Stepping Out

This week, I'll be stepping outside of my normal Webster-centric topics. No worries, we'll talk about a couple store related topics at the end. I thought I'd let you know about two community centered issues that you might not be aware of.

The world of blogging has exploded in the past few years. With the proliferation of blogs out there to read, there are a few local blogs that stand out. Cafe Pasadena, that Virtual Underwire on the Bra of Life, is one such blogger. He brings to light a situation with the APS Store at Chantry Flats that is a classic example of bureaucratic insanity that's so prevelant today. Read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/ye77zgk Don't forget to read his follow up articles about it!

The other issue that sounds like it needs more clarification is the parcel tax the Foothill Municipal Water District is proposing. Seems troubling that there are so many unanswered questions surrounding the economic impact of such a tax, particulary in these times. Read about it here on our Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/ykpmwxf While you're there, take a moment and become a fan!

Speaking of blogging and bloggers, the 2nd annual Primavera in Altadena, aka the Blogger's Picknic, will be held this Saturday, March 20th, at Farnsworth Park. Come meet and greet with some of the San Gabriel Valley's most prolific bloggers and do bring something good to share because it's a potluck! Read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/yzerkv4

We've got lots of things to be excited about inside WFS! We're expecting a new shipment of Moleskine notebooks and related items shortly. Look for our post about the history of Moleskine - the legendary notebook of Picasso and Chatwin - on our Facebook Fan Page soon! Also on our radar are the coolest new readers (you know, those magnifying glasses you sometimes have to wear to be able to see the small print?), set to arrive in a couple of weeks. I'll give you a little hint about them....you'll be able to read in the dark very well with these babies!

Until next week.....

Lori & Scott

Local Blogs Worthy of Note and Winter Festival Update

As promised in my last post, let me offer you some information on local sites and blogs that are, in my opinion, some of the best. Informative, amusing and such a great compliation of the culture of Altadena, these sites are waiting for you to discover them (if you already haven't). Read on, intrepid readers, and find a new sources of information, news, entertainment or historical facts....an entire world of the written word awaits!

Altadenablog, http://www.altadenablog.com Altadena's one-stop source for community news and opinion. If you want to keep up with what's happening in Altadena, this is the site for you! The site's author, Tim Rutt, was honored recently by Los Angeles County for Altadenablog's coverage of the Station Fire.

Altadena Above It All, http://altadenaaboveitall.com
Debbie Swanson Patrick, author, photographer and artist, says it best herself: "this blog is dedicated to capturing the life, history, preservation and improvement battles, the wildlife (animals included!), talent, beauty and magic that is in these foothills." We love helping her celebrate Altadena and we hope you do, too.

Altadena Hiker, http://www.altadenahiker.blogspot.com
Karin Bugge's View From The Trail, a glimpse into the life of this local resident who tells it like she sees it. A talented writer, Karin is funny, witty and spot-on!

One excellent perk about being a blogger is that you get to share other wonderful blogs with your readers. There are so many excellent local blogs in our area and I'll be pointing out more in future posts. Hopefully by then I will have figured out what's wrong with my Blogger account and why it won't let me attach live links. On now to exciting local news!



Altadena Arts Coalition Presents
The North Lake Pole Shop-Hop and Winter Festival


Come join the Altadena Arts Coalition and your local merchants on Saturday, December 12th, for an evening of holiday merriment and civic pride! Rediscover all Altadena has to offer by visiting the participating merchants and businesses, who are awaiting your arrival with seasonal treats and goodies. Collect stars on your map and once filled, you are eligible for entry into a drawing for wonderful prizes!

Set to start right after the lighting of Christmas Tree Lane , the AAC will host sledding in REAL snow in Galloway Alley, live music and a visit from Holly Jolly Wally! There will be food vendors in case you get hungry….John from O Happy Days will be serving hot soup, The Coffee Gallery will be serving hot coffee & tea, Park Bench Deli will be making tacos, Steve's Bike Shop is serving hot chocolate and Altadena's own Dip Me In Chocolate will be offering their decadent goodies. Stroll along the North Lake Pole Ave., greet your friends and neighbors and enjoy that good old fashioned Christmas spirit! Webster's Fine Stationers will be showcasing their holiday décor and will be serving hot apple cider, treats and a surprise guest. Webster's Pharmacy and Webster's Liquor will be serving soft-serve ice cream and Photography by Walt is hosting “Capture the World”, an exciting photo exhibit. The Gallery At The End Of The World will also be hosting an art exhibit you won't want to miss. This is a great opportunity to get out and see what makes Altadena so special. Get set to have a great time on the 12th …..we'll be waiting for you!

Congratulations to the AAC For A Fabulous Event!

The evening of Friday, May 15th, the Altadena Arts Coalition's North Lake Avenue Open House brought people out in droves to have fun while re-discovering the delights of the area....and what a party it was! I'm so proud of the founding members of the AAC and their efforts in this endeavor - it just goes to show you what a little creativity and a lot of hard work can do. What's surprising is how well it went off with only a few short weeks of planning, due to the combined talents of Ben McGinty, Lance Anderson, Molly Tierney, Chef Jeff Kline, Ms. Dragon and all the other members who pitched in! Extra kudos to to Ms. Dragon, who spent many hours compiling names and addresses of the businesses involved and printing the maps that were handed out for the evening....all your hard work is genuinely appreciated.

Thanks are also in order for those whose contributions made the evening magical. All our Altadena/Pasadena Bloggers: Karen Bugge (AltadenaHiker), Susan Carrier (OpenMouthInsertFork, TheOrangeCat and CancerBanter), Petrea Burchard (PasadenaDailyPhoto), Tim Rutt (Altadenablog) and Bill Westphal (AltadenaWeatherCam)....all of you rock and thanks so much for lending us your expertise for the evening! Readers, you can find links to all these wonderful blogs below in my blogroll. Thanks to Steve Salinas of Altadena Hardware for fashioning and providing the brackets to hold the banners Scott made and also for rockin' the crowd with his band, The Dispositions....you guys were great! Thanks to Karen and Robert Myers of Karen's Hallmark for donating the balloons that marked each participating business - from New York to Altadena Drive, that was a lot of balloons, and we appreciate it. Special thanks also to Pierre Dupuy, who drove his Jitney up, down and around North Lake Avenue for hours, ferrying people to the different activities. Thanks to all the businesses who participated....this was the first of many events to come and they'll just get better with your help. And lastly, thanks to our Altadena residents....you are the ones who attended and made this an evening to remember....we appreciate it and hope you'll spread the good word about your local businesses!

Be sure to check out all our local blogs....there are pictures posted now and more to come, so don't miss out.

Altadena Arts Coalition Open House May 15th

There'll be lots of community activity this week and we think that's a good thing. You've all read about how important it is to shop locally, especially during these hard times. You know how spending money locally benefits your community and that more of your consumer dollar stays in your community than if you'd spent it at a chain or a big box store. So now that you know all this, what better time is there to have a get reacquainted with your local businesses party? The newly formed Altadena Arts Coalition, comprised of galleries, merchants and small business owners, are throwing a party....an open house spanning businesses from New York Drive to Altadena Drive along North Lake Avenue....with entertainment, goodies and good times for all this Friday evening, from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm or later! Read on about what AltadenaBlog.com has to say about it, and thanks to Tim Rutt for allowing us to use this:

"Altadena Arts Coalition/North Lake Open House 5/15/09
The Altadena Arts Coalition invites you to the North Lake Business District Open House, Fri., May 15, 4-9 PM. Many businessess will be open, and there's a full roster of events for the whole family. Come on over and meet your business neighbors:

Activities to date include:

Altadena Hardware, 849 E. Mariposa: Steve Salinas and "The Dispositions,: 6-9 PM.

Altadena Junction, 2524 & 2526 El Molino Ave: Alex Schaefer will be painting 20 minute oil portraits from life, 7-10 PM: "Sit and get painted."

Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake:

Gallery at the End of the World, 2475 N. Lake: Underground Arts Society presents the Group Show, "Spring Fever" May 15-17. Opening reception, Fri., 4-9 PM.Featuring the work of:Victor Cass Johnny Fox Barbara Kaletta Nora Koerber Dave Lovejoy Caroline Maxwell Ben McGinty Ngene Mwuara Hector Pedraza Alison Proulx Domingo Ramos Robert Rodriguez

Photography by Walt, 2455 N. Lake. Opening reception, "Emerging Photography" Emerging Photographers from around the Los Angeles Area on display for the weekend.Opening Reception Friday May 15, 2009 @ 4:00-lateSome work will be available for purchase.Photographers: Rafael Agustin Delgado Phillip Kim Daniel Paul Michelle G Aron Kearney Candace Boysen Martin Nguyen Vivian Lin Jessica Torres Hanson

Ronnie's Automotive, 2012 N. Lake: Classic car show.

Steve's Pets, 2395 N. Lake: Altadena Chamber of Commerce mixer, 5:30-7 PM.

Webster's Fine Stationers, 2450 N. Lake, Ste. B:"Blogger's Cafe," including snacks, coffee, and tea, and a chance to meet some of our local bloggers (including Altadena Above It All, Open Mouth Insert Fork, Altadenahiker, Pasadena Daily Photo, and others.) Ask questions, get advice, meet the faces behind the keyboard."

WOW....what a line up, and there's more coming! I'm very excited about this (as you can tell) because I think Altadena needs to be recognized for the unique and beautiful place it is. Ever since Old Fashioned Days fizzled out, we as Altadeneans have had no reason to all gather to support each other and have fun. Oh, there've been functions and there have been parties and benefits galore, but there has been no true public event that Altadena could call their own....until now. The Altadena Arts Coalition, the brainchild of Ben McGinty, Lance Anderson, Molly Tierny, Chef Jeff Kline, Ms. Dragon and yours truly, has great hopes that this open house will be the prelude to many more to come. We hope to engage the Altadena resident - our customers, patrons and supporters - and get them reacquainted with their local shops, businesses & art venues. Why go elsewhere when our community is so rich with everything you could possibly need?

Come join us Friday evening and let us show you how Altadena rocks! Webster's Fine Stationers will be hosting the Blogger's Cafe on Friday night. Come meet your community's most prolific bloggers....ask questions, get advice about what blogging is all about, how to blog, and why blogging is so important to the area. We'll be sampling our Wind & Willow gourmet appetizer mixes and there'll be refreshments for all!

We hope to see you Friday evening....it'll be a wonderful time with many surprises in store, and you'll never know who you'll run into up here....could be a celebrity siting or two? Hmmmm.....maybe!