Small Business Saturday Hoopla

 

 

Back in 2010, American Express created Small Business Saturday, to bring attention to the nation's independent mom & pop stores, and was inspired by The 3/50 Project.  Fast forward to 2014, and we find that Small Business Saturday has become a thing, an event that was grown maybe not so organically (American Express, a huge financial corporation, is behind this, after all) but it has given us small business owners a chance to be recognized.  For that, we are eternally grateful.  And although we like getting customers in the door on this day, we wouldn't be who we are unless we dedicated the day to another group that does great things in our community.

Take both Room 13s in our area, first at John Muir High School and then at Elliot Middle School. Overseen in North America by Pasadena's Light Bringer Project, these are complete art studios run by the students, who not only learn about art, but about the business of art, as well.  They are responsible for hiring their own Artist In Residence, who guides the students in their endeavors, and they make and sell products to keep the studios running. Tom Coston, who heads Light Bringer, has been named to Room 13 International's Board Of Trustees.  You might recognize the name - it's Tom and Light Bringer who bring us the fabulous Doodah Parade, and the Pasadena Chalk Festival, among other wonderful community oriented events.

If you know anything about Hoopla Emporium (and Webster's Fine Stationers prior to our move), you know that we love supporting our local artists and entrepreneurs.  Here we have an opportunity to support our budding artists, and entrepreneurs, so we'll be dedicating this day and 15% of our proceeds from it, to Light Bringer and both Room 13s.  Come see us on Saturday, November 29, shop around, meet some of the kids our donation will be supporting, and if you make a purchase, you'll get a little surprise they've made just for you! 

Scott and I wish you a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving! Hoopla will be open Saturday the 29th at 10:00 am - we'll see you then!

Back In The Saddle Again, Redoux

Hi, there, friends, we're finally back to keeping this blog up, after moving and getting things set up in our new store!  In case you haven't heard, we found a sweet little storefront on Fair Oaks Avenue that we just love.  We've also taken advantage of the move to re-brand the store, so we're now called "Hoopla! An Emporium Of Good Things".  Although our name has changed, our core mission has not, and this move has only intensified our endeavors to highlight the many local artists, makers, and entrepreneurs our area has to offer!

That said, as I was perusing Facebook a bit earlier, I ran across this post from our friend, Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor, and felt it was something important enough for me to copy whole and post here.  This is a subject that I'm pretty sure you know is very intregal to our core mission, and I couldn't be happier that someone else thinks the same way!  I love that Bob says to commit to step it up (instead of leaning in), I love that he stresses communication, and I just adore that he asks that we build a better world.  We can do that, you know. 

Stand

Oftentimes, we're asked for advice from various friends, acquaintances, even customers of ours, on starting or growing a business.  Most of the questions we get center around operating a business in a down economy, like "how do you hang in there when it's so tough?".  Others couch the question differently, like asking what motivates us to keep showing up on a daily basis. Multiple paragraphs could be written about this subject, but we ran across a recent blog post from uber-entrepreneur Seth Godin that pretty much sums up our advice to anyone starting out:

What does your brand stand for?

If you tell me about service and quality and customer focus, you haven't answered my question, because a hundred other brands stand for that. If you are what others are, then there's nothing here to own or protect or build upon.

Compared to what? Compared to all those that you compete with for attention, for commerce, for donations and for employees, what do you stand for? Are you one of a kind or even one in a million?
Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton... they don't actually stand for anything, do they? They can't, because they stand for precisely the same thing. Puma vs. Adidas vs. Nike... They all want to stand for winning. How substantial are the differences?

Make a list of the differences and the extremes and start with that. A brand that stands for what all brands stand for stands for nothing much.

---Seth Godin, May 30, 2013

It was never much of a stretch for us to differentiate our store, because we had to.  Due to the circumstances of our purchase into this long-standing family business, we were actually a new store, born from the carcass of the old.  From day one, we vowed to stand for our community's artists, writers, for hand-made, for local, and stand we have.  It's allowed us to help bring our area's artists to the attention of potentially hundreds of people.  It's also allowed us contribute to several of our town's non-profits, schools, and causes - maybe not with thousands of dollars, but as one retail friend told us, "even if it's only $100.00, it's $100.00 more than they had before".  With that philosophy, we joyfully give whatever and whenever we can.

Another great piece to read is Jonathan Morrow's post about fear, entitled The Cowardly Entrepreneur.  When, in the body of his post, he writes "The lesson is that courage isn’t about acting in the absence of fear; it’s about acting despite it", he had our attention.  This, along with Seth's post, really nails it in terms of advice for those just starting out (or those who need a jump start) in their businesses.  To quote Seth, "Go -  make something happen"!

Along those lines, we're hosting a book signing event on Thursday, with author Carol Woodliff.  Carol is a healer/shaman, and this event will be very exciting, with readings and demonstrations.  You'll find the event notice on our Facebook page and we hope we'll see you there!

We'll talk again next week, friends - enjoy!

Lori and Scott

Community Benefits

Last week, as usual, we ended our blog post with the sentence "we'll talk again next week".  Normally, that means Sundays, when we write up an article and publish it in the evening.  We've been publishing on Sunday nights for quite a long while now.

But last night was different.  The entire week was different - in fact, it hadn't been that different since September 11, 2001.  As Scott and I talked about possible blog fodder, we also discussed not publishing a blog post, out of respect for the terrible occurrences that took place during the week.  We ended up deciding to wait until today, after the moment of silence dedicated to the victims of the bomb attack at the Boston Marathon.

We decided that instead of rehashing the horrors of last week, or on products our store carries, we'd instead talk of things that we're doing that help our community, raise awareness, and just make us feel good.

Last Sunday, we attended the pre-Gala event for Union Station Homeless Services, at the Blacker House in Pasadena.  We've been donating to Union Station directly, and through a local group called Put The Fork In Hunger, for many years now.  Most people would nod and say that's a good thing, but never understand exactly why we do this.  Most philanthropic giving by local businesses is tied to an experience with someone or something that has touched the owners' lives somehow, and that is true with us.  Our store manager, Leilana De Los Santos, has been through Union Station's program, and we were so impressed by her experience that we wanted to contribute.  Even though what we can do is just a grain of sand against the massive need, we are honored to be a part of the giving.  Here is Pasadena Now's coverage of the event, along with pictures - it was a lovely day spent with wonderful people.  We were again blown away by Leilana's story, as she told it to the attendees during her keynote speech.  It was a pleasure to applaud the generous support of Union Station by Pasadena's Mayor and his wife, William and Claire Bogaard, and Robert Floe.  Underpinning it all was the hospitality of the Blacker House's owners, the Knells, who have lovingly restored the beautiful Craftsman designed by Greene & Greene, and their warm welcome to all involved.

Leilana De Los Santos With Scott And Lori Webster

Later that evening, we also attended a fund-raiser for John Muir High School's Muir Ranch, a program that we believe in and support.  Keynote speaker for the event was South Los Angeles guerrilla gardener and TED speaker Ron Finley.  Food, as Mr. Finley says, is the problem in cities like Los Angeles.  Food is also the solution.  Click the link for Mr. Finley and watch his TED talk, and I believe you'll understand why we support his ideas and why we support Muir Ranch.

Muir Ranch Dinner - photo by Diana Heffernan-Schrader

 Both Scott and I love working in and with our community, and we wish we had more time to do it.  We celebrate those that work tirelessly for the benefit of others, and we know that good works will always overshadow atrocities committed. On that note, we are running a fund-raising campaign for West, Texas.  Called "Round Up For West, Texas", we'll be asking you to drop change from your purchase into our collection box.  Feel free to drop in and donate directly, as well.

We'll talk again next Sunday, friends, until then, have a great week!

Lori and Scott

Tidings Of Comfort

Last week, we spoke briefly about the Lighting Ceremony at Christmas Tree Lane and the wonderful holiday feeling of the community coming together for the celebration.  That feeling was also found recently at Altadena's 125th birthday party.  It would have been the thread running through last Friday's holiday edition of Webster's monthly food truck event, too, had not the horrific event in Connecticut (and rainy cold weather) happened.

 Part Of The Crowd At This Years Lighting Ceremony At Christmas Tree Lane. 

 When something devastating occurs, the natural instinct is to huddle down in the safety of your home, surrounded by familiar and loved people and things.  For those who did come, we thank you, and we hope you enjoyed our Christmas carol sing-along.  We hope you had a bit of fun eating at the food trucks and joining us in the store.  We are happy that we could help provide a safe haven and yes, a place of community, to turn to when times are hurtful and confusing.  A place where people know you, that's been there forever - a place that you draw comfort from.

No one can wave a wand and make everything back to normal again.  The families of the victims of this heinous shooting rampage are bearing an unimaginable loss, and we here, across the miles, mourn with them.  Explanations and platitudes aside, there's little comfort in that Connecticut town tonight.  Our cries to God to bless the families there, and ease their pain, reverberate across the states and the world.  In a crisis like this, we are all one and we are all family.  Healing will come slowly, but it will come.

The message of Christmas is particularly poignant this year. From the bottom of our hearts, Scott and I wish you a joyous holiday and may you be enveloped by love, faith and hope for now and for the future.  We'll be taking a blogging break and will be back after New Years Day.  Enjoy, everyone!

Lori and Scott

Christmas 2012 Webster's Fine Stationers - ceramic Santas and Elves by Altadena artist Patrick Gothard

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

Community Is Our Business

If you look at Altadena, CA,on a street view map, you'd see that we're a very spread out community.  There are actually four different "main drags" in Altadena - starting from the West, we've got Lincoln and Fair Oaks, Lake Avenue in the center and Allen to the East.  This sprawl of neighborhoods and commerce centers make it a challenge for law enforcement, but we're very lucky to have our Los Angeles County Sheriffs, who do such an admirable job of keeping us safe.

Photo Credit: Tim Rutt

I was honored to attend the Grand Opening of the Altadena Sheriffs Station on Saturday, accompanied by Rose West of Curves on Mariposa representing Altadena's Chamber of Commerce.  Struck by that fact that violent crime here has taken a notable downturn, I feel very grateful that our Sheriffs now have a new, upgraded station to conduct their business in.  The building's design is a nostalgic nod to the era the original Station was built in, and it carries that theme faithfully throughout from the vintage lettering on the glass insets on the interior doors to the old jail, now used for storage.  The completion of the Station's renovation gives me hope that this is the start to the much-needed renovation of the North Lake Business District. 

Just like the Sheriffs make our community their business, all of us at Webster's FS make Altadena our business as well.  We don't just sell products at our store, you see.  We give our all to be of service to our fellow residents and guests at all times. Many customers feel comfortable calling in to ask questions about happenings in the community, and we think that's a great thing!  I'd like to encourage people to tell their friends to feel free to contact us if they'd like - not everyone has a computer or internet access, and we don't mind helping people find what they're looking for.

Happy fall, everyone - have a great week ahead!  Next week we'll talk about the next Fancy Food Truck Friday and our own Wines For A Passionate Evening of Poetry coming up on October 15th.....

Lori & Scott

Are You Ready For The Information Age?

A retailer friend of mine in Redding, California, sent this video around today called "The Currency Of The Future III". The link to it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idn4Lb-uCyg and it's just chock full of useful information.

Information....there's that word again. It keeps popping up in almost everything business-related I read anymore. According to the makers of this video, "it is estimated that 40 exabytes (4.0 X 10 19) of unique new information will be generated worldwide this year. That is more than in the previous 5,000 years".

They also predict that "in the next 24 months, it's estimated that U.S. online transactions will surpass store transactions at shopping malls". While that doesn't bode well for brick and mortar businesses, especially independent ones, they do go on to note that "in the information age, one of the most powerful forms of genius will be entrepreneurial genius".

This is exactly why I've been pushing so hard at getting WFS online in all forms - this blog, our website at http://www.webstersfs.com, on Facebook, MySpace, and any other place I can put us. I'm planning like mad to get this store's ecommerce site up and running....it's just a bit difficult in these hard economic times. It needs to be done, though. I don't want to be a dinosaur lumbering about trying to find shelter from the planetary storm, I want us to be comfortably ensconced in the promised land.

You won't find another store in the area as active in social media as we are. You can follow us and our retail life in real time. You can be assured that there are real people here, all of us working as a team to bring you the best service and product we can. But it doesn't stop there. We are forward-thinking young adults with a plan....a plan to be the agents of positive change in our community. We invite you to follow along with us - celebrate with us, think with us, learn with us and play with us. Join in the contests we have for fun merchandise give-aways and enjoy our motivational quotes.

WFS will be hosting a Social Media Networking Event in the very near future. More information about that will be forthcoming soon....make sure to check our Facebook page!

Have a great week, my friends!

Lori & Scott

Ask Not What Your Community Can Do For You.....

Forgive me for using a variation of President John F. Kennedy's famous inauguration speech.  I thought it appropriate that we substitute the word "community" for "country" for they are eventually the same ideal.  Broken down to the grassroots level, what you do for your community today strengthens your country tomorrow.

This is also a question that Scott and I asked ourselves before taking over ownership of Webster's stationery department.  Weighing the pros and cons of buying a store that wasn't really a store, one that was already in financial trouble, against the potential good we felt we could do in our community.  We took this on not because we thought we were going to make a ton of money in the endeavor, but because our family and community needed us to do it.  In whatever permeation Webster's is in now, at least we're still here. 

If  I had a dime for every time I've heard customer's say, "what would we do without Webster's?", I'd be able to buy lunch at Amy's Patio Cafe for 10 of our customers!  We're doing our part to ensure that Webster's remains in the community, not only as just a part of our historic scenery but a contributing member of Altadena's community.  That's why Scott and I , along with Ben McGinty, Molly Tierney, Steve Salinas, Lance Anderson and Jeff Kline formed the Altadena Arts Coalition.  That's why I'm sitting on the board of the Chamber of Commerce and it's also why Webster's Fine Stationers supports our local non-profit organizations.

We've also been very active online and love helping promote our community member's businesses and other worthy causes.  We've also enjoyed getting to know more of Altadena's residents as well, through our Facebook page and other venues, as well.  We envision a time when all the businesses in our Upper North Lake neighborhood work together for the benefit of all and we're working toward that end.  Until then, however, it's my pleasure to let you know (if you don't already) that Amy's Patio Cafe will be open on Saturday and Sunday nights for dinner during the summer.  Lauren will also be assembling box dinners for your enjoyment at the Sheriff's Support Group's Summer Concert Series, commencing soon.  Find out more information on her Facebook page and become a fan!

Speaking of working together, save the date of Saturday, June 26th, when Webster's Liquor and Webster's Fine Stationers will be holding a collaborative event you won't want to miss!  This fun and informative mini-seminar on pairing wines with popular barbeque party foods will feature local wine experts Anne Bannon and Michael Holland, just in time for the spate of 4th of July parties on the horizon.  The seminar is free but space is limited....when you receive your invitation be sure to respond quickly!  More information will be forthcoming next week.

This wraps up quite a week of excitement!  Last week we had a surprise visit from Tom Hanks, and our friend, Karen Klein, author of the blog Financially inKleined and reporter for various newspaper & magazines, wrote this article that appeared in BusinessWeek.  We love that the shop local message is being carried out here in the San Gabriel Valley!  Just remember, my friends, when you spend a dollar at an independent retailer, 70 to 80 cents remain to work within your community.  That's opposed to only 20 to 40 cents on the dollar if the same purchase was made at a corporate-owned big box or chain store.  Shop local and you'll find that stimulating the local economy has never been so rewarding!

Until next week,

Lori & Scott

Spring Forward!

It's officially Spring and how glad we are to see it here at WFS!  I'm sure you are, too, and like us, are appreciating the longer days.  We consider Spring to be our chance to interact with our community and strengthen the ties between us.  That means a lot of fun is in store for all of us!

SPRING CELEBRATION TO BENEFIT DANNY'S FARM!

On our calendar now is WFS' Spring Celebration, starting with our coloring raffle for children ages 1-10.  Come by and pick up one of three different designs your child(ren) can color and return to the store by March 26th.  They will be entered into a raffle for exciting prizes, to be given out by none other than the Easter Bunny himself!  Winners will be announced in store on Saturday, March 27th, at 1:00 p.m. and fun and games will ensue.   All purchases made between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. will benefit Danny's Farm, who will receive 15% of net proceeds during that time period.  A representative of Danny's Farm will be on hand with some of their animal residents to help explain the good things that they do (and plan to do) for the Altadena community.

We hope you can drop by to see us on Saturday.  Nothing says Spring quite like a picture of your kid(s) with the Easter Bunny and his adorable cohorts from Danny's Farm - make sure to bring your cameras! The children's artwork will be displayed in the store for al lto admire!  If you have any questions about the Celebration and fund-raiser for Danny's Farm, please give me a call at the store at 626-797-1135.

DEBUTING NEW ALTADENA COMPANY, DIP ME IN CHOCOLATE

We have found the most fabulous candymaker right here in Altadena!  Her name is Dana Gregoire, and she and her new company, Dip Me In Chocolate, produce luscious chocolate treats.  She'll be debuting her Spring line in store during our Spring Celebration.  You can't miss this chance to sample her decadent goodies and take some home for Easter baskets, or to enjoy yourself!  Dana is generously donating 15% of her net sales to Danny's Farm so come prepared to buy.  Help support not only our own local businesses but our very much needed nonprofits as well. 

Remember, the coloring pages for the raffle are available now until March 25th at the store.  Colored pictures must be turned in by the 26th.  The Spring Celebration is Saturday, March 27th, from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.  As always, coffee, lemonade, cookies and snacks will be served.  Drop by and help support Altadena....it'll be a fun time! 

The Learning Curve at Webster's Fine Stationers

I’m embarking on an adventure. Today I started a 26-week course given by the Women’s City Club of Pasadena called “Business Builders Boot Camp”. The brainchild of Lilli Cloud, Donna Chaney and Jennifer Hamilton, this course will help me formulate a sound business plan for our store. I was blown away with the absolute awesomeness of the women attending along with me, and I feel that this is without doubt one of the most positive things I’ve done for our store so far. I need to learn more about how to steer our business toward the goals we set upon taking ownership of it. I want to learn how to maintain those goals and add to them and how to grow after realizing those goals. I can’t wait to soak in the knowledge and expertise all these wonderful women are offering and I’m so thankful that I happened to be invited into the group. I’m one lucky gal to have such fabulous friends and to have the chance to make more!

In class I spoke of our store and the history of Webster’s. We were identifying what the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are for our businesses and I volunteered to be the class example. It was an exciting discussion and I actually learned so much from listening to my classmates’ comments. Hands down, the top ranked strength for us was our name recognition. We discussed what a powerful tool name recognition is, then we talked about what can happen to that name recognition if it’s not given the proper care and attention it deserves. In other words, the store’s weakness is its lack of follow-through.

What Webster’s has become is a perfect example of what happens when you become complacent. Paraphrasing Petrea Bruchard in her article about us in her blog, Pasadena Daily Photo, Webster’s sat up on that hill and never really had to do much to attract shoppers. We were the only game in town and it was exciting at the time to have a nice place to shop in the neighborhood. We were the town’s hub and it was good. But local shopping fell out of favor. New and more exciting big box stores opened nearby and then warehouse stores came along. Things were less expensive at these places, you could get similar items for less, so business for Webster’s began fall off. The shopping demographic changed and we didn’t change with it, or we didn’t change in the right direction. With the years of neglect came apathy and denial, lackluster service and a general feeling of malaise that could be felt by customers. I noticed it when I took a full time job in the business office there in 1995 and I’ve talked with many people who’ve noticed the same thing throughout the years.

With Bill Webster’s retirement and the splitting up of the stores two years ago, our store began communicating with the public. We became very active on social media sites and have worked diligently to improve our visibility and reinforce our brand. Scott and I have made so many new friends and reinforced old friendships that we’re very thankful for. Many of these friends have offered advice, most of which we’ve taken to heart. But one piece of advice leaves us a bit flummoxed. Move on, they say, after learning about our trials with the Webster’s Corp…..find another storefront to rent where you’ll be more successful and get out before you go down with them. We’ve heard it from several different sources recently, especially now with the advent of Karen’s Hallmark‘s demise. I get where these friends are coming from, I truly do. But Scott and I just can’t reconcile moving the business away from Webster’s. What would happen to the main store if we did that? Where would that leave them? And more importantly, what would that say about our integrity?

Integrity is vitally important to Scott and I personally and it’s vitally important to us as a store. If we don’t follow through with what we’ve promised, then what are we? Integrity is also important to us in relationship to our family, reciprocated or not. If not for Webster’s, there would be no Webster’s Fine Stationers, and for that opportunity alone we’re more grateful than we can say.

Two years ago, we envisioned a small complex of stores working together to make a healthy whole and unfortunately, that didn’t happen. We’re now experiencing the closure of the Hallmark store, which will of course affect us all, and not in a good way. It will negatively affect the store on so many different levels, it’s staggering. Hopefully, though, this will become the catalyst for the two remaining stores to work together closely, and most of all, to learn from this experience. Scott and I remain hopeful because we believe in our store. We believe we can offer the community many benefits, which we’ve discussed in prior posts. We remain hopeful that with our help, Webster’s will remain in the community, but remember that we’ll need your help, too. Remember to shop local and please remember that Webster’s stands for Altadena.

Grand Re-Opening, Ribbon Cutting & Benefit for The Quality of Life Center

You don’t need us to tell you that times are tough lately. We will ask you to consider, however, that if you’re feeling the crunch of this economic downturn, how are charitable organizations faring these days? The answer is they’re scrambling to survive, just like we are.

This is a time when communities need to come together and step up to support our local non-profits and charities. We here at WFS feel so strongly about this that we’re dedicating 15% of our net sales on the 6th of November to the Quality of Life Center.

We’re holding this benefit simultaneously with our Grand Re-Opening and Chamber of Commerce sponsored ribbon cutting. We’ll be hosting a Chamber mixer at 5:30 p.m., after the ribbon cutting, and the store will remain open until 7:00 p.m. so we can all celebrate together.

That brings us to you and how you can support this important cause. First of all, if you’re not familiar with The Quality of Life Center and what they do, we urge you to take a moment and click on this link - http://www.qualityoflifecenterinc.com/ - to learn about their valuable efforts. Next, come into WFS on Thursday, November 6th, and make a purchase. Check out the lovely displays, have a cup of coffee or tea from Pasadena Coffee Company and enjoy some delicious treats. Meet the Bright Future Scholars and the principals of the Center and discover why what they accomplish for Altadena’s youth is so vitally important.

Along with the benefit for the Quality of Life Center, we are also introducing a new service company in Altadena called Waste Less Living. All the utensils, serveware and napkins will be supplied by them and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Waste Less Living sets you up with everything you need for your function, along with compostable trash bags. To clean up, you dump everything, including food scraps, into the bags and they come take it away to be responsibly composted. We can’t think of a better way to help our environment and we welcome this opportunity to demonstrate the ease of how it works.

This has turned out to be a long missive and we apologize for that….we know you’re busy. The Center is a cause we here at WFS feel strongly about. We hope that you feel the same and will help support the at-risk youth in our community. Stop by any time on the 6th of November, the benefit will run from our delayed opening at 12:00 noon to our extended closing at 7:00 p.m. The ribbon cutting should be in the late afternoon followed by the Chamber of Commerce mixer at 5:30. The store will remain open for business during the mixer….we urge you to stay and meet some of Altadena’s business owners. Representatives from our various vendors will be on hand from 3:00 p.m., also, to explain their various products and answer any questions you may have. Meet and mingle with the local artists whose works are carried here at WFS. Best of all, there’ll be gourmet snacks, door prizes and a raffle for a fabulous basket chock full of our favorite goodies. To enter the raffle, simply leave your name, address and email address with any one of your WFS crew members before or during the festivities, and they’ll give you a ticket. You do need to be present to win, however, so please make arrangements to be here. As always, we’ll be playing our most favorite oldies station on XM Radio, so come sing along with us. We’re all very excited about our grand opening and benefit and we’re looking forward to celebrating with you!