"The Red Tower" Soon to Open for Business

[Dr. Bantham]

Quote

The trade that was originally produced by the Red Tower was in some sense remarkable, but not, at first, of an extraordinary or especially ambitious nature. These were a gruesome array of goods that could perhaps best be described as novelty items. "The Red Tower" by Thomas Ligotti

"The "Red Tower" will exist as an extension of TLO wherein objects of interest may be purchased by members. Initial items will be of a promotional nature and all proceeds will go towards defraying the cost of developing, maintaining and furthering the mission of TLO. There are costs associated with domain registration, remote server hosting and softwares which must be continually attended to. Mind you, this is not a burden which threatens the existence of TLO. The site will continue regardless of associated costs and does not hinge upon the compensation by members. It must always exist. This is simply a manner by which the site may be promoted by members with the added benefit of supporting operational costs by way of purchases.

The "trade" will initially be limited to promotional items. I have researched online product creation sites, and I am of the current intent to have the items created by local vendors of quality, in order to keep the costs down and manage to embed a meager "donation" within the selling price. However, this would necessitate a front end investment. Therefore, I will be initiating a series of polls for potential merchandise, wherein members are encouraged to indicate purchasing interest and voice opinions on product design. This would not imply a commitment on your part to purchase said goods, but would instead be utilized as a tool to evaluate item interest and stocking feasibility. If interest is minimal, an online production partner may be utilized, which will drive up the cost.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[The New Nonsense]

Wonderful!

Can I place a pre-order for one of those gourds that scream when picked up? Or how about one of those chunks of cement that leaves a greasy green stain wherever it's placed?

Just kidding Dr. B. As always, your continuous devotion to the development of the TLO site is very appreciated and admired.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[The Silent One]

Quote Originally Posted by The New Nonsense";p=&quot

Wonderful! Can I place a pre-order for one of those gourds that scream when picked up? Or how about one of those chunks of cement that leaves a greasy green stain wherever it's placed? Just kidding Dr. B. As always, your continuous devotion to the development of the TLO site is very appreciated and admired.

I wish I had TNF . Anyhow, a piece of the Nethescurial item on auction would be nice, as would a copy of The Noctuary of Time :wink:....

	TNF The Nightmare Factory

[barrywood]

TLO members are a special flock and "The Red Tower" sounds mighty exciting. Brilliant, in fact.

Thanks to Dr. Bantham we have a pasture to graze.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[DocGriffinStone]

Ahh, sounds fantastic.

- DGS

[G. S. Carnivals]

Hmmmm. (Hand on chin.) If I bought my gasoline at the place where they have the carnivals, I just might save enough money to buy stuff! But where would I hide it?

[tigris9]

hello Dr. Bantham!

it's been a few years since hearing about these shirts of your making, and i was wondering if anything has ever come of it? I would most assuredly buy one or five if they ever went into print.

[Dr. Bantham]

Quote Originally Posted by tigris9

hello Dr. Bantham! it's been a few years since hearing about these shirts of your making, and i was wondering if anything has ever come of it? I would most assuredly buy one or five if they ever went into print.

Hello! The notion that my special plans are engraved with timestamps is somewhat disconcerting. I refuse to believe that it has been nearly four years since this idea first tugged from the undertow. Time passes by in such subtle waves, who would ever believe that we are drowning?

The only shirt to have been offered thus far was Crypt of Ligotti. There were several others planned, but procrastination took hold and now financing is an issue. Since I was printing the shirts in a batch order prior to selling, it takes an investment. Online print-on-demand sources are an option, but I was originally put off by these due to quality concerns. Since years have passed since my original investigation, I will have another looksee and see if the technology has improved.

[Dr. Bantham]

Upon further investigation, it does appear that the quality of products offered by on-demand sources has improved. I am considering trying out CafePress, for the following reasons:

• There is no front-end investment required.
• Production and shipping are handled turnkey.
• Multi-color designs are possible, whereas this is not cost-effective with silk-screen printing in small batches.
• A diversity of apparrel and additional products are available.
• A shop interface can be directly integrated within the TLO site.

Outsourcing these products might not be the best route to control quality, but simple fact is that these items may never get produced if I bear the full burden of time and money. Does anyone have recent experience with CafePress?

[Mr. D.]

All I can say is YEAH!Money is available for whichever route you wish to take. I'd happily prepay if that is what you need. Make whichever decision is best for you personally and I will follow your your lead in all matters Red Towerinian.