Spring-ing Forward

This past week was chock-full of things happening (as usual around here).  Boxes of new products to check in and put out; people to see and places to go!  It's amazing I remember my name when Scott and I finally get home at night.  But when we do get home, after I've made dinner and I'm reflecting on the day, I always count my blessings.  My blessings include our wonderful customers and readers of this blog (that's you), and they also include heartfelt hopes that all of you are faring well.

We've got a full week ahead of us, as well.  Fancy Food Truck Fridays will be at the end of the week on April 8th and it usually takes all week to get this event together.  Of course, the Spring holidays are approaching, and we'll be celebrating them a little later in the month.  We'll have our yearly Spring Coloring Contest starting on April 11th, so drop by the store to pick up coloring pages for the kids to color.  Return the completed drawings to the store and we'll display them for all to admire, then we'll pick 3 winners.  Winners will be announced at our annual Spring Celebration Event, and they will each be rewarded with a fabulous prize Easter basket.  The Easter Bunny will make an appearance, along with plenty of goodies to munch on....it's a party you won't want to miss!

We've been talking a lot about how an independent small business, such as our retail store, can contribute to the fiscal health of their communities.  There are many ways this can be accomplished, but one very popular way is through donations to our local non-profits and schools. We can also help by not just donating directly (which we do) but by facilitating donations from the public (that would be you).  This week, there will be a box to collect your "gently used" items of clothing, purses, hats, belts, dishware, audio and visual equipment, small appliances, holiday decorations, giftware, etc.  You see, Central Altadena Little Leaguers have partnered with Goodwill of Southern California and are collecting for them.  They asked if we could help, and we said sure!  So, in turn, we ask that you take a look around your home and see if there's anything you need to get rid of, that your kids have outgrown or that you're no longer using.  Drop it off here so we can give it to CALL and they can give it to the Goodwill.  Your gifts will help raise funds for their children's sports program, as well as help Goodwill continue their many programs that enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities or other disadvantages by providing education, training and job opportunities.  You can make space in your home in addition to helping your community....I'd call that a win/win!

Have a great week, my friends!

Lori & Scott

History Lessons

As Women's History Month winds down to the last few days, I'm amazed at what an eventful month it's been.  The horrible disaster in Japan and the deaths of icons Elizabeth Taylor and Geraldine Ferraro have struck a chord in our hearts this month. Catastrophe and loss surround us on a daily basis and women the world over take it in stride, as we always have.  The circle of life, emanating from woman - the struggle, the toil, all the joy and pain - ending, only to begin again.

This is what we do, all of us women.  The givers and sustainers of life, most of us deserving of headlines yet moving through our lives unheralded.  My friend, Roberta Martinez, posted a question today on Facebook.  She asked who were the women who've most influenced your life.  I enjoyed reading the various responses posted.  It was a great question and I haven't stopped thinking of which women have influenced my life, whether they were historical figures, family or celebrities.  This is how I answered Roberta's question:

The women who've influenced my life are Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mother Theresa, Marlo Thomas, Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Taylor. In my own family, the first women I knew who left their indelible impression on the child I was were:
1. My paternal grandmother, Anne L. Babcock Elliott, who taught college-level Latin
2. My maternal great-grandmother, who raised my mom and her 4 siblings after their parents died and still ran a tea-house in Iowa
3. My mother, who overcame rheumatoid arthritis as a child, had considerable health problems as a young woman and had a complete hysterectomy in the 1930s. She married my dad (7 yrs her junior) in 1947 and waited on a list for 10 years to adopt me in 1957, when she was 47 years old. She fought with my father to go to work in the early 1970s and fought cancer for 16 years until she died at 83 in 1994. She worked until she was 80.
4. My birth mother, whoever she was, who had the good sense to know she couldn't take care of me and put me up for adoption to a couple who could.

I like my answer, but as I continue to think about it, there's one woman that I left out.  A woman who I never met, and don't know that much about, but who had a hand in guiding the business that Scott and I are involved in now.  That woman was Scott's paternal grandmother.  The wife of Harold Webster, the founder of Webster's Pharmacy.  You see, Harold died when Scott's dad was only 19.  She had the responsibility of running the store after the death of her husband, and also assumed the task of seeing that her children who worked the business were properly trained on how to actually run it.

That she did a good job of that goes without saying.  The store was very successful for many, many years.  I'd like to give her the recognition here that I can't find any mention of anywhere else.  She has inspired both Scott and I to continue the heritage of Webster's and constantly strive to bring you the best.  We'd like you to join with us in acknowledging a true Altadena pioneer.....thank you, Mrs. Webster!

One For All And All For One....Sustainablity In Altadena Or Anywhere

When I mentioned "slow money" last week, I imagine many were scratching their heads, wondering what I was talking about.  SlowMoney.org was founded by Woody Tasch, a pioneer in merging investing and philanthropy.  Slow Money's mission is to build local and national networks, and develop new financial products and services, dedicated to:

• investing in small food enterprises and local food systems;
• connecting investors to their local economies; and,
• building the nurture capital industry.

:  At their recent Healthy Money Summit, the topics they went over included:

• Earning and spending habits that liberate your time and passion for your real life’s work
• Investment strategies that favor the triple bottom line and sustainable business practices
• How to practice the state of being that favors generosity and sharing over hunkering down
• New currencies that favor connection and community over hoarding and lack
• New economies that favor Main Street over Wall Street, and prioritize community well-being as the new bottom line
• Developing a new money spirit of “enough for all,” rather than “winner takes all”

A healthy economy, healthy habits and healthy attitudes toward money are possible, as are healthy retail practices.  Here at Webster's Fine Stationers, our own mission statement encompasses these ideas and determines our purpose on a daily basis.

So how can a retail store (or any independent business) affect positive changes in their community? Research shows that if you shift a portion of your spending from national chains and the Internet to independent locally-owned and operated businesses, you can have a dramatic effect on your local economy.  That’s because a significantly greater portion of the money you spend with local businesses stays in your community. This means more money for roads, schools, services and jobs. A small change in the way you shop can have a big impact on your community.

In addition, cooperation between our business owners also makes a huge impact on the community.  Take, for example, the cooperation between Winsome's Pretty Woman on Marcheta Alley and WFS.  We gladly display a few hats from Charmain's store here so other people will see them.  We will sell these hats for her and gladly give her full proceeds.  We display other business' cards and information at our community table, and we all patronize local businesses here on North Lake. We sell Christmas Tree Lane Association's merchandise and they receive 75% of the proceeds. We eat brunch weekly at Amy's Patio Cafe and have lunch during the week at El Patron and Everest.  We take our clothes that need dry cleaning to Merit, use Ms. Dragon and the Manning Press for our printing needs.  We have a local accountant and insurance brokers.  I personally use our Facebook fan page to highlight other local business, because I believe that we should all be doing this for each other.  Imagine the impact on our community if we all did this for each other!

It wasn't all that long ago that business was pretty cut-throat on Main Street, USA.  You did for yourself and no one else.  Back in the day here in Altadena, the old kingpins of commerce locked themselves in as such and we're experiencing the backlash of it today.  The parking regulations that everyone bemoans is a direct result of such dealings.  Times have changed and the old ways of doing business are no longer working. These days, we must adopt more sustainable and cooperative practices if we're going to survive. Webster's Fine Stationers is elated to be on the forefront of this movement.  We invite you to climb aboard and make a difference here in this community, or in your own community....it can only get better from here.

Enjoy your week, my friends, and a very happy Spring to everyone!

Slow Retail

Thoughts On Independence

Last week we discussed the small town of Thomasville, Georgia, and its thriving Main Street independent businesses.  We reported that despite the downturn in our economy, these shops have been able to keep their heads above water with the cooperation of their city government and their residents.  I pointed out that even though we are County-governed, if we had their (and your) cooperation, we could see a similar effect here.

I'm proud to say that I heard from a gentleman who now lives in Colorado but used to own a shop in Thomasville.  He saw my blogpost and gave me a call.  I was surprised but very happy he called to voice his support!  He says he'll be watching us and hoping that "those who shop Rodeo Drive will start shopping in our area".  Well.....we won't hold our breath for that to happen, since logistics in Southern California can be so misunderstood by those who live out of the area.  But I certainly appreciated the thought and we will continue to strive toward educating the public about the benefits of shopping locally at independent businesses. Mr. Arnest, thank you for contacting us, we so appreciate your call!  Now, it's time to watch a little video by our friends at JibJab (no, we're not advertising their ecards, although they are funny):

This last Wednesday, lawmakers in Maine heard testimony on a bill, LD 322, to repeal the Informed Growth Act, which Gov. Paul LePage also has listed among his priorities for reforming Maine’s regulatory environment.  Enacted in 2007, the Informed Growth Act was championed by supporters as a way to protect Maine’s downtown business districts and local stores from the effects of large-scale retail developments such as Wal-Mart, Target or Home Depot. The law applies to proposed businesses with a gross floor area of 75,000 square feet or more.  If this bill is repealed, it would set a precedent for other communities across the county to do the same, if they agree with what Bill sponsor Rep. Tyler Clark, R-Easton, argued that the law is inherently biased against larger retail operations.

Stacy Mitchell, a senior researcher for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit that promotes “environmentally sound and equitable community development,” said that before the act’s passage, many town planning boards were unable to consider how a big-box store would affect jobs and small businesses in town.  Imagine the impact that having a WalMart in Pasadena would have on neighboring independent retailers!

We recommend reviewing organizations like The 3/50 Project, the Institute for Local Self Reliance (link above), Independent We Stand, and the American Independent Business Alliance for information on the importance of shopping locally.  Investigate and find out how you can support your community's economic health and improve your shopping experience.  Those large corporations aren't all they're cracked up to be, as many of you are aware.  One of them even ticked off the venerable Seth Godin and prompted him to write his latest blogpost about broken promises - one thing that we independent businesses have more control over, since we're not so huge and impersonal.

My friends, I leave you with this last little bit of truism from The Localism Index:  the minimum amount having a grocery store, bookstore, coffee shop and restaurant within half a mile of a house increases its value:  $21,000!  Wow!

Have a great week and we look forward to seeing you at the next Fancy Food Truck Fridays on 3/11/11 (that's this Friday)! Thanks to the Altadena Chamber of Commerce for helping us get our permit!

Lori & Scott

And The Award Goes To.....

Tonight is Hollywood's favorite night.  Stars from all over will descend on Hollywood, walk down that red carpet and a few of them will take home that coveted golden statuette.  Now, let's take a moment and think about who really deserves an award.  While I'm sure there are countless worthy individuals, I think the small business owners who have struggled through these hard times and are still open deserve a shout-out.  These businesses owners who contribute to their community's well-being by hiring local employees, use local services, pay local taxes and recirculate their hard-earned dollars in that community.

The video posted above (also posted on our store's Facebook fan page) shows one town in Georgia that has thrived despite the downturn.  I recommend watching this video to see what would be possible here if we all worked together to make it happen.  I'm speaking about Altadena, of course, but you can make this happen anywhere in the country if you happen to live elsewhere.  If I'm being repetitious, forgive me, but it bears repeating that our recovery from the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression won't happen until it happens with small businesses.  We are truly the bedrock of the American way of life.  If small businesses keep disappearing at the alarming rate they're disappearing now, our lives will be changed forever, and not in a good way.

If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you know how strongly I feel about this.  It's particularly important now, in light of the recent fracas with our Fancy Food Truck Fridays event and the County of Los Angeles' Planning Department.  For those of you who aren't aware, our gourmet food truck/open house party for the community that we held on Feb. 11th and was very successful.  So successful, in fact, that we must've ticked off a few people and complaints were lodged with various County agencies.  The County, as far as we can ascertain, has told us we can't do it again because it violates Title 22 of their voluminous Civil Code.  As the wrangling with the County goes on towards some kind of resolution, I will also recommend they watch this video as well.

Let's all work together for a better Altadena.  Let's do it now.

Have a wonderful week, my friends,

Lori & Scott

A Full Plate

One of these days I'll report to you that we had a quiet week. This is not that day, however. Another week has whizzed by so fast, with so much happening, I can say with all honesty that I'm tuckered out!

Valentines Day was fabulous and I thank you all for that. The giant red hearts and the accompanying pink, frilly props have been packed away, waiting to make an appearance next year. Next to come are Spring and Easter displays highlighting some of our newest products! I'm very pleased by our renewed commitment to invest in more sustainable merchandise and we're getting in some very exciting things that I think you'll adore. One of these fabulous new lines just arrived and we've enjoyed setting up these sketch pads fashioned out of vintage record album covers. Old Motown and R & B favorites such as The Commodores, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Michael Jackson....you get the idea. What a wonderful use for these old record covers, and the drawing (or journaling) paper is bright white and acid free!

Meredith Miller, one-half of the new owners of Webster's Community Pharmacy, and I had lunch the other day with Altadenan and photographer/videographer Deb Halberstadt at the wonderful Amy's Patio Cafe. We talked about our Fancy Food Truck Fridays and the possibility of filming the event as a live stream, which I think would be awesome! We're still in the early stages of planning, so we'll keep you informed of our progress. This next Fancy Food Truck Friday, on March 11th, will be so much fun, I can hardly wait! More trucks, more tables & chairs, and even music....it all spells one heck of a good time!

There was a great turn-out for the Altadena Urban Farmers Market today. Molly Tierney and I drove over for a stroll-through and I'm sure glad we did. Lots of yummy goodies being sold and I was finally able to connect with Earl, of Earl's Gone Wild Barbeque Sauce fame. We'll now be carrying his tasty sauce and other products that he's soon to come out with. We tasted his Jalapeno Pepper Jelly and loved it....it'll be ready for the market soon, and when it is, you can be sure WFS will be carrying it. Earl's barbeque sauce is being offered at the low price of $7.99....come in and get a bottle before it's gone!

Dinner is past done, my friends, so must run. Have a great week and we hope to see you in the store sometime soon!

Lori & Scott

Life In The Fast (Food Truck) Lane, or, How Webster's Got Their Groove Back

This past week has been a flurry of getting our very first Fancy Food Truck Fridays event up and running. This event is also the very first collaborative effort between all the Webster's stores and we're very glad it went off so very well!

For those of you who hadn't heard about it, Fancy Food Truck Fridays is being held on the 2nd Friday of every month. At 5:00 pm, the parking lot behind the Shops at Webster's Center transforms into a gourmet food haven, with family-style seating nestled in between the bustling trucks. People came, people mingled and conversed while they waited in the long lines; they sat and ate and seemed to really enjoy themselves!

Our collective hope is that this will become a mainstay in Altadena, something that our community can look forward to. We'll be tweaking and improving as we go along, so hopefully all our residents will be able to enjoy the event, together. Pictures of the festivities can be found at Altadenablog, here: http://www.altadenablog.com and on Altadena Patch, here: http://www.altadenapatch.com

Our thanks go out to both Webster's Community Pharmacy and Webster's Liquor, and also to Sheldon Katz of Rolling Bistros. Working together we were able to put some positive excitement back into our little town, some life back into the store as a whole and had a lot of fun doing it! Working together, we have debuted something that has the potential to draw people from the outlying areas to Altadena and enliven our local economy.

We welcome your suggestions about how to make this event more enjoyable for all. The trucks are now aware of how popular this event will be, so are making plans to be better supplied, and there will be two more trucks. Which ones will come next time? Stay tuned to find out....the next event will be held on Friday, March 11th!

I'd also like to give a shout-out to our friends Michael Holland and Anne L. Bannon of http://wwww.OddBallGrape.com, who hosted our Champagne & Port tasting on Friday. They poured over 100 glasses of Champagne or Port on Friday night....I think that might be a record! They handed out over five pounds of chocolate covered strawberries and about as many chunks of dark chocolate along with the wines and still managed to cheerfully extol the virtues of each to an audience of rapt listeners. I'm always amazed by them and want to thank them for their partnership!

Until next week, my friends....enjoy!

Lori & Scott

Reviewing History For The Future

Today was one of those rare days for us. Because it's traditionally super slow on Superbowl Sunday, we decided not to open the store and were able to stay home and relax. Scott got to putter around his poor, neglected garden and cut back our old-growth roses. I got to clean up a bit and get to the neighborhood pet store like I've been meaning to do all week. Then we went to the Superbowl halftime festivities and commercials at my daughter's home in Santa Monica.

It was nice to have a day of rest....of not fighting traffic or worrying that the animals won't get fed on time or if we have time to stop at the grocery store because we're out of something. Most of all, it was nice to just relax and have some fun with family. While we haven't, and won't, close on Sundays very often, this day was very much appreciated.

Because of our relatively store-free day, I thought I'd give myself a little blogging break, too. I rethought that, though, because there's some things I wanted to mention. Next Friday's Fancy Food Truck Fridays is one of them. All of us here at Webster's hope you'll be able to stop by to check it out and do a little late-night shopping....we'll be open until 9:00 p.m.! OddBallGrape.com's Anne Bannon and Michael Holland will be here pairing Champagne and various dessert wines with chocolate, perfect for a warm up to Valentines Day!

It'll be great time to meet Mike and Meredith Miller, the new owners of Webster's Pharmacy. Find out what their plans are for the renovation of the pharmacy. Then stroll down to WFS and come meet us! Find out what we're all about and our plans to work with the community. Scott and I are looking forward to meeting you and seeing old friends. I'd like to leave you with this link to a story our friend Petrea Burchard, of the Pasadena Daily Photo blog, wrote about us way back in September of 2008. We'd been the new owners of the former Stationery department at Webster's for almost exactly one year when she wrote this. Maybe you didn't read it back then, so here's your chance to do so. I think it gives some perspective on the changes at Webster's, and would like to extend my thanks to Petrea once again for the post. http://pasadenadailyphoto.blogspot.com/2008/09/change.html

Have a fabulous week, my friends....hope to see you on Friday night!

Citizen Of The Year And More!

Another week has whizzed by and by the looks of it, this week will be following suite. We've finished with the California Gift Show, and I'm sure glad that I'm back in the store again, getting things prepared for the arrival of new merchandise! You might notice a few empty spaces when you visit our store, but have no fear, they'll be filled in shortly.

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner was Friday evening at the Altadena Town & Country Club. I thought it was a great turnout and Scott and I enjoyed meeting and greeting our many friends who were there. The Citizen of the Year Award was given to our friend Carolyn Seitz, and I don't think there is anyone who deserves the honor more. In a touching acceptance speech, she downplayed all she's done in the past several years to better our community and instead gave kudos to her family, some who had traveled there to support her. Everyone was visibly moved as she introduced her father, whom she said had instilled in her the value of community service. Congratulations to Carolyn, we very much enjoyed the evening!

Picture of installation of Board members courtesy of Bill Westphal

We're looking forward to some fabulous events here at Webster's, so please stay in touch with us as we unfold our plans! It'll be fresh, fun and something the entire community can enjoy....can you tell I'm excited? We'll be back to tell you all about it, once everything is finalized!

Have a wonderful week, my friends!

Lori & Scott

Steps Foward

Only 23 days into the new year and already so much has happened here, in the store and in our community! The new owners of Webster's Pharmacy were announced, the Town Council has approved a farmer's market in Loma Alta Park, and another farmer's market appeared at Sacred Heart Church on Lincoln appeared (and folded just as fast). The Altadena Urban Farmers Market had its first rain-free event last Sunday, and Scott and I are really enjoying the tasty Altadena Jacaranda honey we purchased. We joined the Arroyo Food Co-op as well and are anticipating helping them reach their goals. The California Gift Show started this last Tuesday, so life has been a blur of driving, shopping for the store, driving some more, trying to take care of the store's accounting duties and then - guess what? You got it....driving some more! I like being busy, but I have to admit that it's been a challenging couple three weeks.

I'm very excited that Altadena is moving forward, however clumsily, toward a more sustainable alternative to our regular markets. I'm also very excited about what will be happening at Webster's Pharmacy. We both look forward to working with Micahel and Meredith Miller, the new owners, as they point the store in a more positive direction. We sincerely hope that the renovation they're planning will finally break down the barriers that have stood between the store and the community since Bill Webster retired. Much of our energy will be spent in the coming months making sure this comes about.

Have a great week ahead, my friends....we'll talk more next week!

Lori & Scott

Market Watch

As I noted last post, the California Gift Show starts this Tuesday. We’re anxiously awaiting the start of this year’s market season as the bellwether of what’s to come in subsequent months.

Fashion trends, always a fickle beast, are always best served with a grain of salt. Take too large a serving and it makes your feast unpalatable, too little and it may be too bland. For me, the pleasure of the market is the hunt for fabulous products and, of course, the challenges of putting it all together so it makes sense to the consumer (that would be you).

This year, things are a little different. The game has changed and I’m stalking a more uniquely different product. I’ll be searching out more local goods, more fair trade items and more American made merchandise.

We’ll soon be moving things around in the store as well, so expect to see an even more welcoming atmosphere in the coming year. Comfortable is our catchword and hopefully our store will reflect that along with our values of locality, hospitality and honest, friendly service. Come shop with us for a taste of the best of Altadena!

I’ll be updating you about what’s happening at the show throughout the week on our Facebook friend page, so be sure to check there to see what’s new, what’s cool and what’s so last week…..

Until next week, my friends. Have a wonderful week!

Lori & Scott