on Deck applies for "1% for the Planet" membership

I've been doing a lot of market research recently, and I have decided that Wine on Deck should take more action towards supporting the general effort to create a sustainable economy.  While I don't believe in seeking "green" certifications, I do believe in participating in the green movement.  To that end, I have submitted Wine on Deck's application to join 1% for the Planet, a group that manages and audits companies' donation of 1% of their revenues to supporting green businesses and markets. 

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Green Certifications & Metrics: What are they, and how should consumers interpret them?

If you pay any attention to green business, you've probably heard of LEED, a green building standard and certification, created by the U.S. Green Building Council.  LEED specifies building materials, designs, and benchmarks for buildings, and also certifies professionals in the building industry (architects, contractors, etc...).

I found a good green wedding blog! Green brides, read this...

Apparently, lots of people read wedding blogs.  I found this out when Maja (Wine on Deck "Director of Marketing") suggested we look into selling Wine Wings as custom-engraved wedding favors or decorations.  I picked up a copy of Boston Magazine's twice-yearly wedding guide, and inside was a piece about two local Bloggers. 

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Link Love from the Weekly Dig

Boston's Weekly Dig magazine has long been my preferred local free weekly (the other option being the Boston Phoenix).  It tracks the pulse of Boston's young rock crowd - while the Phoenix is a one-size-fits-all affair and Stuff goes for the highbrow, Shanghai/New York transplant set.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

100% black walnut only $15!! Holiday special on Wine Wings


Want to cut to the chase? your $15 Wine Wing is right here.

Wine Wings for all! Many have asked if we plan on offering a Wine Wing for wine lovers on a budget. Well, yes, in fact we do. Here's how it happened:

In late summer, I selected some gorgeously figured American Black Walnut from my favorite lumber yard. it was a deep, rich brown, and un-steamed as most walnut around these parts is.   It looked so good, I decided to make some Wine Wings entirely of this gorgeous chocolate colored wood.

Then, for some reason, we turned our focus on pinstriped, laminated Wine Wings, and the 100% Walnut wings got lost in the shuffle.

But they're still here, and so I'm offering our 100% American Black Walnut Wine Wings for a mere $15 each (you gotta pay the postage, though). Same brain-tickling Wine Wing design, but with a unique, rich color like no other!
 

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Display Technologies.

Is there any way to convince a retailer to add a SKU between Black Friday and New Year's Eve?


As luck would have it, Wine on Deck is transitioning from a product development phase to a sales phase, right around Black Friday.  Few retailers are in the position to add another SKU to their inventory between now and New Year's day, so why are Maja and I pounding the pavement?

rough-cut prototype stand. but you haven't seen the magic yet!
Because I think I've got an offer no wine retailer could refuse: mention in a PR piece which I expect to be published in a popular local paper before the holiday, exclusive territory, and the coup de grĂ¢ce: a hand-made shelf stand to demonstrate the attention-grabbing awesomeness of the Wine Wing.

Art & Wine on Cape Cod


The Wine List, located in Hyannis, Cape Cod, is known for it's high level of customer service.  They've "received numerous awards – including being named one of “New England’s Best Wine Shops” by WHDH-TV Channel 7, Boston, and "New Business of the Year" by the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2008, they also received recognition from SCORE and the Hyannis Chamber with the "Build a Better Mousetrap" award."

And even better, they're playing host to a gallery opening party tomorrow - December 3, 2010, showing the photography of Wine on Deck sales rep James Joiner!  Way to go James!

Please visit the Wine List's website for more info.

Welcome to the Wine on Deck Blog. This is where company founder Isaac D. Van Wesep posts editorials, news, and special announcements.

We also occasionally run promotions through the blog, as a special consideration to our avid readers.

I hope you enjoy your time here, and don't forget to visit our other locations (below), and our website.