Blog # 228 I talked about Zappos factory tour group day two.  In this blog I want to talk about Meanwhile back in Las Vegas then off again.

Back in Vegas, Lindsey joins the team in August as a Merchandising Asst. She would focus on our Juniors label Gabriella Rocha. She was very personable and smart plus had a good eye for trends. I thought she’d be a great addition to the team. While she was going through CLT training Richard, and I were going to Germany to attend the GDS show in Dusseldorf. It was a big show like the Micam show in Milan but more focused on comfort labels.

Dusseldorf Germany was a great show. There were so many brands to choose from and private label opportunities too. For breakfast, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many sausage choices as I did here. The rooms and the city in general were immaculate. Probably the cleanest city I’ve ever seen too.

Richard and I went to a park in our free time. It was so beautiful, there were mallard ducks walking around and children playing with their parents. It looked like a something from a painting. We went by a restaurant that was on a boat and made reservations for dinner. It was fabulous.

We decided to take a half day the next day and take a train to Cologne Germany which is supposed to be one of the oldest cities. The city was rich with historical buildings, including the cathedral which states it’s the tallest Cathedral in the world. It was magnificent. It was very medieval which I really enjoyed.

Not to long after our Germany trip, we were off to China again. My son James was living with me now and since I had been travelling so much, I decided to take him to China with me. Alesha who Pam just hired in September for Kids, came to help us develop a kid’s line.

James was in his very comical period of life, and he did a great job at keeping Lindsey and Alesha laughing. He had this Beevis and Butthead routine which was hysterical and quite good. He could turn anything into a comedy routine. He was definitely on his comedy game. Even something as simple as eating chicken fried rice turned into a stand-up routine.

I got him back though at lunch one day. I told him everyone went through an initiation when they came to China. They had to drink from a bowl of coagulated goats’ blood (It was just chocolate sauce lol) The look on his face was priceless and far less comedic. He did it though, then the smile came out when he realized his dad got him.

Richard arranged for us to visit a computer factory which was fascinating. We saw the chips being made and the robotic arms putting things together. We all had to wear certain types of clothing as this factory was squeaky clean to avoid dust or anything they didn’t want in the chips. We all looked pretty comical which gave James more material for the group to laugh at.

It was a great trip, and I was glad I got to show James what I did and how the shoe making process works. I think he got a lot out of it and had a good time in general.

We get back to Vegas and I had to meet with another person for an interview. The guy looked familiar to me because several months prior he was pitching a jeans line to us. His name was Charles, and he had several other interviews lined up with the other buyers. I liked him from the very start and gave him some pointers when he asked me for any tips on having a successful interview with Zappos. I ended up hiring him for Private Label in November.

We were quickly filling up the office on Warm Springs so there was a buzz we would be moving soon to Henderson at Corporate Circle. It would be a 64,000 sq foot office with three buildings.  We eventually moved there in January 2006