READ AND CONSIDER!!

This is the monthly newsletter from my favorite tea store. Please consider helping keep it alive.

Thanks,
Sarah
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New Mexico Tea Company has been open four years this November. Every summer is a challenge for a tea store in the desert, but this summer the economy and hot weather have finally caught up with us. As many of you have experienced, we are out of stock on half of our teas and products; there is simply no money to reorder more. This is a dangerous position to be in for a retail store. As we have less to sell, our revenue goes down, leaving less money to buy new things, which in turn results in even fewer sales. We need to break the cycle.

Background:

Normally we are able to save during the winter months (our busiest season) so that we have funds to carry us through the summer. However this past year we were operating the Tea Bar at a loss, and therefore now find ourselves up against a wall. Our day-to-day revenue is enough to pay all the bills, but not enough to order more tea. We are about to run out of tea, and if this happens the store will close. We need $5,000 to pay off our vendors and order more tea.

Whatever happens I will run the Tea Store until PNM turns off the electricity and the landlords kick us out for non-payment. But I hope that it does not come to that. I have conceived of a plan to get us through the next two months (our slowest time), and I need your help.

The Plan:

I believe in the power of micro-lending. I talked about it in a previous newsletter and encouraged everyone to use a site called Kiva to lend money to small businesses in third world countries. Now I am asking you to micro-lend money to New Mexico Tea Company. For the next week we are selling gift-cards that can be redeemed starting in December. If you buy a $50 gift card, it will be worth $55. A $100 gift card will be worth $115. We are using PayPal so that if we do not get enough investment to stay open this summer, we can issue a full refund to you. Once purchased I will e-mail you the gift certificate to print out.

I also want to give some of our customers the opportunity to lend a larger amount of money as a pure cash investment. You can lend $500 or $1000 for a 10% return paid back in six payments from December to May. Again, if we don't make it through the summer, then you would get a refund for the full amount of the loan.

Finally, we are starting an exclusive Tea Club. It will cost $10 per month to be a member. Membership entitles you to receive two ounces of a special tea we do not sell in the store every month. You will also have access to our VIP room upstairs (starting in August) which will be stocked with our most interesting teas and tea gadgets. Membership will allow you to make yourself a cup of tea and use our Wi-fi, chat with other tea drinkers, or read a book in the serene comfort of the tea store.

Conclusion:

Last month I was able to go to China because 16 people bought our China Tea Package before I left. Without their kind investment I would not have been able to make the trip. We are now in a real pickle; however, I will be able to keep supplying the best tea to Albuquerque with the help of similar investments. I am hoping you have enough faith in me and the store to invest your money with us.

Thank you,
David Edwards
President - NM Tea Co. Inc.
Office: 505-962-2137 Cell: 505-730-6501

1131 Mountain Rd. NW STE 2
Albuquerque, NM 87102

Today I felt Thousands of Dollars Lighter

Have you ever know something was going to happen, but you didn't really believe it? Then that something does happen and you can only respond with pure shock. Well, that happened to me today.

Last semester I went through a difficult time trying to get out of a bad living situation. My grades unfortunately suffered and, combined with a very difficult school schedule, I did not come out unscathed. My GPA for the semester was a 3.47 and my credit hours totaled 14 (I had to drop a class). This looks awesome considering everything, but not exactly awesome to my university, which requires a 3.50 GPA and 15 credit hours each semester to consider me worthy enough to fund.

Thus I lost my scholarship - at least for now. I'm going to appeal and petition and fight, but as of right now the official record says CANCELLED (in all caps - this is verbatum) and I feel as though someone has stamped that phrase in red over my future plans.

A lack of scholarship means I will be living at home with my parents through the year. This is not exactly what I wanted, especially when I won't be saving any money - I'll just be working with what I've got. Regardless, this situation is 1000 times better than the last.

And did I mention my family might be moving - to a house they've decided to buy, only continginet on the sale of our house by September 1st. Who knows really where we'll be or when. All I know is that my stuff is still in storage and I miss my sweet smelling candles and my printer and my mugs and, well, you get the picture.

Going through a tough time,
Sarah

Cut the ****! Getting Down with What's Worth Reading on the Web

Hey all,

So if you haven't seen Time's article, the Best Blogs of 2010, here's a few that'll make you're life better:

Cake Wrecks - www.cakewrecks.com
       Professional cakes gone...awesome?

The Consumerist - http://consumerist.com/
      A blog about the stuff we buy and use, and well, other things too.

FAIL Blog - http://failblog.org/
     Great for laughs!

Apartment Therapy - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
     Everything apartment living. Ladies will LOVE it!

and of course, the ultimate paparatzi site for office boredom,

Perez Hilton - http://perezhilton.com/

This is an ode to the blogs tht people actually read and love.
As for Sarah Buterblog - you can see the renovations and please feed the fish.

Hopefully bringing you more ways to improve your life (and mine) soon.

Sincerely,
Sarah

HAPPY  INDEPENDENCE DAY, USA! Its your birthday, you're 234!