New Arrivals.... Orb!

Hiya!

I just got a HUGE shipment in of Orb... which is a super awesome line based out of Vancouver (which is becoming quite the fashionable place if I do say so myself!). It's young, and hip, and a great price point too. Very 'Bench' like, minus the labels all over them!! Great coats and sweatshirts too. OH and the purses are totally fab, very unique and GREAT colors :)


Great colors: Corals, blues, purples, yellows... very Summer-ish! It's coming. I promise. Even though it IS snowing out on April 11 :)

Have a super Easter weekend!

We really pulled it off... Opening Day!!

Opening day was SO much fun and much much more than I expected... we were exhausted though! Mom and I finished up the store last night at 1:30am and it looks spectacular. I really didn't think we were going to be able to pull it off, but we did!


Yesterday is a total blur... woke up early... ran around a ton for last minute stuff... went to the store to finish odds and ends, hang and finish tagging clothes, merchandise all the clothes around the store... watch the Sign installers hang the sign... make the window display... washing the windows... taking out the garbage... wait for the countertop... making alternative arrangements for the lack of countertop...washing the floors... I still can't believe we got that all done in a day! But needless to say, we were exhausted when we left. And this morning too.


The day went super well. Lots of well wishes from all and overall it was very well received by Saint John. I hope the buzz is good outside the store as well :) People recognized and loved Paige Premium Denim (yesss!), the Canadian designers went over well like Guido and Mary and Lily + Jae, so did my Hunter boots that came in last minute... we're off to a great start! Hope you enjoy the pictures- they're a little off color (I was in a rush to take them and the camera's not great!!)

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who helped and complimented and made it perfect :) I'm just pleased as punch....



I am soooo looking forward to tomorrow, but more importantly, I'm looking forward to a good night sleep tonight!


OH! and PS- the verdict is NO harem pants... I'm getting the impression that no one likes them but me. You'll see though, they're cool...

A not so fun thing.. the POS system...

SO the most current frustrating item on my list of store opening saga's is this darn Point of Sale system (the register software on my computer), which is very fancy and highly technical but doesn't make much sense to me. Basically I have to imput in every clothing item (thousands of pieces) into the system, including price, bar code (make one too), wholesale cost, quantity and all this other tricky stuff. Man, all I can say is that it's a long and boring process. I have a little, which is growing bigger and bigger, corner in my poor mother's living room devoted to my boxes and computer, where I input all the clothes deep into the night... sigh... I'll get the hang of it eventually :)

Hammer- I mean Harem- Pants

I just want to settle a little fashion debacle in Spring O9's trends... Harem or Hammer pants are COOL folks... I fully intend on getting my hands on a pair... they're everywhere! and just look so deliciously comfortable, I really can't see how you could go wrong. Come on ladies, it's a cross between men's pants (ya know, roomier) and leggings... why stop it if they feel so right?!?!

This idea just sparked in my head as I was watching MC Hammer bust a move with Ellen DeGeneres. I saw harem pants all over Spain last winter, and all over Scandinavia this past Summer... I'm just giving everyone a heads-up, they're coming, and they're awesome. I've seen them on every body shape. They're almost like a modern day gaucho- wear them dressed up, or down. Both are cute and comfortable.

I don't have any lined up in the store yet (haven't found much out there YET!) but my eyes are open. Maybe I'll get some feedback on them before I stock 30 pairs in 12 different colors ;)

Here's a few site's that back me up on this debate:
http://style.la-mimi.com/fashion-trends/harem-pants-trend/
http://www.fashionmagazine.com/blogs/fashion/styled-west/2009/01/14/style-resolution/
(see number 3)
http://uk.fashion.popsugar.com/2663308


Anyways- the store's really coming together :) I can't wait to show it to you!!

the NEWSPAPER!

A few weeks ago I was hooked up with Erin Dwyer, a writer for the Telegraph Journal, Saint John's local newspaper. She writes a weekly column in 'The City' section of the paper and wanted to write a little somethin' on the store! So of course, free press for me!, I said yes :) I was a little nervous and caught of guard when she called, but the article turned out great! I'm even pretty thrilled with the picture that came along with it, which was much bigger than I anticipated and in color!!

Here's the article:
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/605419

... I'm still on the search for store fixtures! What a pain in the butt. Putting more orders in for Spring too! The store is going to look great, but no sooner than April 1. 2 weeks from tomorrow! AHHHHH!!!

Mannequins, painted ceilings and harwood flooring... oh and clothes!

Just a quick update with the store-

Whew, so things are STILL crazy and getting crazier. BUT the good news is: the store is lookin' pretty dannnng sweet if I do say so myself. I'm down to a good size list of things to get accomplished before opening, but it's no longer overwhelming which is a slight relief.

So the floors are officially done, now its the trim, the countertop and a few odds and ends. And last minute we decided to have the ceiling painted, so that's another big project. The contractor and all of his workers should be out by the end of the week/early next week! Then it's cleaning, and more cleaning and a mad dash to get everything in, arranged and perfect.

OH! and the logo's all done, oh it's so good! Dawn at INK Graphic Design has done such a fabulous job, I'm lovin' everything she comes up with! Here's a peek at my logo:


Cool, huh?

T-minus one month to opening!

SO! I figured I'd fill you in on my slowly-getting-more-awesome-never-ending-project- store!! Whooo! It used to be a men's clothing store, titled 'Nagles' for all you SJ'ers. It's on the second level of Brunswick Square, a shopping center in the heart of uptown. It's a pretty awesome location considering that the majority of the stores in the mall are individually owned and operated. So I fit right in!

Previously it was covered in hunter green, sail boats, and more green. yuuuuck! Would defiantly not work for a fashionable woman's clothing store. Here's a picture of the before shot:


Now, we're going through a ton of rennovations. I already have the space painted (not by me of course... ugh that would've been a disaster area!) and it turned out completely different than I imagined, BUT it's so growing on me and coming together. Today I (yes me, the first handy work I've done in ages...) painted the stockroom, it turned out cool, I'm very proud, but it's not well done, so not that proud. Mom doesn't trust me to hang up my fun wallpaper on the backwall, so we're going to get that accomplished this week as well. Now the space is getting its floors redone to a really cool hardwood, tres rustic look to it. And the contracter, after patiently waiting, should be done in 2 weeks! Then it's madness until opening on April 1st! Here's a picture mid-way through the fun! Oh and that's me :)


I'm getting so excited about decorating the store, but man, it's a lot of work! The walls (you can't really tell in the picture above) but are a mauve-ish, taupe-ish, grey-ish color. And the wallpaper is SO cool! It's just against the backwall, just to make a little statement. It's a WEIRD color, sometimes its taupe, then its silver, but it all blends really well! Here's a little swatch of the wallpaper:
Now it's all about finding fun stuff to put in the store. I have some here and there, and my poor car's trunk is almost full! Oh man! I have so much more to do!