New Business Policies for Red Banshee!

In August of 2011 I made the decision to open Red Banshee Designs to supply costume basics and custom work to the belly dance community My goal was to make practical and affordable costume pieces for dancers with figure challenges and create something that was guaranteed to fit and flatter without breaking the bank.

When I began my journey, I didn’t have a clue on how to go about running a business in a practical and real-world way and a lot of it was guesswork and comparison shopping through other dance vendors. I wanted to make sure I was entering the market competitively and providing high quality pieces with love and attention to detail.
After a year of being in business, some tweaking is in order.  Beginning October 1, 2012 the following changes will go into effect. If you are a current client and I am working with you on a project already, your current projects will be finished under the old system and I encourage you to touch base with me to confirm.

1. My new hourly rate will be 17.00/hr for custom costume work.
2. It is a $10.00 minimum, unless otherwise specified,  for all alterations.
3. A down payment of 50% is required prior to the start of work.  This is to ensure that I can order and receive your fabric and supplies in a timely manner. The remaining balance will be due upon pickup and prior to shipping.
4. All items with a remaining balance (after completion) will be held for 30 days, after which the deposit is forfeit and the item will be sold or repurposed.
5. Turn around time for custom items will be 4-6 weeks so that I can assure you of a well-made and lovingly crafted product.
6. Orders required in three weeks or less will be subject to a rush fee of 25% of the total project cost which will be due along with the down payment.
7. All checks must be made out to “Heather Lovvorn” only and must have a phone number on the check (handwritten is fine).  They may not be post dated. If you would prefer to be invoiced through paypal, your payment will need to clear prior to the start of any work.
8. In the event that there are construction issues (eg, fraying seams, rips, broken thread) with the finished product, I will repair it free of charge up to a week after you have received it.
9. If you are unhappy with your product upon completion, I will be more than happy to work with you on a case-by-case basis to see if we can remedy it.
10. All items I have measured you for will be a guaranteed fit and any fit-related alterations will be made free of charge. If you choose to take the measurements yourself and fit-related alterations need to be made, they will be billed at an hourly rate.
11. Costume pieces in which you do not supply the fabric and supplies will be billed as noted in the price list. Please let me know if you’d like a copy or have any questions about it!

I will be available for consultations during evening business hours of 6-8pm Monday-Friday at my home in Durham. Consultations on the weekends can be arranged between 3:30-6:30pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday and I will do my best to work with your schedule!

New Prices & Shop Policies!

It's been a while since I posted here on Red Banshee Designs and that's because I've been working very hard on all sorts of exciting projects! Over the last year I've had the opportunity to work with some truly lovely clients! Last weekend I attended my second year of TribOriginal and during the fun and festivities I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with some wonderful local ladies about how to improve my business!

To that end I've decided to update some of my price lists and shop polices. The shop policy updates are still firming up but I'm happy to provide a basic price list for a lot of the basic things I do! So here you go!

A lot of really new exciting things going on for me over the next couple months!

Project Updates:

I just finished a men's cabaret/tribaret brocade vest for a delightful dancer located in Greensboro NC! The vest presented a new challenge to me because I have rarely had the opportunity to make things for men but I'm really pleased with how it came out (and hopefully my client is too!). I used a paisley patterned brocade and lined it with soft white lining for the base vest and then hand stitched some ornate silver braid in a swirl pattern along the front lapels of the vest and finished it off with a sequined trim that runs around the whole perimeter of the vest. Here's a picture!

My next project is making four base costume sets for the lovely ladies of Milagros' Level 2 class. We'll be performing at an April event hosted by Andalee! The base costumes are all black stretch velvet and consist of an open back choli (one of my designs) and a matching mermaid skirt under unique bedlah belts. I'm of course making my own bedlah belt (my first one!) and I'm really looking forward to getting my new serger humming!

In other exciting news, I will be performing with Heather Murphy of World in Motion at the Fullsteam Brewery Undulation Noveau event at the end of March. I've been to several of the bi-monthly events and have had a fantastic time but this is the first time I've danced at one! We'll be performing Heather's "Slow, Slinky, and Moody" Choreography (which is awesome) to Beauty Beats.

And yet ANOTHER exciting announcement (I'm just full of them aren't I?) I auditioned for World in Motions new troupe Esprit du Monde and I was accepted! It's going to be headed up by the incomparable Sara Beaman and will be a wonderful experience for me as a dancer!

Fan Page!

I have a FB Fan page now where you can check out what's going on in the world of Red Banshee. It will have information on where my duet troupe is dancing and where I'll be vending. I have been invited to vend at an event in May and if it works out it'll be my first 'real' vending (with a table and ALL!) experience. I'll keep you posted!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Banshee-Dance-Design/281712571887829

Like me? please please please?