Open E: Starting An E-Commerce Website

This is the second post in a series called "Open E at MT." In the spirit of the Open Source software movement, I'll be openly sharing my learning experiences at an e-commerce entrepreneur.

Choosing Your Business Name URL.
Judaica Modern was second runner for the name of the website now called ModernTribe -- and strongly lobbied for by my dear friend Reid. After learning so much about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it may have been a better choice. That's because it has "Judaica" in the URL which weighs heavy for Google -- try searching for Judaica. You'll see that most top ranking sites have Judaica in the url but not much else going for them. For example, the third ranked site has a note on the home page about being closed for Passover! which was in April! But ModernTribe, I thought, would make a much better t-shirt. Oh if I only knew then...

Fun Fact: ModernTribe.com was owned by one of those internet bottom-dweller conglomerates who squat on thousands of domain names. The asking price was $1800 and I negotiated them down to $500.

You'll Need Two Kinds of Help to Build Your Site
You almost always need someone who will make your site look pretty: a graphic designer. These days it's not enough to know some html to create a good looking site. Sometimes you will also need a systems programmer. Some people say they are good at both design and programming. Be skeptical. Which type of help you need depends on the solution you choose for your website platform.

Choosing Your Website Platform is One of the Biggest Decisions You'll Make
Platforms are time-consuming and expensive to change so you've got to weigh the options carefully. Below are the four main choices you've got. Once you decide among one of these four approaches, you'll still need to narrow down to the particular what. But making the decision among one of these below is a good start.

Lease a site. Yahoo Shopping sites are an example. You pay a monthly fee to use their system which is hosted for you. The disadvantages are (1) the monthly fee and usually a percentage of gross sales and (2) although you can customize the look -- meaning -- you can pay a graphic designer to customize the look for you, the functionality of the system is whatever they offer. The advantages are (1) it's cheap and easy to get started and (2) the system is maintained and upgraded (I assume). Nexternal is another brand of site leasing.

Buy a solution to configure and host yourself. X-Cart is an example. You pay upfront for the software (X-Cart Gold is $229), upload the software and configure your site yourself. X-Cart says you don't need any knowledge of php (the programming language) to get it up and running. Yah. But you'd have to pay a programmer and/or graphic designer to customize it if you want unique look or function. Advantages are that there are no monthly fees or transaction fees, you can get the customization you want if you are willing to pay for it, and there is company support and a community of users around the solution.

Get an Open Source solution such as OSCommerce. Similar to buying a solution but you don't pay for any software. However, you wouldn't attempt to install and configure this puppy yourself unless you are a programmer -- ever -- just try following the forum posts, and there is no company support because there is no company. Instead there is large community support for your programmer. You would hire a programmer to create your site using the open source solution and you'd hire a graphic designer to work with the programmer.

Build it yourself. For completely customized function and look you can hire a programmer and graphic designer and go for it! This requires a lot of planning and specification writing and a general masochistic outlook. This is how we built ModernTribe. Advantages are big: you get what you want (or at least you try) and you own the site. Disadvantages are big too: you pay up front and age quickly -- both you and your website. You have to always be maintaining and upgrading. You become as dependent on your programmer as an infant to his mother. And on that note, I'll say goodnight, as I need to go email my programmer.

Teruah - Comprehensive Coverage of Jewish Music Scene

I just found a blog called Teruah (named after the nine notes in the series of sounds made by the shofar for Rosh Hashanah). Author Jack Zaientz is creating a truly impressive introduction and commentary on the Jewish music scene. His passion for Jewish music ranges from Chasidic to punk rock and he explores all that is happening now in Jewish music. I especially enjoy reading his posts on new Jewish artists infusing diverse music styles with Jewish ruach (spirit), for example, his post on Moshav Band leading Havdalah.

His site is heavily sprinkled with audio and video clips which is oh so wonderful for experiencing the music he is writing about. He has a Radio Widget too, so you can listen to a myriad of internet streamed Jewish music. If you want to keep up with what is happening in Jewish music, in a wide range of styles, check out Teruah.

Gaya Games: The Art of Thinking

Back to our trip to Israel...

While in Jerusalem, you'll likely find yourself on Ben Yehuda street, the major night-life and shopping district. Off Ben Yehuda on Moshe Solomon Street we found Gaya, a store full of games and puzzles, many of them invented and handcrafted in a Moshav (a cooperative similar to a kibbutz) called Hagor. We stepped inside to find the store full of young adults browsing the hundreds of different interlocking, string, and stacking puzzles and the friendly staff demonstrating some of the original strategy games. My husband played a game called, "The End of the Track," played on a chess board, with blocks that move like Knights but they have ball "heads" that move like Queens.

I bought the interlocking gun puzzle which can be reformed into a dog. Haven't attempted it yet.

Then, of course, I had to purchase the dreidel roulette set...

New Texas Dreidel Shirts are Here!

This weekend I had the pleasure of a visit from Steve Adler from Threaded Heritage. Steve is the talented graphic artist behind the Los Angeles based Threaded Heritage shirts. We had asked Steve to take our logo to the next level and create our new No Limit Texas Dreidel t-shirts. The shirts turned out great! They are available on MT now and will hopefully be available in stores near you soon.

While Steve was visiting we got goofy with our cameras and snapped some pictures with our new shirts. He brought along his beautiful friend Maria who modeled some shirts for us too. Below Maria is wearing the Threaded Heritage Ahava t-shirt. Where are they? They are standing in our very own ModernTribe warehouse!


Thanks for visiting!

Recipe: Lemon-Mint Juice ala Israel

Hi - You won't be getting many recipes from me. I don't like to cook and would order in or eat out all the time if we could afford it. However, today was Father's Day, we had friends over and I actually cooked (a little bit). I'm really taken with this recipe so thought I'd share.

A popular drink in Israel is a lemon-mint flavored soft drink. It has a slight fizz and isn't too sweet. Here is our attempt to re-create this drink at home -- our own original recipe:

Lemon Mint Juice ala Israel

2 cups ice cubes
2 lbs lemons
3 pints Sprite
one bunch fresh mint leaves
1 Tablespoon sugar

juice the lemons, strain seeds and add to pitcher, over ice cubes
add approx. 3 pints (3 16.9 oz bottles) Sprite
chop mint leaves add to pitcher
stir in 1 T sugar

Carrie Bradshaw Carries Kisim!

Our customers love the Israeli designed and made Kisim Cube handbags:

"I'm completely crazy about these Kisim Cube bags (though I'm normally not such a 'bag person') – they are basically the perfect bag: they are stylish, elegant, light and extraordinarily practical." Gina K., Cambridge, MA

In the new Sex in the City movie Carrie Bradshaw sports one!

You can buy it from ModernTribe in size large ($492) or medium ($439) in gray (Carrie is carrying a large gray cube), red, or black. Call us: 877-324-1818 or contact@moderntribe.com.

Shopping The Jerusalem Shuk - Machaneh Yehuda

Judging by the number of times our tour guide gave us shopping time, people visiting Israel love to shop. The trick, for me, was discovering the jewels hidden among the schlock-shops geared for tourists. I made this my mission for every touristy shopping stop -- find the design-forward, innovative shops and items and the authentic Israeli experience. I'm sure I only scratched the surface.

The Jerusalem Shuk (shuk means market) is the largest and busiest outdoor market in Israel. There is wonderful people watching and gorgeous fresh produce, nuts, and spices. Two cuisine experiences I recommend are sampling the rugelach and other wonderful pastries sold at many booths and trying one of the unique freshly squeezed and concocted juices. Harry, of Jerusalemite, a hip guide to Jerusalem, told me there is even a juice bar where one can get khat, catha edulis, which is a amphetamine-like stimulant, added to ones juice. Chewing khat leaves is an ancient Yemenite tradition. (I'm not sure if it is legal...)

Design-wise I found two golden nuggets in the Jerusalem Shuk, tucked away off side allies off the main drags of the shuk:

30 Walnut (is the name and the address) - a clothing and accessories store selling Riva, Neta Sade, and a designer Adamverivi, which makes wallets, key rings, and handbags out of laminated and stitched papers.




Bordeaux (6 HaTut, 6 Tut Street) - a clothing store with gorgeous serious clothing and cute t-shirts with cheeky sayings in Hebrew. The t-shirt above says something like, "What can I get you daddy?," a colloquial shouted out in the shuk to solicit business. I thought it perfect for me, being a shopkeeper and all!

Writing About My Trip To Israel: A Note

I've been thinking a lot about how I should write about my trip to Israel. Israel is an emotional, political, historical, and spiritual topic for me, as it is for many Jewish bloggers. However, what I try to do with ModernTribe and this blog is present a different side of Israel. Aesthetics, beauty and cleverness in design, what is fresh and new in the design world in Israel (and the space of Judaica across the world), is the focus. I want to expose the world to a different angle other than what we usually see on the evening news or at Temple and thus give people another way to see and perhaps connect to Israel. Therefore, my blog posts about my trip will largely focus on design and culture. But know, dear readers, Israel moves me in all the other ways too. And a trip to Israel is, most importantly, about deepening ones understanding of politics, history, and spirituality. But, while doing those things, I urge you to notice and enjoy the very new and exciting things happening in design, fashion, art and architecture in this thriving nation.

In the land of Plushood

While strolling Dizengoff in Tel Aviv we spotted our Plushood friends, in their special, limited edition, black outfits. The pic above is of Delores in the window of a women's clothing and lifestyle store called Gusta.

Then we had the pleasure of finally meeting some of our Israeli friends in person. Shlomi Schillinger and Tamar Moshkovitz are the designers and creators of Plushood -- the animation series and the dolls we all know and love. We met at the newly developed Old Tel Aviv Port which is full of shops, restaurants, and nightclubs and coolly features an undulating boardwalk!



It was a very hot and sunny day -- thus the shiny squinty faces. But isn't Tamar adorable (on right)?

Twirling in Tovale's from Shenkin Street, Tel Aviv

You'll be hearing a bunch about my trip to Israel in the upcoming week. Quickly, I want to tell you about Tovale's clothing in Tel Aviv. I visited the location on Shenkin Street where Israeli designer Naama Chasin has both her women's clothing and her "Little" line for children. The children's clothing I couldn't resist buying for my daughter. My three year old is obsessed with twirling skirts and dresses and this skirt has enough twirl to satisfy even her. It's all handmade with serious skill and attention to detail. We couldn't step five feet without someone commenting on her outfit yesterday at the Virginia Highland Summer Fest -- and she wasn't even sporting the headband! The outfit was expensive: the whole ensemble cost around $150, more than I'd usually spend on an outfit for my child. About 5x more, actually. Ouch. You can see more of the Tovale's line on their flash heavy website, but unfortunately the 2008 line isn't yet online.