Win a Reeds Ferry Shed at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Billerica. The Drawing is June 15th

The best thing about Girl Scout cookies is not only are you helping out the Scouts, you also get to eat a box of Thin Mints… Helping a good cause while you simultaneously benefit is nice; it’s a win-win. Here’s another one; how about a spot where you could buy building materials that you had to buy anyway, but all the proceeds from your purchase went to help a less fortunate family build their own home?  Yup; there’s such a place; it describes the “ReStore” in Billerica MA operated by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell.

What is a “ReStore”?  The one in Billerica feels like the old Grossmans Bargain Outlet. Grossmans sold surplus building materials at a reduced price. Similarly the Habitat’s ReStore gets surplus or slightly damaged building materials from area retailers like Home Depot and Lowes and sells them at a bargain price to the general public. The difference is all the items in the ReStore are donated by the retailer and the money from the sale goes directly to help area families who are sponsored by Habitat for Humanity.

If you have a big home improvement project you likely could save a few bucks by checking out the items on sale at the Restore. The store is located at 257 Boston Road in Billerica, just up the street from Market Basket. They started with just building materials, but you’ll also find appliances, home goods, furniture, and sheds… Sheds?!!!

Reeds Ferry Sheds donated a new 8×12 Victorian Cottage Shed to the store. You’ll see it right by the front door as you walk in. Unlike most of the other items donated, our shed is NOT surplus or damaged, it’s brand spanking new and perfect in every way. The Habitat for Humanity folks are raffling it off at $10 a ticket. We might suggest that while you’re there buying 17 pallets of roof-shingles for just pennies on the dollar you throw in an extra $10. You’ll have a chance at winning a $5,000 shed and help out Habitat for Humanity at the same time. Merely a suggestion

Tim Carleton, Co-Owner of Reeds Ferry Sheds; Dan Bush, Dir of Development -Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell; Laurie K. Blanchette, Controller -Reeds Ferry Sheds, Inc. in front of the donated Reeds Ferry Shed at the H4H ReStore in Billerica. (No shovels were harmed in the making of this picture. In fact no shovels were even used)

If you believe “charity begins at home” then you can’t top the work of Habitat for Humanity of Lowell. Over the last few decades they’ve built numerous homes for financially limited families in the Lowell area. (Picture Jimmy Carter with a hammer; same outfit)  The family receiving the home is required to invest “sweat equity” during the building project and pay a mortgage afterwards, but the home or mortgage wouldn’t have been possible without the financial and volunteer support of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat believes strong, safe, healthy communities begin with people that have a stake in them, and that increasing home ownership improves the entire community. Makes sense.

If you’re interested in learning more about Habitat for Humanity of Lowell click here. Or if you’re looking to browse for real bargains on building materials and other items for your home check out the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Billerica.  When you stop in to the ReStore please take a look at the Reeds Ferry Shed and consider laying down a crazy $10 bet; the shed raffle drawing is Saturday June 15^th. Call Reeds Ferry at 888-857-4337 for more information.  -The Shed Ferry

Reeds Ferry Sheds Wins Service Award

Reeds Ferry Sheds has earned the 2012 Super Service Award given by Angie’s List, the popular online review site. This is the 3rd straight year Reeds has won the award. Every home improvement company in America is listed on Angie’s List, but each year less than 2.5% earn Angie’s Super Service badge. The award is only given to companies that consistently score high grades for customer satisfaction.

If you read our Angie’s reviews you’ll notice in the majority of them our customer praises the installation team that installed their shed. The quality of people representing our company makes us extremely proud. This award pays tribute to our staff for their high level of service, and serves to remind us that the secret to a good shed is having good people. We thank them.

Angie’s List slogan is “reviews you can trust”. Unlike other online review sites it’s impossible for a company to manipulate their rating. -For example, Angie’s reviews are never anonymous, and Angie’s staff individually screens every review to be certain it is authentic and written by a legitimate homeowner. Also companies cannot pay to “join” Angie’s List, so Angie’s treats each company without bias. A company can respond to a review, but they can not remove or change it. Additionally, reviewers can only report on a specific company once every six months, and they must prove that they are in no way affiliated with the business. These measures have made Angie’s List the most credible and respected online review site on the web.

Angie’s members rate each company based on price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality, and professionalism, and then assign an overall letter grade. Reeds Ferry has 32 reviews total, and every one of them with an “A” grade.  We’re the only shed company in new England to score 100% A’s.

Reeds Ferry Sheds Says Blizzard, Schmizzard

Reeds Ferry installed 5 sheds today. It wasn’t a picnic, but our customers were waiting and we delivered. This morning on Channel-5 Harvey Leonard advised everyone to stay inside and toast marshmallows, but like all TV weathermen Harvey tends to make reports of snow sound a bit like the Mayan Prophecy of Dec 21^st. Understood! A blizzard is a serious thing, and for a weatherman it’s their Super Bowl. But for our installers, working in the cold and flurries before the blizzard was simply another day at the office.

Reeds Ferry Installers: Dustin, Josh, Rich, Jimmy, Steve, and Matt

Frankly we wouldn’t chance working in this weather if we didn’t have quality people working with us. The conditions required extra care and caution on both the build and the road to and from, but our teams have the experience it takes to do the job right. They are like the rugged men of the Yukon, able to track a grizzly bear through the sub-zero blinding snow of the Rocky Mountains and trap it with nothing more than a bowie knife and a ball of twine… Then go home to an X-Box and a Bud.

All 5 sheds were successfully installed. Our customer will be able to blow tomorrow and put the blower in its new home tomorrow night. All our crews are now back in the barn safe and sound. We’ll ride out the storm, toast a marshmallow, and get right back at it bright and early Monday. Till then, we wish you and yours a warm safe Blizzard of 2013. -The Shed Ferry

Reeds Ferry Sheds Wins Excellence in Customer Satisfaction Award

BOSTON – Reeds Ferry Sheds® of New England has been awarded the “Talk of the Town -Excellence in Customer Satisfaction Award” for 2012. Reeds Ferry Sheds® earned a 5-Star rating on a scale of 1-to-5 stars. The ratings are tabulated by Celebration Media U.S. (CMUS). CMUS uses a proprietary algorithm to scan all business rating services, websites, blogs, and social media sites for company reviews posted across the entire Internet. The data is then compiled to determine an overall composite of customer satisfaction for every business nationwide. This CMUS Power Ratings System™ has been recognizing companies that provide superior service for more than 15 years. Only those businesses with a 5-Star rating qualify for the “Excellence in Customer Satisfaction Award”. Reeds Ferry Sheds has won the award for five consecutive years. For more information about the “Talk of the Town -Excellence in Customer Satisfaction Award” please visit www.TalkoftheTownNews.com.  To learn more about Reeds Ferry Sheds® please visit: www.ReedsFerry.com

Reeds Ferry Sheds Receives a “Michael-gram”

The other day we received a note from Michael Graham, Boston Herald Columnist and former Host on WTTK 96.9 FM Talk. The Boston station recently switched from Talk to a Hip Hop format called Power 96. The change led to the exit of Graham and the rest of the FM Talk staff. Mike’s note thanked us for supporting his afternoon program through the years. – We will use this spot to return the appreciation, as it was Michael’s talent in telling our story that played an important role in building the Reeds Ferry brand. Thank you Michael.

We realize the radio landscape is always changing so another format change is hardly a surprise, but as many better informed commentators have pointed out this particular format change was odd.

If nothing else, as the only Talk format on the FM dial 96.9 was unique. Fans of the station would say it provided a forum for the exchange of ideas and its detractors likely felt the exchanges further highlighted our divide. (Both are correct; sharing opinions is a messy business.) Yet seeing that the political leanings of the various hosts ran the gamut from progressive to conservative questioning the format change is less about where you stand on politics and more simply a question of why?  Why did they eliminate a platform in the public square and replace it with another jukebox for the Jersey Shore set? Who thought it was a good idea to add another pop music station playing 13 in-a-row?

Good question… The answer of course is “follow the money”, (or at least someone’s attempt to make more of it). WTKK’s ratings were not at the top of the heap so it’s likely the same type of focus group research that led Coke to change their recipe led WTKK’s management to believe switching formats would lead to higher ratings and greater financial success. Perhaps it will, although in our case we never advertised on WTKK because of its ratings or audience size; rather it was the quality of their audience. We found that people who give serious thought to the issues of day also give serious thought to the products they purchase; therefore choosing our shed was the logical outcome.

We are confident Michael, Margery, Jim and the others will land squarely on their feet; smart people always do. And because nature abhors a vacuum the void left by the departure of WTKK will likely be filled by another radio station down the road. – Until then we will briefly stop on the new Power 96, (and with admitted pretentiousness), we’ll scratch our head and wonder if the phrase “hip-hop culture” is an oxymoron.

-The Shed Ferry

Santa Claus Partners with Reeds Ferry Sheds

When Santa Claus needed a shed he made a list of companies, checked it twice, and chose Reeds Ferry. We’re not looking to blow our own horn. Just because Santa chose our shed doesn’t mean ours is any better, it only means one of the most beloved characters in the history of the world, who has been responsible for the joy and happiness of millions of children for thousands of years, thinks we make a better shed. – That’s all it means.

Santa called a month ago to ask if we could do one of our shed-to-cabin conversions at the Garden City Center in Cranston. He has a throne in every climate controlled mall, but Garden City is one of those new open-air shopping centers. If he sat outside all day his cheeks would be more than rosy, they’d be frostbitten, so he wanted us to build a warm cabin where he could meet with his fanbase. We designed a 12×20 Victorian Cottage with “Santa Red” cedar shakes. The custom cabin was outfitted with wall paneling and baseboard heating; then Santa and Mrs. Claus added a gift shop, photo booth, and faux fireplace. According to Santa the cabin is as warm and cozy as his place up north, and if we had added a “reindeer dropping shuffleboard court” it would be just like home.

Open-air centers create a problem in Santa’s business model, but the cabin will correct it. This is good, because chic open-air centers like Garden City are all the rage. Garden City is known as a “lifestyle center”, which means it’s a retail facility or mixed-used commercial development with an outdoor concourse that combines the traditional functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards upscale consumers, (we stole that from Wikipedia). All we know is the Center has the type of stores Reeds expects to be associated with; in other words, if Reeds Ferry made women’s blouses instead of sheds, ours would be in the front window of the Ann Taylor at Garden City. In fact we think all the stores at Garden City are like Reeds Ferry; they strive to provide higher quality, a custom fit, and a better buying experience.

We’d like to thank Garden City’s General Manager Joe Koechel, and Marketing Director Janice Pascone for all their help on the project. We also want to thank Michael Campbell. Michael works for the Noerr Group as Santa’s Talent Agent. He manages all of Santa’s appearances, and it’s a huge job. For example, Michael has to manage Santa’s flock of look-alike surrogates that fill-in for him when he’s over-booked. Surrogates?!!! This was a shock to all of us, but if you think about it, in order to cover thousands of shopping centers at the same time it’s probably necessary. We asked Campbell how people could tell if they were dealing with the authentic Santa brand? He said, 1) Do the “Buddy the Elf Test”: If the Santa smells like beef and cheese than he’s an imposture, and 2) Ask to see his certificate of graduation from Saint Nick University!!! Believe it or not, Santa and Noerr Group manage an institution of higher learning that offers a full undergraduate degree in Santalogy, (the study, science, and mimicry of Santa Claus). The school’s motto is: “You have to be more than over-weight to matriculate” … My goodness. Take a look at the Saint Nick University video below. It’s mind-bending.


On a final note, last week Garden City invited everybody at Reeds to come down for a meet-and-greet with Santa. We had a great time! He fed us frosted cupcakes covered with maple syrup, and taught us how to make snow angels without moving our arms or legs. We were about to tell Santa that “we had been good all year”, but he said he had talked to many of our customers before calling us, and they all thought we were very good.  We assumed Santa felt the same, but every time it was our turn in line we got so excited we forgot to ask for a reference. All we needed was one last turn, but we’d been through the line 47 times and some of the other kids were starting to get mad; so alas…

– We started our truck, and waved fond adieu
– He shouted “safe trip”, and up 95 we flew
– But we heard him exclaim as we drove out of sight,
–“Reeds Ferry’s the best, if you want it done right!!!”

Merry Christmas from all of us at Reeds Ferry Sheds 

Reeds Ferry Sheds Tax Free Sale

Reeds Ferry Sheds is celebrating the Massachusetts tax-free holiday. The holiday in 2012 is the weekend of August 11^th and 12^th. (You can order your shed before the weekend and we execute the actual purchase on the 11^th-12^th )  Purchases made by Mass residents totaling $2,500 or less aren’t subject to the Massachusetts 6.25% state sales tax.

A Reeds Ferry Storage Shed priced at $2,500 or below is a qualified tax-exempt purchase. Massachusetts residents buying a $2,500 Reeds shed during the tax-holiday sale save $156.25 in sales tax. But wait; why is there any sales tax at all? Isn’t the Reeds Ferry factory-showroom located in tax-free New Hampshire? Yes, but Massachusetts law requires any out-of-state business to charge Mass sales tax if they knowingly sell a product to a Massachusetts resident.

The word “knowingly” is the key. Stores in New Hampshire that aren’t required to know, don’t ask, and because they don’t have to ask they are not responsible for collecting the tax. For example, when a Massachusetts homeowner drives north and buys a flat screen TV at the Sears store in Nashua New Hampshire, unless the store delivers the TV they aren’t required to ask where the customer lives, so the tax is not their responsibility, it is the responsibility of the buyer. That’s right!. After the Massachusetts residents puts the TV in the back of his car and drives home to the Bay State, the homeowner is supposed to declare the purchase on their state return and pay the tax on their own! Gee whiz; wonder how often that happens!

Frankly, Reeds Ferry would prefer to operate like the Sears in Nashua and charge no sales tax to any customer. We would trust that all our Massachusetts customers would follow the “honor system” and report the purchase on their own. (wink)  The problem is, in our business, because we need the delivery address of each customer, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue has a clear road map to the sales tax they are due, and they are very adept at collecting it.  To quote Bill Belichick, “It is what it is”

Still, Reeds Ferry is very excited that all of our customers to the south get to celebrate tax-free this time of year. And once the Tax-Holiday is over, as impractical as it may seem, if you ever decide to buy one of our sheds and strap it on the roof of your car… we won’t ask you where you’re going.      -The Shed Ferry