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It’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season here at Holmes Stamp & Sign! Even if it may not look like it outside, we’re beginning to feel the effects of Jack Frost and Old Man Winter here in North Florida despite the fact that some of our northern neighbors are already finding themselves, not to mention their vehicles, fully submerged in icy snow. And while we may not be able to see any snow on the ground, there are other ways for us to tell just what time of the year it is. Our production floor is jam packed with brand new products being made, our shipping offices are overflowing with packages to be sent out, and there is more than just one new face wandering our halls helping us out during our annual holiday rush!
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***Appended with new content 10-26-2015
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About once every three years, the political field starts to shift. Politicians who believe that they have what it takes to be president will step into the political ring to battle it out against others who think the same thing. In the end only one will rise above the rest and become the next President of the United States.
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For anyone that frequents our blog or follows us on social media, it’s no secret that Holmes Stamp & Sign is a big believer in giving back. Between taking time out of our Saturdays to participate in a stroll around downtown for a good cause, volunteering our factory for a day for a good cause, and fostering creativity and competition at our own University of North Florida, it’s amazing that we have any time left over to get our work done! But with so many big-hearted employees here we can’t help but do what we can for those in need!
For anyone who has ever been a part of a small business, you know that there really are no secrets that stay secret for long! And for anyone who has ever come into contact with our Holmes Stamp & Sign CEO Bryan Croft, they would know that he is always up to something.
Yesterday we were all very sad to hear that one of the “sweetest” men in the world had died at the ripe old age of 95. That man was Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. longtime chief executive Melvin Gordon. And while the founder of this staple chocolate candy has long since passed, Gordon was the man responsible for transforming this relatively small potatoes company into the multi-billion dollar candy manufacturing corporation that it is today.
Spring is almost here and with it comes wedding season! December has always been an incredibly popular engagement month and this past year did nothing to break with the tradition. Experts estimate that wedding season typically occurs from just after Thanksgiving and ends New Years day and then a significant lull takes place until the annual Valentine’s Day love fest.
Christmas Eve is almost here! Where does the time go? It feels like it was just last week that we were picking out our turkeys and planning our holiday shopping lists! Now here we are not even completely ready for Christmas and we’re already talking about New Years! Where has 2014 gone?! Is it just us or does it feel like this year has gone by really quickly?
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Jacksonville! Slowly but surely, the weather is beginning to turn; and in the mornings as we walk briskly to our cars, the cool air nips at the back of our necks, fingers, and noses. While no, we don’t need to scrape ice off of our windshield (most days), and we have no need for snow plows or shovels, our bodies are specially attuned to the Florida weather, therefore the cold hits our delicate bodies hard as well.
All across the country, millions of families are preparing themselves for one of the biggest holidays of the year, and we don’t just mean Black Friday or Cyber Monday. If you’re a turkey, you'd better run for cover – Thanksgiving week has arrived! But what is Thanksgiving really about? Throughout the past number of decades, the real purpose of the holiday has become overshadowed by countless retailers across the country pushing their “LOWEST PRICES OF THE SEASON” ads. And while there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of a great deal when it comes to buying gifts for your friends and family, shopping is not meant to be the main idea that surrounds the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead, it is the concept of being thankful for what we have that should matter the most to everyone.
The cotton candy is twirling, the Tilt-A-Whirl is whirling, and the fun houses are funning around! Yep – it’s that time of the year again! The Duval County Fair is back in town and people are having a ball celebrating and taking part in all of the festivities! Special guests and various musical acts have all been planned for entertainment, an assortment of animals have arrived, countless contest’s are going on and dozens of food trucks and game stands are setting up shop and getting ready to service the crowds.
Alright, we know that down in Florida we have no room to talk – but the mornings here are getting a little chilly. We’re usually the last of the states to experience the sudden chilliness that shows winter is on its way, and as excited as we tend to get about the cooler weather, it isn’t long before we start to miss our tank tops, and flip-flops. We know, we know – living in Florida must be tough! While it’s true that we’ve never had snow on Halloween before, that doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate the cooler temperatures. If you happen to be new to the state, it’s best that you learn now that it is always hot or cold and seldom in between.
If you don’t live in Florida, we here at Holmes Stamp & Sign are here to tell you that all those rumors of blistering hot summers, and snow free winters are true. Last winter we did come close to snow, in fact it snowed at the Florida/Georgia border – but while the rest of the country was getting pounded with foot after foot of powdery white snow, we never saw a single snowflake. So in that precious time between the sweltering summers and frigid snow-less winters, when the temperatures get down lower and we no longer feel as though we are choking on humidity, we throw our doors and windows open and watch as our towns and cities come alive with fun Fall festivities and festivals.
Every year around this time, in addition to the pumpkins and changing leaves, pink ribbons take over! But as an increasing amount of cancer survivors (both breast and otherwise) are pointing out, cancer is not something to be made light of and to be seemingly wrapped up in a bright pink bow. Every 2 minutes, someone is diagnosed with breast cancer. While the survival rate is somewhere around 87%, breast cancer is still considered one of the leading causes of death for women between 40 and 50 years of age and claimed approximately 39,620 lives in 2013 alone.
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From humble beginnings come great thing. While we’re no stranger to this age old phrase, we can certainly attest to its truthfulness. Our company of Holmes Stamp & Sign started all the way back in 1954 when one Florida man took to his garage and began making stamps. Sure enough, what started out as an exceedingly small one man business out of a tiny garage space, grew and expanded into a multiple building corporation with well over 60 employees.