Much Ado About Service

Let's face facts, shall we? Retail is a service business, where all our best efforts all boil down to how we are seen by the people we do business with. The most fabulous offerings won't get you very far if your customer service, in the opinion of your customers, is lacking.

However repugnant it is, lousy customer service has been a part of the landscape ever since there have been transactions between merchants and the public. Nothing proves this better than this recent article we stumbled upon (hat tip to Andy Sernovitz) - Poor Service Has Existed Forever: Tablet Inscribed With 3,765 Year Old Customer Service Complaint. Pretty awesome example of an ancient merchant fail, isn't it?

What you won't find here at Hoopla Emporium is lousy customer service. With whatever service you come to us for - UPS shipping, private mailboxes, or just to browse our mostly local offerings in the store, you can expect to be treated as a valuable part of our enterprise (because you are!). We can promise you that, because Scott and I are the ones that deliver that service daily! Just as a reminder, if you have an exceptional experience, you can find us on Yelp here.

Speaking of service, we just wrapped up our 4th semi-annual Open Studios Alta/Pasa/Dena Tour, and it was a blast! We loved hosting the kids from Room 13 USA, and look forward to sending them 20% of the proceeds of the weekend. We're looking forward to doing more with them in the future. Now, it's on to helping plan Altadena's Best Fest! This festival, celebrating what's great about living, working, and doing business in Altadena, is going to be huge. We're planning on closing Mariposa Ave. down between El Molino and Santa Anita, to host art vendors, local food makers, and a car show or two. As a town, we've needed a replacement for the long-gone Old Fashioned Days festival and all of us on the Best Fest committee hope this will be it!

Here are a couple of pictures of the adorable things the kids at Room 13 make, and a picture of Scott and I in front of the store during Open Studios:

Candles from crayons, Room 13 John Muir High

Needle felt creations and art from Room 13 John Muir High

Polymer clay pastry decorations from Room 13 Eliot Middle School

String doll, Room 13 Eliot Middle School

Thanks for stopping by our blog, and we'll see you again soon!

And Now For Something Completely Different......

'We're hoping to succeed; we're okay with failure. We just don't want to land in between.'
--David Chang
"He's serious. Lots of people say this, but few are willing to put themselves at risk, which destroys the likelihood of success and dramatically increases the chance of in between." ----  Seth Godin


I don't think anyone could say that we're "inbetween", unless they were speaking about our physical location.  Sandwiched inbetween two other stores, WFS has no windows to the outside world.  Inside, though, we're a world apart from other shops. 


Did you realize that we represent over 50 local artists?  We have local representation in all genres - card makers, authors of books, fine art and prints, gourmet food products, body products and jewelry!  WFS takes pride in the fact that we invest in our community, because that's what helps make us strong.

We also believe in buying fair trade, or buying merchandise that "gives back".  That means the company we buy from donates to a good cause, like LiveStrong or Women At Work.  We love this so much, we actually hunt down those companies whose products fit our business model!  We've been lucky to find so many recently and it's a great feeling to know that our customers appreciate this about us.  Thanks so much for letting us know how important giving back to the community and the world is to you, it helps us shape our future plans.

Some people worry that a business model like ours is risky.  Is it?  Yes, it is - to be different is always risky.  Is it worth the sacrifice?  Resoundingly, yes!  If we happen to do any good at all, it's worth it.  To help call attention to our local artistic community, it's worth it.  To help change what we as average shoppers care about and look for in products is worth it.  What....did you think we were in this for the money?

If your plan is to tailor your shopping habits to fit your socially conscious sensibilities, we're your store!  Come in soon to see what goodies we've gotten in for Valentines Day - our local artists and WFS appreciate you!

Have a great week ahead, my friends!

Lori and Scott

Hello, 4th Quarter!

The year certainly has flown by, hasn't it?  I can't believe it's already October, but that said, we're looking forward to the hustle and bustle of the next three months! (In the retail world, the 12 months are divided up into 4 quarters, the last three of which are the 4th quarter.)

This month holds the promise of much excitement, with our Fancy Food Truck Friday slated for Oct. 14th and our wine tasting/poetry reading on the 15th!  In collaboration with local artist Patrick Gothard, we've hung his Day Of The Dead series of oil paintings in the store.  An exuberant explosion of graphic color, these skeleton-inspired paintings are something to see - and we hope you'll come by and do just that!  We have plans to be working with several more area artists over the coming months, adding to the number of local artists we already represent.

Remember to "like" our Facebook page, where you can keep up with what's happening with us, join in some interesting conversations and learn about events and specials!  As always, have a great week ahead and we hope to see you soon!

Lori & Scott

Que Sera Sera

Many times in the past, I've referred to positive changes in Altadena as a "what if".  What if we had the many ammenities that are common in other cities we cherish and envy, such as Sierra Madre.  What if our North Lake Business District were a real town center, with traffic mitigated, building facades upgraded and foot traffic patterns established?  What if our retail shops, groceries and other businesses were more modern and relevant?  What if Altadena, once a thriving destination in the San Gabriel Valley, were to reclaim its renown?

I've asked these questions for several years now, with mixed responses from people I've talked to here and while working in the store.  Back then, most of you were and continue to be enthusiastic about changes; and some not so much.  Over the course of these years, however, I notice people's attitudes changing.  More and more, our community is coming together and change is happening - I can hear it, I can see it and and I can feel it!

The feeling isn't just coming from the anticipation of coming attractions, although that certainly has a part in it - it's the palpable heart beating though our community.  Our town is rich in gifted individuals who are exerting all their efforts into resuscitating Altadena's soul.  Take Altadenablog's Tim Rutt, whose grassroots news blog has partnered with the new Pasadena Sun, giving him the opportunity to reach far more people than ever before and give us coverage we haven't experienced in a long time.  Take the awesomeness that is the Altadena Urban Farmer's Market and their truly unique take on the market concept (even the L.A. Weekly thinks so!).  They're on hiatus right now, but believe me, they'll be back and better than ever!  If that's not enough for you, consider the hugely popular Bulgarini Gelato.  Mentioned in the Los Angeles Times Magazine as one of Los Angeles' iconic eateries, this recent article tells you all you need to know - Altadena is drawing people from outside our borders to visit.  Add that to the draw of our incredible hiking trails, and you've got a destination area waiting to happen!



Compound all this with the planned renovation in Webster's Community Pharmacy.  The new owners, Mike and Meredith Miller will be reinventing the old pharmacy soon and we know it'll be wonderful!  Our store is ready for a rebranding as well.  As new(ish) owners, we've been constrained for some time by circumstances not under our control, but that's changing and changing soon. We plan to be right there with you through all this, my friends, as we take our family store into the future.  The moment is here, and it's undeniable.....the positive changes I told you about all those months ago are imminent.  The groundswell has begun and it will sweep all of us up into it - and I for one, welcome it.  As the old song says, "que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be"......I say bring it!

Have a lovely week ahead and we'll talk again next week,

Lori 'n Scott

Mid-Summer Newsletter & Back To School Special

Earlier this morning, I tried to copy and paste our newsletter onto Blogger but it didn't work so I tried deleting it.  I'm afraid, though, that a link went out anyway, and for that, I'm sorry.  Let's try that again and we'll be back next week with our regular blog posts!


WFS' Mid-Summer Newsletter & Back To School Special

Dear Friends,

We find ourselves at that bitter-sweet junction of summer where we look toward sending the kids back for another exciting semester of school.  We'll explain how we can help you save time and money in the article below.  WFS carries much needed office essentials, too - most of them made out of recycled materials and made right here in the United States - come see us instead of "running down the hill"!  With gas prices still on the increase, it only makes sense to shop locally.

Scott and I attended the California Gift show recently what a show it was!  So many great things we're finding that are American made or made by local companies.  Look for these exciting new products to be delivered from now though the fall season!  We're also in the planning stages with several Altadena artists, and we can expect to see their creations in store soon. 

Things are heating up in Altadena - not just from the summer heat, but from all the great events going on around town!  Never say there's nothing to do here.  From the wonderful Concerts In The Park series from the Sheriffs Support Group to individual events put on by local businesses, there's a whole garden of activities available to enjoy.  This month will see our next Fancy Food Truck Fridays, a joint venture with Webster's Community Pharmacy and Webster's Liquor, on August 12th.  Our wonderfully intimate, humorous and delicious Wine Tastings With OddBallGrape.com's Anne Bannon and Michael Holland continue this month, on August 20th.  Scroll down for all the pertinent information on both events!

July was an incredible month, with such an outpouring of caring and love, exhibited through our collection of canned food items for Friends In Deed! It started early on in July and stemmed from this article in the Pasadena Star News. We'd like to thank them for their help passing the message along with this article and thank you all for answering the call.  We now have a huge box of food that we'll donate to them this week - well done, Altadena!  Just a note to remind you that we take donations of those small toiletries received at hotels or travel-sized, unused toiletries for All Saints Church all year 'round, as well as monetary donations for the Bright Future Scholars via the "Dollars For Scholars" collection jars - look for these collection spots next time you're in the store.

Speaking of good deeds, who hasn't heard about Altadena's canine hero, Brave Paco, the chihuahua that's taking a bite out of crime!  He's ten pounds of lean, mean, burglar-chasing muscle and we're glad he's patrolling the streets of the North Lake Business District!  Your chance to meet Paco and his owner is coming up at the next Fancy Food Truck Friday event - you don't want to miss this paw-tograph op!

We hope to see you soon!

Lori & Scott Webster

Stay Local & Save!  WFS' Back To School Special
It's the time of year for getting your children ready to get back into the swing of the new school season!  We know that times are challenging and that you're all pressed for time, so we're offering you a way to shop locally and save.  From August 1st through the 31st, when you spend $50.00 on back to school items, you'll save 25% - that's our employee discount plus 5%! That's $37.50 for $50.00 worth of school necessities! Tell your friends and neighbors and forward this email to them, so everyone can take advantage of this historic savings opportunity!

From binders and notebooks, to filler paper, composition books, index cards, pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, scissors, crayons, protractors and everything in between, Back To School shopping has never been easier or more fun.  Sip a cup of ice cold lemonade, have a cookie and listen to our classic oldies playing in the background, WFS is THE place for buying your school essentials!  We defy you to find better service anywhere else! This year, we even have paper book covers - yes, we finally found someone who makes these, and they're on our shelves now!
 

Fancy Food Truck Fridays!

Great Eating, Community Style                            
Every 2nd Friday of the month we have at least six different Fancy Food Trucks in the Webster's parking lot.  A community favorite since its inception in February, everyone looks forward to greeting friends at our tables where everyone eats family-style!  Brave Paco, Altadena's canine crime fighter will be making an appearance so you won't want to miss this opportunity for a paw-tograph!

Our event this month is on Friday, August 12th, from 5:00 pm until 9:00, and the Shops At Webster's will be open for your enjoyment.  Each shop has it's own ambiance, entertainment and/or specials, so please come in and enjoy it all before or after you eat! 

This month's Fancy Food Trucks are:

Grill 'em All ( Great Food Truck Race winners!)

India Jones

Greenz On Wheelz, a perennial favorite

Hungry Nomad

Shrimp Pimp

A Rockin Ice

Look for the event announcement on our Facebook page soon to see what's happening that evening inside the store!


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Dollars For Scholars!*

WFS Grand Re-Opening Notice In Pasadena Star News, Sept. 27, 2008

This little blurb made it into the Pasadena Star News back in September of 2008, and was about the only mention of our "new" store ever in print when ownership changed.  Although it's hard to make out, the bottom of the paragraph shows that we dedicated a portion of the day's proceeds to The Quality Of Life Center, of which the Bright Future Scholar program is a part of.  This was the start of our wonderful relationship with the visionary head of the Center, Dr. Sandra Thomas, and her entire staff.

As I mentioned on our store's Facebook page this morning, Scott and I were honored to attend the graduation ceremony of the Bright Future Scholars, held this afternoon at the Pasadena Convention Center.  I say honored, because this is such an incredible program for high achieving school kids who would otherwise be unable to take advantage of such opportunities.  In academic achievement, the Bright Futures Scholars Support Program, when compared to others with similar demographics, ranks at the top state-wide.  100% of the seniors enrolled in the program go on to enroll in college.  Today's graduating seniors are going to a variety of top colleges, including Harvard, Columbia, USC, UCLA and UC Santa Cruz  - and we couldn't be prouder of them!

It costs nothing but high grades to become part of the Bright Future Scholars.  It does cost quite a bit, however, to mentor those kids and take them on the yearly retreat to Washington, D.C., or to Sacremento, CA.  It costs a lot to make sure there are people from the Center ready to help whomever needs it, whenever they need it.  It costs the students themselves, and their families who have little to spare, a tidy sum to attend college and to provide for living and school expenses as well.  When the question of who would like to pledge a scholarship for a Bright Future Scholar graduate in 2012, Scott and I had to step up!

We pledged not just one $500.00 scholarship - we pledged two!  One scholarship will be from Webster's of Altadena, in honor of the Webster family's long tradition of service to the Altadena community.  The other will be in honor of my grandfather, Dr. Robert I. Elliott, who was Superintendent of Schools, State of Nebraska, Broken Bow County and was later president of Chadron State College for 40 years.  Chadron State College is celebrating their 100 year anniversary this year. 

As you can see by my family's history, education is important to us.  It's even more important that those who are doing well in school be able to go on, despite their economical or situational challenges.  You know I've been saying that our businesses should all be working together toward a healthy community, and making sure that our non-profits stay viable is a top priority.  No longer can we think of ourselves only - I advocate for a more holistic approach.  That's why we're putting our money where our mouth is.  Now, we've got to get busy and make enough so that we can honor (there's that word again!) our commitment.

In other news, this next Saturday is our monthly wine pairing event with OddBallGrape.com.  This time it's "Cabs For Dads And Grads" and we'll highlight different combinations of Cabernet Sauvingon with grilled meat (or grilled vegetable) sliders.  Amy's Patio Cafe will be providing the sliders and there will be much merriment as we learn which wine tastes best with what!  Mark your calendars now - the fun starts at 4:00 pm and lasts until 7:00 pm - a whole hour later than we normally close.  If you haven't been to one of our wine tastings, you're really missing out - Anne Bannon and Mike Holland of OddBallGrape.com are lively, funny and extremely knowledgeable about the vino!

Have a fabulous week ahead, my friends!

*We have collection jars in our store, at each register, for customers to drop their change into, to benefit The Quality Of Life Center.  Please make it a point to drop yours in next time you're at the store - we appreciate it!

Community At The Table

We're celebrating the fifth Fancy Food Truck Fridays this week and in honor of the occasion, I'd like to take you on a little history trip - one that looks at food truck origins, their sudden  burgeoning popularity and the way food binds us as humans together.

One of the earliest pioneers of mobile kitchens, entrepreneur Charles Goodnight, was primarily a famous Texas rancher.  Deemed the "Father of the Texas Panhandle", Mr. Goodnight was also a banker, silver miner and the founder of a college, among many other things (entrepreneurs back in those days were serious multi-taskers and were themselves most likely the model for today's venture capitalists).  In 1866, Mr. Goodnight saw the need for food-on-the-go for his ranch hands as they worked the cattle drives and thus, the "chuckwagon" was born. 

Of course, food vendors had been on crowded city streets since time immemorial.  From ancient Greece and Rome to Paris' storied Monmartre, purveyors of salty, savory, sweet and spicy deliciousness from carts abounded.  The genius of Mr. Goodnight's invention was putting size into the food cart equation and making it a place where food was prepared and cooked.  First the patrons of the chuckwagon were the cowboys of the day, then others followed suite and the ubiquitous lunch wagon (more commonly known as the roach coach) was born.

                                                   

Fast forward to 2008, when Mark Manguera, a Filipino married to a Korean woman, his sister Alice Chin and  friend, chef Roy Choi, started Kogi BBQ Taco Truck.  Mark's concept of Korean barbeque (or Bool Kogi) in a taco, arrived at while drinking with friends, took off like lightening and today's gourmet food truck was born.  And what a platform it's been, and continues to be, for the enterprising entrepreneur, and how exciting it is for us to experiment with these new recipes! 

As humans, we are hard-wired to gather around good food.  Again, from ancient times to modern, community is found around a dining table.  Breaking bread is one of the oldest human tradition and we all hold true to that psychological imprint.  This is why all of us here at The Shops at Webster's host Fancy Food Truck Fridays.  We hope that by providing this communal experience, Altadena will be enriched.  Enriched by more people connecting, laughing......eating......together.  From our house to yours,  we hope you'll enjoy yourselves this Friday night.  Come by, say hello to your friends and neighbors and meet someone new - maybe even browse in the shops and meet us!  We'll be waiting for you.....

Enjoy the week ahead, my friends!

Lori and Scott

Surveying The Landscape In Altadena

As I've hinted about for the past couple of weeks, the results from the Chamber of Commerce's Shopping Survey have been compiled and released to the public.  We released a condensed version of the data at the Chamber's last mixer on Thursday, 5/26 at the Community Center.  The mixer was open to the public at no charge, but even so, there were only about 20 attendees.  You could say that the Chamber didn't announce the date of the mixer loudly enough, but it was on both Altadenablog and AltadenaPatch.com, and I know I gave ample notice of it on the store's Facebook page.

Why so few attendees?  We'll look at that in just a minute - first I'd like to talk about why we decided to put this, admittedly rudimentary, survey together in the first place.  We knew going in that most people up in our neck of the woods want more choices in 1) grocery shopping, 2) dining out and 3) retail shopping.  What we needed was verification of this, so we can continue our dialog with Los Angeles County in an informed manner.  They need to not just hear us, but hear you as well.  We want to give them not just anecdotal evidence, but hard numbers that encompass a good portion of the town,,,,and this survey of just under 400 people gave us that.

Verification of what we thought going in appeared in the survey.  The number one requested shopping venue was for a healthier choice in groceries, a la Trader Joe's or the Arroyo Food Co-op.  And yes, the Arroyo Food Co-op was mentioned over and over again in the written section, where we asked the survey takers to elaborate on what type of business they'd like to see in Altadena.  Same went for restaurants - the requests for healthy/organic/vegetarian dining options were many.  As for retail, I was surprised that only 15 respondents out of 370 answered the question "Why Do You Not Shop Locally", with 7 people giving the answer of "lack of choices".  However, continuing on with the survey, I was completely blown away that when asked to elaborate where the respondents did shop in town,...there were 360 answers! 

Sooo....our residents do shop in town!  I did a little counting of my own, and out of those 360 responses, 201 mentioned they shop Webster's.  And out of those 201, a good third of those named Webster's Fine Stationers by name.  That made me feel good!  Altadena Hardware, under new management this year, put in a great showing, too, with just over a hundred mentions.  Our restaurants received mention, too, with Foxes, Amy's Patio Cafe and El Patron being the frontrunners of that category. 

But back to the question, why so little attendance at the mixer?  Are there really that few people on-line in Altadena?  Or are we faced with a situation where people just don't care anymore?  In a retail group I'm a member of, the question of how to get people to care about your shop is asked in different forms repeatedly.  As shop owners, we not only have to be good businesspeople, we also have to have the ability to read the future as well.  We have to forecast the climate for certain products and services, which tend to wax and wane like the moon, and we have to pick up on the tendrils of a trend.  The trend of indifference has long been in place, I think, longer than I've been in retail.  With the advent of the big box corporate stores, the glut of advertisement you receive in your face every single day wears me out....and I'm a retailer!  No wonder there's such apathy - too many choices and we get locked into our same old, same old routine of habit.  You have to be truly different to stand apart, a trendsetter.

My tip to other retailers and business people is this:  there is a trend out there, one that will leave the big boxes and the internet retailers in possible shambles in the not-too-distant future.  The trend towards localization is huge and growing.  People, as in the people who took our survey, WANT to shop in their neighborhoods.  They don't want to travel 20 minutes or a half an hour to get to some mega mall, they want a place close by where they can come in, get what they need, maybe spend a few moments talking to acquaintances and go home.  Or they want a place nearby they can depend on to delight them, whenever they stop in.  Our challenge is to serve that up to our residents....with a smile.  Can we offer that to you, Altadena?  You bet.....just watch us!

On this Memorial Day, we hope you've had a pleasant long weekend!  Best wishes to you in the coming week,

Lori & Scott

Small Business Saturday Love

It's a given that whenever we have something important to get ready for, some of us or most of us catch whatever ailment is going around at the time. Never fails, and getting ready for the holiday and our first ever Small Business Saturday event and sale was no exception. It started with one, traveled to another, then another, then me. However, we soldiered on and had one heck of a wonderful time! We got part-way decorated (the rest will just have to wait until we all feel better) and Small Business Saturday was a raging success!

It's humbling to know there are people out there who really care. People all around Altadena and even from further away rallied to The 3/50 Project and American Express' joint venture to help independent retailers across the nation. They came with a purpose, they were on a mission, and Scott and I are verklempt! We think every single one of you are fabulous, but to those who came out shopping yesterday - you know who you are - we can't thank you enough. We look forward to celebrating this day each year and we'll plan bigger and better things to do with it in the future.

Speaking of celebrating, the merchants of The North Lake Business District (formerly The Altadena Arts Coalition) will be hosting our North Lake Pole Festival on Saturday, December 4th. Vendors, community information, food, entertainment, petting zoo, Santa and best of all, fresh, real snow! Yes indeed, friends and neighbors, real snow for tubing and sledding, right in Galloway Alley....how much fun is that? I know, it's the same day as the USC vs. UCLA game, but that's ok. The Festival starts at 4:00 pm so there's plenty of time to enjoy both! We'll be open until 6:00 pm and we'll plan something fun to do....watch our Facebook page for updates throughout the week.

You may have noticed the article about Webster's Pharmacy being sold on Altadena Patch.com (http://altadena.patch.com/articles/websters-pharmacy-likely-to-be-sold#comments). It's true, my father-in-law is selling the pharmacy to Michael and Meredith Miller, formerly of Fair Oaks Pharmacy. The deal should close this week, and we'd like to wish both Mike and Meredith the best. Scott and I know that they'll do great things with the Pharmacy. We also know that by our working together toward a common goal - to restore the Webster's complex to its former vibrancy and to help steer the North Lake Business District toward revitalization. With your help and support, I'm certain that we'll achieve it!

Have a wonderful week my friends.....stay warm!

Lori and Scott

The Chinese Connection

When Scott and I took over WFS, we made the decision to try and source our selection of merchandise as locally as we could. We decided to offer more ecologically and socially responsible gifts, cards, and office and home essentials. Offering the community of Altadena and surrounding areas lifestyle choices in the product lines carried here has become the focus of our shop.

We do this because we believe that it's the right thing to do. We also believe that we can make a difference in this world, and in our community, one small sale at a time.

It's interesting to see how the community reacts to our concept. Like everything in life, there are those who applaud us and there are those who really don't care. You either get it or you don't. The one thing that I think most mothers today "get" is the fact that there's a problem with many children's toys that are made overseas, primarily those made in China. All of that is going to be changing very soon.

According to many industry reports, toy manufacturing is moving away from China. Because of the changes in the global economy and changes within the country as it becomes more progressive, manufacturers are looking elsewhere for lower-cost production. Vietnam is where they're looking, but because of its small size, other areas like India and Eastern Europe are also in their sights.

What will change when the majority of toy production moves to these other countries? We don't know. What's fact is that toy manufacturing in the U.S. is too costly for most. It's very difficult to find toys made here, and those that are aren't very interesting. I've seen old-fashioned toys like train whistles, tops, wooden cars and yo-yos, but honestly, when's the last time you saw a child playing with a whistle? Children are more sophisticated these days and of course, want what's popular.

What we have committed to do when buying children's toys is to buy very selectively. We choose small, reputable companies who directly oversee their manufacturing processes and do all the required testing themselves. We then look at their certifications to assure ourselves, and you, that they're in full compliance. There are things we won't buy. We do not buy mass manufactured jewelry for kids because we don't feel comfortable selling it in light of the controversy about toxic materials. We don't buy from those huge manufacturers whose products have been recalled many times in the past.

For those of you who are ambivalent about buying toys manufactured in China, we understand. I was cautious about it when my own daughter was young and I'm cautious about it now. Only time will tell about toys being made in places other than China. When I find out anything new, I'll report to you about it. Until then, I want you to know that we'll continue to be vigilant with our toy buying.

Have a good week ahead, my friends!

Lori & Scott

Local Motion

Before Scott and I bought Webster's Fine Stationers, I 'm sorry to say I was not an educated shopper. I really never stopped to think how my shopping patterns affected the community I was living in nor did I particularly care. I can't remember ever having a store clerk or store proprietor thank me for shopping locally. No one ever explained to me how important shopping at local, independent businesses was or showed me the impact my dollars had on the local economy. It was the 1970's, the 1980's, the 1990's, the 21st Century! There was plenty for everyone....what you didn't have the cash for, you could charge!

Forward to 2008 and the beginning of the Great Recession. Having bought WFS, Scott, I and our entire staff found ourselves enmeshed in a fight for survival. It's been a pretty tough couple of years for everyone. Soon it will be 2011, and my how times have changed - maybe for the better. Through the the internet and the social media phenomenon, useful information is much more readily available than it was before. People are using this information to guide their own decisions in all manner of things from politics to play.

One of the effects of having this much information available is the huge movement we're seeing toward locality. Locality meaning, in every sense of the phrase, putting your money where your house is. I love seeing that movement in Altadena. We need a place where we can shop for organic, healthy, locally grown foods. We need more local restaurants who promote this idea. We need our business community to come together and act together to benefit our community. We need relevant local shopping and a nice, safe area to do it in - right here in Altadena!

Our local Chamber of Commerce has rolled out their October Shop Local Altadena program with new coupons from participating businesses. I hear that next month more businesses will be offering coupons designed to keep your dollars in Altadena, where they belong. You can find the coupons at the Chamber's website, http://abacus-es.com/altadena/ Print the coupons and use them....our businesses need you and your community needs you!

Have a great week, my friends!

Lori & Scott

Being Social and Shopping Local, A Recipe For Fun In Altadena

Scott and I hope all of you had a pleasant Labor Day holiday. We decided that we'd close the store Sunday and Monday, and it was lovely having two whole days at home! Our dog, almost 14 year old Pepe, was estatic that we were home, poor pup has gotten used to us being gone every day.

After that nice, warm Labor Day, it sure seems like fall is here. Although the days in Altadena are warm, they're clear with that certain tang in the air that signals autumn is just around the corner. Some claim we were cheated out of summer....I'm glad it wasn't too awfully hot and all of us at the store are getting ready for the change of seasons. All this week we'll be moving things around and redecorating, so please excuse the disarray....I'm sure you'll be pleased with the outcome!

Last post, I mentioned the social media meet and greet/wine pairing event we'd be having, and I mentioned mid-September. We're going to hold the event on Friday, October 1st, after the Jewish New Year celebrations are over. October 1st is also the date The Gallery At The End Of The World is having a one-man show, so it should be a great evening of fun, fellowship, information, food, wine and art! Our wine pairing theme will be Fall Tailgating Parties, so do make plans to join us....meet our area's well-known bloggers, find out what all the buzz is about social media and even ask questions about how sites like Facebook can open a whole new world for you and your business! More information about our function will be forthcoming next week.

Something exciting has happened! The Altadena Chamber of Commerce has launched its long-awaited Shop Local Altadena program. It started last week with very little fanfare and a link to a PDF page of coupons on the front page of the Chamber's website at http://abacus-es.com/altadena/ads.pdf This link will take you directly to the coupon page, which you can print and cut out to use at the participating merchants and businesses. Webster's Fine Stationers is offering a 15% savings on purchases over $20.00, excluding sale items and Crane & Co., from now through the month of October! The other businesses participating are Altadena Golf Course, Curves, Amy's Patio Cafe, Steve's Pets and Kat Scrap Studio. As a Director of the Chamber, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of coverage, save a two-liner in Altadenablog. We need to be a bit more committed to creating interest and making sure the majority of people in the town know when we start a campaign like this. It's the start of a fabulous movement, with coupon savings and everything, so we'd appreciate it if you'd help spread the word.

Have a great week, my friends, and remember....shopping local truly does empower your community!

Lori & Scott

It's All About Community

What an incredible week we've just had....and I can't wait to share it with you! We were all over the map - from meeting the staff (and the animals) of Danny's Farm to taping a short video at TVP Studios in Burbank - it sure was an eventful few days.

If you don't know about Danny's Farm yet, you should get acquainted with them. If you click on the title of this blogpost, it'll take you to their website....find out why they're so special. They do wonderful things in our community and they have plans to do more, which makes us very proud to help support their efforts. The picture here is of Scott and I standing in front of the sun shade our modest donation provided. We're happy that their menagerie now has a haven from the sometimes brutal Altadena sun. I'm holding Thumper, one of the resident rabbits, in the picture. Their petting zoo includes the most darling burros and goats, bunnies (with babies!) and chickens, all available for parties!

Providing support to our local non-profits is something that we believe strongly in. In times like these, we all must take extraordinary steps to ensure our non-profits remain operational. My father-in-law told me that charity begins at home. It does, you know. Our home, the place where we do business, needs our help. We need strong, healthy businesses that are committed to supporting the infrastructure of the community so that we may all survive this economic downturn.

We ran a benefit for Danny's Farm throughout the holiday season. I told Cathy Gott that we would donate a percentage of our sales of custom holiday cards to Danny's Farm. However, orders (besides Cathy's own) were non-existent due to the recession and I felt terrible about that. So we donated anyway, and I couldn't be happier. So little meant so much and even better, did so much....and that's the way it's supposed to work. One community pulling together to make sure we all succeed is how it's done and we're proud to be part of it.

On Wednesday, I had a short video produced with the help of some very good friends. Deb Halberstadt, of Half City Productions and Rich Tomayo of TVP Studios, lent their expertise to create the video, which you can listen to here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shabeXr3wIs (due to Blogger's non-functional link insertion tab, you'll need to copy and paste the address into your browser window). The video tells you what we're about here at WFS, our core values and how we can help our community. Please click on the link and listen to it, I think you'll be glad you did.

Speaking of community, WFS is putting together a Customer Advisory Board. We have three willing participants and are looking for seven more. I'd like a sampling of all types of customers, from very loyal, to sometimes loyal to not so loyal. This will enable us to understand your needs and wants as it relates to our store. This is an amazing opportunity for someone to help shape their neighborhood store, and of course, there are benefits that go along with being a board member. Tenure on the board would be for one year and we would meet at a convenient time at the store once a month. Board members are entitled to a 20% discount on all purchases while they sit and refreshments will be provided at meetings. Please let me know if you'd be interested...let your voice be heard!

We're doing this because we want to listen to you. We're good at listening at WFS. We did try the suggestion box but that didn't work so well, and it's too one-sided. We got too many frivolous comments, like "don't smile so much, it's eerie" to "have Equal packets available with your coffee". I'd like to be able to sit down and discuss suggestions like rational humans. However, we have had some verbal suggestions from customers which we've acted on. Our good friend and customer Lori Paul has suggested a few things to us and we love her for that! One of her suggestions recently was for us to check out a U.S. company headquartered in Montana called DuckBoy. They manufacture greeting cards, postcards, books and calendars and they're a hoot! We purchased a small selection that are in store now - and they'll be signed with the fact that Lori recommended this product to us.

So here's our message for the week: Be a part of your community, because your community needs you. Everyone's busy, we know, but try to make some time to take part. Start with small things, like supporting a non-profit or supporting a store that supports non-profits. Start by taking part in the formation of a truly community-oriented retail store by speaking your mind and being heard....the long journey begins by putting one foot in front of the other. Have a great week!