A Holiday Wish For All Our Friends

The staff at Webster's Fine Stationers - Michelle, Leilana, Rosalie, Betsy, Scott and myself - would like to wish you and yours a holiday full of love, laughter, good food, good friends and warm feelings. May all good things be yours in 2009!

We'll be closing at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve so we can enjoy the holidays with our families. If you need a last minute gift, need a package prettily wrapped or shipped, please come by before then to see us. We've got stocking stuffers and hostess gifts galore....dark chocolate filled candy canes, hot cocoa mixes, wonderful cookies, beautiful ornaments (which make a statement when tied onto a gift!) and cool little pocket word game books. Don't forget our beautiful Santos, hand made in the Phillapines and designed by Bethany Lowe....we have large sized Joseph & Child and the Angel Gabriel. We have medium sized "flatbacks", which can hang or fit up against a wall, of Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Francis and smaller, stand alone figures of Our Lady and the Angel of Knowledge. These items of faith make lovely, meaningful gifts for someone dear to you.

Come by and enjoy some holiday treats and hot apple cider....we've got a table out every day through the season and would love to see you! Again, my friends, may you enjoy every day of your holidays!

It's The Holiday Season!

And we are shining brightly here at WFS. Along with some other fabulous news and reports of new merchandise, we are honored to announce our Webster’s Shopping Center-wide toy drive for 5 Acres. Kicking off on Friday, December 12th, when you bring an unwrapped gift in for a child, ages 6 to 13, Webster’s Pharmacy and Webster’s Fine Stationers will give you a coupon good for 10% off selected merchandise. In WFS, it’s home and holiday decor items. You buy an eligible item(s) and we’ll give your 10% savings to 5 Acres. We’ll then match that 10% because we appreciate all the great things 5 Acres does – and expressing that appreciation during this holiday season, is particularly appropriate.

Come see Webster’s…..all of us! We’re decked out in holiday finery with the choicest offerings to tempt your holiday gifting. Festivities will get underway on the 12th with Santa and his elves at Karen’s Hallmark at 3:00 p.m. You’ll be able to take pictures with them and portrait packages will be available. Get some holiday shopping in while the kids are greeting Santa! At Webster’s Fine Stationers, you’ll be able to enjoy some holiday goodies and stroll around our gorgeous displays. We’re an authorized Crane Retailer now, so see us for your fine stationery needs, business or personal. A choir from a local school will gather outside around 5:00 p.m. to sing holiday carols for your pleasure….sip a cup of hot mulled cider and bask in the holiday magic! Webster’s Pharmacy will be showcasing their new lines of personal gift items and jewelry….exciting finds from the exacting eye of Merideth Miller. Merideth and Michael are the former owners of Fair Oaks Pharmacy and are the wunderkids of old-time pharmacy ambiance. Come by and say hello, and pick a child’s name off their Five Acres “Wish Tree”. Help make a child’s Christmas wish come true this season….so many people are in such dire need. We hope to see you all here at Webster’s, it’s such a wonderful feeling to gather for a good cause and some good, old fashioned holiday fun!

Some more great news….WFS has made Fox LA’s Top 5 Hottest Places to Shop in LA in the Arts & Crafts store division! Yay for us and if you voted for us, thank you very much! We appreciate your support.

Another new line we’re carrying is N2Stickerz….the coolest weather-resistant vinyl stickers for your car, your school binders, your laptop….whatever. From family members, animals, symbols and initials in white, pink and hot pink, there’s something in here for everyone! They’d make excellent and clever gifts or stocking stuffers….very au currant. We also have some beautiful Santos in from Bethany Lowe. The most awesome, in my opinion, are the Joseph and Child Santos and the Angel Gabriel. So sublimely suited for haute holiday décor and they mix so well with old mercury glass and silver. Come by the store and see our elegant displays – grab some decorating ideas while you sip a cup of coffee, tea or cider as you browse. Come in and taste Isabella’s Sugar Rush cookies, decorated for the holidays! These are the best tasting, all natural, no partially hydrogenated oils, pure goodness cookies….they also would make fabulous stocking stuffers or offerings at your holiday gala. As always, our line of Wind & Willow appetizer mixes, soups and breads are tasty, quick alternatives for parties or quiet dinners at home. As for fast pick-ups for hostess gifts or family presents, Elegant Gourmet and Hannah’s Naturals offer tea cookies, chocolate filled candy canes (yum!), the sweetest hot cocoa sets, and nostalgic holiday lollipops in peppermint and cherry flavors. They’re all so attractively packaged and taste divine!

Additionally, let’s not forget about our fabulous selection of children’s books and toys, games or about our customizable, made in the U.S., 100% hardwood wall décor signs. There are signs for your kid’s rooms and Altadena-centric signs, Christmas and family-oriented signs, too. There are even small, desk sized signs you can inset a picture into. These are very giftable and sure to please anyone on your list!

Remember, purchases $20.00 and over receive a free (and elegant!) gift wrap. The girls and I….and yes, even Scott…..can dress a package like no one else. Make sure you come by and give us a whirl, we’ll be waiting.

From Webster’s Fine Stationers to you, our beloved customers and friends, have a blessed holiday season. We look forward to seeing you on December 12th!

p.s. I've attached some photos from our Grand Opening!

Post Grand Opening Benefit News

I wanted to share with you how our Grand Re-Opening and Benefit for the Quality of Life Center went. Those of you who participated know what a fabulous time everyone had. If you couldn't make it, no worries....there'll be more functions soon.

We're deeply indebted to all who helped make this such a success....Bo Astrup and Revvell Ravati of Photobooth Los Angeles; Laura Gladden, who made the wonderful cakes; The Altadena Chamber of Commerce; our manufacturor's reps - Laurel from the Lynn Mitchell Group, Robin from Sales Producers representing Accents de Ville, Chris Holmes representing Greenleaf, Mindy from the FlemingChalef showroom, Marshall from SP Richards and Karen from Golden Sales; our artists Donna Barnes-Roberts, Dianna March, Penny Palumbo and Athena Meltzer; our staff members who worked their behinds off - Michelle, Leilana, Christian and Rose (in no particular order....you're all fabulous!); Christine from Waste Less Living; my daughter, Parisa and her best bud, Michelle; and finally, Dore Charbonneau who gave me such great advice.....thank you one and all! I also want to acknowledge our team member, Betsy Lopez, who couldn't be in attendance because she was recovering from giving her little sister a bone-marrow transplant....such a selfless and caring sister. We ask everyone reading to say a prayer for the Lopez family and when you come into the store, let Betsy know you're praying for them.

Since my main gal, Deb Halberstadt, was out of town, no professional pictures were taken. Not to worry, we have some coming by attendees who took pix....bear with me until they send them.

I'm very proud that we were able to spotlight The Quality of Life Center and Waste Less Living. We had many in attendance that hadn't heard of these two worthy groups and am gratified that we were able to get the word out about them. It was great to see the families whose childrens' portraits adorn our wall above the shipping area (if you haven't seen them yet, you're missing a treat!). The raffles were a blast, too....so many happy winners of wonderful merchandise and a grand prize of a $100.00 gift certificate (courtesy of SP Richards) to The Cheesecake Factory! Folks really had fun with the photobooth, provided by PhotoBooth Los Angeles (see link below)....what an exciting addition to any event!

Next on the horizon is our Holiday Open House....stay tuned for more information on that. Meanwhile, come in and enjoy the warmth of our Thanksgiving decor, have a cup of coffee or tea and a cookie sample....we're always ready to serve you!

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!

WFS WELCOMES HALLOWEEN!

How we love Halloween at WFS! The very first of the fourth quarter holidays, ushering in the Fall season with fun and fabulous decorations....can't you just feel the excitement?

Scott and I, along with all of the WFS crew - Michelle, Leilana, Rosalie, Betsy and Christian - want to invite you in to check out our spooky yet elegant displays and all our wonderful new holiday themed merchandise. We're gearing up for a fantastic holiday season and, as always, we're striving to make your shopping experience an awesome one! Enjoy these pictures, taken by Deb Halberstadt of HalfCity Productions, and come visit us when you can.

Stay tuned for information about our Grand Re-Opening, Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and all day benefit for The Quality of Life Center on November 6th....I'll be posting about it soon. It's going to be quite the celebration!

Ahhhh.....September is Here!

School has started and fall is in the air, my friends. We’re now entering my very favorite time of the year and we’re just bursting with plans for the upcoming season!

Here now is our Back-to-School promotion….just look for the bright red schoolhouse and you’ll find everything you need for you or your child’s new school year. We’re making it easy for you by placing the items in one large display….come see, ‘cause it’s too cute! Remember to stay local, buy local - save gas and support your community! Staples, and big-box stores like them, may have killer deals, but did you know that when you buy from them your money doesn’t stay in your community, let alone stay in California? It’s true. Almost every big box chain store’s headquarters are located in some other state or country and your money is going there instead of here, where it’s needed. Just sayin’.

Those of you who have signed our guestbook at the store might have recently received from us an invitation to have your child(ren) professionally photographed and receive the gallery-wrapped canvas photo free of charge after they hang in our “Growing Up Gallery”. This is not a gimmick or a trick to get you to buy or a sham or a lie….this is the real deal. Penelope Palumbo, of Pasadena’s Studio P3, is a dear friend of Michelle’s, and wants to expand her photographic efforts here in Altadena. What better way, she thought, than to run a promotion through WFS….invite our most treasured customers to have their child’s photo taken at the Studio with every professional amenity available, have the completed canvas exhibited at WFS through the 4th quarter, and receive the canvas absolutely free after Studio P3 finishes with it? What an excellent gift this would make….who wouldn’t love a gorgeous photo of your child? Or you could, of course, keep it and have it hanging in your home for all to admire. Whichever, this is a fantastic opportunity to receive a large-sized piece of art and pay nothing….no strings attached. Oh wait….there will be a party held for the family and friends of the chosen models and we’ll advise you of the date for that later on. If you got an invitation, please respond soon, as there are only 10 available slots, 4 of which have already been spoken for. Multiple children in one photo is acceptable….if you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Lori or Michelle at the store.

I also want to keep you all informed of upcoming plans for more functions benefiting Dr. Sandra Thomas’ Quality of Life Center. As you know, we’ve partnered with the Center, as we believe there is nothing more precious than our children, and the future of our country lies in their hands. Our children, every one of them, deserves to have every educational avenue open to them so they can succeed in today’s world. We want to help Dr. Thomas realize that dream. We all need to be aware of the great need in our community for a program like this. Please take a moment, click on her link on this page and discover what the Quality of Life Center is all about. Help us support our future!

As a reminder, we’re receiving new merchandise all the time. Why not drop by and see? As always, there’s a hot cuppa coffee or tea waiting, just for you. See you soon!

OUR VERY FIRST END-OF-SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE!

Time marches on and we find ourselves in the dog days of summer, with the change of the seasons approaching rapidly. To many of you, that means it’s time for the annual havoc of getting your children ready for the new school year. To us, it means it’s time to make room for all the wonderful merchandise we have for your child’s back-to-school needs. To that end, we excitedly announce our first End-of-Summer Clearance Sale!
Come reap the many bargains….and who doesn’t love a good bargain these days? Our sale begins Thursday, August 7 and continues through August 14th. There’ll be some lovely items offered at extremely attractive prices…..don’t miss this opportunity to snag a pretty or bag some great pens, stationery, desk accessories and….oh, there’s too much more to mention! We’ll see you there….and don’t forget to ask for a sample of Isabella’s Cookies and a cup of Pasadena Coffee Company’s house blend coffee (made fresh daily, just for you!).

For those of you not familiar with our hours, they are as follows:

Mon. through Fri. 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Awesome Toy & Game Arrivals & More News!

There’s been lots of things happening here at WFS since our last post! As you’ve probably noticed, our blog has a new look, thanks to the multi-talented Kate McKinney, who graciously agreed to help us out. She’ll also be helping us create our new website, which will be debuting soon…..we’re very excited about this new facet of our business! Please stay tuned in for more information about our new website.
We’re also happy to announce that we’ve gotten in some fabulous new toys, games and books for children, just in time for those seemingly never-ending doldrums of summer. They’re guaranteed to cure boredom and I know you’ll be happy to hear that! Also come in and see the new stuffed animals freshly arrived from toymakers Melissa & Doug…..cute, cuddly and best of all, no mess….what’s not to love? I’m sure you’ll want to adopt one for your child.

Every one home from school and no one knows whose job is whose? Kids fighting over who has to clean the kitchen, make the bed and clean the bathroom? Or worse, are you dreading the return of the school year because you have to nag your child to do homework & projects? No worries, WFS has you covered. Come in and check out our very cool (and useful!) family helpers – household jobs & responsibilities charts, potty and homework charts to encourage your child in a positive way to learn those important rules and duties at home and school.
Don’t neglect extracurricular learning activities while your child is on summer vacation! We have a wide selection of flash cards and fun-oriented workbooks in all major subjects…..math, English, vocabulary, science and some geography. Most of these workbooks and flashcards are available in English/Spanish editions.

Speaking of summer doldrums, keep checking our blog for news of our summer clearance sale, to be held sometime in August. We need to make room for all our back-to-school merchandise, so do check back for a firm date on this major blow-out sale!

Lastly, don’t forget to sign our guest book while you’re in the store – or leave a comment here – you could win a lunch with Michelle and Lori on July 25th! We’ll be picking six (6) winning entries on July 21st , and we’ll notify you by email (or phone, if we must). Let us take you to a nice restraunt, where we can sit down, have an enjoyable meal and talk about the changes being made at the store. I’m truly interested in getting to know you and how you’d like to see us develop….we want to be the place you like to shop at. It would also allow me an opportunity to explain the reasons why we’ve made the changes you see at Webster’s and how it will ultimately benefit the community. I can tell you our plans of supporting our local public schools and how we’re planning to make back-to-school shopping easier & more fun than ever. If you’re worried about giving us your email address, please don’t worry. We promise not to ever spam you. By having your email address, we’ll be able to send you periodic coupons and notifications of special events & specials. Periodic doesn’t mean daily email from us…..trust me, we’ll be doing well if we can get one a month out. We also promise not to sell or give away your information to anyone – ever.
Come by soon….we’re waiting for you!

We're a Winner!

Just a quick note to share some exciting news with you. I'm a member of a couple retail-specific internet groups, one of which is the Gift and Home Channel's retail board. I quickly submitted a couple pictures of the store's Spring/Easter themed decor when I learned of their contest last month and just heard that we placed as first runner-up! Very cool and I'm very proud that we've been able to make the store look a bit better than it has in the past. Stay with us and watch us make it look even better in the coming months! : >

Early April News

Here we are on April 9th already. Wow, does time fly when you're busy! Looks like we're in the middle of Spring Break, as it's been so quiet in the store these past few days. During this downtime we'll hopefully be able to get our taxes completed then have a spring cleaning and revamping of decor. I always look forward to a decor re-do, it's fun to rearrange and make things look fresh. You'll have to drop by and check it out soon.

We're expecting in a shipment of beautiful new stationery items soon, in addition to all the new items we've recently received. If you haven't been in yet to check, you should come see. New thank you notes have arrived and I'm in love with them all! We've gotten some gorgeous letterpress t.y. cards and blank note cards, all available by the pack. Also new home announcements/invitations to come visit, bridal shower invites and wedding thank yous. To be put out soon are the most beautiful ribbon and crystal embellished note cards....we're very excited about this new line. Good thing about them is that they're available by the single card. We'll also be putting out some very nice Mother's Day, Father's Day and Graduation cards.....very fashion-forward on fine papers that will be appreciated by the recipient.

Also on the arrival horizon is new product from the talented midwestern designer, Mary Carol Garrity....this time mostly home office and desk accoutrements to spiff up your office area. Trays for clips, pencil cups, small wastepaper baskets and ceramic boxes for stamps & small items....all color and pattern coordinated. If you're ready to give your office a cosmetic redo, whether it be at home or elsewhere, let us help you bring it all together and give it that famous Mary Carol look. I'll give a heads-up when the new merchandise arrives.....until then, I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!

Pictures of our Easter Coloring Contest Winners and Easter Bunny Visit

Congratulations to all our coloring contest entrants....all of the drawings submitted were wonderful! The Easter Bunny was thrilled to have so many children to greet and pass out gift bags to. Here are some pictures of all the fun.....

After Easter Blow-Out and Fundraiser Follow-Up

All Easter themed home decor is now specially priced to make way for new merchandise arriving soon. Come in and stock up for next year! Faux chocolate bunnies & eggs and Spring florals are currently 25% off.

We are pleased to announce that we raised just under $800.00 for Antwan Havard of Dr. Sandra Thomas' Bright Future Scholars group. While that doesn't meet the full amount needed for Antwan to go to the Washington, D.C. retreat next month, it does help and we'd like to thank all who participated. WFS looks forward to a long relationship with the Quality of Life Center, Dr. Thomas and the Bright Future Scholars.