Once again the Christmas season is upon us and the MacGowan shop is crammed full of custom orders in various states of completion. From rough cut and glued, to finely sanded and wet with a final coat of finish - each and every stage of the tankard making process is currently represented - not to mention various other custom orders.
This year is an especially difficult one due to the nature of some current custom orders. We currently have 6 very special tankards on the workbench, along with the "standard" custom orders, which I have not counted, as the number of unfinished tankards changes from day to day. The special tankards were designed and are being made for Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Depp, a special customer, and my extremely special partner. Because of the level of difficulty and the fact that these tankards required new jig designs and fabrication and special hardware, they have taken far more time to build than was anticipated, but they are turning out far better imagined. Four of the special tankards will be shown at a closed art show at the end of November, with the two winning designs going to Mr. Depp and Mr. Rush sometime next spring, and the remaining two going to the lucky customer who was first to claim and purchase them.
Other current projects include a custom computer desk with inlay and hidden drawers (very nice for keeping written passwords and pin numbers - and virtually undetectable by anyone other than the owner); and a custom cabinet system for a local business owner.
There is still time to order a custom piece, whether it be a tankard or furniture - but, time is running out and orders are increasing as Christmas draws closer. At this time I will stop taking Christmas orders for standard delivery on Dec. 16th and overnight orders will stop on Dec. 19th. Overnight does not mean your custom piece will be shipped the next day - it means that when your order is finished it will be shipped overnight for delivery before Christmas.
2009 has been a rough year for many, financially speaking, so from now until Dec. 14 all custom tankards will be on sale for 50% off normal price! This is MacGowan's way of saying "THANK YOU" to all of our loyal Myspace and Facebook customers only. This sale will go out to your friends, as well, but the general public is excluded, so if you a have friend who wishes to order, please make sure they mention you with their order to get the sale price.
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
James
