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Don't Feed the Wolves

Don't Feed the Wolves

I've been doing yoga for the past few months. I started going late in the summer, figuring it would be a good outlet for tension and pent-up stress. And it has been! Initially, I was just doing hot vinyasa yoga--sweating it out in a 105-degree room, trying to push...

2016 is a wrap!

Dear AMBC Family, At this special time of year, on behalf of the AMBC board and staff, I want to extend our warm holiday wishes to you and yours. You, our members and our friends, are the reason we are able to do what we do. Watching you grow is what fuels our...

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

  'Twas the week before Christmas, And down at her store, Our friend was quite frenzied, Of this we're quite sure.   She's been packin' and stackin', Playing real life box Tetris, Which she tries to explain, But not many get this.   The line's getting...

A Case for Holiday Cards

A Case for Holiday Cards

I got my first Christmas card yesterday. It was from my Aunt Bonnie, and it was spectacularly special. I send cards out every year, both personally and from my business. It's quite a project! Though I must admit that I'm indeed exceptionally organized and have card...

Naughty or Nice: What will Santa Bring You This Christmas?

Naughty or Nice: What will Santa Bring You This Christmas?

He’s making a list, and checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. Everyone knows that Santa is always watching. He sees you when you’re sleeping; he knows when you’re awake. As creepy as this might seem, it’s a good reminder to forego being naughty and...

The Pertinence of Proofreading

It's the middle of November, and we're all busy finalizing our holiday ads, mailings, and marketing messages. Do you have a proofreader? Unfortunate grammar and poor communication are detrimental to a business … especially in our industry, where our target customers...

Election Day

Election Day

Running a shipping store in a very diverse college town, I see a lot of absentee ballots being mailed, and a lot of first time voters--both young adults looking toward a future full of potential, excited to have their voice heard and recognized, and also a fair share...

The Profit: Bowery Kitchen Supplies

Do you watch NBC's The Profit? I got into the show about a year ago, and I love it! In each episode, Marcus Lemonis--businessperson, investor, and philanthropist--visits a struggling business and decided whether he'd like to invest his own time and money into it to...

Let excellence be your brand – #Oprah #FahimFix Friday

Let excellence be your brand – #Oprah #FahimFix Friday

I was truly honored to be invited to speak to high school students for their annual Shadow Day program, where they go out into the workplace and shadow different careers, so that they can decide if their chosen career path is, in fact, right for them. It allows them...

Friday the 21st

Friday was "one of those days" at Uncle Marty’s. One of my biggest printing customers—one of Cornell’s largest departments—submitted a nearly 3000-page color printing request on Thursday afternoon. It was a good job, involving different sizes of paper that needed to...

Make a Little Change

I just moved my desk. It wasn't an earth shaking, ground breaking, overwhelming undertaking. In fact, the total distance traveled for my Ikea stainless steel-topped buddy was less than 10 feet. But the move has made me very, very happy. Before, my desk was facing a...

Our Industrial Evolution

Evolution [ev-uh-loo-shuh n]: a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development; any process of formation or growth. My parents opened their first store in the fall of 1991. I was...

Getting Too Comfortable

Getting Too Comfortable

Aah, comfort. Comfort can be delightful. The highlight of my day is going home, putting on my jammies, and snuggling up with a big fluffy blanket … especially now, as nights are becoming crisper and autumn moves in to upstate New York. When we're comfortable, we can...

A Sensible Store

A Sensible Store

Dear Uncle Marty, I was in your marketing class at the Retail Shipping Expo a few weeks ago in Las Vegas and was interested when you were talking about music in the store. I never really thought about that as important. I usually just play the radio or talk radio....

What Happens in Vegas … Is a Game Changer

What Happens in Vegas … Is a Game Changer

A game changer is "a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way." It was a privilege and pleasure to see so many of you at the 2016 Retail Shippers Expo in Las Vegas in August! This year, Expo was extra...

How's your blog?

How's your blog?

The topic of store blogs came up time and time again at the recent Retail Shippers Expo in Las Vegas. It's very encouraging to hear of so many stores starting and maintaining really great blogs, and reaping the benefits! Blogs are a core teaching of Fahim's in his...

Surprisingly Awesome: Cardboard

Surprisingly Awesome: Cardboard

As you've likely gathered by now, most of us on the AMBC Board of Directors are outright podcast junkies. I have my favorite podcasts, and among them is a fairly new gem from Gimlet Media, Surprisingly Awesome. This delightful show takes a seemingly mundane...

Happy New Year! (Yes, in August!)

For me, August always feels like the start of a new year. It's weird, I know. But my shop is in a college town, and August is when all of the new students arrive for the year. The town comes back to life, things are fresh, and attitudes are positively hopeful. Perhaps...