'Tis the Season...

....for stomach flu. And for some reason, I think the flu shot that I get faithfully every fall doesn't apply. And if you have small children in the house forget about it. My younger daughter, Olivia, came down with a cold, not last weekend but the weekend before. Trooper that she is, she went about her days doing what she normally does, with a roll of TP in tow for her incessantly running nose. She seemed fine, otherwise. Three days later, it hit me. It was bad enough that I had to close the store for half a day last Friday. By Monday, all was well. Or so I thought. In the middle of that night (now Tuesday, 3 am) Olivia woke up screaming and crying, having vomited all over her bed. Enter, stomach flu. She stayed at home that day, as did I with her. I called the advice nurse at her doctor's... not knowing exactly how to treat Olivia, because she's never been ill with anything the vomiting was the only symptom... no fever, no cough. She told me, "Oh yes, we are seeing a lot of this - it's definitely going around." And then, "there's nothing you can really do but let it run it's course." "Have her drink small amounts of clear liquids, stay away from milk products, if she's hungry, let her have crackers, chicken soup, etc." Ok, I said, ready to hang up, just before she added, "Be careful, it's terribly contagious."

Great.

So with that I went back to work on Wednesday, feeling fine and that I had escaped it. But alas, Wednesday night I found myself in the same position or positions, if you will, as my daughter was 2 days before me. I was panicked about it as well as, being diabetic, my immune system is already compromised. And when I get any illness involving regurgitation, I inevitably end up in the hospital.

This time, I am happy to report, that I seemed to have avoided it, the hospital that is, and will hopefully be back to work tomorrow, Saturday. I just wanted to let our customers know what was happening so they would understand why the store was seemingly open one day, and then not the next. I do have some help at the store, but unfortunately, the wonderful Emmanuelle has sick children of her own to contend with. As I said, 'Tis the season!

But we do sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to our customers, and greatly appreciate their patronage!

Self Stimulation

I don't have time to read much anymore, what with running a business, taking care of my family, and washing 12-18 loads of laundry each week. Not to mention that, with the internet, I don't have to pick up a newspaper to get the latest news, classifieds or movie reviews. I do, however, like to peruse the East Bay Monthly magazine/newspaper that gets delivered to GROVE STREET kids, especially since the editor (at that time) is a customer at our store, and did us the lovely favor of sending one of her staff writers over to do a little article about us in their Shop Talk section. (10/07)

This month's issue has a letter from the publisher, Karen Klaber, on the back. It's entitled "Buy Local • Stay Local • Be East Bay" and is all about the benefits of shopping locally. Now, I don't think I've ever claimed to be particularly savvy when it comes to running and/or owning a business. My background is in Design, after all. When I opened GROVE STREET kids, I didn't have a business plan with lots of data or figures to tell me why it would be a good business venture. I couldn't begin to tell you what percentage of my gross (or is it my net?) profit should be reinvested in the infrastructure. Nor did I compare the quarterly forecasts for the children's retail industry to determine the net (or is it the gross?) profit and loss statements... what the??? I, basically, just believed in my gut that it was a good move to make. Just like in my mind, I just know it's a good idea to support and patronize our local community's small businesses. And today, in Ms. Klaber's letter, I read some facts and figures as to why it's such a good idea.

There's a lot of talk these days of an "economic stimulus." As the Buy Local Berkeley campaign explains, where you spend your money determines just how stimulating it is. For every $100 you spend, $68 of it stays in our local community. That means 58% more of your money gets spent again right here in our region. Now you are helping your friends and neighbors keep their jobs. You're helping the environment by conserving fuel. You are conserving tax dollars because local sales taxes are reinvested into the community. You are a walking, talking stimulus package! You are self-stimulating.

For more detailed information on how to"self-stimulate" and why it's good for you and our local community, visit www.buylocalberkeley.com.

U-S-C-P-S-C Spells Relief...

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission declared yesterday that resellers and consignment store owners are not required to certify that used products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards. That IS good news, in that we will not be committing a felony if we continue to operate GROVE STREET kids.

Now having written that statement, which sounds a bit disheartening - as if we don't care about the safety of children's products - we want to assure our customers that we absolutely care and all the toys and gifts that we purchase directly from manufacturers have been tested and certified. Used clothing and shoes, of course, are a different story, and we cannot absolutely guarantee that all textiles and components of these items are 100% lead-free. From a business standpoint it just doesn't make sense to be required to test used garments - the cost of testing and certification far exceeds the cost of the garment itself! Which is why there was such a concern that resale and consignment stores across the nation would be forced to close their doors. Not to mention the loss of revenue from children's items sold at bigger companies like Salvation Army or The Good Will.

I think we have set a good precedent for the quality of merchandise we will accept for resale here at GROVE STREET kids. But, rest assured, we are conscious of the new law taking effect in February and would never want to sell anything, be it clothing, shoes or toys that would put any child at risk or in danger.

Out with the Old, Out with it All?

On January 1st, I had started a post entitled..."Out with Old, In with the New-to-You!" excited at the prospect of a New Year in Resale Children's clothing. Then, last night, I received an email from a good friend simply stating... "Is this for real?? What are you going to do?" She had sent me a link to a blog that basically states that due to a new law, the Consumer Product Safety Act, the possibility is very real that consignment and resale shops, like GROVE STREET kids could be forced to shut their doors.

This law, while well-intentioned, is fatally flawed. This law requires that all products (including clothing) sold for children ages 12 and under, be tested for lead and other toxic chemicals. Anything that hasn't been tested will be considered hazardous (even if they don't contain the chemicals) and cannot be sold. Not on eBay, not in a garage sale, not at GROVE STREET kids.

In addition, this law requires expensive testing and certification for every handmade item for children. Small crafters, handmade items (even made out of certified organic materials) will have to be tested in order to be sold legally. The phthalates testing is only required on products manufactured after the act goes into effect on February 10, 2009, but the lead testing is required on all children's products already made, and therefore would force us to throw out our entire inventory, because as resale store owners, it's certainly not worth the cost of testing each garment or product we sell.

That's not all. This law will require testing on EVERYTHING that comes into contact with your child that is 12 years or under. This includes clothing, of course, shoes, bedding, backpacks, sippy cups, car seats. I don't think I need to go on with the list, for you to understand the impact of such a poorly written piece of legislature.

So what can be done? We need to get the word out to our Legislators. There are two links you can go to to petition this law.
The first is Change.org where you can vote to petition this law. The second is the American Apparel and Footwear Association where you can write directly to your Representative, Congressperson or Senator.

On a final note, I have no plans to shut my doors on February 10th. I think something must change regarding this legislation if for no other reason than it goes against every platform President-Elect Obama stands on. So, until I'm told differently, at GROVE STREET kids, it's out with the old, and in with the new-to-you!

Reduce, Reuse, Resale!

A couple of days ago, I had the opportunity to stop into the newest addition to the Resale/Consignment Community in Berkeley. Urbanity Style Sharing at the top of Solano Avenue in North Berkeley is a fabulous new place for women to buy new and gently used clothing at very reasonable prices. Not unlike GROVE STREET kids (I've been told), Urbanity has a unique presentation that gives the impression of a more expensive, higher end boutique. The attention to detail, the organization and the aesthetic all lend themselves to one thinking, upon first glance, "Should I go in there? It looks really expensive..."

Well, the sale rack in front seems to answer that question. "Everything $15." While perusing the goods on the outside, from the inside Angela, the owner waved to me. So friendly. I like this place. Once inside, I got to take a really good look. Not unlike GSK, they use wooden hangers to display their garments, and clothing is arranged by color in each size group. (And the prices are extremely reasonable.) It's these subtleties that really make the difference in a presentation. In a review I read somewhere, the author wrote that Urbanity reminded them of an upscale New York Boutique. I would agree, it is urban, but what is missing from this place is the pretentious attitude that usually comes with the boutiques in NYC (after living there for 5 years myself, I have had a few experiences with this). Angela and, the manager, Rebecca are both warm, welcoming, lovely women.

If you read the reviews about this store, and one of my other favorite women's consignment stores, Sola Lucy, those that don't like them (and there aren't many) usually refer to these stores as catering to an older clientele. My guess is that these reviewers, whom usually have a couple hundred reviews under their profile, are young ladies that neither have children or families and have not yet learned the value of time and precious resources. I like to think that both places cater to a mature customer (of any age really) that appreciates women's style, needs, and a good deal.

I have a limited amount of time to shop for myself these days and, with that I know I'm going to go to places like Urbanity and Sola Lucy that appreciate the kind of customer I am.

Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover

"These Clothes Are Used?" "This is a resale store?" or "You're consignment?" and my personal favorite, "I've been driving by for months, thinking you were an expensive Children's Boutique..." are statements that I hear on a regular basis from our first-time customers. "The windows always look so nice, I thought the clothing would be expensive."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! I'm very happy to hear from our customers that they are impressed by how our windows are displayed, and that they are pleasantly surprised to find out we are Resale. Someone once referred to us as a "second-hand boutique" and I have to admit I like the ring to that.

Frankly, it never occurred to me that dressing the windows the way that we do would make people think that we were not a resale store. My background is such that I have several (more than I care to admit) years experience in visual merchandising and design, and so presentation is very important to me. I grew up remodeling houses that my parents bought and sold (long before "flipping" became the thing to do), so interiors became significant to me at an early age. In addition, I worked at IKEA as an Interior Designer for 5+ years, and before that did the window displays for a now defunct clothing company in New York City.

In the midst of all that, I graduated from Parsons School of Design with a degree in Fashion Design. I thought at some point I would be the next Donna Karan or Badgley Mischka (well one of them, at least... did you see them on Ugly Betty last week? Fabulous designers, horrible actors...). I worked in the industry for a while, but it's not well suited to women who want families too. But I digress. The point is... with GROVE STREET kids, I was able to combine my interests and my experience. When GSK first opened, I thought it would be an avenue to create my own children's line... and though I haven't ruled it out, I find that that our customers prefer "recycled" clothing. It just makes good sense... for of the economy, for the environment, for the community.

At any rate, I wanted to make the store a pleasant place to shop for customers while still offering good value. I like themes. Maybe because they require organization. And they make a good presentation, of course. If you take a good look at the slideshow to the left, you can get a good idea of what our themes have been, and maybe why people feel as they do about our store. Currently, the theme in our windows is "Fall." Before that, it was "Halloween." Up next? Christmas, of course. I have a hard time putting together displays for one holiday before another has past though. So if you are looking for a lovely Christmas dress for your little one, don't let the windows dissuade you (again). We have plenty inside. And it doesn't cost anything to come in and take a look!

What's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

True, but I just didn't think "Martin Luther King Jr. Way Kids" had the same ring to it.

I am often asked by my customers "Why is it (the store) called GROVE STREET kids?" The short answer is that the street our store is on, now Martin Luther King Jr. Way, used to be named "Grove Street." Some history:

"Just before his assassination, King had proposed an economic bill of rights for the disadvantaged. Then, as now, the country was engaged in an expensive foreign war, spending money that King felt should be spent on social programs.

During the 1980s, activists and community leaders were concerned whether the civil rights gains achieved two decades earlier would last. Renaming streets after King helped to honor his legacy.

Berkeley changed Grove Street to King in 1984, and Oakland followed suit months later. The street starts at Oakland's windswept waterfront and ends in a few up-scale shops in residential North Berkeley."

For me, the naming of our store was a little more personal but, as to not bore you with all the anecdotes of my childhood, I will just briefly tell you that as a kid in Berkeley, I have fond memories of walking down Rose Street after school to the corner market aptly named "Rose and Grove Market." It's still there, by the way, across the street from the bustling FAT APPLE's Restaurant. Down the street is The Grove Antiques and several other "Grove" Businesses still remain on the 6 mile long boulevard. Even the construction site where the new Trader Joe's is being built at MLK and University has "The Old Grove" written on their signage.

Certainly I mean no disrespect to the great man who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But I am a nostalgic, romantic, sentimental sort of a girl, and it only seemed apropos to name the store after the street that I remembered from when I was a kid.