As I begin my first blog post, I want to take a moment to thank all of Island to East Side’s loyal followers and customers. The love and outpouring of support, especially during this difficult time has been overwhelming, in such a great way.
From all of your feedback on our Instagram posts and stories, to the private DM’s we receive, I am truly amazed. We are navigating through unchartered waters right now and it’s not always easy knowing what the right thing to do is when it comes to business. Above all, I want to be connected and transparent with our customers, because without all of you, ITES would not be where it is today.
Recently, we hosted a few charitable shopping events and giveaways on Instagram that not only drove traffic to our site, but also created excitement in a lackluster time like this. People truly amaze me, in a good way. We received messages from those who participated in the giveaways, saying how much fun it was, even if they didn’t win, and that left me feeling like I was at least able to spread some good vibes. We also received notes from customers thanking us for arranging donations to Baby2Baby and Wish Upon a Wedding, which left me feeling humbled and appreciative for the opportunity to do so.
Since these giveaways and charitable shopping events were so successful, we are already brainstorming more ways to give back and connect with all of you daily. At ITES, we love collaborating with other brands, and this might be the perfect time to do so. As a result, we would also love to incorporate philanthropic purchases into our calendar year round, rather than just in this time of distress.
I truly believe the power of social media and the ability to access one another so easily puts us at an advantage; even though we are self-isolating physically, we are not alone. I’ve never felt so in touch with all of you and with our business. I’d love to take advantage of the time and clarity this quarantine has afforded me and establish a way I can continue to reach out to you as our busy lives resume.
For a while now, I’ve been thinking of how much I’d like to connect with all of you in a more personal way. Because Instagram has been a great way to share and engage our followers, I want to capitalize on additional ways to do so.
Truth be told, I’ve always been a bit hesitant to share too much of “me,” and so I’ve kept myself separate from the ITES brand, but this current “norm” we’re living in has given me the urge to step out of my comfort zone. And if we’re being frank, the time to write this, a luxury I didn’t have even a few short weeks ago.
If there’s one thing that’s surprised me while building this brand, it’s that people are genuinely interested in knowing not only about the custom items we design, but also the faces behind the brand. Because of that reason, and the need to fill my less busy schedule, I’ve decided to embrace some of the ideas I’ve had on the back burner and bring them to life. And here you have it, the #OOOwithITES blog is officially born.
Before all of this happened, I was super stressed out. Between work and wedding planning (yes, I’m also an ITES bride) I didn’t have a free spot in my mental capacity, certainly not to put my all into something like a blog.
What I wished for was that life could just take a pause, everything around me would stop moving, and I wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore about abandonin
Well it looks like I got exactly what I wished for, (not in the way I had hoped it would happen of course), and it looks like you’ll now have a new blog to read each week.
Unable to control what’s going on outside, I’m using this time to organize both personally and professionally. In addition to launching #OOOwithITES, I’ve also gone back to the drawing board and asked myself, what is it that I want to see ITES stand for in the future. Whether it’s new items, new outlets to connect with all of you, or interactive ways to give back to the community that helped get ITES where it is today, I want to always keep the brand fresh and moving forward.
As a small business owner with no one to answer to but myself, I am trying to focus and practice new forms of self-discipline while working remotely. There’s something about being in the office, surrounded by all of our beautiful bags, that allows me to be creative and product focused. Since we can’t be there right now, I will continue to dream big from the safety of my bedroom, in the city that never sleeps.
There is something to be said about New Yorkers; we are resilient in the face of adversity. We’re accustomed to just going, and going, and often get stuck in our daily routine so much so that we don’t take a moment to just breathe.
While we are all being forced to work and create in different ways, I believe that something wonderful will come out of all off this. Wherever you are, remember, this too shall pass and we’ll make a brand new start from it.
steve maxwell
I had to write back and say what an amazing experience I had with lord richard, the world’s most powerful lottery spell caster. My Heart is filled with joy and happiness after lord richard cast the Lottery spell for me and I won £4,369,877. His lottery spell changed my life into riches, I’m now out of debt and experiencing the most amazing good life after I won a huge amount of money. lord richard your Lottery spell is so real and pure. God bless you for the lottery spell that changed my life for the best, I am totally grateful for the lottery spelll lord richard did for me. You can contact him from any part of the world for special lottery numbers…
EMAIL: lordrichardspell@gmail.com
WHATSAPP: +1(360)884-0286
steve maxwell
I had to write back and say what an amazing experience I had with lord richard, the world’s most powerful lottery spell caster. My Heart is filled with joy and happiness after lord richard cast the Lottery spell for me and I won £4,369,877. His lottery spell changed my life into riches, I’m now out of debt and experiencing the most amazing good life after I won a huge amount of money. lord richard your Lottery spell is so real and pure. God bless you for the lottery spell that changed my life for the best, I am totally grateful for the lottery spelll lord richard did for me. You can contact him from any part of the world for special lottery numbers…
EMAIL: lordrichardspell@gmail.com
WHATSAPP: +1(360)884-0286
Natasha Thompson
My name is Natasha Thompson from the USA/Texas.. Am so overwhelmed with gratitude to let the world know how Dr Kachi, the great spell caster changed my life for good. It all started when I lost my job and I was down financially and emotionally because I couldn’t be able provide for my two kids and staying home all day Jobless it’s not easy until I was checking on the internet when I saw a series of testimonies hearing people winning the Powerball lottery, I didn’t believed, but being poor no job you have no option. I gave it a try and I contacted Dr Kachi who told me what i have to do before I can become a big lottery winner and I accepted. He made special prayers for me in his temple and gave me the required numbers to play the lottery game and when I used the numbers to play it, I won a massive $344.6 million Powerball jackpot. I was so happy and I choose to review my winning in any platform, I would love other people to seek help from Dr Kachi through Text and Call: +1 (209) 893-8075 or email drkachispellcast@gmail.com by his website: https://drkachispellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site
wayne murray
I won the $10million lottery jackpot twice within one year, although it was not by my powers. I’m Wayne Murray from Brooklyn, i was very lucky to contact Dr Lucas a great spell caster that has never fail, when i contacted Dr Lucas through the Email and WhatsApp i got online he responded to me at once and i explained to him that i want to win the lottery, his response was that making people win the lottery is the easiest thing for him to do, so he started working on my spell immediately i provided all the necessary requirements for him, i was curious to know how it is going to work and how I’m going to win with his numbers so that made me obey all his instructions, after 48hours he gave me the numbers and instructed me on how to play, so when i played i actually WON, but i still didn’t believe he did it then, so i pleaded with him to give me another numbers again which he freely did, and to my greatest surprise I won the second time, Dr Lucas is real and genuine, tested and trusted. I never wanted to mention this on social media but i can’t keep this to myself alone, i need people to also benefit from the blessings of Dr Lucas, his Email is Drlucasspelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp him on +234 904 794 3567 this is the best tips i can give to anyone who’s trying to win the lottery.
wayne murray
I won the $10million lottery jackpot twice within one year, although it was not by my powers. I’m Wayne Murray from Brooklyn, i was very lucky to contact Dr Lucas a great spell caster that has never fail, when i contacted Dr Lucas through the Email and WhatsApp i got online he responded to me at once and i explained to him that i want to win the lottery, his response was that making people win the lottery is the easiest thing for him to do, so he started working on my spell immediately i provided all the necessary requirements for him, i was curious to know how it is going to work and how I’m going to win with his numbers so that made me obey all his instructions, after 48hours he gave me the numbers and instructed me on how to play, so when i played i actually WON, but i still didn’t believe he did it then, so i pleaded with him to give me another numbers again which he freely did, and to my greatest surprise I won the second time, Dr Lucas is real and genuine, tested and trusted. I never wanted to mention this on social media but i can’t keep this to myself alone, i need people to also benefit from the blessings of Dr Lucas, his Email is Drlucasspelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp him on +234 904 794 3567 this is the best tips i can give to anyone who’s trying to win the lottery.