October 18, 2007.
Working in this industry I have had the good fortune of meeting some amazing women, and follow some amazing blogs. I always thought I was an island and that no one went through what I was going through. The truth is that no one that lives with in a ten mile radius was doing what I did - there are hundreds, if not a thousand of women all over the country doing it. It is comforting to know that I was not the only one storing bubble wrap and shipping boxes in a room in my home. I also like to know there are other artists out there that have paint on every single damn sweat shirt they own (sad but true).
I started working with Rosenberry Rooms way back in Spring of 2005. Since I sort of uh, deleted 
some old emails I have no idea if I submitted our products to her or she found us. Two and 1/2 years later I am happy to say that Susie Fougerousse, the owner and founder is one of the good guys....er, dang I mean girls, gals - women? Sheesh - whatever she is a great lady to work with!
We have been lucky to have had much success with Rosenberry Rooms and we share a very similar philosophy about our customer service. I am thrilled to talk with Susie on the rare occasion (when she is available - she has three small children) to catch up on things. She always seems to put a positive spin on things, like I said - one of the good guys!
Susie was kind enough to share some of her thoughts on plagiarism, copying and staying original - of course (wouldn't ya know?) she looked at it in a positive way:
1. There is room in this vast market for many creative, talented and hard working people to participate.
2. It is important to try and stay original, because consumers like to find something unique, be it a product or a store.
3. That being said, there are so many common themes and business ideas that form an umbrella under which we all work, that we often need to differentiate ourselves in other areas, such as service, business methods, marketing and presentation.
4. To be successful, we need to concentrate on strengthening our businesses, keeping our focus ahead, and not spend too much time looking over our shoulders. In the end, looking over our shoulders hinders our success more than our competitors do (This is something my husband makes SURE I do, because he knows that I am such a worry wart and have had too many sleepless nights pondering this).
It is very easy to get distracted, heck it's Thursday afternoon and I am blogging instead of updating the photos on my website. I hope to use some of Susie's thoughts and try NOT to get bogged down, depressed or down right negative on the topic. I said I hope...we all know I will be putting my cranky pants on again....I just hope it is not for a long time!
I agree with Susan, but you wouldn't be human if it didn't make you mad to have your work and ideas copied!
Posted by: Mama Zen | October 19, 2007 at 05:07 AM
Very true - and some of us get madder than others, it is just in our uh "creative nature" they would say? I know it happens all the time - it is just frustrating. I will try and stay on the sunny side life for now - and think positive :).
Posted by: Jamie Lentzner | October 19, 2007 at 07:31 AM
I have a simple philosophy that there is enough for everyone. I hate copy cats. I DO NOT THINK IT'S FLATTERING, but at the same time....how cool are you that people want to copy you? I completely agree about Drooz Studio's work. Shelley has more people knocking her off than I could shake a stick at! I KNOW people who've done it. It makes me, as an artist, cringe.
As my line grows, I have more and more people tell me that there's a hair dresser in small town USA copying me or there's a booth on the 3rd floor of the apparel mart with similar designs, but not as cute. My favorite is the lady who told me back in January that SHE was the original one to make my key fobs, but yet she's having them made in China. And they lack quality. Design is a huge part, but quality and service are also a big part of it. I have also found that there is a market for everyone. I have no problem with someone wanting to make keyfobs, but get your own designs. So, that said---be creative! And THANKS for bringing it up. I'm so glad I found your blog.
Posted by: Laurie Tester, owner of Lulu and Daisy | October 22, 2007 at 04:55 PM
Hi there - and nice to meet ya! Thanks for the great comment - it is so true, and I hate to actually dwell on it but - it must be talked about. I hope it just makes ONE knock-off-not-really-an-artist person type decide to NOT knock me, or any of us off! Your products are great - and nice recent PR - watch out Oprah!
Posted by: Jamie Lentzner | October 22, 2007 at 05:08 PM
Internet retailer is the one who runs an online shop, e-shop, web shop, online store, etc. that actually propagate products over the internet which would ultimately lead to sale either in a physical store or through online.numis network review.Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Posted by: David brett | May 10, 2010 at 04:59 AM
It is a delicate issue, but I think that it is in our nature to angry when it happens.
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