SUSAN WYMOLA ART AND MUSINGS: MY FUNKY CHICKEN STORE KEY WEST EXPERIENCE

MY FUNKY CHICKEN STORE KEY WEST EXPERIENCE

My Experience with the Original Owner

Was like a Dream.

It all started 4.30.2013

With this email letter

5 years ago:

When I received this email letter from Mr. Winters, I was sure it was a scam and nothing would become of it. I was Wrong.

It was a very Pleasant Experience

from 2013 through 2016.
It was like being business partners and we made a lot of money together.
We never spoke on the phone. We only communicated with email.
Mr. Winters is One in a Million.

I’ve never met a nicer Gentleman and it was a Pleasure doing business with him.

Mr. Winters had a lot of input and ideas of the kind of art he wanted in his Art Gallery.

I say ‘it was’, because he sold to new owners early in 2017.

I created the logo for his store which he used for the store front sign.

I wasn’t looking for wholesale business as I stay pretty busy with my etsy store,
but Mr. Winters made it very easy to just Paint whatever he wanted. He had very good taste and good judgment.

I enjoyed all correspondence through emails with Mr. Winters. I had forgotten how much I missed the interaction with ordering and all the input and ideas of what he thought would do well in his store.

I think he had a good eye for what would sell good because I painted a Lot of signs while he was the Owner.

All Good things come to an end.

It was a rocky relationship with the new owners for 2 years, some communication problems. Not everyone can live up to Larry Winter's reputation.

UPDATE January 2019

I NO LONGER DO BUSINESS WITH FUNKY CHICKEN STORE AS OF END of 2018. The New owners purchased huge orders at first like they couldn’t keep them on the shelf. Communication was lacking, because they spoke a different language. Getting payment was a new problem every order. Things did not go smooth like

they did with Mr. Winters.

When I suggested that I was increasing the price on the larger pieces of artwork, because I had not changed any prices for 5 years,

the New Owners did not want any increases.

They said they would just not order the bigger pieces, just the smaller ones.

I never dreamed they would just get artists to copy my designs and sell them. This is why they stopped ordering the larger paintings.

Below you can see the sign I painted for

Mr. Winters that hangs in front of the store.

This sign has been popular and stolen a couple of times. This little rooster design is also the store logo and it's still sold on a lot of merchandise in the store.

You will see my art printed on merchandise, and you will see some chicken paintings that are similar to Mine,

but they are NOT MINE.

While I am very Flattered that they thought my art was so good they have someone copying my original art, it's a very low down way to do business. Money is the most important thing to the present

Funky Chicken Store owners.

I just hope customers recognize the difference, I sure don't want people thinking what they see is My Work.

From now on, I will insist that MY name is on my art. Thankfully I have friends who have been in the store and seen my art, and they recognized the KNOCK OFFS.

I found out it was true because they didn't bother to hide it, it's right on their social media accounts. I guess they thought I would never find out.

This is the reason we no longer do business.

They did have the Gall to try to order again from me, but I was happy to ignore all of their messages. But I did not keep silent!

Facebook and Instagram and Blogs

are a great way to get the word out.

It's a very small world in the Art Biz.

Please share my story if you like.

Here are some samples of the knocks offs.
The red circled item is a knock off .