Plumeria Bay® News
Timeless: “Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care. The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast”. William Shakespeare
April 22nd, 2020: The Covid19 experience continues for all of us. We hope that you are staying healthy. Our thanks go out to all of the people that are working to keep us healthy and safe - health care givers, firemen, police, store clerks, delivery folks and more.
All of these people are putting themselves at risk to keep us safe. Please do your part to help keep them, and others you might come in contact with, safe. Please wear a mask when you are out in public where you might come into contact with other people.
I was at the grocery store the other day, sitting in my car in the parking lot and was amazed by the amount of people that were NOT wearing a face mask. Please remember that wearing a face mask is about protecting other people from the Covid19 that you might be carrying.
FREE FACE MASKS
If you need a mask - please contact us (that is an email link - please put "Face Mask" in the subject) with your name and address in the body of the email and we'll send you one, free of charge. While supplies last. Thank you for helping to keep us all safer! Oh, and please be assured, we will not send marketing emails to you.
April 3rd, 2020: We've started making PPE masks to give to our local First Responders and Care Givers.
March 25th, 2020: Please see our most recent business status report here.
March 24th, 2020: I came here to make a post about Plumeria Bay's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was struck by my last post, giving thanks (below). What struck me was that we really do have so much to be thankful for:
Our families, our friends, our caregivers, our doctors, nurses, the firefighters, police, and volunteers everywhere. Store clerks, postal service employees, UPS & FedEx delivery folks. Thank you for all you do, we love you!
Here's our current status regarding COVID-19 and how we're dealing with it.
Nov 27th, 2019: We have so much to be thankful for this year. Our Cascade Made™ line of goose down comforters and pillows is about 1 year old now. We are honored, and so thankful, that our customers have so warmly embraced our effort to provide an exceptional high quality, high value, U.S. made product.
Thank You!
Nov 4th, 2019: Plumeria Bay® is proud to announce that we have joined with 1% For The Planet. We love our neighbors, we love our customers and we love this place we call Earth. We figure that donating 1% of every sale to help support our environment is a good thing.
September 24th, 2019: Yesterday was the first day of Autumn! Such a beautiful time of year, especially those Indian Summer days that follow the first brisk (dare I say downright chilly!) nights of the season.
Also of note: We've enlisted the services of Shopper Approved®, an independent Third Party Review Service, to help us do a better job of transparently sharing our customer feedback and of following up with you, our customer. As of today, the integration of this into Plumeria Bay is about half finished. Hope to have everything complete by the end of this week.
Our Cascade Made™ line has been well received. We started making our Cascade Made™ comforters and pillows last October 2018, so Happy (early) Birthday Cascade Made™! Thanks to you we've had one of our best years in a very long time!
Happy Fall!
September 12th, 2019: Thank you for your patience! Orders received (that have not shipped) during the past week will begin to ship Monday, September 16th. Orders for Cascade Made™ comforters & pillows received today and through this weekend will ship early next week. We've had a great Summer and are ready for a busy Autumn and Winter season!
August 27th, 2019: Our production department will be closed beginning the afternoon of Tuesday, September 3rd to Friday, September 13th. This means that orders for Cascade Made™ comforters & pillows received during this time will begin to ship as soon as possible, beginning Monday, September 16th.
August 16th, 2019: Labor Day Sale, save 20% on all Sferra Bed Linens August 29th through September 2nd.
August 7th, 2019: We've excited to announce that we've upgraded our Cascade Made™ 800 down comforter! Now made with a beautiful Batiste cotton ticking that is milled and sewn in Austria, by Hefel.
This Batiste is our lightest weight down proof fabric, at 2.71 oz per square yard and is an stunning example of the best of what todays state of the art in milling, weaving and finishing techniques can achieve. Extremely light weight, soft, strong and downproof. When filled with our RDS Certified 800 Fill Power Hungarian White Goose Down, the Cascade Made™ 800 goose down comforter offers exceptional performance in all warmth levels, from our Ultra Light Summer Warmth to our very warm and fluffy Cascade Winter warmth.
We've also updated our comforter warmth levels. We bid a fond adieu to our Canadian Winter (for our Cascade Made™ comforters) and Klondike Winter warmth (for all comforters, Cascade Made™ and Canadian made).
For our Cascade Made™ comforters, we've added more down to our Winter Warmth and have added our "Cascade Winter Warmth".
April 22nd, 2019: Happy Earth Day! Our planet is a wondrous place. This picture is of Mt. Baker, with Depression Lake in the foreground. Depression Lake is named after a geological formation, (in geology, a depression is landform that is sunken, or "depressed", below the surrounding area). Located just up the road from us, we are blessed to be surrounded by such beauty.
March 20th, 2019: Oh my goodness, it's the first day of Spring! We are all nearly beside ourselves with joy! Happy Spring Everyone!
Our driveway, just a month ago!
December 17th, 2018: The 1st Day of Winter is nearly here. This day is an important anchor for me, living here in the sunlight & daylight challenged Pacific Northwest. It means that the days will soon start getting longer again! More sunlight is on the way! And Christmas is upon us. A New Year is just around the corner.
I've been thinking lately. And then I read this charming and funny article, about marketing and millennial's and buying the best "stuff". Mattresses, bed linens, bathrobes, vitamins, etc., etc.
Rebecca Jennings (the author of the above mentioned article) talks about how companies market their goods, and she makes some salient observations about how life changing, or not, a luxury purchase is.
Which brings me back to what I've been thinking about; the "marketing" of Plumeria Bay® and Cascade Made™. We make some (really) nice high quality down comforters and pillows, some of which can be considered expensive. We sell some really nice (and expensive) bed linens too.
I see marketing from bedding companies that promise the best sleep ever, if you'll just buy their stuff, and this is at the heart of what I've been thinking about.
Yes, a nice down comforter is a wonderful thing to have. Down pillows? I hate to sleep on anything else. Nice bed linens? I still feel spoiled! And it is true; if I've had a rough day our cozy bed is a great place to start to turn things around and realize what a great life I have.
But really, there is so much more than "stuff" when it comes to getting a great sleep. I've had some of the best sleeps of my life on the hard ground with my jacket wadded up for a pillow.
So, what does that mean? I guess it means this: You don't need to spend a lot of money to have a really good sleep. Keep warm and dry. Get fresh air. Get some exercise. Try and keep some regular sleep hours, and turn off the electronics an hour or two before hitting the sack.
It also means this: A cozy bed is really nice. But. It's not going to fix bad sleep habits. Even more to the point, if you have medical issues like sleep apnea, please do not ignore the signals your body is sending. Please seek medical help and attention. The life you save may be your own. That is one promise I feel very good about making!
Here's to wishing you the sweetest of dreams, a wonderful Christmas and the best 2019 ever! :)
Steve & the gang @ Plumeria Bay®.
Sept 24th, 2018: Fall is here, and we are excited to announce that, after 16 years of providing some of the best goose down bedding around, we will now be making our own line of world class quality down comforters and pillows.
Introducing... Cascade Made™!
We are beyond excited to have reached this point in the evolution of Plumeria Bay®. We've taken everything we've learned from some of the best in the business over the last 16 years, including what we've learned from our customer's, and put it into the DNA of Cascade Made™.
More details will be coming early this October, so please check back soon! Thank You!
May 23rd, 2018: First, the bad news: We've been able to absorb some of the price increases we've experienced over the past year or so, but another price increase is on the horizon, effective June 1st, 2018. Unfortunately, we will likely have to pass at least some of this on by increasing our prices.
So, what's the good news, you ask? If you take advantage of the specials we're offering now, you can save some money!
Also of note: It's that time of year when we have to count every ounce of down and every square yard of fabric. Inventory Time! Our production facility will be closed during this time, so orders received between Friday May 25th and Friday June 1st may take a few days longer to ship. Rest assured, we will do our best to minimize any delay.
April 20th, 2018: Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22nd. Perhaps it should be called "Ocean Day"? Our oceans cover more than 70% of this earth. So critical to the health of our climate, and so important to our food supply; our oceans are reaching critical mass for pollution, and the fish in our oceans are being overfished. This article from The Economist is worth reading if you are interested in some facts. In the mean time, maybe pick up some litter, recycle your garbage, hug a tree, plant some flowers, tell someone that you love them, and learn about the history of Earth Day. Thank You!
Dec 19th, 2017: Clean Water is something that is so easy to take for granted, yet there are so many people in the world that struggle to live without this resource that so many of us don't give a 2nd thought to.
We think that WaterAid is a well run charity, doing important work. Please take a moment to check them out. Hopefully you will be inspired to give.
Dec 18th, 2017: Our Production Department (the fine people that make our wonderful duvets, pillows & featherbeds) will be home with their families for the Holidays, beginning this Friday December 22nd. We will be back to work with warm rested hearts full of Holiday cheer, after the New Year on Tuesday, January 2nd., 2018.
Orders for down comforters, pillows and featherbeds placed during this time will take a bit longer than usual to ship. We thank you for your patience and wish you all the warmest of holidays, a Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah and the very best New Year ever!
Our Customer Service department will be open (except for Christmas Day & New Years Day) so please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.
May 26th, 2017: Our production facility will be closed for inventory Friday May 26th through Friday June 2nd. Orders placed for Down Comforters, Pillows & Featherbeds during this time may take a few extra days to ship.
Now for the good news, our Memorial Day Sale is happening now, until Wednesday May 31st! Please see our "Special Offers" for more information.
May 11th, 2017: Spring Sale! We're offering some really nice discounts on all goose down and eiderdown bedding right now. Please see our "Special Offers" for more information.
February 2nd, 2017: After several years of manufacturing in the United States for their U.S. customers, Schlossberg of Switzerland is once again manufacturing all their bed linens in Switzerland. It may take a little bit longer for your orders to ship; about 4 to 6 weeks. An upcoming price increase has been mentioned, but no details as to how much. Sferra has also announced a forthcoming "minimal" price increase, with more details to come later this month.
December 25th, 2016: Merry Christmas, Happy Chaunaka & Happy New Year!
November 23rd, 2016: Business was kind of slow the other day, then the phone rang. It was a prior customer calling to ask a couple of questions about our pillows. Then this gentlemen took the time to tell me how much he loved our products and how important he felt it was to support small business' that he liked. It may seem like a small thing, but it's not. That person, taking the time to share some kind words, made an otherwise "meh" day absolutely wonderful.
And now, it's the day before Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving Day, our family will be gathering. Things may be a little more "flavored" then usual, given the recent Presidential election and the fact that our family, much like the rest of America, is pretty evenly divided. With strong feelings on all sides. Still, I'm fairly confident that the day will be as wonderful as it usually is. Why? Because, Love, and a strong habit of Kindness. And knowing that despite everything, we all have so very much to be thankful for. Yeah, my family (and that includes you, Plumeria Bay visitor) rocks.
So, I just want to say Thank You. To everyone that takes the time to share, or receive, a kind word and a loving act. Thank you.
August 24th, 2016: "There are a lot more Egyptian cotton goods than Egyptian cotton". From the Wall Street Journal article: Wall Mart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and other large U.S. retailers are investigating if they've been supplied with phony "Egyptian cotton" sheets and towels. It is estimated that 90% of the products labeled as "Egyptian cotton" are fake. We're not at all surprised by this news.
May 10th, 2016: The Plumeria Polish down is in and back orders have all been filled! We are now accepting orders for The Plumeria duvets and pillows! Supply is still limited though, so we do recommend placing your order sooner, rather than later. Thanks to everyone that waited patiently for their Plumeria comforters and pillows.
May 4th, 2016: Happy Belated Earth Day! The "official" event was April 22nd, but in truth every day is Earth Day! Take a moment today to find out what you can do to help their efforts towards reforestation and endangered species protection.
Happy belated birthday to Plumeria Bay! 14 years old as of April 20th, 2016. Wow. Thank You!
Demand for our Plumeria down comforters and pillows has been extraordinary. This is wonderful, and beyond our wildest expectations, but it has also caused an issue with availability for this special and rare mature Polish white goose down. Our supplier is working furiously to meet our needs and we hope to be back to filling orders for these wonderful duvets and pillows soon.
For music lovers and musicians alike, please consider The Open String Foundation. They work to supply instruments and the strings that give voice to those instruments, to those in need.
Jan 1st, 2016: Happy New Year! Here's a heartfelt Thank You to all of our customers for allowing us to be of service and for helping our purpose, to Make The World a Softer Place, One Bed At a Time, seem even more worthwhile. We are so happy and proud to be a part, however small, of your comfort and joy. Thank You and best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016!
Oct 7th, 2015: Autumn is here! Such a beautiful time of year, as the trees celebrate with a riot of harvest color and a hint of chill begins to kiss the morning air.
It's also time (some would say it's way past time) to start thinking about Christmas shopping. If you are planning to give a Plumeria Bay down comforter or pillow(s), please keep in mind that all of our goose down bedding is made to order. We're anticipating a busy season, so to be sure that your orders ship in time for Christmas delivery (to the continental U.S.), please place your order by Friday, December 4th.
We'll be posting a Holiday shipping update to our Shipping Info page as we get closer to December, but you can be assured of a timely delivery if you have your order in by Dec 4th.
Thank you and... Happy Holidays!
May 20th, 2015: Our new site design is complete! Featuring a new "responsive" design that accommodates itself to all devises, from the smallest cell phone to large high-def desktop screens. That's nice, but probably more significant is the ease with which our products are presented.
Since many of these changes were made based on comments and suggestions by you, our visitor, we hope you find the "new" Plumeria Bay® easy to use. As always, please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, suggestions or comments.
March 19th, 2015: Price Increase: The cost for Eiderdown and our Canadian goose down has gone up, as well as the cost for our Apres™ Tencel fabric. This means that prices will be increasing for the following products, effective March 22nd, 2015: Traditional Luxury down comforters & pillows, Apres down comforters, Eiderdown comforters and pillows.
March 6th, 2015: We've been so very busy! January and February of 2015 were among our best months ever. Thank you.
We're also excited to tell you that we are in the process of a major redesign for the Plumeria Bay® website. Once complete, it will be much easier for our visitors to become familiar with and choose the comforter and pillow that they would like.
Nov 10th, 2014: Wow, it's November and Autumn is here! This year has been very busy and time has just flown by, so here's a big "Thank You" to our customer's for giving us wings. Of note: we've just added the St. Geneve Nico Organic Cotton Bed linens to our line-up. This is a GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) Certified fabric. 240 thread count (but softer than many offerings with double the count) Percale sheeting that is woven in Germany.
March 11th, 2014: While you sleep, your body does incredible things. Read the article & see the full size graphic at the Huffington Post.
June 25th, 2013: The importance of good sleep, not just once in a while, but as a regular part of your life, cannot be overstated. If you think you might be suffering from lack of sleep, please check out our Healthy Sleep page for links to in-depth resources. Also, take a moment to read this article; Steps for More, and Better Sleep, from the New York Times.
June 17th, 2013: Music. Of all human conceptions, music seems to me to be a most powerful agent of love and inspiration, of unification and freedom. Music is created, and it creates. Music exalts us in it's beauty. Music teaches us sorrow and compassion, joy and laughter. Music teaches us to dream. Music enriches us. Music makes us better human beings.
At the same time, the budgets for Arts education in our primary and secondary school systems are being cut for lack of resources. But, you can make a difference! Here are a couple of ideas to consider:
June 15th, 2013: An idea to consider: "If care-giving is absent from the political and economic discourse on health care, then nothing but institutional and monetary issues seem to matter." The Gesundheit! Institute is a project in holistic medical care based on the belief that one cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the family, the community, the world, and the health care system itself. About Gesundheit.
May 30th, 2013 Masterworks for all - The Riijksmuseum offers downloads of high resolution images of artwork, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, van Gogh, Vermeer and many others. At no charge. This is so wonderful. “We’re a public institution, and so the art and objects we have are, in a way, everyone’s property,” Taco Dibbits, Director of Collections at the Riijksmuseum. Begin your exploration here!
May 5th, 2013 Everything you ever wanted to know about lucid dreaming.
March 14th, 2013 It's official! Our new product line launched March 1st, and our redesigned downloadable interactive pdf catalog was published yesterday. We're gratified and thankful for the acceptance that our new line is experiencing. It seems that we are not alone in believing that there is value in excellence.
February 18th, 2013 We've been quiet, but very busy! We are so excited, and proud to announce...
We're raising the bar! We've taken what we've learned during the last 10 plus years in this business and applied these lessons to our new line of world class goose down comforters, pillows and featherbeds.
Each duvet and pillow, hand made to order. Master craftsmanship, evident in every detail. Pure luxury in every moment.
Plumeria Bay® - Making The World A Softer Place, One Bed at a Time
June 27th, 2012 50 Things to do before Summer Ends Some wonderful, silly & simply awesome ideas for the feminine, from Gala Darling. For men, most of the online lists we found were kind of lame, with getting stoned and drinking beer near the top. So for the guys, we suggest pilfering from Gala's list and substituting your favorite sport/outdoor activity where appropriate. Of course, we'd like everyone to add "Get a Plumeria Bay down pillow and comforter!" to their list! :)
May 20th, 2012 Consumer Fraud Alert - As the price for goose down increases, the incidence of fraud is bound to increase. From large retailers such as Wal-Mart selling goose down comforters that are actually duck down, to manufacturers mis-representing the quality of down (fill power) that they are using in their products; the bottom line is that you, the consumer, need to know what to look for when shopping for quality goose down bedding. Please remember, if the price of that bargain comforter seems to good to be true, it probably is.
May 20th, 2012 Came across this article from The Huffington Post that talks about goose down and "live harvesting", a practice that is illegal in the United States and many parts of Europe. For the record, all of the goose down used in Plumeria Bay comforters and pillows is a by-product of geese that have been killed for food (goose is a popular food item in many parts of Europe).
May 8th, 2012 The Wall Street Journal reports a steep rise in cost for goose down. Of course, we're well aware of this and have struggled to keep our prices as low as possible, but we have, very reluctantly, been forced to pass along some of this increase. The referenced article refers mostly to goose down from China. In Europe, and Hungary (where our goose down comes from) the price rise has been even more dramatic.
The WSJ article goes on to mention that some manufacturers are substituting relatively inexpensive Duck Down for Goose Down. Consumers be aware and beware!
May 4th, 2012 It's been a long time coming, but we're happy to announce that we now have videos of our comforters that show each warmth level, from Ultralight to Deep Winter, along with videos of our Summer and Winter Mulberry comforters. Probably one of the biggest challenges our customers face is the decision making process of which warmth level would be best for them. Hopefully this will help!
April 20th, 2012 Plumeria Bay is 10 years old today! Once again, we have you to thank for allowing us to serve and celebrate! Thank You!
March 2nd, 2012 Plumeria Bay is on Facebook! We'll be checking in, so please feel free to visit, make comments, ask questions and share Plumeria Bay with your Facebook friends.
June 1st, 2011 Our web site is updated with new pricing, as is our pdf catalog. We still have a good amount of printed catalogs (with old pricing) & will continue to use those until they are gone.
April 22nd, 2011 Commit random acts of greenness! Plant a daisy, visit the 2011 Skagit Tulip Festival (on a bicycle!), breath fresh air with abandon & learn how you can do even more to make our planet a healthier place to be. Happy Earth Day!
April 7th, 2011: Fair warning, buy now and save! Prices are going UP! Due to significant cost increases from our European suppliers, we'll be increasing our prices for all of our down bedding (comforters, pillows & featherbeds). While this will not be immediate, you can likely expect to see the increased pricing within the next month or two. It will likely take us some time to update our printed catalog and we will update our downloadable catalog as soon as possible. In the meantime, the pricing on our website is always current!
August 25th, 2010: It may be obvious, but kids that get more, and better, sleep, do better in school. This article suggests later school start times. Those pre-dawn bus schedules, especially in the middle of winter, have got to be rough. We think a good down pillow for the next future President of the United States would help too! :)