about inventory, back-orders & wait lists

As items are produced they will be available for purchase both online and in our store. The same inventory is offered both online and in-store, there are not separate pools of items. The correspondence of online and in-store inventory levels is managed by hand so please understand that there may be occasional discrepancies between online and real life numbers as things get updated. Click here to quickly check what is in stock (or available for backorder) in any sort of item you might be looking for (for example, find all the queen fitted sheets that are available to purchase today). If you purchase an in-stock item, please still wait to hear from us before coming to the store to collect it, as sometimes an item we have in stock may still be at our workshop.

If a particular size of an item is out of stock, a few situations may apply. If we are permanently unable to make more of that item you will not be able to purchase the product. However, some out of stock items will be available to purchase as a back-order and some others may have a wait list and these options are explained below.

The items that are available for back-order will be identified as such and can be purchased today. We will make your items for you, this may take us up to 4-5 weeks and we’ll be in touch once they are ready to be picked up or shipped. If your order combines in-stock and back-ordered items we will generally wait until all the items are ready before contacting you.

While we are regularly restocking our inventory, things are selling as fast as we make them, so we are primarily focusing on the most popular items. For some items that we are able to make but for which we aren’t able to take backorders, we will be using a waitlist system.

To join a waitlist, simply go to the item as if you were going to purchase it, if it is not in stock the system will then offer you a chance to join the waitlist. Not all items have waitlists so if it doesn’t do that, then unfortunately, you can’t waitlist for it. Please note that an account on our website is required to add your name to a wait list, so if you don’t have one already, you’ll have an opportunity to create one at that point.

Generally, due to the huge number of different items we make, we aren’t able to provide a timeline of how long it may take to restock any particular item, but when we are able to restock items with waitlists, everyone on the list will get an automated email from us letting them know that there is some stock available for purchase. No items are held for anyone in particular, at that point it is first-come, first-served so we would advise not to wait too long to make the purchase if you are still eager for the item. If for whatever reason, you are unable to purchase the item, you will remain on the list to be notified again when more stock is available.

If you’d like to be removed from the wait list at any time, you can click UNSUBSCRIBE on the notification email you receive, you can also manage all your waitlists from your account page on our website, or alternately you can contact us to have us remove your name for you.

Right from the beginning of the pandemic our supply chain has been affected and most critically, our cotton orders have been delayed several times. If you’ve been patiently waiting for us to make something, you already know that this can take a while. For a few periods this past year we have gone without cotton and been unable to produce very much at all. Patience is a virtue right now and we want to thank many of you for the grace and understanding you’ve extended to us when you’ve reached out by phone, email or in the store. We’re so grateful for those of you that have joined waitlists and held on for the items you’d like. Some waitlists are quite long so it may be that you aren’t able to get one of the first few pieces we make. Please be patient a little while longer and keep an eye on your email for more waitlist notifications, because if you don’t make a purchase, you remain on the list until you do, so you’ll find out about the next one we make.

Besides the repeated cotton shortages, some of our other basic supplies like certain dyes or the thicker elastic we use for fitted sheets have also been in short supply. This has certainly taught us a lesson about fragile supply chains. Ordinarily, we would accept unlimited orders for any item in our catalogue, as we make everything ourselves. COVID-19 has changed everything. Most unexpectedly, we are experiencing a giant surge in demand which while obviously super welcome, supply constraints mean we can barely keep up. We anticipate that restocking even just the most sought after items will continue to be a challenge, as things are selling just about as fast as we can make them. 

Though the COVID emergency is showing signs of easing here in BC, it is still very much raging elsewhere in the world. International shipping also continues to be a big issue, one that seems to be getting worse rather than better. Shipping containers are in very short supply and shipping costs have skyrocketed. You can read a quick but still really good explanation of the problems here. All of this means that our supply chains will remain stressed and unreliable far longer than we’ll likely be dealing with COVID here in BC. The mills that make the majority of our cotton are in India and are only just now getting back to work. We’ve found a short term alternate supply, but it is considerably more expensive, arrives in small amounts on an unreliable schedule, and may not be sufficient to tide us over until the regular cotton arrives. Sadly, that means our inventory situation will not improve quickly, and we do not currently expect to be reopening unrestricted orders for some time. The possibility of ending up with a huge list of orders that external events keep us from being able to fill, is the kind of risk we aren’t comfortable taking. We get that this might lead to some frustration for a few of you, so please know we really appreciate your patience and understanding and are working as hard as we can at restocking.