Vote For Us!

It's that time of year again!

It doesn't feel like it's been that long since we were nominated for Best Children's Clothing Store on SFGate.com. We were honored and humbled by the win, and are ever-grateful for the support of our fans and customers.

But, lo and behold, here we are again... and at the risk of sounding self-aggrandizing,we are posting the link here, in the hopes that the relatively few of you out there that read our blog, will take a few moments to go the link and vote for us. (You have to register with the Baylist to vote, but it's quick and easy and you won't get spam - just don't forget to verify your email or it won't count....)

So, thanks in advance, for your support (and partonage!) of GROVE STREET kids.

Punxsutawney Phil, is he right?

With ski week fast approaching, GROVE STREET kids has been steadfastly collecting ski pants, bibs and jackets, not to mention all the necessary paraphernalia that parents feel kids need for a weeklong snow-trip: gloves, scarves.... long underwear.

As I sit here writing this, however the sky is clear and the temperature is mild, and there is no precipitation in the forecast for the next 7 days! So, what season is this, anyway?

Normally, I am a huge fan of this weather. In fact, I am not a fan of rain, and could happily live in a place where the average precipitation is less than a couple of inches a year - like San Diego, for example. But, I am a fan of snow! And I love to ski, as does my daughter, and without rain, there is no snow! Not the natural kind, anyway. And with no snow, there is no skiing, and no need for said ski pants, bibs and jackets...

Who knew our sales would be so greatly affected by the weather?

Last year's record-breaking snowfall also had it's affect on our inventory last year. I couldn't get the snowbibs in fast enough! Big ones, little ones, boots, gloves and scarves... literally flew out the door. This year, not so much. The difference between this winter and last is like night and day!

But we're still hoping beyond hope... for rain and, therefore, snow! And if you are hoping we still have 6 weeks of winter ahead of us as well, come and get your ski gear on! We got plenty!

Help Us Help You!

Once a month, I meet with a group called Business and Balance which is, mainly, a network for professional women entrepreneurs to exchange resources, strategies, and practical business support. The group is also committed to sharing effective tools for finding and maintaining balance in life while running a successful business.

I have found this group to be particularly useful toward that end - finding balance in my life - there are some really wonderful women in this group who run some amazing businesses - everything from Bookkeeping Services to Feng Shui Energy Consultation. I've attended most of the meetings even when I didn't feel that the topic or presentation to be discussed particularly pertained to me or GROVE STREET kids, as I am fond of the socializing part of the evening... but come last month I was unusually tired and not feeling 100%, so I thought I would skip it...

But the tagline to the email introducing the subject of the next meeting read:

"Love/Hate... Groupon? Everybody loves a deal. Except perhaps the retailer who can't afford to just give it away."

"That's me!" I thought to myself and that was as far as I read, as I already knew that this was a meeting not to be missed.

For a few weeks prior, I had received multiple emails from Groupon-like promotions - many of them locally-owned and even "mom-run." As a small-business owner I am inundated with "new and exciting" marketing strategies to extend our reach to potential customers on a weekly if not, daily, basis. So I was excited to go to a presentation that might have some suggestions and/or resources for marketing GROVE STREET kids that could be lest costly, if not down right free.

As it turned it out, it was a presentation by a gentleman starting a new marketing business venture, very similar in concept to Foursquare, which is a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, aka "smartphones." Users "check-in" at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application by selecting from a list of venues the application locates nearby. Each check-in awards the user points and sometimes "badges." Businesses, such as GROVE STREET kids, sometimes offer "Check-In Specials." Ours is that you will receive an additional punch in your Frequent Buyer Card just for checking in.

At any rate, the evening did not turn out to be what I was hoping for, but that was my own fault for not reading the entire email... What it did do was give me pause to think about what exactly I was looking for in terms of promoting my business, that I can advertise for free and does that even exist? Well, certainly on Foursquare it does, but even with 10 million registered users only 10% of those who attended the meeting had even heard of it...

So in the course of figuring this out what I came up with was a way to work with and give back to our community, that will benefit both GSK and it's customers, other than just spending money in our store. It's not a particularly novel idea, but so brilliant in its simplicity that I wish I had done it years ago. We've decided to start a "Giving Back to Schools" campaign for our local preschool and elementary schools. This goes one, if not several, steps beyond the traditional donating of gift certificates to school auctions (which we will continue to do as well), and is about creating relationships within our community that support both the local economy and our children's education.

It's a win-win.

The idea is simple. Schools who register for the program, promote GROVE STREET kids in their community as the place to shop for their kids clothing and shoes. The parents who shop with us let us know that their kids go to "x" school, and we automatically donate a percentage of their purchase back to said school, building a mutually beneficial relationship. It's down right... elementary!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

We want to wish all our customers, long time and new, a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and generally Happy Holidays and best wishes for Peace, Health and Prosperity in 2012!

No one who achieves success does so without the help of others.

The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.
–Alfred North Whitehead

As 2011 races to a close, we are, once again, humbled by and thankful for all of our patrons and friends that have supported us through this, our 5th year of business!

With the continued faltering of the economy, we have witnessed more than a few businesses shut their doors and "Space Available" signs appear in empty store front windows. We are grateful for the continued support of our customers and colleagues and recognize that, without it, we could be amongst those ill-fated businesses.

In the coming year, we hope to make some changes that will provide an even better, more satisfying shopping experience for new and loyal customers alike. Yes, we are still considering expansion, but we also hope to implement some policies and/or programs that will provide mutually beneficial results to our partners in the local community, by giving back to it.

So, stay tuned...

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Is staying put... for now.

GROVE STREET kids has made a decision.

We've been talking to our customers for a while now about the possibility of expansion. The desire to increase our storage capacity as well as offer a broader assortment of maternity wear and baby gear on consignment was well-received by folks and we know that should we have the opportunity to do so, we would receive resounding support from our patrons, family and friends.

Unfortunately, the ducks did not want to line up in that perfect row for us, and expanding into the store front next door will not be happening any time soon. We are very disappointed about the turn of events but, for many reasons, we cannot effectively make the changes we would like to make here.... right now.

We still have hopes of expansion! We want to be the one-stop shop for mommies-to-be and their kids! So stay tuned, we may have more news down the road. Until then, we hope you will continue to show your unwavering support of GROVE STREET kids.

Another Anniversary!

In these uncertain economic times, we are so grateful to our customers who continue to support us with their patronage and recommendations... it's hard to believe 4 years have come and gone so quickly! As time passes, we have realized that having our own business is not unlike having a new baby, as it starts out small, relishing the moments and milestones as it grows and flourishes!

We have watched GROVE STREET kids do the same and have found our business is demanding expansion to fill the needs of it's customers. We are still in negotiations to try and make GSK twice it's current size where we can offer more maternity and baby gear as well as continuing to offer the largest selection of kid's resale in the area. So we hope you will continue to stand by us and watch us grow!