This economy is a real b*tch, but my brother and I have made fifteen years of good financial decisions and we are happy to report that Helser Brothers inc. is strong like bull!!!! I asked mark how he felt about the current economic environment and he said “Do you remember that scene in Forest Gump?……….” Brother, I am right there with you…..Bring it on!
You Call This A Storm!?!?
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Lesson Learned – Humble Pie Served.
I just went to visit Willard (not really his name) at McFabulous Draperies (not really his company name) who is one of our top clients and not a happy camper. A couple of months ago I made the very boneheaded decision to ignore his answering machine message thinking that he would call someone else at the office who would handle his question. It turns out that he really did want to talk specifically to me, and was truly offended that I did not return his call.
I visited said offendee today, with hat (and scones) in hand, to deliver my honest, sincere, and excuse-free apology. It was graciously received, but time will only tell if the bridge has been burned beyond repair.
This experience was a powerful and valuable reminder that every company we deal with is run by people who don’t just want respect, they need it and demand it. I was reminded that every professional relationship has a personal element that can be subtle and easily overlooked. Relationships of all flavors are delicate and perishable and we would all be very wise to treat them as such.
Over 40 and still learning,
Jay
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Twisted Sisters
Grandmas Old Silverware
There are obvious concentrations of creative minds in artistic communities and hot-spots, but when I find them in my own bustling city it is oddly rewarding. Years ago, a designer walked in to our showroom wearing one of the most unique necklaces I had seen. She told me about a little shop down the street called Twisted Sisters, and it has become my go-to gift shop ever since. I really love their ability to masterfully repurpose the most unlikely materials.
Check them out www.twistedsistersdesigns.net
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Vegas Babies!
You know you want one.
We are pumped up for the IWCE in Las Vegas! We can’t wait to see old friends, meet new ones, and show off our smokin’ hardware! You are invited to participate in some or all of the fun happenings in our booth, and you may even walk away with something cool.
The pre-show briefing:
- request a voucher here and redeem it for a “Helser’s Angels” tee-shirt at our booth (#205)
- Let us brand (tattoo) you so can proudly support your favorite drapery hardware company (us) at the IWCE.
- Pose for official “Helser’s Angels” portrait on our Harley “Fat Boy.”
- Look straight into our video camera, boldly share your feedback and suggestions, and get a bottle of our delicious “Kick-Ass Customer Service” hot-sauce for the trouble.
- All booth visitors will be entered to win one of two awesome Kodak Zi8 High Definition Camcorders (winners announced on Facebook after the show)
See you there!
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Heather Makes the News!
Using Pedal Power to Save Money: MyFoxPHOENIX.com
Our own Heather Quinn demonstrates her natural camera charisma on Fox news. Good Job “H-factor!”
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Free Evita Catalog And Pricing Available Like Yesterday
Disclaimer: We do feel strongly that romance should be enjoyed in MOST rooms, but encourage you all to show some restraint in those rooms where it may not be considered socially appropriate 
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The Allure Of Tableaux
Everyone knows that Tableaux is a very high impact addition to any space, but did you know that it can actually improve your life? Until the installation of his Tableaux, this man (We’ll call him Joshua) was socially-challenged and, sadly, very unsuccessful with the ladies. His dates would always end with an awkward peck on the cheek and a marginally believable promise to call. He practiced in the mirror for hours and hours, but no matter how polished and smooth his lines were, he just could not entice his dates beyond the threshold of his front door. Lately however, when Joshua is dropped off after an evening on the town (he does not have a driver’s license) his lady-friends have been noticing his beautiful Tableaux. They are typically a little shocked by his good taste at first, but then start asking questions. It did not take Joshua long to discover that a polite invitation to “have a closer look,” a nice box of wine, and a dash of Barry White were the only ingredients needed to bake himself up a delicious love-cake. Joshua said “I am no longer a lonely man thanks to Tableaux and Helser Brothers.” You are welcome Joshua, godspeed my friend……
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Drapery People Bean-Warmers
Taken from a drapery workroom window in Boston area. Brrrrr!
Our crack team in the Helser Brothers Creative Department has done it again! They wanted to do something fun to break up the winter grind. They wanted to let our clients in the frozen parts of the country know that we love them and have not forgotten about them. They wanted…..well…..they wanted……………..to increase online traffic by enticing folks with a shiny new toy, effectively attracting the attention of hundreds of potential clients, who, hungry for a reliable drapery hardware source, will open accounts and spend seventy million dollars on new drapery hardware. Muhwah…muhwah..muhwahahahahahaaaaa (in sinister tone that starts loud and then fades to a low growl)!
Leanne in the hyper-stylish Helser Beanie
The super simple details and instructions:
*Entrants must be Helser Brothers Account holders! (anyone can vote)
*Privately request one of our beautiful and stylish Helser Brothers Beanies via heather@helserbrothers.com
*BOOM! we will send it to you. (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!)
*Take a photo of the beanie in use.
*Post the photo on the Helser Brothers Facebook page “wall.”
*The top three (3) participants with the most “likes” will win an HD Flip Mino camcorder!
*Voting (liking) ends on April Fools day (4/1/11)
*
You may notice that the we asked for a photo of the beanie “in use.” Those words were, in fact, carefully chosen to avoid any restriction of creativity. You are welcome to repurpose it, Wear it, embellish it, or abuse it. Your photo can be polite, irreverent, goofy or beautiful. In other words, GO FOR IT! All we ask is that you do not harm any animals, try to keep it decent, and have fun.
Cheers!
Mark and Jay
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Custom Acanthus Brackets By Wanda Horton
Sometimes I have some pieces in my treasure trove, of which I’m not sure where they’ll eventually be placed, but I have a “feeling” they will certainly land in a lovely spot. This Belgium tapestry was one such item. It was a little small so I had the workroom add an aged velvet with cording. I ordered custom iron rods from Helser Brothers. They do beautiful work and made the 
brackets so that I could reverse the acanthus leaves, from top to bottom. The tabs and rods allowed for the tapestry to be stretched out in order to prevent wrinkling in between. Read the entire post by Wanda Horton….
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SERIOUSLY!? Customer Service
As a rule, whenever a company makes me say “SERIOUSLY!?” during the course of an issue reconciliation, I instantly become their biggest fan. I recently called Yakima, the manufacturer of my bike rack, to report a crack in it. After a few questions and some emailed images, they said that since my rack was discontinued they would be sending me the more current, way better and more expensive version. I said “SERIOUSLY?!” and they said “seriously.” I expected to have to defend myself against implications of misuse……and never had to. I was expecting to have to pay to ship the product back for assessment……and I didn’t have to. They even apologized for the trouble! It has been three days since the email, and FedEx already delivered my new rack. I don’t know exactly how much it cost Yakima to provide this white-hot service, but I intend to reward them for it with my personal and passionate recommendation at every opportunity.
If you find a company who treats you right, I hope that you all will shout its praises from the rooftops. They deserve it.
Posted in Lost & Found 3 Comments
Art Deco Seahorse Drapery Brackets
Our metal artists are always excited when an out of the ordinary project comes their way. Recently we were all blown away by the creativity of one of our California clients. Needing something special for a theater room in an Art Deco home, she created a custom bracket using our Andromeda Swag Holder as a base. She added an adjustable bracket component and 
finished the look with a playful seahorse. She repeated the theme with tab posts. We can’t wait to see pictures of the final project!
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Vanilla Ice Loves Tableaux
Did I ever tell you about the time that I went to a baseball game with my brother-in-law? He also invited a friend of his who is a catholic priest. At first thought, I had absolutely no problem with it at all. I just did the math quickly in my head and concluded that while I can still enjoy the customary baseball game beer, I may need to temper the customary baseball game language a bit. Then I thought about all the subject matter and jokes which were inappropriate all of the sudden, and felt a little sad. “Holy cow! We are going to sit through an entire baseball game in silence!” I thought, and “Sure wish I would have paid more attention in sunday school.” Oh well, I was sure that it was going to be a bit awkward, but free baseball is a beautiful thing, and worthy of some sacrifice, so I pressed on. The first eight innings went very well. There was lots of fantastic conversation, and we were enjoying a classic ballpark experience.
At the time, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a closing pitcher named Matt Mantei. The manager motioned to the bullpen for him to come out and take the ball. As Mantei was warming up they started blasting the song “Ice Ice Baby” by the rapper “Vanilla Ice.” The priest started busting a subtle groove motion in the seat next to me. I did not think much of it at first, but it was when the rapping started that I felt like a victim of a heinous social experiment……..the priest rapped right along with Vanilla, verbatim, karaoke-style, without missing a solitary beat. I cannot even begin to express the acute awkwardness of the moment. After the initial shock subsided I realized that this poor guy was a victim of my own weak minded stereotype, and was just another normal baseball fan! I have been very careful to avoid stereotypes ever since, and have a rapping priest to thank for it……go figure.
This story clearly has nothing to do with Tableaux, and I probably should have used this precious time to tell you all about how wonderful the product is, because it is, but this is all that came to mind when I watched the video so I had to share it.
By the way; we have just printed a new Tableaux catalog and will happily send it to you for the highly attractive price of zippo.
Posted in Just For Fun, Tableaux 5 Comments
