When the corn harvest of 1621 proved nutritious enough to feed the 60-pilgrims in his charge, the governor of the Plymouth Bay colony William Bradford, ordered a celebration worthy of the hope the harvest brought.
Starvation having already taken the lives of 440 of the 500 pilgrims Bradford governed.
THE feast of venison, water fowl, corn, nuts and shellfish was so notorious in its bounty that 401-years later we still mark the day with a similar indulgence.
Though if the Plymouth Bay colony had a steakhouse, that tradition might be different!
When Bronx-born musician Billy Joel introduced himself to the audience at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, he referred to himself as “the Garden’s house band.” The joke a reference to Joel’s record 131 sold out performances at the world’s most famous arena.
Joel and his music remain as synonymous with New York as the Statue of Liberty and bagels. Of the 26-songs THE Piano Man performed Wednesday night, eight of them contained specific references to the New York of Joel’s imagination and experience.
To a native ear, Joel’s Zanzibar and Scene’s from an Italian Restaurant contain subtle clues to the singer’s New York bona fides. Zanzibar’s lyric, “Melodrama’s so much fun” is a reference to the 1978 New York Yankees. A team renowned for its multitude of divas.
While Billy's iconic "Scene's" was mused at Fontana di Trevi Italian restaurant on West 57th.
In New York State of Mind, Joel pays his most overt homage to the city of his history, and the diversity of the city's neighborhoods. Whether "Chinatown, or up on Riverside."
I’ll Stop Here
THE enduring lesson of my time as a corporate employee is that after Thanksgiving, it was time to stop working. Which is (mostly) my plan for the remainder of the year.
As a dealer I'd spend the year’s final weeks executing an inventory plan designed to ensure my most accurate accounting; the end-of-year my last chance to ensure the veracity of Tremont Paint's profit and loss statement.
THE end-of-year inventory was on the mind of a dealer who reached out last week. This dealer sharing a store manager's task list before the counting could begin.
For dealers beginning to plan their year-end inventories, counting is the final step in a process of closing a fiscal year. Open orders in the point-of-sale system, improperly received orders, and incorrect costs can all make financial statements less reliable and should be addressed before counting begins.
THE Podcast!
On my podcast this week I’m joined by Grant Farnsworth of the market research group which bears his name and specializes in the home improvement channel.
THE Farnsworth Group recently announced that they have partnered with the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) to create the Independent Retailer Index. The first commitment to gather and freely report the sales and inventory data from the independent home improvement channel, ever!
THE index provides valuable insights into customer count, order size and inventory investment data which can help dealers gain a better understanding of consumer behaviors, and the market trends which should inform their strategic thinking.
The Other #Dan
In September of 2020 the North American Hardware and Paint Association or NHPA, merged with the PDRA. The former Paint and Decorating Retailers Association.
Months after the merger was announced I had NHPA executive vice-president Dan Tratensek on my podcast. During that episode, the #OtherDan promised a more engaged representation from the NHPA than paint dealers had come to expect from their trade organization.
The NHPA’s funding of the Farnsworth Independent Retailer Index show #SecondDan to be a man of his word.
