'Tis The Season To Be Hoppy!

Shop-hoppy, that is! Because the North Lake Pole Winter Festival and Shop Hop was cut short by the pounding deluge Saturday afternoon, the businesses involved will extend the qualification time for the Grand Raffle until December 24th. During this time, visit the listed merchants/businesses/restaurants and get a star affixed to your Shop Hop card. No purchase or obligation is required for the star on your card so why not explore places you haven't been to yet, meet new people or say hello to old friends you haven't seen for awhile? What better time than the holidays, when you're out and about anyway? Once you get some stars on your card, you'll be eligible for an entry into the most exciting raffle ever! So many marvelous prizes, all generously donated by our local business owners, and just in time for the holidays. The grand prize will be a new bicycle from Steve's Bike Shop and there will be many more exciting giveaways. We'll pick the winners on Christmas Eve, December 24th, and the winner need not be present. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Altadena along with the holiday season.

Due to last Saturday's rain, WFS will be hosting a Holiday Open House this Saturday, December 19th. We'd love you to join us for holiday festivities, fun and food! We open at 10:00 am and the party starts then with pastries, hot coffee and cider. From 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm, hearty appetizers and other surprises will be on the menu and from 4:00 pm until closing at 6:00 pm, dessert is on us! We invite you to drop by - get your Shop Hop card with its first star on it from WFS, and stay for top-notch shopping, shipping and good old fashioned holiday fun! Shopping or shipping at this time of year is fun, you ask? It sure is when you've got beautiful music to listen to, interesting merchandise to peruse, delicious munchies to nibble and good friends to greet! It's a lot of fun, too, when you win one of the many door prizes we'll be giving away.

There's one other benefit to our Shop Hop, can you guess it? It's the great feeling you'll get from helping to support not only your local businesses, but the economic health of Altadena as well. Civic pride might be something we tend to smirk at these days but it's something that's absolutely needed right here and right now! We've all seen the warning signs and have already witnessed the closing of many of our local places of business - it's time now to rally to support those that remain, lest they disappear also. If we collectively direct our buying at local, independent businesses it will increase Altadena's bottom line by funneling funds back into the community. It funnels back in by increasing the ability of these businesses to pay their taxes, both sales tax and employment tax. It funnels back by keeping their staff employed and the people employed spend money in other local businesses. It funnels back as the different businesses use other service providers, such as accountants, payroll services, janitors and printers. We invite you to read about The 3/50 Project at www.the350project.net - it certainly puts what I've just said into perspective.

The holidays are a perfect time for us to express our gratitude to our loyal customers - thank you from the bottom of our hearts! You've helped us survive this year and you'll help us thrive in the future so remember to join us this Saturday, even if just for a few minutes. Let us take this opportunity to wish all of you a warm and wonderful holiday season!

UPDATE 12/16/09 The Christmas Tree Lane Association will be joining in the fun on Saturday, too! Come see the many charming items they have at their Boutique, which will be set up in front of WFS and Galloway Alley, and help support this worthy Altadena institution!

Local Blogs Worthy of Note and Winter Festival Update

As promised in my last post, let me offer you some information on local sites and blogs that are, in my opinion, some of the best. Informative, amusing and such a great compliation of the culture of Altadena, these sites are waiting for you to discover them (if you already haven't). Read on, intrepid readers, and find a new sources of information, news, entertainment or historical facts....an entire world of the written word awaits!

Altadenablog, http://www.altadenablog.com Altadena's one-stop source for community news and opinion. If you want to keep up with what's happening in Altadena, this is the site for you! The site's author, Tim Rutt, was honored recently by Los Angeles County for Altadenablog's coverage of the Station Fire.

Altadena Above It All, http://altadenaaboveitall.com
Debbie Swanson Patrick, author, photographer and artist, says it best herself: "this blog is dedicated to capturing the life, history, preservation and improvement battles, the wildlife (animals included!), talent, beauty and magic that is in these foothills." We love helping her celebrate Altadena and we hope you do, too.

Altadena Hiker, http://www.altadenahiker.blogspot.com
Karin Bugge's View From The Trail, a glimpse into the life of this local resident who tells it like she sees it. A talented writer, Karin is funny, witty and spot-on!

One excellent perk about being a blogger is that you get to share other wonderful blogs with your readers. There are so many excellent local blogs in our area and I'll be pointing out more in future posts. Hopefully by then I will have figured out what's wrong with my Blogger account and why it won't let me attach live links. On now to exciting local news!



Altadena Arts Coalition Presents
The North Lake Pole Shop-Hop and Winter Festival


Come join the Altadena Arts Coalition and your local merchants on Saturday, December 12th, for an evening of holiday merriment and civic pride! Rediscover all Altadena has to offer by visiting the participating merchants and businesses, who are awaiting your arrival with seasonal treats and goodies. Collect stars on your map and once filled, you are eligible for entry into a drawing for wonderful prizes!

Set to start right after the lighting of Christmas Tree Lane , the AAC will host sledding in REAL snow in Galloway Alley, live music and a visit from Holly Jolly Wally! There will be food vendors in case you get hungry….John from O Happy Days will be serving hot soup, The Coffee Gallery will be serving hot coffee & tea, Park Bench Deli will be making tacos, Steve's Bike Shop is serving hot chocolate and Altadena's own Dip Me In Chocolate will be offering their decadent goodies. Stroll along the North Lake Pole Ave., greet your friends and neighbors and enjoy that good old fashioned Christmas spirit! Webster's Fine Stationers will be showcasing their holiday décor and will be serving hot apple cider, treats and a surprise guest. Webster's Pharmacy and Webster's Liquor will be serving soft-serve ice cream and Photography by Walt is hosting “Capture the World”, an exciting photo exhibit. The Gallery At The End Of The World will also be hosting an art exhibit you won't want to miss. This is a great opportunity to get out and see what makes Altadena so special. Get set to have a great time on the 12th …..we'll be waiting for you!

Holiday Eye-Candy and Inspirations

As we count down to the 2009 holiday season, it occurs to me that many of us feel the almost desperate need for some decorating direction....something to inspire us and give us that extra little push we need to get us going. I'd like to share some absolutely fabulous blogs with you that can provide you with that much needed inspiration.

Yes, this is supposed to be a store blog, 'tis true....but let me tell you a little bit about me personally. Back before Scott and I bought our little store, we had been renovating our home and we discovered our passion for design and decor. I'd always had a flair for decorating, but the whole-house redo put our talents to the test. I ended up studying interior design and joined a few decor-specific Internet groups to increase my knowledge. From one group, an MSN group named "Great Impressions", I formed many friendships with some very wonderfully talented ladies & gentlemen, many of whom I still keep in touch with today.

Scott and I have been waiting for the right time to introduce decor topics on this blog and it seems there's no better time than the present. We're selling more and more decor items in the shop and on-line at our website so it's not a big stretch to bring information about decor to you via this blog. We encourage those of you who have decor questions and concerns to ask here. Scott and I and our many decorator friends would love to chime in with advice to help you out.

We also encourage you to check through our friends' blogs and websites. They're all listed below on our blog roll, but let me list them as links for you. They are:

http://allthingsetsy2222.blogspot.com My friend Elizabeth's blog, A Breath Of French Air probably smells as good as it looks! She makes and sells her own fantastic soap products, and is also a decor and gardening buff extraordinaire.

http://www.backporchmusings.com My talented friend Pat's blog is amazing. Pat is not only an accomplished decorator and floral stylist, she's an amazing photographer, too! Stop by and admire her wonderful taste and exacting eye....all her photos are magazine worthy!

http://cakesandcupboards.blogspot.com My friend Lisa, another talented decorator, also makes the most wonderfully creative cakes. When in need of cake inspiration or decor inspiration, she's your girl! I also know she's very good with power tools!

http://deardaisycottage.typepad.com My friend Kim's blog, Dear Daisy Cottage, is another wonderful source of decor inspiration. Colorful and full of light-hearted whimsy, her home and blog are fun-filled spaces that will make you smile!

http://jassman.typepad.com My friend Jill's blog, Follow Your Bliss. Jill's lived all over, most recently in France, and I can remember her posting pictures of her lovely French home. She's back in the U.S. and into paper crafting and photography, of which there are many peerless examples of on her blog.

http://howtokeephouse.blogspot.com My friend Sue's blog, How To Keep House. She's got that perfect touch....you'll love going through her gorgeous rooms!

http://penchantsponderingsandposies.blogspot.com My friend Maureen's blog, Penchants, Posies & Ponderings exudes beauty. Mo is another accomplished decorator and photographer, and her gardening shots are exquisite. Check out her latest postings of her tablescapes....they are a must-see!

http://dec0r8or.blogspot.com My friend Sharon's blog, Serendipity, is a pleasure to read. Tons of inspiration here, this accomplished woman has decorated showhomes all over the upstate NY area and is rather awesome, if I must say. : )

http://smallplacestyle.blogspot.com My hero of small homes! My friend Lisa's blog, Small Place Style, is a delightful read, also. She's got the solutions for living small beautifully!

http://southernhospitalityblog.com My friend Rhoda's blog, Southern Hospitality, is a fabulous foil for her incredible talent. If you're looking for inspiration, this Southern Belle has it in spades!

http://www.roxandthings.blogspot.com My friend, Lisa's blog, Rox and Things, showcases her awesome talent for home decoration and jewelry making. They say things come bigger in Texas, and I guess they're right....Lisa's got a huge amount of talent!

http://roseeliff.blogspot.com My friend Rose's blog, The Center Of Myself, is your one-stop destination for ohm-filled, soul searching goodness. Her fabulous Orange County home is the source for decor inspiration, also.

http://thedecoratedhouse.blogspot.com My friend Donna's blog, The Decorated House. An inspired decorator, this Florida decorator's taste is incomparable. She's a creative multi-media artist who is magical at whatever she does - there's a link to her Etsy shop on her blog.


All of these sites offer the best of the best and more inspiration than you'd ever want. Keep in mind as you view these blogs that the women who write them have done most of their home decoration themselves. Meaning, they climbed the ladders and primed, painted, Venetian plastered, buffed, or textured their walls themselves. They scrapped, sanded, cleaned, bleached, stained and painted their garage-sale or bargain basement finds themselves. Some made their own art, some found theirs on Ebay, but all have their creative juices running to the max. This is especially advantageous during difficult economic times, because you tend to save a lot of money when you do the work yourself. We could all benefit from knowing how to accomplish certain home renovation projects, and what better people to ask than those who've done it successfully themselves? I invite you to ask away....I'll get back to you as soon as humanly possible.

I've been trying to get Blogger to attach links to my post, but it refuses to be cooperative. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I can't spend any more time on it...Scott's making pizza while I pound the keyboard, it's 8:40 pm and I have clothes in the wash. Please either scroll down to the very bottom of of the page and click the links there, or cut and paste the URLs into your browser window....so sorry for the inconvenience.

Next post, we'll take a look at our friends' blogs in the Altadena/Pasadena area. We love to spotlight creativity whenever we find it!

Over The River and Through The Woods

It's that time of year again - families gathering together to give thanks for their many blessings. As the day draws closer, we at WFS want to wish you and yours a warm, safe and happy Thanksgiving.

The holidays are approaching quickly and with them come numerous events, parties and gift-giving opportunities. We know this year has been a tough one for many people, ourselves included, so we decided to kick off the season with our very first annual Black Friday sale. We'll open at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, November 27th, and for 7 1/2 hours only (until 4:00 p.m.), prices will be substantially cut. No coffee, no cookies and no gift wrapping services will be offered this day, but you will find great bargains! If you spend over $50.00 at the sale, you may come back and get one item wrapped for no charge....just save your sale receipt.

Another way to grab extra savings - donate needed food items for Five Acres and receive a 10% off coupon for your trouble. Bring that coupon in on the 27th and enjoy an extra 10% savings off any item on sale or not. Yes, that's right....an EXTRA 10% savings, even off sale prices! There are only two days left to donate food to the families at Five Acres and this year they need our donations badly. Please help out this worthy Altadena cause and get a little help for yourself in the process.....a win/win situation for all.

In other news, there's lots of talk about the Pasadena Weekly's recent article about businesses closing in Pasadena and Altadena. Here's the link to Altadenablog's excellent reporting of it: http://www.altadenablog.com/2009/11/economic-woes-hit-the-denas. What is particularly interesting are the comments that follow it. There's also an interesting little article about the old days in Altadena, called http://www.altadenablog.com/2009/11/business-as-it-used-to-be-on-mariposa. There was a comment on this article that really hit me and since it mentions us directly, I feel the need to respond. The comment, from William Korn, in gist stated that it's not just lack of customer loyalty that keeps folks from shopping at their local businesses. He states that he tries to shop locally but, "On the other hand, I used to shop for office supplies at Webster's preferentially, even though the prices were substantially higher than at the "big box" places. But when they moved to an stand-alone store, they started not carrying the things that I was shopping for. I'm willing to pay a premium for shopping Altadena, but if I can't shop, what am I supposed to do?"

This is such a common sentiment among some folks I've talked to in the recent past. What stands out most in all those talks is that "prices were substantially higher for office products at Webster's but I was willing to pay them". Trust this, nothing makes me more incensed than hearing that. Do you know that the office products prices at Webster's were the absolute SAME or LOWER than the big-box prices at the time, verified by my husband, Scott Webster? Seriously, readers, the prices were honestly the same or lower, but there is no changing people's perception. They are going to see things the way they want to see them, and that is that prices were lower at Staples, Office Max and Office Depot. There is no arguing with perceived value and that's one of the main reasons I want out of selling office products, because we can't win that game. I can't change your mind, so why spend any more time (we're talking years here) and money? Let's focus on something else, something we can do, do well and win. Maybe Mr. Korn liked buying his office products with us and we thank him for that, but at the prices we were selling this merchandise at, we would've had to have the volume of sales Staples has. How unfortunate that we never did have that kind of volume. I'm done beating that dead horse and we're moving on. Hopefully, Mr. Korn will have a need for some fine stationery, a nice pen, a beautiful gift or card....or maybe he'll like the fact that we specialize in locally made, made in the U.S. and fair trade gifts & accessories. Yes, we'll still carry pens, paper, school and desk supplies, but not as much as in the past. We'll do what we do best and pray the community will support us.

Another thing in our headlights is the North Lake Pole Shop Hop on December 12th, and a book signing by Andre Coleman on the 11th. More about that in another post, but save those dates, because it's going to be fabulous!

WFS Gives To Danny's Farm and Five Acres!

There are several exciting things going on at WFS these next couple of months! The holiday season is quickly approaching, and of course we'll be dressing up the store but we thought we could do a lot more than decorate and hang ornaments.

I've said before that in economic times such as these, it's our local charities and non-profits that suffer the most. When people feel they have little to give, charitable donations are the first to be cut from the budget. We understand and believe me, our store doesn't have room for much donating, either. But you know what? We're still in business and our crew members are still employed and for that we're thankful. In that spirit of thankfulness, we are going to be donating to two Altadena non-profits - Danny's Farm and Five Acres. Read on and discover how we'll be accomplishing this.

Danny's Farm is a a local non-profit with an amazing premise. We love how the Gott family's vision has improved and enriched our community! They even have plans to expand that vision which will create more opportunities for the disabled in Altadena. To get there, they need our help and they need your help. If you order custom holiday cards from WFS this year, we will donate 15% of the net cost to Danny's Farm. Don't let the word "custom" scare you away....these cards are cost effective and beautiful. Best of all, you can be the designer of your own holiday card! We will have our catalog of holiday cards on-line at by late next week. From now until January 1st, if you order your gorgeous holiday cards through Webster's Fine Stationers, we will donate 15% of the net sale to Danny's Farm and that's a very good thing.

Five Acres is another local Altadena non-profit that is near and dear to our hearts. They're running a Thanksgiving food-drive for the population they serve and we want to help! We'll be collecting the donations here at WFS, but here's the thing: when you bring your food donations in, please give them directly to a crew member. That crew member will give you a coupon for 10% off any purchase you make at WFS. You can use that coupon that day or save it for later use. It's just our way of saying thank you for making a food donation to Five Acres. We also have $10.00 coupons that are good for the same amount off a purchase at Macy's on Saturday, November 14th. Your purchase of these coupons benefits Five Acres and are redeemable on regular, sale or clearance priced merchandise purchases of $25.00 or more. Remember, these are valid on November 14th only. To buy one, just ask one of our crew members.

Also on our radar for the weeks coming up is a book signing with Altadena author Andre Coleman. Stay tuned for more information on that event!

Vision Before Focus

Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with a lovely woman I met through networking. Her name is Joan Rudder-Ward and she's a photographer. She writes a blog called Picture Your Success, Successful Ventures With Photography. She teaches new and established photographers how to branch out and be successful at selling their art through different venues.

She plans on publishing a book she's writing on the subject by the end of the year. She chose me to interview about how I go about buying artisan cards and what special things I look for. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion, which ended up being about much more than artist's cards. I was touched that she felt so in tune with what I spoke about, but now am verklempt as I read what she wrote about me. I have to reprint it here so you can read it, too:

"Vision Before Focus

This spotlight interview is with someone who is not a photographer, yet there are valuable lessons here for anyone wanting to start or expand a business venture.

Lori Webster is the owner of Webster’s Fine Stationers, a family business that has been serving the Altadena, California area since 1926. I interviewed Lori for my new book on how to start your own greeting card business (release set for December 09) , because she buys custom photographic greeting cards for her store. She gave very good information on the whole process of how she buys them, how to price them, the best methods of making contact, and what store owners look for in purchasing greeting cards. This information will be revealed in the book.

Though the business has been around for 83 years, Lori, with her husband Scott, have owned their store for the past two years. We had a chance to talk about the challenges they are facing with consequences of management decisions made before they took over, the effect of big box stores moving into the area, and the economy.

Lori exemplifies what it takes to successfully start and run any type of business, and I’ll relate these to starting and running a photography venture. Even though the store has been established for years, change is needed to meet the varied challenges the retail sector is facing in today’s world. Therefore, in putting a “new face” on Webster’s, it is parallel to starting a new venture.

3 vital things you must start with to have a successful photography venture

Vision

~~Lori’s vision for the store goes beyond stationery. The vision is to offer the community more lifestyle choices in what they carry, such as recycled and fair trade products, and products made locally and in the USA. They offer much more than stationery as customers can purchase products for their home and office, for their children, for school, and even for their appetites with the gourmet food selections they offer.~~

What does your ” finished product” look like? What is your vision? In other words, what goal do you have for your photography venture?


Is your goal to have a full-service boutique- style studio that caters to expectant mothers and their children? Or is it a weekend wedding business where you are booked three weekends a month? Perhaps it’s the art market where you want your images displayed in fine art stores in your city, or across the country. And then again, you may only be interested in having good images for your own personal reasons, such as documenting family history that can be passed down to generations to come.

Solidify your vision. “See” your end result from the start.

Craft a Plan

~~Lori is attending a 26-week ““Business Builders Boot Camp” where she is crafting her plan to reach her vision for the store.~~

Once you have your vision, you then need to craft your road map, your plan, to get there. This is the time to do research and gather the resources that you need. It’s a common joke that creative people don’t like taking care of the business end of things in learning the left-brain parts of launching a successful venture… like creating business plans and setting up and accounting system. You don’t necessarily have to create a full-blown business plan, but business acumen is necessary. Small Business Development Centers can be found in most cities, with business classes available for nominal fees. They also have counselors that can help guide you to beneficial resources. You can also seek the assistance of professional photographers who offer consulting services.

Work the Plan

~~Even while she’s going through the business boot camp, Lori is simultaneously working her plan, by supplying her store with products and services that match the vision she has for the store.~~

One of the challenges of being in business is the follow-through on the different aspects of a plan. Diligence and perseverance are key to fulfilling your vision. Keep moving forward and stick with it. You can do it!"

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Wow! I am beyond honored that Joan would think enough of me and the store to write this article and I'm so thankful that we got to meet. I only hope that someday I can return the favor, but for now a simple thank you will have to suffice. I also want to thank you, Joan, for the prayers - I appreciate them more than you know.

Links to the story and to Joan's blog are below on my blogroll.

Haute Halloween Spookfest at WFS!

Witches on their broomsticks fly
Ghouls hitch rides with vampires sly
Ghosties and goblins arise from their lair
All decked out with frightening flair,

They're coming to town real soon, I hear
Youngsters and oldsters quiver in fear
Of dreaded apparitions in the dead of the night
When silence runs deep with the absence of light

Join us to welcome this gruesome crew
Come party – let's have a Halloween do
At WFS, wear your scariest outfit
‘Cause 10/31 is reserved for it!

Bring the kiddies, bring Grandma
Bring yourself, bring your pa
Bring everyone, get ready to greet the night
Filled with fabulous Halloween delight!

----Lori Webster

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MAKE PLANS NOW TO JOIN US!

Make plans now to join us Saturday, Oct. 31st, at WFS for Halloween fun and festivities! Pick up coloring pages for the kids to create Halloween masterpieces that'll be hung on our Halloween tree. Each artist will be entered into our Haute Halloween drawing and names will be drawn at 2:00 p.m. Don't miss out on the wonderful prizes for kids and adults! There will be treats, too, for what's Halloween without treats? You won't find any tricks here, though....just straight up, spooky fun.

Following the drawing, we'll take the kids on a Halloween Procession up and down Lake Avenue and around to the back of the store. You're encouraged to participate, but definitely bring a camera – you won't want to miss out on this perfect Kodak moment! We'll march back into the store for more festivities, fun and Halloween treats!

Remember, all this on Saturday, October 31st, from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm!