TALL TIVOL TAILS from

WRITTEN BY: EMMA TIVOL - CHIEF HAPPINESS OFFICER

It’s Emma, TIVOL’s self-proclaimed Chief Happiness Officer. This spring and summer, you may see me over on the (insta)gram, helping on the sales floor, or by the TIVOL Doggie Bar out front (the best spot in the city for some fresh ice water on the Country Club Plaza). When the weather is warm, I can usually be found roaming around, greeting friends, and keeping a watchful eye on our beloved store. I love to bask in the sun on our TIVOL rug by the front door. Sometimes people outside will see me and come in just to pet me. My size and, let’s face it, adorableness, gives me access to all the things happening behind the scenes at TIVOL that you don’t get to see stepping foot inside the doors.

Mom says that it's not a good idea for me to go to work when the temperatures drop, even if all the treats I get during the season’s festivities have left me a little fluffier than normal. So, I spend most of my days wondering what everyone else is doing around the store. I’ve confidently left my best friends, Owl and Lobster, in charge of keeping an eye on TIVOL in the moments I’m not around and they fill me in during our weekly chats.

Like so many of you, I look forward to the warmer months here in Kansas City. Winter may be full of snuggles and holiday treats, but the colder weather keeps me away from the store and I find myself missing my friends and TIVOL family. Mom says that it's not a good idea for me to go to work when the temperatures drop, even if all the treats I get during the season’s festivities have left me a little fluffier than normal. So, I spend most of my days wondering what everyone else is doing around the store, thinking about what other dogs (who are also at home when it’s cold) are doing with their time, and catching up on my favorite shows.

My human friends who work at TIVOL already have enough on their plates with the day-to-day responsibilities they have to keep the store going, and so I’ve confidently left my best (stuffed) friends Owl and Lobster in taking over my role as the watchful eye. They fill me in once a week during naptime when we have our weekly roundups, which always feel like somewhat of a dream.

In my absence, I tasked Owl and Lobster with helping the marketing team prepare the next issue of TIVOL magazine and I’m excited to see what flushes out from all their chats. The Spring/Summer issue was quite an undertaking for the team. They planned three separate photo shoots for this issue with six different models, pairing hundreds of pieces of jewelry and timepieces with thoughtfully curated wardrobes, at three different Kansas City locations. I know it kept Rian, our in-house photographer, busy capturing every detail and moment to ensure that everything looked perfect in the end.

My only hope is that Owl and Lobster haven’t been too distracting to the team as they worked to prepare for printing. I told them to watch from a distance, making sure to stay out of the way while the team worked through each article and story that went into creating the pages. Owl and Lobster have a way of turning anytime into playtime though, and they often distract me while I’m working. They are, after all, quite the hoot who leave your sides feeling pinched from all the laughter when they share their witty jokes.

I wonder how our inventory team is holding up after filling in all the holiday orders and restocking beautiful pieces for spring and summer. They are world class, keeping up with all the small details into making sure the store functions smoothly. I bet they had the best food days around the holidays - which is probably the true reason mom keeps me at home. The whole team loves a good snack, which is a big part of why they’re my kind of people.

I heard that the jewelers recently added to their team, which is very exciting news for my TIVOL family. I bet they’re keeping busy sizing jewelry, working on repairs, and making amazing custom pieces that will be treasured by families for generations to come. That’s one thing that I love most about my store, the sentiment that goes into each and every timeless piece that we touch. I have to wonder how much time Owl and Lobster are spending with our jewelers, learning the ins and outs of jewelry creation, service, and maintenance. It’s amazing to watch new apprentices learn how to transform precious metal and gemstones into works of art that will inevitably be enjoyed for generations to come.

I imagine the sales floor has been a lot of fun with excited customers buzzing about the Chiefs winning the big game. Some of my favorite memories at the store involve playing ball with customers and friends and I suspect that our sales team is probably doing a lot of that to fill in during my time at home. Owl and Lobster don’t make their way upstairs very often since they don’t have forward facing roles with the company. Plus, it might scare the customers to see marine life and sky creatures coexisting in the same workplace. They’re an unusual but dynamic work duo, for sure. I’ll have to wait until I’m back in the store to find out how my upstairs crew has been doing and I can’t wait to reconnect with them.

Speaking of reconnecting, it’s time for my scheduled afternoon belly rub…I mean, a very important and impressive meeting with the team. Dogs take time to recharge, too, and it’s just as important for us as it is for you…so I’d better scoot. More in the next edition of TAILS from TIVOL.