Today was a tidy up day in Bondi. We served our last CustOMER. Her name was Dee. She had a nice English accent and she bought a REMO Canvas Sun Hat. After closing we went down the road to toast the end of the REMO retail chapter. Melanie was there (of course). Tina hogged the camera. Rhonda, who hates the camera, always looks best in front of it. And Annette is always there … a constant companion on our remarkable journey.

Welcome to our final weekend of trading. We’re open today in Bondi from 10 until 5 … and tomorrow from 11 (if there’s anything left to sell). The lovely Tina will be there today to sell you some REMO General Store souvenirs. ¶ Also, the 1 metre tall perspex plinths that house our things are for sale today … at only $25 each. Maybe you’ve got a use for them. They make for great shelving at home or at work. ¶ Finally, they used an archival photograph for this piece from the back page of Thursday’s Sydney Morning Herald. That’s why I’m looking oddly happy. As an aside, thanks to all of the CustOMERs who left us touching well wishes HERE.

Good Morning. It’s Anzac Day today … and a public holiday here in Australia. It also happens to be my birthday. I’ve had better. For you see, today I have to inform you that the REMO General Store is closing at the end of this month, both the shopfront in Bondi and the online service. We cease trading at 6PM on Sunday 29 April … just 5 short days from now.

Q: Why is this happening?
A: Not enough sales. Not enough capital.

The retail climate, even for online focused businesses such as ours, has been especially tough. We’ve tried continually to innovate our way through. Sadly, it was not to be; and this has left us in the position where we can’t move forward.

Be sad … but not too sad. We’ve been around for 24 years, online for 18. It’s a been great retail journey and, adapting a phrase that I heard repeatedly at a TEDx licensee summit last week, a “superlatively brilliant failure”.

Anyway, back to the SALE:

We still have some merchandise left at the store … but we’re clearing ALL OF IT at 50% OFF. It’s your last chance to order a piece of REMO General Store history. We’ll be taking online orders from now until 6pm on Sunday … and the physical store will be open from 10am until 5pm for 4 days from Thursday to Sunday (final Bondi order pickups on Saturday).

NB: When checking out you need to enter the code FINAL50

Start browsing HERE.

Thank you for being fabulous CustOMERs. It has been an honour to serve you all.

Cheers,

Remo

Our 30% OFF EVERYTHING SALE continues this week. Hurry up before it’s too late. Add what you like to your shopping cart. Then, as you’re checking out, enter the code APRIL30 into the promotional code field. The system will take a whopping 30% of your merchandise total. Not good for us … but pretty damn fine for you. ¶ In other news, you’ll note that T Shirts are not orderable just now. Too many holes in that department for the moment … and no it’s not moths. R

Melanie and a dear girlfriend are heading north on a road trip to Byron Bay … with our 13 year old son Roman in tow. Friends have offered us their house in Byron Bay as a place to stay for a week. Thelma & Louise … plus a Bondi boardriding teen. ”How was the trip? What were Mummy and Dee talking about?” I asked Roman over the phone just now. His answer: “Leonard Cohen and childbirth.” Somehow, that didn’t surprise me; and I have a feeling that Roman will be learning A LOT about both of those subjects over the coming days. You gotta love us socially liberal baby boomers. Cheers, Remo

Good Morning and Happy Easter! Last night at a brainstorming session for TEDxSydney visuals, someone from one of the contributing creative teams at Frost Design, showed me this Make. magazine profile of Reuben Margolin, a visionary who creates totally singular techno-kinetic wave sculptures. Using everything from wood to cardboard to found and salvaged objects, Reubens artwork is diverse, with sculptures ranging from tiny to looming, motorized to hand-cranked. Focusing on natural elements like a discrete water droplet or a powerful ocean eddy, his work is elegant and hypnotic. Mesmerizing stuff. Check out Reuben’s website HERE. Cheers, Remo

Nice piece in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning promoting the Sydney event for the TED Worldwide Talent Search. The applications to audition on 27 May at Carriageworks close this Sunday. So, pulling words from the TED site, if you’re an INVENTOR (sharing an innovation with world-changing potential), a TEACHER (sharing valuable knowledge in a memorable way to teenagers or adults), a PRODIGY (young talent ready to break out), an ARTIST (who can showcase their work in a compelling, new way), a PERFORMER (of music, dance, comedy, drama … or something entirely different), a SAGE (wisdom the world needs from those who have learned it the hard way), an ENTHUSIAST (with an infectious passion about a topic they can share, a CHANGE AGENT (helping shape the world’s future with work that matters), a STORYTELLER (vivid, original, meaningful … with a talent for connection) or a SPARK (with a powerful idea worth spreading) … then get your application in to TED before Sunday. Start HERE. Cheers, Remo

I had to hold the fort for Melanie at the store the other day, and got to serve a couple of CustOMERs. That was fun. One CustOMER bought 20 Daniel Danger Vegetable Peelers for her neice living in Kenya. Apparently it’s real hard to find good ones over there. Another CustOMER put some packs together for Easter, and I helped her out by choosing: Audubon Bird Calls, Guatemalan Worry Dolls, Miracle Fish & Tapi. Made for nice looking party packs. Yes … retail is hard work, but often rewarding as well. Nice to see delighted CustOMERs. Cheers, Remo

Came across this picture of the Darlinghurst General Store. Must have been Christmas time. Possibly 1993. I can tell my the predominance of red and green. That REMO Store has been closed for 16 years; but every day I have someone telling me a story about their relationship with it. Do you have one to share here? Cheers, Remo