Hot Times In Altadena

Altadena Urban Farmers Market  Photo credit AltadenaPatch.com

Altadena is hot indeed, and we're not talking about its weather!  Lately, our lovely town has been making news headlines just about everywhere - from the mighty Los Angeles Times, and Westways Magazine (in their Out & About section, scroll down to the article "Good Gouda"), to our own Altadenablog proprietor's column in the Pasadena Sun, the foodie industry here is taking off like a rocket!

Of course, they're talking about our new Altadena Farmer's Market and The Institute Of Domestic Technology, and the Arroyo Time Bank's venerable Altadena Urban Farmers Market, which started the  ball rolling.  I couldn't be more thrilled for all our friends involved with these ventures and we're crossing our fingers and toes that they all remain sustainably successful.  Finally, something for the rest of LA to talk about besides our area's perceived gang problems and crime!  This is the type of thing we've been talking about - these type of events, whether centered around food or not, is exactly what we need, so our kudos to the organizers!

Were you aware that WFS buys from several of the Altadena Urban Farmers Market and new Farmers Market vendors?  Yes, we do and we're working on adding more.  At the moment, we carry Pine Street Products' soaps; Earl's Gone Wild's barbeque sauce (both original and new spicy) and their Earl Jam, a savory and not too hot jalapeno pepper jelly that's amazing; wonderful HomeBody Botanicals, an amazing line of holistic products for your body, health and home; and the extremely popular (and so tantalizing) Jabberwocky Smooth Jerk!  This is what it's all about, my friends - supporting those local folks working so hard to change the status quo here in our beautiful town.  Power on, Altadena.....power on!

For those of you who aren't in our neighborhood but like reading our blog anyway, think about how your town excels or doesn't.  Then think how you can help it improve.  There are lots of ideas out there, from starting a cash mob, giving a shout out to local vendors and independent retail stores in your blog, or taking the steps toward a shop local initiative where ever you live! 

Have a wonderful week, and we'll talk again next Sunday....

Lori and Scott

The Heart Of The Matter

Hello, friends, hope you're enjoying your long Memorial Day weekend.  Scott and I are enjoying taking a couple of days off, and I know my sore back is relieved as well.

Last week we discussed a possible name change, keeping within the parameters of the initials "WFS".  We also talked to our crew and a few others about it - and got mixed reactions, similar to the comments you see on our last post.  This is what I love about small business and social media!  This blog, our Facebook page, Pinterest - they all are a conduit to you, our friends, and allow us to gauge how receptive you are to any of our ideas.  From the feedback we received about this one v(and thank you, dear friends, for your honesty) it looks like we won't be making that change anytime soon.  We'll stay Webster's Fine Stationers - WFS - because that's who we are.

Just know that we are fair and sustainable and those initials could stand for that as well, okay?  Okay then!

Tuesday will start another work week - I know our local friends are looking forward to the new Farmers Market at Loma Alta Park on Wednesday from 3:00 to 7:00 pm!  Maybe we'll see you there.....

Enjoy your holiday and we'll talk next week!

Lori and Scott

What's In A Name?

Anyone with a smidgeon of marketing knowledge will tell you that what you name your business is of critical importance.  After all, it’s the very first thing people see and is the business owner’s opportunity to make a good first impression. 

Take our name, for instance.  Webster’s Fine Stationers is what we went with when Scott and I had to scramble to accommodate his father's request that we keep the original name.  Actually, that name is a misnomer – since we were just a pass-through department and never a separate store outright, like the Hallmark or the liquor stores were, we never really had a name before.  Prior to the separation of the stores, we were just “the stationery department”.   So, in our attempt to honor our landlord’s wishes, we kept the name “Webster’s” and “Stationery”.  Historically, the name implied that we carried office supplies and some paper, although the Hallmark store next door carried the bulk of  “fine” stationery items, like note cards and scrapbooking supplies.  We carried office products and things that didn’t fall under the auspices of the other stores.

Now almost five years have passed since we’ve owned our store, and stationery is just a part of what we are.  We’ve become known as “WFS” and it's been our identifier.  Keeping the “WFS” is important in our attempt to re-brand, although it now stands for Webster’s Fair and Sustainable.  “Fair” for the fair trade products we have (and hope to bring in more of) and “Sustainable” for the US and locally made items we make a priority to stock.  “Sustainable” also for the ecologically responsible merchandise you can find here, as well as for the myriad locally produced art, books, and yes, stationery that we carry. 

Stay tuned to learn just what where we’ll be going with our “new” name and what we’ll be doing in the future – we’ll have more next week.

Have a wonderful week ahead, friends!

Lori and Scott

Happy Mother's Day

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown

We hope that all our friends celebrating Mother's Day are enjoying time with their families.  We'll be back next week!

Lori and Scott

The Throne Of Agony

I'll come right out and say it - I really love Sally Hogshead!  I don't hand my love out indiscriminately.  I like reading Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki, among others. As a matter of fact, Guy wrote this insight that helped polarize our thoughts about what we wanted our store to be about:  "Stop selling stuff. When Steve Jobs first started the Apple Store he did not ask the question, 'How will we grow our market share from 5 to 10 percent?'  Instead he asked, 'How do we enrich people’s lives?'  Think about your vision. If you were to examine the business model for most brands and retailers and develop a vision around it, the vision would be to “sell more stuff.” A vision based on selling stuff isn’t very inspiring..."  And WFS' founding thought principal was validated.

But along comes Sally Hogshead with her take on "fascination" and blows just about everyone else out of the water.  She does this by being a powerful woman who isn't afraid to show her vulnerable side.  You don't see much of that from the other players in the field - they're your typical, rough and ready pundits ready to roll out inspiration-speak at the drop of the hat.  Not that that's a bad thing, but to reach the thousands of female entrepreneurs in today's world, you must show that you've got actual skin in the game.  I believe that Sally does.

In regard to creativity - and I equate redefining a retail store that's been in the community for eons with creativity - Sally's got an infographic she fashioned about the process, naming the various stages.  You can find the entire post on her blog here.

I can so relate to these stages, both professionally from my experiences with the store, and from writing jobs I do on the side.  I recently wrote an article about the newest social media sensation, Pinterest, that was just published in Giftbeat Magazine (a members-only national retail industry group), and yes, I went through exactly this process.  Luckily, I completed the article without stabbing my eyes out!  The good news about this process, and what I believe Sally meant by publishing her article and graphic, is that there will be an epiphany in your creative processes and you will have the opportunity to finesse them.  Too many of us creative types get bogged down in the agony stage (and boy, can I tell you about that!), so to have encouragement is a fine thing indeed.  Thank you to Sally Hogshead, she of the uncommon moniker, who advises us all to fascinate! 

In store news this week, we have Fancy Food Truck Fridays resuming on May 11th (that's this Friday).  Along with the six food trucks coming, WFS is hosting a reception for local artist Kate Carvellas.  Kate is a fabulous assemblage artist, who says of her work: "I love the challenge of creating work that brings together the disparate and often discarded things of this world, be they images or objects, and creating a new and cohesive whole; giving them new life and meaning.  Hmmmm....sounds like a familiar process, yes?  Come join us on Friday from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm for some great art, conversation, wine and goodies (and oh yeah....the food trucks)!  Our next wine pairing event with OddBallGrape.com will be on Saturday, May 19th - watch our announcement on Facebook and in your email (you are opted into our newsletters, right?  If not, you can find the opt-in forms on our website, on Facebook, or in the store).

Have a wonderful and productive week ahead, friends, and we'll talk next week!

Lori and Scott

Visioning Altadena

As you've most likely heard, Altadena is embroiled in the monumental task of deciding its future.  We have a chance to rewrite our outdated Community Standards and we have attended the two visioning meetings held thus far.  Our local newsblogs have covered the meetings nicely, and have open threads to discuss and present ideas, which are coming in thick and fast.

Altadena Town And Country Club - Prospect Park Publishers

The purpose of this post is not to argue which of the ideas are better than the other.  It's not to even set forth my own ideas, although you can reference many of them in my prior posts.  What I'd like to do is point out that what most people want are sustainable, viable business areas in Altadena.  What I don't see much of are people pointing out what is already good and available to us here, right now.  Just along upper North Lake Avenue, you have two businesses offering printing services, a photographer, two different clothing and accessory shops, salons, chiropractic services, a dance studio, an exercise studio, a martial arts center, two sit-down restaurants, two fast food eateries, two pharmacies, a deli, two liquor stores, a bar, a smoke shop, a grocery store, a health food/organic produce/vitamin store, two thrift stores, two bakeries, and us.

Pine Street Products Natural Soaps

Are people even aware what these businesses offer?  Speaking with Sean Manning, of Manning's Press, I learned that they've been losing a large share of business to internet printers.  Their prices are competitive with internet printers, but where is the business?  Printing is not the only thing these good folks do, they also do vinyl lettering for business and clothing, like t-shirts.  Do people know that Walt's Photography can help restore vintage and antique photos, or take passport photos?  How many people know they can take a thumb drive to Ms. Dragon printing and get copies made?  How many of you local people know that the place for fashion is Winsome's Pretty Woman (shoes, too!) and Ritzy Rags? 

Earl's Gone Wild Barbeque Sauce

It makes me wonder how many people in town are aware of what WFS is and does.  Do they know that we offer products from many Altadena Urban Farmer's Market vendors?  That we represent and carry over 50 area artists' products, ranging from books, artwork both original and printed, holistic medicinal and body products, natural soaps and gourmet food mixes and sauces?  That we carry fair trade fashion accessories, leather goods and decor?  Did you know that we host monthly wine tastings, highlighting seasonal varietals with food from area restaurants?  How about Fancy Food Truck Fridays, or our soon to be continued Social Media For Business seminars?

Jabberwocky Smooth Jerk

HomeBody Botanicals

For all those folks on the blogs who ask for more relevant businesses in Altadena, I can answer that we are striving to meet your needs.  I'd love to talk with you more about what we can do together to build this community.  I'll be at the next visioning meeting, working hard with our neighbors to figure this all out - come find me and we'll talk!

Have a great week!

Lori and Scott

Rain, Wine and Trouble In Altadena

April showers may bring May flowers, but they also brought disappointment last Friday night, as the torrential downpour forecast for that day resulted in the cancellation of Altadena's first Food Truck Friday of the season.  Not to worry, though, as the trucks will be back next month, and we've got our monthly wine pairing event scheduled for this Saturday.  Not just a wine pairing - although Mike Holland and Anne Bannon of OddBallGrape.com sure make them enjoyable - but a reception for local artist Fei Liu, too!  Be sure to mark your calendar so you won't miss this fun evening of great wine, food and art!

Starting at 4:00 pm, we'll be tasting some fine Italian white wines with goodies prepared by local restaurant Amy's Patio Cafe.  Anne and Mike will run down the basics and the not-so-basics on the varietals we'll be trying, while we all indulge in Caprese skewers and stuffed mushrooms caps.  Stay for the reception for Fei and admire her whimsically beautiful creations - we'll even pour some Italian bubbly for the occasion.  The store will be staying open until 7:30 pm Saturday night so this will be an easy starter to your weekend festivities....don't miss it!

In other news, there's been some scary stuff happening in Altadena during the past few days.  Gun shots, robberies and now a burning body found on the sidewalk of Windsor Drive - what are we all to think?  Happening at a time when Altadena is coming together to discuss major quality of life issues, I'm hoping that these incidents bring us closer together as a community.  Know that our hearts go out to all of our friends who live in the neighborhood, whose serenity was so harshly impacted.  Our prayers go out to the unnamed man whose life was so horribly cut short, and to his family, whomever they are.  Things like that shouldn't happen anywhere, let alone in Altadena - it's not what we're about and it's not what we want to be known for.  Let's all work toward making our town safe and prosperous for all by attending the Altadena Visioning Meetings, the next of which is on Wednesday, April 25th at Loma Alta Park's gymnasium.

Enjoy your week, friends, and we'll talk again in two weeks (we're taking an end of tax week no blogging holiday)!

Lori and Scott

April in Altadena

"In April, we cannot see sunflowers in France, so we might say the sunflowers do not exist. But the local farmers have already planted thousands of seeds, and when they look at the bare hills, they may be able to see the sunflowers already. The sunflowers are there. They lack only the conditions of sun, heat, rain and July. Just because we cannot see them does not mean that they do not exist."
-  Thich Nhat Hanh

Poppies05 By Fei Liu

2012's spring season is in full swing now - you can smell it in the air and feel it in the sunlight on your face.  Ah, warmth, even if only for a fleeting moment or two, the feeling is there and it is welcome!  When we speak of spring, thoughts of renewal come to mind - renewal of the earth and of ourselves.  With Easter and Passover just days away, I also want to remind you local readers to think also of the renewal of our town.

On April 4th, the Altadena Visioning meetings commence at Loma Alta Park.  If you haven't heard about these meetings, or seen the flyers, or received the postcard mailed to everyone, click here to learn about it.  Please make it a point to come because this is our chance to help improve the standard of living in Altadena - join us and be heard!

Mr. Bunny Brings WFS Cheer!

Spring also means the return of Fancy Food Truck Friday, which is scheduled for April 13th.  We'll be celebrating at WFS on that day by having our annual Spring Open House!  We'll be announcing the winners of our Spring Coloring Raffle - be sure to come by the store to pick up a coloring page for your kids to complete. Turn the pages in before Friday the 13th of April and your child's artwork will help decorate the store, and they'll be eligible to win one of three exciting prizes!  WFS is also hosting a reception that evening for local artist Fei Liu and her wonderful creations.  Fei's whimsically beautiful watercolors evoke pleasure and smiles, you must come and see her work for yourself, and what better time than at our gourmet food truck event?  Rumor has it that those fantabulous folks at Jabberwocky Jerk Sauce might be present, too, handing out samples of their most divine marinade & sauce (we'll update you next week)!

The Shops At Webster's Hugely Popular Fancy Food Truck Fridays

As always, have a great week, my friends!

Lori and Scott

Another Rainy Night

It's been a chilly, rainy day here in Southern California and our internet service at home was interrupted due to the storm.  At this late hour, we've just got the internet back up and running, so this will be a short post tonight.

There are many events coming up at WFS in the next few weeks.  Our annual Spring Holiday Coloring Contest starts tomorrow, so bring your kids in to pick out their favorite scene to color and return for a chance at winning one of three special prizes.  The artwork will be displayed in store for all to admire!  Prizes will be awarded at our traditional Spring Open House in April, so be sure to look for our event notification.  Fancy Food Truck Friday makes its return on April 13th, with the following gourmet food truck line up:

Komodo
GreenzonWheelz
Nom Nom Truck
AuntiesFryBreadTacos
Bool BBQ
Sweet E's "the mini bake shop"

More later on events yet to be scheduled next week - until then, have a great week and wish for sun tomorrow!

Lori and Scott

Not A Ghost Of A Chance....

Photo Credit: Dan Abendschein

Many people refer to the land around the old Cobb Estate in Altadena as "The Haunted Forest".  Located  on the east side of the street at the top of Lake Avenue, the iron gates to the estate still stand.  Further in lies the remains of the old foundation of the property and the steps eerily leading to nowhere.  You can see it in this video, made by erstwhile "ghost hunters", here , and there are several more at that link.

I lived up there, smack dab in the middle of the Las Flores Canyon, for many years and never realized I was living in ghost country.  I never "felt" anything weird up there, nor did anyone else who came up there, but here you have some documented evidence of paranormal activity going on.  I've hiked the trail up to Echo Mountain a lot, but I'll tell you, I didn't do it at night.  It's probably a good thing I didn't - I don't want to personally verify these ghost hunter videos.

Photo Credit: smarteranimals.blogspot.com

Altadena is a pretty interesting place, whether you're looking for ghosts, hiking, great gelato or wonderful shops.  It's not a place that's easy to forget.....kind of like us.  Drop by sometime soon, we've got new artists added to our mix and we'd love to show you their creations!  Remember, Fancy Food Truck Friday begins its monthly appearance on April 13th - maybe we'll arrange a ghost sighting for you.

Have a great week, friends, and we'll talk next week!

Lori and Scott

Which Way Did He Go, George?

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t want to go but ought to be." — Rosalynn Carter, First Lady

I ran across this post yesterday while going through my email and loved it so much, I thought we'd talk about it tonight.

Sure, a leader will take people where they want to go - they're whom we follow most eagerly.  What happens, though, when someone challenges the status quo, who makes people think and maybe become a bit uncomfortable doing so?  Are they followed as eagerly as the leader taking people where they want to go?

Of course they're not.  But think about this quote for a moment, I beg, and see how it applies to your life.  To take a phrase that's overused greatly these days, are you thinking outside the box?  Now apply this quote to your community.  Do you know someone who's thinking outside that box, working toward something that's not so easy or popular?  I'll bet you do.

On that note, I'd like to tell you that community visioning meetings are coming up as a part of the re-designing of our Community Standards here in Altadena.  Information about these meetings will be found in our local news blog soon.  I recommend watching for the information, making plans to attend, and giving us your ideas.  Ideas are good, even if they make some uncomfortable.

Have a wonderful week, friends, we'll talk next week!

Lori and Scott

Signs Of Spring!

Leprechauns Shop Here!

March 3, 2012

Dear Friends of WFS, The sun is staying out later and later these days - are you anticipatingthe spring season as much as we are? Goodbye to achingly cold weather and hello to beautiful skies and fluffy white clouds, flowers in the  yard and, of course, the return of outdoor fun and activities! Daylight Savings starts on March 11th this year and  that gives us plenty of reasons to  celebrate. Read on to find out what's on our calendar these next few weeks so  you won't miss these fun-filled events!
Up and Coming Real Irish at WFS! Put A Fork In Hunger
Real Irish At WFS! On Friday, March 9th, WFS is pulling all the stops out for an early celebration of St. Patrick's Day!  Join us for our monthly  wine pairing event, hosted by  OddBallGrape.com's Michael Holland.    Starting at 4:30 pm, taste some lovely  Chardonnays with Irish-inspired finger foods.                  At 5:30 pm, local authors Anne Bannon,  wife of Michael Holland, and Petrea Burchard, of Pasadena Daily Photo Blog ,will read selec- tions of Irish and Celtic literature.  You won't want to miss this humorous and  lightly ribald collection of prose and poetry, read by two of our area's most fascinating ladies!   Anne is  pictured above left with her husband, Michael, and that's Petrea next to them on the right. Following the reading, we'll stay and welcome local artist Scot Schneir and his art, newly exhibited on our walls.  WFS will stay open until 8:00 pm, so feel free to come by and say hello, have a glass of wine, delight in the Irish readings, sample some tasty appetizers, and view some amazing art!
Follow-up Links Quick Link 1 Quick Link 2 Quick Link 3	Visit Us On Facebook!
Put The Fork In Hunger Food Drive For Union Station   Great Music and Food For A Cause  Food drive 8:00am to 10:00pm, Wednesday, March 7, 2012  Fundraiser starts at 6:00pm The infamous Fork In The Road Gang are up to  great things again. In conjunction with THE Magazine and THE Weekly Insider, thisgrassroots volunteer group is hosting a day-long fundraiser and canned food drive on Wednesday, March 7th with the theme,"Put The Fork In Hunger."   The community is being asked to donate canned food that day in front of Eden Garden Restaurant on Holly Street in Old  Pasadenabetween 8 AM and 6 PM.  Following the food drive a fundraiser will take place inside Eden Garden. Tickets for this special event including Mediterranean dishes, desserts and special live entertainment from just released bands, are $25.  *Space is limited. We encourage you to purchase  tickets in advance. (see link) WFS will be collecting food for this event - please drop your canned or  packaged food donations into the box at the rear entrance of the store and receive a 10% discount off all purchases made at the store.  If you have any questions, please ask a WFS crew member! Read More Fancy Food Truck Friday Returns! Be sure to mark your calendars for the return of our hugely popular Fancy Food Truck Fridays at 5:00 pm on April 13th! Webster's Community Pharmacy, Webster's Liquor and WFS collaborate to bring you this community centered monthly event where the emphasis is on fun, food and friends!  Visit one of several gourmet food trucks that prepare the freshest, most critically acclaimed dishes in town - but save room for dessert! We've had the Grilled Cheese Truck, The Nom Nom Truck, Sweet-Es, The Border Grill Truck, The No Reservations Truck and Greenz On Wheelz - let us know your favorite and we'll see if we can get them here! Look for the trucks on every 2nd Friday of the month through December, 2012 and watch our Facebook page to find out which trucks are coming! This  is the latest WFS newsletter - we hope you enjoy it!  We have many  more events and items of interest on the horizon - stay tuned for news of  our April wine pairing, a multi-artist reception and our next seminar  tentatively called "Business Websites, Social Media and You"!   That's all for now - have a great week, friends! Lori and Scott