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WickeDeli will be on hiatus for the remainder of the year - we are spending the holidays in Europe with family. Lucky us!

Our first stop is Scotland where we will spend two weeks: traveling the countryside, relaxing in our cabin by the loch, visiting unique destinations and paying homage to family history (Tatiana's mum's family is from Scotland). There will be lots of drinking of tea and beer (and scotch of course).

Chris and Tatiana will then spend a week in Germany visiting relatives. Kassel is of particular interest since this is where Chris' mum was born and raised. Definite points of interest include local meat markets and bakeries (vital market research to ensure we are bringing key German elements to WickeDeli!)

If you would like to follow along with us on our travels, visit: http://scotlandgermanyholiday2008.blogspot.com/

Wir sehen uns, wenn wir wieder da!

Simple Moments Photography

So where did we get our stylish management team photos?

Stacey Pinkney (owner of Simple Moments Photography), is a talented and experienced journalistic-influenced photographer based out of Grapevine, Texas. Her and her team "...specialize in documentary style wedding and family portrait photography."

Stacey's casual approach results in capturing the simplistic but core nature of an individual or moment. She quickly assesses personality, mood and environment and uses these elements with her own unique perspective to create the perfect canvas. She is observant, engaged and leverages the natural tempo of interaction into her work.

As the heart of Simple Moments Photography, we are happy to have Stacey as part of our team and look forward to many more fun and inspiring sessions! Interested in hiring Stacey and her team for one of your Simple Moments? You can reach her at: www.simple-moments.com

Camp Bowie District member

WickeDeli is now a Camp Bowie District, Inc. member! You may be familiar with Camp Bowie District, Inc. as the organizers of the 'Camp Bowie Crawl' and the 'Jazz by the Boulevard' events.

Although we have not finalized our exact location yet, WickeDeli is committed to supporting local organizations that focus on community and Camp Bowie is an essential and historic part of Fort Worth. Their mission is simple:

To create a pedestrian friendly commercial corridor that encourages people to shop a safe and comfortable environment and have a gratifying urban experience.

In addition to providing a cohesive organization for business owners along Camp Bowie, this not-for-profit focuses on public improvement efforts such as:

"...infrastructure improvements, the implementation of beautification projects (including tree planting and landscaping), hosting special events (including the Jazz By The Boulevard festival and Camp Bowie Crawl) and serving as an advocate for all development."

We are happy to support this organization that in turn supports the local businesses along Camp Bowie by ensuring Camp Bowie remains a diverse destination.

WickeDeli's first employees

You may (or may not) know that WickeDeli already has two employees: John and Carol Brooks – they make up the other half of the WickeDeli management team. Here's a quick look at their valuable experience and the key roles they play:

John Brooks has over 25 years experience as an IBM Point of Sale project manager. His responsibilities included executive overview, systems' needs analysis and design, installation planning, implementation, training, and post-installation reviews for a variety of accounts including WalMart, May CO., Neiman Marcus, KFC, Steak and Ale, and Furr's Cafeteria. As the head of Information Systems for WickeDeli, he is responsible for leading all POS and Inventory efforts by:

• managing the POS / Inventory system from concept to inception;
• supporting, improving, and maintaining the POS system;
• continually determining business needs and reviewing system specifications to ensure efficiency;
• ensuring a high level of quality and inventory control by creating processes / standards;
• staying abreast of new products and technology; evaluating and making recommendations to owners to ensure WickeDeli remains in the forefront of the market;
• managing all user training materials and ensuring new employees are trained on system.

In his spare time he likes to write, spend time with family and do anything on the water.

Carol Brooks has over 25 years experience in IBM office systems and mid-range systems marketing. She worked with client teams to develop marketing strategies, presented cost benefit analyses to executives, and developed curriculum for senior IBM marketing professionals. Most recently she worked in IBM Corporate Community Relations implementing philanthropic programs in the nonprofit community. As the head of Marketing and Client Services for WickeDeli, she is responsible for leading social & community marketing efforts by:

• managing social enterprise and promotional strategies and campaigns;
• ensuring identity and brand awareness of, as well as loyalty to, WickeDeli;
• continually researching and understanding target audiences, social causes, business benefits, competitive edge, and customer preferences;
• ensuring the most suitable method(s) of communication and tools to measure results;
• ensuring effective campaigns by staying abreast of changing trends in the marketplace.

In her spare time she likes to garden, sew, read and spend time with family.

John and Carol’s expertise, dedication and creativity genuinely complement the needs of the company and team. We are lucky to have them!

Recipe for creating an identity

After three years (almost to the day), our original 'German Platter' concept certainly has evolved. The first year it was merely a thought - something to bring up in conversation over a late Sunday brunch and say, "Wouldn't that be cool". The second year was making sure we knew what we would be getting into by opening our own business, and then putting things in place to make sure we were able to do so. Somewhere in the middle of all this the name was created...and this last year has been pulling all the ingredients together to ensure WickeDeli can have a life of its own. And as you know (from your own teenage angst years), the first step in having your own life is figuring out who you are.

The identity of a company is pretty much the same as our own personal identities - there are complexities and simplicities. You know...layers. Like Shrek said, "Ogres are like onions...we both have layers." Some layers you want people to notice right away...and some you would rather leave a mystery - to encourage further discovery. I thought it would be harder than it was to bring out all the layers of WickeDeli - to make sure all the necessary elements were there, but with subtlety too. It wasn't really the "oh, I'll know it when I see it" process...it was more like the "dab of this, dollop of that, taste it...no, maybe a pinch more of that" type of process.

Overall it was an intense and truthful process. But I know the recipe is right, because every time I look at the life we have created for WickeDeli, I don't taste the onion at all. Instead all the flavors blend together - layer by layer - to create an interesting, provoking identity. Don't we wish we could all say that about ourselves.

-Tatiana

We are so very close...

...to

revealing

our

logo...



stay tuned...!

The current happenings...

(You may be wondering why we haven't posted in awhile...there was a much needed vacation in there somewhere).

We have received quite a few inquiries from friends, family and colleagues, like: "How are things going?", "What are you currently working on?", "What's going on?". So we thought we would give you a quick update on some of the things that are currently in the works:

• logo concepts in second stage of revisions;
• once the logo is solidified, Curtis Hart will take our logo and make www.wickedeli.com a better looking landing page;
  
• preliminary conversations with restaurant / space planners;
• preliminary conversations with Fort Worth real estate brokers;
• solidifying recipes (this means ongoing taste testing - yay for us!);
• drafting internal processes;
• professional pictures of management team;
  
• finalizing POS / Inventory system;
• finalizing market research data;
• finalizing finance / accounting details.

Things are moving along really well and (as always) we appreciate your ongoing enthusiasm and interest in not only the end result, but the journey!

What we offer...

Yes, WickeDeli is a deli...but we are not 'JUST a deli' (see the WickeDeli timeline on our blog's home page). We like to think we are creative folk and as we discussed our business offerings and services - the following structure took form:

DELI- you can eat-in, take-out or pick-up. We focus on using natural and/or organic foods, local farmers (where possible) and high-quality, imported German foods. Our menu consists of a 'build your own' concept from our 'German Platter' to our salads, even our breakfast items! And if there is a particular meat or cheese you really like - you can just buy it by the pound right over the deli counter (just like the old days of the corner market).

GROCERY- any of our packaged items that we use in the deli, you can buy in our grocery area. Really like that local honey we use? Or that quark? http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Quark-(cheese) Or maybe you want to make up your own brats and sauerkraut at home? Good thing we have the grocery so you can satisfy your tastes from home, too.

BAKED GOODS- we will bake our own organic breads on-site. Note: we are not a bakery, but our bakery partner provides their delicious, natural and organic breads to us frozen so you experience fresh baked bread for your sandwiches and German Platters. We do bake some specialty items on-site like Herta's Kuchen and some cookies. And we partner with a couple local bakeries to provide the other delectable goodies like scones and homemade Black Forest Cake.

Hungry now? Good...only a minimum of 7-8 months to go! Hang in there...

Being a conscientious business

By our standards, being a conscientious business is not just about pushing forward with everything you have, every day - striving for perfection. It isn't just about finding the best materials and relationships to maximize the business. It isn't just about thinking of every possible detail from every possible angle.

So what do we think being a conscientious business means? And why do we feel we are so different than others?

Early on we knew that in order for WickeDeli to be a success it had to be an extension of ourselves. It had to be something we were proud of not just because we had the tenacity to open our doors and keep it going, but that we instilled within the business our morals and values. So, to us this meant being conscientious in HOW we approached the business and HOW we wanted to build WickeDeli from the ground-up. (It's always 'those little things', don't you think? And in this case, it's about the little AND big things!).

Because family, community and the environment are so important to us at home, it was natural that WickeDeli would emulate those same values. So from a business perspective that means: using organic and all-natural foods as well as biodegradable products, supporting local farming families, involving family and friends, staying in touch with our community through neighborhood associations - staying engaged...

There are still many individual foundations to be laid but it is a journey not necessarily a destination; and we get to make new friends along the way...

So maybe people are drawn to WickeDeli because they think our name is cool and they are curious, or maybe it is because they feel they can relate, or maybe it is a new experience and inspires them. Whatever the reason, we can move forward knowing that we built it right from the beginning and that the impact we make around us is something we believe in.

Inventory = details, details and patience!

What does 'bologna' have in common with a 'mopping bucket'? Not much that I can tell, but in relation to WickeDeli these non-relative nouns reside in the same document as one another: our very robust inventory spreadsheet.

I never understood how someone could sit for hours in front of a computer screen, scouring the internet, looking for the obscure (or even the 'what you wouldn't think is so obscure but somehow it is and you can't find it'). NOW I understand. (And we aren't just talking hours on the internet doing research - more like months). But I learned a bit along the way and the end result is a rock-solid document that is the foundation for outfitting our venture.

Whatever the goal when conducting internet research, the reality remains that you can find ANYTHING on the internet with time and patience. (I learned the patience part).

-Tatiana

"Cheers" to the logo journey!

Today was WickeDeli's first logo brainstorming session - there was much to discuss, re-address and explore. It was an exciting process (and hard for Chris and I to let each other speak - we have been waiting so long for this moment that our ideas were hard to contain any longer!). Dale and Betsy were attentive, engaged and interested. We discussed everything from space layout ideas (which is a component in the feel we are trying to accomplish) to color schemes.

Betsy was very proactive and brought in some German beer coasters (we still don't know where she got them all, but it really helped get the ideas flowing!). There was one in particular that really stood out to Chris and I (check it out at http://blog.pinkergreen.com/2007/08/cheers-to-bier-paper.html). Not only did this Bauhaus-influenced design appeal to us and create quite a bit of dialog regarding colors and overall design - but the company Gmund (www.gmund.com) is pretty cool too! They are a German paper manufacturer that has been around since 1829 and they have a line of paper that is made from recycled beer labels and the by-product of beer production (i.e. leftover hops and stuff).

So...two good finds in one day:
1) the first logo we have felt inspired by;
2) and a potential paper product we would want to support!

Dale and Betsy have some places to visit this week that we thought would give them some ideas as to what we are trying to accomplish with WickeDeli...and then we will regroup for more creative chatter.

It's LOGO time!

After months of conversations and meetings with a variety of designers and agencies - and just as much time deliberating - we are happy to have solidified an agreement with BRANDWISE to create WickeDeli's logo!

One of WickeDeli's values is to be conscientious of how our business choices directly impact our community. We put a lot of time and effort into trying to find not only the best fit for WickeDeli - creatively and professionally - but we were also striving to find a marketing partnership with a company based in Fort Worth. We feel we have found all three of these attributes in BRANDWISE.

We are looking forward to a mutually rewarding process as we work together to solidify the image and identity for WickeDeli.

BRANDWISE is owned by Dale Berkebile and can be found at www.getbrandwise.com

WickeDeli's piece of the pie...

As most locals will tell you, there is quite a bit going on in Fort Worth - mostly in the form of real estate; everyone is vying for a piece of this little city. (And a lot of us remember when the only reasons you came to Fort Worth were the Tandy Center ice skating rink and the Stockyards!). Not anymore!

There is a concentrated area of interest and development in the area of Camp Bowie and 7th Street: there's Montgomery Plaza, So7, West 7th, Museum Place - all of them brand new and leasing spaces...and more to come. If you live in the area, you are already familiar with the feeling of discovering something new each time you drive around; some building is either going up or coming down.

Anyhoo - finding the perfect location for WickeDeli is already a whirlwind. It's like watching one of those metal carousels that used to be on the playgrounds in the 70's - it is spinning around at top speed and you are trying to find the best place to jump on.

We've looked at a couple of places - all of them in the Camp Bowie / 7th Street area - and are excited to say that we are very much looking forward to continuing to be a part of this community and neighborhood. We hope to be in a space by the end of the year - which will keep us on track to open in early 2009.