Sidewalk Sale = Success

Well the Sidewalk Sale was definitely a success! The majority of customers were new which is great because it means that many more people know about the store now. Friday was a little slow because of the thunder storm but all in all it was terrific! Yesterday was my day off and I slept in super late and took it easy all day.

In product news, we got more totes in from Birdie Handmade, more napkins and such from Ferocious Textiles, and more earrings and wristbands from Alison Murphy.

Also, a few Made Boutique crafters will be at Studio STK this Friday participating in their Art to Go event. I'm going to try and make it over there this time. You should try to go too!

Look what I found!

This morning I was checking out my website statistics and I saw that people were getting to my site via the Sacramento Craft Mafia Blog. They chose the Burlington Craft Mafia as their mafia of the week on 7/13 and they mentioned the store! What a nice Sunday morning surprise...

Sale! Sale! Sale!

Holy Canoli- The sale is going great! You have 3 more days to get in on the action and watch me run up and down the stairs like a crazy lady. I could take it easy and just stay upstairs and wait for people to come up but I can't stand being upstairs while all the action is going on in the tent! Well I'm getting lots of exercise which is good for me so I can't complain.

Hope you can stop by this weekend if you haven't already!

New Stuff!

With all the Sidewalk Sale craziness I forgot to tell you about all of the new stuff that's in the store! Yesterday we got new dresses/tunics in from Nice Face. They are the most comfortable jersey dresses and Whitney sent a whole size run (S,M,L) of the faux collar tunic which I want so badly.

We also got the prettiest clutches in from August Lately. They are perfect if you're going to a wedding or even just for a night out on the town.

And, we now have a small selection of planners/journals from Little Otsu. My favorite is the 3 in 1 book designed by Lart Cognac Berliner. There is a to-do list section, a sketch page section, and a notes section. Like all Little Otsu products, it's printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable based inks.

See you at the shop!

Sidewalk Sale Crafter Schedule

As I said in a previous post, in addition to all of the lovely sale items, there will also be Made Boutique crafters under the tent selling their own wares.

Here is the schedule:

Wed. July 25th - misshawklet (11a-3:30p)
Thurs. July 26th - Joanne Kalisz and Stacie Mincher
Fri. July 27th - Joanne Kalisz and misshawklet
Sat. July 28th - Alison Murphy and elm-bellishments
Sun. July 29th - Joanne Kalisz and Ferocious Textiles

The weather is looking a little iffy for this weekend but we do have a tent so unless it's really pouring the show will go on. IF the weather does end up getting really bad, we will move everything inside to the hallway in front of the shop. Hopefully the weather will hold out!

New Jewelry!

Yesterday Claire Barrett came by the shop to drop off some of her beautiful jewelry and I am so excited to have it in the shop! Claire is a metalsmith student at Pratt in Brooklyn but is originally from VT and is home for the summer. She's keeping busy at the Williston Farmer's Market every week as well as participating in Studio STK's Art to Go monthly events.

The rings range from $20-$35 and come in a variety of sizes.



The pendants range from $40-$80 and come strung on brown leather cord. The human heart is my favorite!



Stop by this weekend to see them!

Holly Hue

Holly Hue is a Buffalo, NY designer whose clothing has been in the shop since last September. You probably recognize her very unique side zip hoodies. Each one is made from mostly recycled materials and that means that no two hoodies are the same.



Well, when I was at Renegade in June, Holly had a booth and I got to see some of her newest designs. She has added a hoodie dress to her line and let me tell you it is adorable! They are empire waist and even have pockets! I got three in yesterday but they won't actually be out in the shop until the Sidewalk Sale. Just one more reason you should come on down for the big sale...

Felt Inspiration!

I've been really inspired by felt crafts lately and according to Wikipedia, felt is the oldest form of fabric known to humankind. A quick search on Flickr just fueled my fire and these are a few of my fave pics.



And I'm not sure why but my favorite Flickr felters seem to be from Spain and Portugal. I'm thinking of making some felty Christmas ornaments to sell at the shop this holiday season. We'll see if I actually do it...

Happy Birthday to Made Boutique!

Yesterday was our One Year Anniversary! It went by really fast but boy was it a LONG year...

So many things have happened since opening; I organized two craft fairs, had 5 art openings, hosted a knitting class, participated in a fashion show, moved locations, and even got some press!

I also learned a lot about myself and a lot about the retail business. For example, not everyone is going to find something they like in your store- do NOT take it personally. Having someone come into the store and tell you they LOVE EVERYTHING, makes up for the small percentage of people who don't like anything.

For those of you who are thinking of starting your own business, here are the top 5 things I love and hate about owning my business.

LOVE:
1) I am my own boss. I do whatever I want whenever I want.
2) I get to worry about fashion and style and not importing and exporting. Reading fashion magazines is an essential part of my job.
3) Telling people you own a store and then hearing them say they've always wanted to do that is very gratifying. I did something people only ever dream of doing.
4) No office politics or drama.
5) Variety- every day is a different challenge.

HATE:
1) It is a lot of work. I work 6 days a week and every weekend is spent at the shop.
2) Financial instability- you never know if it is going to be a good sales day or a bad sales day.
3) It is so hard telling artists that I have chosen not to accept their work in the store. I usually take the cowardly way out and just never email them back.
4) Trying to explain to customers why an item costs more at my store than at Old Navy is really starting to get old. It's HANDMADE people!
5) I think about the store 24/7. It is always on my mind and it's very hard to "take a break" from it.

Generally, the Love outweighs the Hate and if I could go back in time I would do it all over again.

Thanks to all of my awesome customers and my amazing, supportive family- I could not have done it without you.

I can't wait for our Second Anniversary!

Sidewalk Sale & One Year Anniversary

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the mega sale that will be going on from July 25-29. The Sidewalk Sale takes place on Church St every year and there will be some great deals to take advantage of.

The store will have a tent on Church St. in front of our doorway with a rack of 75% off items and another rack of 50% off items plus a table of sale accessories. AND local crafters will also be on street level selling their own wares. I'm still trying to put together a schedule of who's selling when but I will keep you posted.

And because it's our One Year Anniversary every regular priced item in the shop will be 15% off!

Can you believe it's only been a year?! Sometimes it seems like I've been doing this forever...

Rain Rain Go Away!

What a bummer that my one day off is rainy and grey...at least I get to spend it lounging in my house rather than at the store.

In store news, Erin Meharg aka elm bellishments brought by some new earrings as well as check book covers made of vintage ties. We also lowered prices on all of the older earrings she had in the shop so if you saw a pair that tickled your fancy now is the time to come and get them. Also, Joanne Kalisz will be bringing by a few more bubble dresses similar to this one:



Plus Xenos Designs will be sending some larger sizes which I can't wait to see.

The opening on Friday was a blast! If you didn't make it, Ethan's stuff will be up for the next few months so definitely check it out the next time you're downtown. This is one of my favorite pictures of the night:



And local massage therapist Hanna stopped by and she just happened to be wearing some Made Boutique items and I had to get a picture:



She is wearing a shrug made by Rohm Custom and a tank dress made by Kahri. Doesn't she look great!?

Stay dry!

ps- It was Kev's birthday yesterday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him!

I Hate Blogger

I just wrote this long post and then it kicked me off and didn't save it!

Anyway- Come on down to see Ethan O'Hara's art tonight. There will be treats and refreshments for all. Ethan actually came by last night to put everything up and a couple from NH came in and bought a piece before he even hung it!



In TV news, my new favorite show is the Andy Milonakis Show on MTV2. It's really funny in a "What the f***?!" kind of way.

Happy Friday!