The Chicago Gift Show!

Can I tell everyone that I had the most amazing weekend? Saturday I went to the gift show at the merchandise mart. It was my first time going. It was like one giant mega mall of teeny stores. Although alot of the gift show was schlock (totally my opinion). Many booths were filled wtih horrible touristy items made for little local stores in small cities. I guess there is always something for everyone!!!

I went alone and walked the aisles and aisles of booths filled with gifts. I felt like this was my calling. At first I went to the show to just meet one or two vendors. I ended up realizing that there are so many awesome products on the market. I'd stop and talk to every kid vendor. I learned about what works in local stores, learned how to merchadise products I wanted to sell and made some great contacts. 5 hours into the show I hurt my ankle. So I left and went home feeling like I still had more to do.

Monday my friend Carol and I went back to the show. We put our kids on the bus to camp and hopped on the 8;05 train downtown. I felt like a working woman again! We had so much fun together. I thought Saturday was fun but going with a friend is even better. Although I will admit I think she wanted to kill me at one point. We both got tired and were home by 3:45. I came home with a cadre of catalogs and so many products I want to order for the store. I'm promise I will have the best birthday party gifts!!!

Obsessive Behavior.. I just can't stop

How do I explain what it feels like to eat, sleep, and drink this store? It never ends. I spend my day staring at websites like www.jamesgirone.com and www.bubblenewyork.com looking for fabulous new and trendy upcoming brands to fill the store with. I get so caught up in this new world of "fun" I have to reign myself back in. My daughter gets on the bus to go to camp at 8:10. I'm off and running back to the computer to figure more store "stuff" out. 9AM comes and I can start making phone calls. This goes on for most of the day unless I am playing tennis or running errands.

Today at 9ish I called my landlord to be. He wasnt in the office yet. When he called me back.. I asked about permits..He said... Sorry the permits came back but they are the "wrong" permits. Still working on getting the "build-out" permits. Sigh.. here I go again. I have amazing store fixtures picked out. I can't order them as I dont have a space plan. I have this fabulous consignment software that will barcode everything retail and resale for me picked out. Can't order that yet. I have everything from the steamer, hangers, bags, tissue, bows, and wrap picked out.. cant order that yet. I have advertising going in Chicago Parent in August. Okay I did that. I have advertising going into Pioneer Press, cant start that. I have postcards being printed etc etc. You get my drift. I'm in a holding pattern.

My husband walks in at 7:45pm from the train and I want to talk about every vendor and every stupid minute detail of my day and he looks at me with such a look of helplessness. I'm sure he's thinking "feed me please..." Okay maybe my mouth doesnt stop running. I can't help it. I'm obsessed.

Thank God for my girlfriend in Knoxville She is my girlfriend from eBay. We met a few years ago and have been good friends. We discuss our girls who are the same age and our lives and our sickness for clothes. She owns www.thewhiteballoon.com. I bug her every free waking moment that she is online. Tonight I obessed over buying enough clothes per square foot. According to James Girone I need to be spending a ton of money for the retail side. I'm game. She tells me in polite terms to chill. I say phew!

Okay enough for tonight.

Aimee

Why I needed to open the store!

Earlier this year I had an Oprah "aha" moment. It was a cold Chicago winter day. I was sitting at my kitchen desk, listing clothing on eBay, and watching All My Children (as I do every day I am home at noon). It was a moment in time like a reality check for me. It was almost like this... I looked up at my TV and said out loud to nobody but me.. Am I doing this every day for the rest of my life? Well the answer was NO! I love watching my shows, I love eBay. I love being alone in my kitchen... But obviously I needed more at that moment.

I started talking out loud about opening a VERY Upscale resale store in Highland Park. I'd bug all the other kindergarten mom's at Ravinia at noon pick up time. Do you think they (North Shore women) would shop there? Do you think it could sustain itself? I had immediate encouragement. I talked to my closest friend later that day (we'll keep her name private) and she flat out said I was an idiot for leaving the comfort of my home and adding rent and other expenses into a perfectly good side business. Why did I want to ruin it? Why did I want to give up the good life and go back to work? The answer? I dont know. Maybe it was this...I've always wanted a real store. I wanted something NEW and different. I wanted to get out of my kitchen!

So here we are.. Its July. I'm about 5 weeks away from getting out of my kitchen! By the way.. just so you all know... I do have a perfectly nice home office. Its got a gorgeous desk and big leather chair. I prefer to sit on my kitchen stool and watch tv though. Right now my home office is filled wall to wall with summer clothing consignments. My husband keeps the door shut to the office. He prefers to think the room doesnt exist. Its a good thing he hasn't seen the storage room in the basement lately.

We are hoping to open in early Sept. The permits from the city of HIghland Park have been approved. I've yet to see the space plan though. Once its all approved I can finally sign the lease and get going. I have my fixtures picked out, I have advertising ready to be printed, I have friends emailing friends... I have so much to tell you all about.

Please check out my blog and website for more info on the opening. I have lots of stuff coming soon!