Rumor has it....

For everything that I love about our little town of Blue Ridge there is one thing that is kind of crazy and that is the rumor mill….I guess for some rumors are just more exciting than the truth.

Let me start at the beginning.  I felt I had weathered the storm with the separation of Shawn and I last year…wow… did the rumors fly then, but we intentionally decided not to address it publicly because quite frankly it wasn’t anything interesting.  For the record Shawn is doing great.  He works with one of my vendors so we chat often and while I miss him dearly we are in a very good place.  Even though he has no ownership in Gatewood Hall Gracious Home he is very supportive. He is after all the other original creator of this business and I believe he sincerely wants to see it thrive.

So now this most recent issue…It started out so innocently.  A small space came available on Main Street, some people I know mentioned it to me, I inquired as a secondary or satellite location to help drive business to the big store...it was already leased basically the end of the story.  Let me say this, I love the West Side.  I have the most wonderful landlord, I love our space.  Great neighbors (Pat and Polina of Blue Ridge Brewery, Cindy at Design Re-Find and Linda at L&L Beanery are amazing for this town!) but in retail it is location, and one can’t help but wonder “how would I do in that other location?  Is it better?” 

All of a sudden I am bombarded with questions and comments.  “When are you moving?”, “I hate you are closing”, “I heard the business is for sale”, “I know exactly where you are moving” and my favorite “when is the big going out of business sale?”  Sad thing is being perpetuated. There are indeed a few businesses for sale on Main Street and in Blue Ridge however GATEWOOD HALL IS NOT ONE OF THEM. Furthermore… I HAVE NO INTENTION OF MOVING OR CLOSING MY BUSINESS AT THIS TIME.  (Whew!)

So here is the deal.  I’m in it!  I have never been more excited yet content (if that makes sense?).  I realize that several of you have said you never get to see me…I hate that the most.  I promise I am here, especially behind the scenes, doing all the buying, marketing, and planning.  I am in the store most weekends “holding court” as I call it because I love visiting with you…I’m usually worthless on Saturdays to the rest of the team but, I sure have a good time!  Apparently many of you are early birds and beat me in the morning so we miss each other.

Most of you know that I have a corporate position that I LOVE! (My real job, as I call it) I still maintain homes in Blue Ridge and in Atlanta.  It is busy but I enjoy both so much I’m not willing to give either up just yet… However, that is why I am so thankful for my GH team Chrissy, Val, Bonnie and Brenda for keeping it all together in my absence.  I couldn’t have better or more loyal people looking out for me, and who care about my beloved store the way that I do. 

As I continue to try and “squelch” rumors let me share this…We will be closing for a few days just to do very minor “fluffing”, paint, restaging etc.  I have a ton of new merchandise, several new lines and I am revamping a few things.  Originally my goal was to have very different things…  I am going back to the original GH model, I will cherry pick lines, buy small amounts, market samples, “one of a kind” finds, etc.  When they are gone- they are gone and we will move on to new things (I know how you all are, and you are like me- we love new stuff!) Don't worry we will still keep our favorite staples but I am buying from all over the place and searching for lines that offer protection or exclusivity. I also want to get back to the blog I promise…it means so much to me that several of you tell me you miss it!!  (Actually you have no idea! I love sharing and inspiring!) 

Finally, this was probably way too much info…but heck, I consider you family… I feel like if you took the time to read this verbose post you truly care. I want to say this... I mean, YELL this from the rooftops- THANK YOU-THANK YOU- THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and Gatewood Hall.  Your loyalty is not taken lightly.  I know that oftentimes you can go online or even somewhere else to purchase things that you choose to buy from me and I appreciate it more than you know.  I always enjoy hearing from you so I welcome your comments and suggestions.  See a line that you love? As long as it is not already in Blue Ridge let me know.  I'll check it out.  Let’s just continue to have fun while being so blessed to be enjoying our little part of heaven in the North Georgia Mountains!

Tangerine Tango Named 2012 Color of the Year

You may remember back in September I did a post on the Pantone Institute, they are the originator of the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and I wrote about their Spring 2012 color predictions. Well every year in January they pick one color that they believe will be the color of the year! Kind of like waiting on the groundhog we always look forward to their big news because we are usually preparing for the January Atlanta Market so we want to be aware of any big new trends.
Drum roll please....

The Color of the year 2012 is... TANGO TANGERINE

According to the official announcement, the deep red-orange color is intended to give us all a big boost of energy; a recharge and a refresh. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Institute tells us more about the choice for 2012:

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it. Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

With the latest recognition, tangerine tango becomes a slightly more elite spoke in the world's color wheel, joining, in addition to 2011's honeysuckle, such hallowed hues as turquoise (2010), mimosa (2009), blue iris (2008), chili pepper (2007), sand dollar (2006), blue turquoise (2005), tigerlily (2004), aqua sky (2003), true red (2002) fuchsia rose (2001) and cerulean (2000).

Pantone states that, pop culture, fashion and finance all influenced the conclusion that Tangerine Tango represents tempered optimism and a move to better times ahead. Over the past several years, orange has grown in popularity and acceptance among designers and consumers alike.

But unlike in years past, Thursday's announcement of the radiant, reddish orange's rising-star status came with an unprecedented level of merchandising in place, including messenger bags, coffee mugs, journals, coffee mugs and even wedding attire, all imbued with the soon-to-be hot hue. Look for Tangerine Tango and similar shades of orange to appear on everything from bicycles to handbags, chairs to china. Cheerful yet sophisticated, it's a color that spells style. Think Hermes and you get the picture.

Perhaps most noteworthy was the announcement of Pantone's collaboration with Sephora on a first-ever, limited-edition Color of the Year beauty collection, which will include eye shadow, lipstick, lip gloss, nail polish and accessories. It is scheduled to hit Sephora stores in March.

Now honestly I find that people either love the orange color-way or hate it... there doesn't seem to be an in-between. I must say that I am finding that I like it much more than I used to. It really is "fresh" and I think cheerful for the spring and summer especially. It also coordinates with many more colors than one would imagine. I love it with white and dark army green for that "preppy" look.

While we don't suggest that you run out and paint your entire house a Tangerine Tango hue, we do think it is fun to watch and follow trends. Maybe you can infuse just a little into your home or wardrobe?

Come into our Blue Ridge location and check our our Inspiration Vignette, hopefully we can inspire you to open up to the possibilities!! Orange you glad we told you? (couldn't resist!)

Made in America with Gatewood Hall: Are You In?

Recently Shawn and I have been following a story on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/mailform?id=14998335) that really struck a chord with us. The story is “Made in America Christmas”. According to this report the National Retail Federation estimates that the average American will spend a little over $700 on holiday gifts this year, totaling more than $465 billion. If that money was spent entirely on US Made products it would create 4.6 million jobs. But the story goes that it doesn’t have to even be that big…if each of us spent just $64 on American made goods during the holiday season, the result would be 200,000 new jobs. (That is AWESOME!!)

We would love it if all of our merchandise were made in the US…sadly it is nearly impossible to do that. We have always loved made in the US products and especially those with a Georgia connection. With this in mind Shawn and I are asking “Are you in?” and in order to help we are going through our product lines and marking them with signs and labels that show American products as well as those with the Georgia connection. So if you are in, you can easily spend your $64 on wonderful made in America products (and we have some good ones!!)

Look for the following signs throughout our stores! Feel free to ask us if you have any questions. Also we want to say thanks for shopping locally with us! We can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate it!! Please forward this message to your family and friends so they can think about this no matter where they shop! Happy Holidays!

Exciting News! Gatewood Hall Gracious Home is Opening a Second Store in Big Canoe!

We wanted our Blog and FaceBook friends to be the first to know...We are so excited to announce (drum roll please!!) GH is opening a second store! Our new store is located just inside the gate at Big Canoe and we are thrilled! Thank you to all who have supported us over the last five years, it is because of you that we are able to take this next big step at Gatewood Hall Gracious Home! This was not an easy decision, believe me we had to put a great deal of thought into it and we really appreciate the support of Ann at Big Canoe who really worked hard to help the details come together (We jokingly say we surrendered to her persuasion!).

We have some wonderful customers and friends from Big Canoe that kept teasing us and saying we needed to open a location closer to them but honestly this growth just wasn't a part of our business plan at this moment. However, as you have heard us say before we believe everything happens for a reason, so when Ann came to us we really had to take a look at this opportunity. While the space is not huge we plan on stocking it full of some wonderful things from our bigger main store, when asked what we sell I say everything for a gracious life...from soap to sofas!

Our goal is to have the store open Saturday June 25th! (fingers crossed). Wish us luck! We will keep you posted. Thank you again for all of your support, we feel so fortunate to be able to continue to pursue our little dream called Gatewood Hall Gracious Home!

The Fannin County Chamber is AWESOME!!

Our Fannin County Chamber ROCKS! We were asked to participate in an event that was held this past Thursday night to host several travel writers from across the US and Canada. The media marketplace event was called "A Little Taste of the Georgia Mountains", and we were honored to be asked to participate! We were paired with a restaurant and ours happened to be one of our favorite's Blue Ridge Brewery (Woo Hoo!)

Shawn, Brenda, Becky and Chrissy had the store all spruced up for our guests! I have to say I think our little town looked awesome! All of the merchants had really stepped up and put in some hard work to get camera ready for our guests.

One off our favorite artists and friends Lynn Kemp came to hang out with us show off her fabulous "Made It!" jewelry line with our visitors. They raved about her wonderful collection, we even sold a few pieces that night!

Oh man- you would not believe the spread that Blue Ridge Brewery put out! Lamb chop lollipops with herbed couscous, spinach pizzas, hummus triangles, Polina's famous open face egg salad with pepperoncini, charcuterie samplers (one of my ultimate favorites), their outrageous chocolate pie and of course some of Pat's very special beers! Without question team BRB BROUGHT IT!! Our guests were blown away...I saw one of them taking a photo of the lamb chop plate!! Shawn, Becky and I were very polite until all of the visitors had been through but let's just say when the last guest left our store "we helped clean up!!" and it was pure heaven!! Pat, Polina, Sandy and Beverly we are proud to have been teamed up with you, thanks for all of the hard work, and fun time!

We also sampled Girl & Fig Mostarda and our newest gourmet goodie from Atlanta, Georgia Hot Squeeze...our guests loved them!! (If you haven't tried them yet you are missing out!)

We had these stickers made up! Because we love our town, and we love our Chamber! Great job Jan, Elaine, Jode, Donna and the volunteers that made this special event happen! You all did a great job shining a light on our corner of the world, the event was so professional yet casual and gracious! THANK YOU, we appreciate all that you do!

Winter Market 2011

As I mentioned in previous FB postings it is Winter Market Time again in Atlanta. We enjoy and love this time of year because we usually find some fabulous new things at this show. This year we had to work a little harder than normal because of the "blizzard". We finally made it in and it was a mess, but once inside we forgot our troubles and "got to shopping and buying"!! We are so excited because today was very productive..we already bought two new lines that we just know you are going to LOVE!!

Above Shawn with one of our favorite reps and friends Jill looking at some of the new Lenny and Eva items (THEY ARE AWESOME!!!), Waxing Poetic has some really exciting new entries too! We found a ton of great new accessories, as a matter of fact while we did do some re-ordering I'd say that 90% of what we purchased today is brand, spanking new product! We found some great new art, and you will be amazed at some of the new candles. We can't wait to show and tell you more about our unique and wonderful things! Wish us luck tomorrow!! While we are away go in and see Becky we have put out some fantastic new Valentines goodies. Have a great weekend!

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home Featured in Home Accents Today Magazine

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home is in the press again! We are very honored to have been featured in the November 2010 issue of Home Accents Today Magazine. Yes, that is our Autumn table on the cover!!

The article from the magazine is above (not sure if it will be legible from the jpeg file, but once it is posted in their online magazine I'll include the link). The beautiful photo images were created by Chris Hefferen owner of Foundry Digital (Chris is so awesome, what that man can do with light is unbelievable! Thank you Chris for making us look so good!)

Paws In The Park...Help Us Help Them!

This Saturday October 23rd is the Fourth Annual Paws In The Park Fall Festival. Sponsored by the Humane Society of Blue Ridge, and the Arts Center the mission of Paws in the Park is to focus on awareness and development of animal advocates through education and championing the treatment of pets with respect and kindness.

All leashed pets are welcome! You can participate in the Pet Parade featuring pet participants in their best Halloween costumes. Which is followed by the Blessing of the Pets and the Pet Halloween Costume Contest. Past participants and winners have been pot belly pigs, alpacas, lamas, puppies and dogs!

This year’s event will be larger than ever with exhibitors, arts and craft vendors, various demonstrations, food and prizes! Bring your pet for LOW COST rabies injections and micro chipping between 12noon and 2pm.

The event will conclude around 2pm with a raffle drawing for many gifts donated by local merchants and event supporters. Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the event. Participation in the raffle will automatically enter you into the grand prize drawing. Pet adoptions, sponsored by participating pet rescue groups, will be available throughout the event as well.

We at Gatewood Hall Gracious Home would like to ask you to "Help us Help Them". In honor of this wonderful cause we will donate 10% of our Saturday October 23rd regular sales to Paws In The Park! So come in a shop and feel great knowing you are also helping out such a worthwhile cause! As always we look forward to seeing you

For more information about Paws In The Park email pitp@tds.net

GH in the Big Canoe Newspaper Smoke Signals!

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home was recently featured in a special High Design section of the Big Canoe newspaper called Smoke Signals. Click on the above photo to read the article!

Gatewood Hall Named One Of 50 Retail Stars in the Nation

So this is our big news and we are SO EXCITED!!! Home Accents Today Magazine and AmericasMart released their annual list of Fifty Retail Stars for 2010, where they present 50 independent home accent retailers that are significant players in their respective markets throughout the nation and Gatewood Hall Gracious Home was named one of the Fifty selected!!!!

This is from the press release- "This list recognizes enterprising home accents retailers who are meeting the challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace with innovative strategies and creative solutions. All 50 Retail Stars are creative in their merchandising, contribute to their communities and distinguish themselves from the competition. They excel at innovative marketing and advertising efforts, head-turning in-store displays and out-of-the-box business ideas. These retailers represent the best and the brightest."

We can't tell you how much we appreciate this honor! It is so exciting to be recognized within the professional community. Thank you for your support, because this recognition would be nothing without you and your support

It's Market Time Again!

It's that time again! Shawn and I are in High Point, North Carolina for the Spring International Furniture Market. Market actually starts tomorrow however a couple of our vendors invited us to come in early for a preview of some of their items. WOW, we have already found some cool stuff. I love the finds that one vendor in particular has and what I love the most is that we get to take them with us (I love immediate gratification!!) So we loaded up the GH Van and will have them on the floor very soon.

We are so very fortunate, as both of our families live in the area we get to enjoy a nice visit with loved ones also. I was able to spend some time with my very special grandmother, and had dinner with my parents, brother, sister-in-law and my fabulous niece and nephew (who was awarded today with A/B honor roll and perfect attendance for the second quarter in a row...I'm so proud of him! GO HUNTER!!) Shawn went to visit his parents and had dinner with them. We are already worn out!!

Tomorrow we will start early with appointments. We will find some more wonderful, new things for you. While we are away Brenda and our newest team member Becky will be holding the store down. We are thrilled that Becky has joined our team, she has some wonderful experience that be a great addition to Gatewood Hall. Please come in and introduce yourself to Becky this weekend.

The photos are from today at one of our stops...cool vintage and reproduction pieces. Have a great weekend!

PS- No, I haven't forgotten about the exciting new announcement, we can't announce it just yet, we will soon I promise.

Have a great weekend!

What An Exciting Week!! THANK YOU!

What a great and exciting week! We have been so overwhelmed by everyone's gracious and kind response to our new store. The support that our families, clients, friends and team have shown to us over the last few months has been appreciated more than you know. The old saying that "it takes a village" has never been more true. Both Shawn and I want to say thanks to some people who helped us to get through the ups and downs of this move.

First to our families, as many of you know Shawn's mom and dad came down a few times and helped us for days. My dad came from North Carolina with one of his good friends and brought a crew of nine that helped get a ton of things done. All along my mom was there to listen and encourage us to push on through some of the drama and obstacles that we faced with the move and build out. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Bunky, Virgina, Larry, and Patti! We love you and appreciate your support

Thanks to our clients, it never ceased to amaze us that just when we had nearly reached our wits end we'd run into one of you who would say something kind, you'd be excited for us, and as they say enthusiasm is contagious and we'd push on!

Thanks to our friends yes "we got by with a little help from our friends!" Especially Layne Prather... YOU ROCK! You were like a guardian angel, from packing, moving, directing, and cleaning you helped us so much that we just can't thank you enough.

To our GH team- Frank (our newest buddy), Carlos, Brenda and Kelli- THANK YOU! We really appreciate your hard work, your patience for putting up with us and helping us with the creative design vision that Shawn and I had for Gatewood Hall.

We have some bittersweet news. You may have heard that Kelli Luaces is no longer with us. We guess it is sort of like being proud parents to be able to say that after 2 1/2 years of our training and working with Kelli she's grown...she has been offered and accepted an exciting position as the creative director of Petaluma Collective, an intresting new concept that will be opening soon here in Blue Ridge. We wish her well and the best of luck in her new role. With that said we are happy to say that we have nearly finalized the hiring of our two new team members that we will tell you more about a little later!

Finally, we are about to go crazy to let you know about the most exciting, happy news that we received this week. But we can't just yet...Stay tuned for our big proud announcement!

Come see us this weekend we have received some great new items...Be sure to check out Lenny and Eva! It's an awesome new jewelry line exclusive to Gatewood Hall. You'll just love it!

See you soon!

Corky & Shawn

Say a Little Prayer!

Good Morning Everyone! Shawn and I just got in from the new store...It's coming together...we promise. Our current plan is to open our new location this Saturday at 10 AM, say a little prayer! We are still waiting on a few new items, and we have some stuff that still needs to be done to the building but we want to open! We have had so many positive calls, and visitors and we just can't thank you enough. We are so excited to show you around our new place so please "stay tuned" to the blog or facebook for updates. SEE YOU SATURDAY!

OUR NEW LOCATION IS OPENING SOON!!!

Yep, it's official today was our last day in our old location. We will miss that old place but we are thrilled with our new location and we can't wait for you to come in and see it. We plan on wrapping things up this week in the new space and hopefully (say a little prayer for us!) opening the new store next week. Please stay tuned to our blog, facebook or twitter for actual details. To those of you who have stopped in to say hello and check on on us, thank you so much for caring and being excited for us and the next leg of our GH journey...Each of you have helped keep us going through the madness and we appreciate you very much!

Corky & Shawn

Moving Sale Madness Continues This Weekend!

YES, THE MOVING SALE MADNESS CONTINUES!!! We are making great progress at the new location, but we are starting to realize how much stuff will have to be moved...UGH! So we have gone crazy marking even more stuff down! Everything in the store is at least 25% off! There are a ton of items spread throughout the store that have been red-lined now to 50% off. Finally, for some really outrageous bargains check out the "Last Chance" items which include samples, odds and ends as well as some slightly damaged merchandise that are more than 75% off...If you're like me this is the stuff I love to find at sales...I guess it brings out the creative treasure hunter in all of us! (The one that loves it when someone admires something in your home and you get to say you won't believe what I paid for this..it was such a great deal!). We look forward to seeing you soon! THANK YOUR FOR YOUR BUSINESS, ENJOY THE MADNESS & HAPPY SHOPPING!

What's Happening With The New Space?

So many folks have been requesting an update on our new space...So let's start here...Have you ever had those times when you wake up so excited that you can't sleep, like it is Christmas morning or your Birthday (when your were a kid)? and then you jump up to get going and it seems like, things don't turn out exactly as you planned and in disappointment you ask yourself..."What was I thinking?" And then just when you are ready to throw your hands in the air and give up, something wonderful happens and you are back to being thrilled and excited again? Well...welcome to our world. As with any renovation or build-out it has been a series of ups and downs. Fortunately there have been no biggies, it's more of a situation of a lack of patience for both of us. Most of the time (at least 99%) we are that excited kid, we are ready to get in and start decorating and putting our new merchandise out so we can have you over. Then there is the other 1% when we are tired, overwhelmed and ready to kill each other, when it feels like one of those days when nothing happens and we ask ourselves "what were we thinking?".

Truthfully one of our biggest drives comes from you! We can't thank you enough for your enthusiasm. A day hasn't passed when one of you hasn't said something like "oh I am so excited to see what you do with that space" or "I think your new location is going to be great, it will be so convenient" or our favorite "When are you going to open in that new space?...I can't wait!".

I am happy to report that we are making progress! We feel that as of today we are on schedule (uh oh...I said it out loud so knock wood, say prayers, etc.) Most importantly we can't wait to be finished so we can have you over! As always thank you, thank you, thank you for your support. We have included some "before" interior shots for those of you who have never been in the old post office.

In the meantime we are making way for our new stuff. We are continuing our sale, we've been calling the sales by many different names but we really should just tell the truth it's the "We don't want to move it sale". This weekend we have savings from 15% to 50% so come in and grab some really good deals!

Blog Reader Special: Print this post and bring it in today (01/23/2010) and take 20% off any regular priced, in-stock item of your choice!!

Gatewood Hall Is Moving To The Old Post Office!

Yes it's true! We are finally happy to announce that we are moving and expanding with more of what you love! (We actually signed the lease this time before making our announcement!) We are taking the old Blue Ridge Post Office on Depot Street, just next to the Blue Ridge Brewery. We are so excited as we will have nearly three times the square footage! We have a huge, private parking lot for our guests, no stairs for you to climb and an actual covered loading dock for our furniture (oh the simple pleasures)!!

We are already getting lots of questions like, "Will your new store have a post office theme?" or "How will you decorate around the post office boxes?"...and several folks have made the comment "Will it be the same look as your store now?" So here are the answers to those burning questions...No post office theme, no decorating around the PO boxes (they took those with them). Finally, while we have loved the space we are in now, and we are so proud that we originated our "setting or stage" in Blue Ridge it is no longer original because others have tried to recreate it. So- while we promise that we will not change our overall business model, we will maintain our desire for unique and special merchandise, and we will not get rid of any of our exclusive brands that you love. We will remain constant to our passion for gracious living and helping you create the lifestyle that reflects who you are by staying beyond "the trendy"...With that said we do have some exciting changes in store and the "look of our stage" will not be the same...it will be better! Most importantly we will strive to be original, and always bring you an exceptional shopping experience.

WE LOVE WHAT WE DO! Every day we feel so very fortunate that we get to run our little business, do what we do, and be able to share it with you! Thank you for helping make our dream a reality.

We'll keep you posted on our progress! We are thinking that it will be early 2010 when we open our new location. Go over and take a peak inside before we cover up the windows and get to work setting the stage of our new destination! (Hey and say a little prayer that Shawn and I don't drive each other crazy in the process!!)

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! Shawn and I are thankful for you our loyal customers, friends and family...as always we sincerely thank you for supporting us! And we couldn't miss this opportunity to say thank you to our GH gals Kelli and Rebecca for all of their hard work!

Stop in tomorrow for some great "black friday" savings throughout our store! (PS..You will also probably hear about some exciting news that is breaking for GH!! Stay tuned for details!!)

We Appreciate You! Thank You for Supporting Us!

The 3/50 Project is one that we have supported for awhile now. Many of you have heard about it and discussed it with Shawn and I. For those of you who haven't please take a few minutes to read the press release below about the project's founder Cinda Baxter. One of my best friends Stan, in North Carolina sent this to me and suggested that I share it with you (by the way he is is not a retailer just a supporter of small businesses.)

We thought it was an appropriate time to say THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SUPPORTING US! If we don't say it enough we really appreciate your business. We know that you could make your purchases at some large chain store or "back home" where some of you maintain a primary residence but instead, you wait and shop with us in downtown Blue Ridge and for that we THANK YOU! We are so passionate about what we do and we realize that without you we wouldn't have the opportunity to do it. We are excited about our future and our goal is to continue to bring you wonderful and unusual new merchandise while providing the best service possible...All while having great fun with you- our customers, our friends! Thanks for helping us to live our dream.

Former Retailer Provides Her Own Economic Stimulus Plan for Main Street

The 3/50 Project unites small business and consumers in stabilizing their local economy Minneapolis, MN, March 19, 2009 — Having been an independent stationery store owner for fourteen years, Cinda Baxter understood the pain felt by retailers when the economy sank and consumers held back. What began as an economic downturn in the autumn had become a psychological tsunami by March 1st.

What the country needed, in her opinion, was a meeting of the minds between two groups that held valuable stakes in the game—small business owners and members of their communities. Enter The 3/50 Project. With a tag line “Save your local economy three stores at a time,” the Project’s goal is to promote shopping in locally owned businesses while thanking customers for the positive impact that decision has on a local economy.

“We’re constantly inundated with doom and gloom,” says Baxter, now a retail consultant and professional speaker. “The system is broken, the banks are frozen, the economy is bleeding. That’s all we hear. The images painted by the media are ghastly and devoid of hope. What we need—what we crave—as a nation is to pinpoint areas where positive change can occur, then feel good about having promoted them.”

By early March, she’d decided enough was enough, and that it was time to give retailers ammunition to fight back with. Rather than get tangled in complex messaging and deployment, Baxter combined a straightforward theme, a free flyer, and her blog as the mechanism to launch The 3/50 Project.

“We ask consumers to think about which three stores they’d miss if they disappeared, then remind them to return there,” explains Baxter. “Shoppers have become so rooted in thinking about the essentials that they’ve forgotten about the little gift store on the corner whose owner remembers their name.”

“Fifty comes from the idea that if even half the employed population spent a mere $50 per month in locally owned retail stores, those purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue,” she continues. “That’s a huge impact for a relatively small investment.” Which leads to a third number on the flyer, sixty-eight—the dollar amount that remains in a community’s economy for every $100 spent in locally owned stores. By contrast, only $43 per one hundred remains local when spent in national chains; little or no revenue results from online purchases.

“In essence, the whole thing boils down to Pick 3, spend 50, save the economy. It’s really that simple.”

Since ease of use was key to store owners jumping on board, Baxter designed a free flyer for participants to download, print on any color printer, then hand to consumers with their purchases. “The idea is to look customers in the eye, put this right in their hands, and say ʻthank you for shopping in a locally owned storeʼ rather than just pop these in the bottom of a bag and hope someone sees them.”

Within 24 hours of providing the link on her blog, things began to light up. Retailers were sharing the flyer with other businesses. Property managers were spreading the news to tenants. Thank you notes were arriving via email every hour. Trade publications and blogs were asking about guest posts and columns promoting the plan, and a movie theater requested a copy large enough to display on their screens for waiting audiences to view. “The best part about 3/50 is that it’s so down to earth, so straightforward, so accessible,” reflects the enthusiastic champion of independent retailers. “This is a labor of love that store owners and customers can share.”

Given the level of interest, a dedicated website has been established to promote the movement, link to the free flyer, and list participating retailers and other supporters. It can be found at http://the350project.net/.

Blue Ridge Brewery Open

Just in case you haven't heard? There is a new restaurant in town, Blue Ridge Brewery is now open! Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to enjoy a meal there but Shawn has and he raved about it. One of our favorite chefs, Rick Tullis brings his expertise and I hear he has put together a fantastic menu. BRB is open for lunch and they offer soups, sausages, hot sandwiches, salads and small plates. I hear the house burger is delicious! In the evening dinner at the brewery offers seasonal soups and salads, as well as steaks, prosciutto wrapped trout, wiener schnitzel, roasted chicken, pan seared duck breast, and even some vegetarian dishes. Top off your great meal with an assortment of American and European desserts.

I was working in the store this weekend and several of our friends and customers had been to BRB and every single one of them said really, really great things! I just can't wait to go! The enthusiasm was unbelievable. Oh, and word has it that the owner Pat has selected some great and exclusive beers if you are so inclined! (Isn't that exciting? Right here in Blue Ridge, Georgia)

Blue Ridge Brewery is located at 187 Depot Street (former home of Blue Christmas). They are closed on Sunday and Monday. I hear it is best to make reservations so give them a call at 706-632-6611 and be sure to tell them that we sent you!