What to be for Halloween, A hobo or a bride? A witch or scary goblin, Its not easy to decide.

Halloween is undoubtedly the favorite time of year at GROVE STREET kids. The windows are particularly fun to decorate and the folks that are drawn in by them are so excited to see what awaits beyond our store front displays. GROVE STREET kids likes to offer a wide range of costumes but, as well, bits and bobs so that the creative soul (pun intended!) has the opportunity to come to life! Here's a look at costumes past, both traditional and unorthodox:

Back in 20 minutes

Back when my husband and I first opened GROVE STREET kids, there were many days that I wouldn't have a customer for hours at a time in the shop. I used to sit in the back and watch episodes of previous seasons of L O S T so I could be caught up with the current season! Thankfully, those days are long gone and we are so grateful for our steady stream of customers, especially in this continually uncertain economic climate.

Some days are so busy, however, that I can often go without taking any sort of break until long after Buying Hours are over (2pm). Most days I don't actually take a break - I just grab a bite here and there between laundry loads, tagging & steaming, or other such mundane tasks that are a necessity to running my own business. But on those few crazy, chaotic days where I don't get to nibble in between things, I do find it necessary to bring the dollar bins inside, lock the doors and hang my "Back in 20 minutes" sign up so I can take a break and eat my lunch uninterrupted.

I never thought this would be an issue for anyone. In fact, I figured it was commonplace for small businesses. A small business owner, working by him or herself, must need to close up at some point in the day, right - to eat a bite, or use the bathroom? I remember when I first considered renting this store, I went to the only business that was functioning in the building at the time, the Candy Bouquet, to ask the owner, Jack, about renting in this building. But when I arrived, there was a sign on the door saying "Back in 20 mintues." No problem, I thought, I will come back in a half hour or maybe on another day.

So after opening GSK I promptly made our branded version of the sign, adding a "Sorry for the inconvenience!" I don't think I have used this sign more than once a week, if even that, since we opened, and rarely do I take the full twenty minutes says I will be gone. Most of the time it hasn't been an issue. But for some, unfortunately, they make no bones about just how much of inconvenience it's been. And some take it to the extreme and post it on Yelp. But that's another blog. Lol.

Upon my last experience of being handed my head on a platter after closing for 15 minutes one day, I was prompted to ask around (other business owners, primarily) how best to deal with this situation. I realize we are not going to be able to please everyone, all the time, but I certainly don't want our customers leaving our store disgruntled if I can help it. The solution I came up with was to offer a discount to folks who are inconvenienced by arriving at a time when I have temporarily closed. Who doesn't like a discount? So our new "Back in 20 Minutes!" sign has a tear-off coupon that can be redeemed for a same-day discount off their nominal purchase upon their return. I expect that, once word gets out, people will actually look forward to arriving when I have closed to eat my lunch!

Hooked on Chinook

Chinook?

What the...? Most of you are probably wondering... The Chinook Book is the wonderful, one-of-kind resource for supporting local, sustainable businesses (including yours truly, GROVE STREET kids) formally known to the general public as the EcoMetro Guide.

GSK jumped on the EcoMetro Guide Bandwagon in 2009, just after it's 2008 debut in the Bay Area. Our first exposure to it was when it was brought to our kid's school as a fundraising promotion. Like the Entertainment Books but way better, because these are places you actually already shop at, like GSK.

Chinook Book is a coupon book, a directory, a source of ideas and inspiration. It’s your guide to living well and having fun in the East Bay metro region. You can save hundreds of dollars while exploring the community and supporting those local, sustainable businesses. Over 300 valuable coupons make this the largest book yet. Businesses with coupons include retail, grocery, dining, entertainment, travel, garden and home adding up to savings of over $3,000. All products and services appearing in Chinook Book meet specific environmental and community criteria. We are proud to be one of those businesses. Come by and pick up the 2011 copy today at GROVE STREET kids.

Back to school? But we didn't even have a Summer!

Really, how can it be time for "Back to School" when summer hasn't even arrived!?

I spent the better part of the Spring collecting bathing suits, shorts and summer dresses, looking so forward to those lovely, sunny days. Especially, after one of the wettest Winters we have seen in a decade. Oh the cute, wonderful summer things that have come into the store! Yet, here they sit on the racks. Why? Because summer never came.

As I walk through the local CVS, the aisles swathed in "Back to School" supplies, I wonder how could it be that time already? The first year GSK opened, I had to buy a giant fan to keep the store cool those first few weeks after opening in July! Yet, this year, not only was there virtually no sun, it was COLD. Windy. Gloomy. Downright depressing. Almost as if we went back in time, back to the Winter that had just past.


So GROVE STREET kids has a store full of summer things, yet we have managed to scoop up a bunch of Fall layers for those of you already preparing your children's wardrobes. We already have a decent selection of FAll outwear, lots of jeans and other essentials to get your kiddos off on the right school start.

But rest assured, when summer finally does come (and it better!) we will still have a variety of warm weather clothes for you to choose from. Cuz on those hot, Indian Summer September days, they will be wanting to wear their shorts!

Loved Twice.

For the first time in almost 3 years, GROVE STREET kids does not have a huge back-stock of baby clothes. When we first opened, we bought a lot of baby things from our customers only to quickly realize that not so many customers were buying them from us. Was it the pricing? Was it the quality?

It was the quantity. There is so much out there that most folks don't ever need to buy baby things - they're either given as gifts or as hand-me-downs - and the babies grow out of them so fast that they barely even get used. So what to do with them? Sell 'em, that's what. But no, wait. Most resale shops don't buy baby clothes after all. In fact, GSK even stopped looking at baby clothes because folks that brought them in to sell would just donate them to us to be rid of them. Why, just today, I had two separate women come in, each with two large plastic bags packed to overflowing with baby clothes. All the while, another customer who is 8 months pregnant, is shopping. But not for baby things, as she has those already. She's buying for her older child.

So, if we aren't buying them to sell, what do we do with all these baby clothes?

Back in February, I was contacted by a lovely woman, Lisa Klein, a mother of two, who is also the Founder and Executive Director of an organization called Loved Twice. She explained to me the mission of Loved Twice is to supply free baby clothes to underprivileged newborns during their first year of life in the Bay Area. Since 2007, they have delivered over 20,000 pounds of baby clothing to more than 3000 newborns in need. Considering a newborn onesie weighs just over one ounce, this is a significant volume of items that have been saved from landfills and recycled back to our community’s highest need mothers and children. She hoped that GSK would support their endeavors.

Would we?

Since that time, Lisa has picked up the equivalent of 6 large garbage bags of baby clothes, shoes, blankets and whatnot from GSK. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Recently, Lisa was chosen as one of People Magazine's "All Stars Among Us" for her organization's contribution to the community. You can see her being honored for her achievements at the MLB All-Star Game in Anaheim, airing on FOX at 5pm PST July 13th.

The BayList Best!

We are, once again, honored and humbled by the support of our family, friends and, most importantly, our customers, who took the time to vote for us on SFGate.com. Here at GROVE STREET kids, we do our best to provide the nicest quality gently used and recycled clothing, combined with excellent customer service, to our community, and our community is showing us that we are on the right track! We know that this is an ongoing process, that we must not assume that we are doing all we need to do, without room for improvement. So the fact that we have now received this honor twice (over the course of three years as there was no contest in 2009) we believe our customers, friends and family understand our desire to continue to make their shopping experience at GROVE STREET kids the best in the Bay Area! Once again, we respectfully thank all of you for your continued support.

Something old, something new...

Wedding season is upon us. It officially starts, for the bride, Memorial Day weekend. But for the bridal party, the time to shop is now.


Most parents, of course, have been through their own wedding and can testify to the astounding expense that is a wedding. It's a racket, really. Go into any business that sells products, ie flowers, stationery, accessories year round... and mention the words "it's for a wedding..." and watch the price of those products double, even triple. And if you are one of those lucky folks who are asked to be IN a wedding, you know that expense is part of it as well. Buy the Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid or Flower Girl Dress, and not only do you shell out a small fortune for the dress, you are likely to add some more $$ when it's altered... all to wear once, and then what?

Come to GROVE STREET kids that's what. We have a large selection of flower girl dresses befitting everything from the garden wedding to a formal sit down dinner at the Plaza! We also have a selection of boys jackets and pants (even one or two Seersucker suits!) that will work for most weddings, day or night. All for a fraction of the original cost, so you won't feel so badly when your gorgeous girl spills orange juice down the front of that gorgeous white satin gown that you paid $20 for instead of $100!