The Duck Pond: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

We interviewed store owner Melissa Gibson who co-owns the most adorable boutique in Tustin, California with Suzi Segal! Not only are we OBSESSED with the so-sweet name of the store, we love her take on spring trends, parenting advice and their fun events planned in the next 2 months for families (we heard a rumor the Easter Bunny will possibly be at their store!). Read more to discover today’s “Premier Store Spotlight” with children’s boutique The Duck Pond (www.the-duckpond.com). Enjoy!

The Duck Pond
17300 East 17th Street
Tustin, CA 92780
www.the-duckpond.com
714.730.7232

 Visit The Duck Pond’s Blog! Click HERE

1.     What was the inspiration behind the name The Duck Pond?
Melissa: Since we are new owners we are not sure how the name came about but if we had to guess we think the ducks are children in a pond of clothing. 

2.     Describe the neighborhood where your store is located in Tustin, California. What are the local family hangouts you would recommend?
Melissa: Our store is located in an upscale shopping center in Tustin, California. Along with our store we have an upscale jewelry store, art gallery and women’s and men’s clothing stores. Minutes away from The Duck Pond is the Santa Ana Zoo, Irvine Regional Park, Disneyland, and the Discovery Center. 

3.     It’s about that time to start packing up some of the old winter items and cleaning out the closet for spring clothes for your little one. What are 3 spring must-have items that are in your store?
Melissa: White sandals, a flirty dress, something navy, and (of course) matching hair accessories. 

4.      What would people be surprised to learn about your store?
Melissa: We have a large supply of baptism clothes for both boys and girls, along with amazing dresses and party clothes for girls and great clothes for boys. 

5.     Tell us about a “special” moment that made your day working at your store.
Melissa: The most exciting time for us was the first time we had someone come in and compliment the “new” atmosphere and our new clothes that we have – that made us feel proud to be the new owners of The Duck Pond.

6.     There are plenty of blooper funny moments being around children and mom’s all day in your store – tell us something funny a child has said that made you giggle.
Melissa: We love to hear little girls talk and parade around the store once they put on a party dress. One girl said she felt like a “fairy princess.” 

7.     Tell us about any special events that you have planned at your store and fun deals we can expect.
Melissa: We have a “Ladies Night Out” on March 22nd from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and a “Sip and Stroll” on April 16th.  We also hope that the Easter Bunny will visit our store soon! 

Le Top "Poppies" Tiered Dress & Ruffle Panty

8.     Tell us your best parenting tip or mom advice that your mom passed on to you that you would like to share with a new parent.
Melissa: Patience, patience, patience, this too will pass. 

9.     What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line or Rabbitmoon do you love from the Spring 2011?
Melissa: We love Poppies, Bee Happy and Daisy collections but we really love all of them!

The Duck Pond
17300 East 17th Street
Tustin, CA 92780
www.the-duckpond.com
714.730.7232

Visit The Duck Pond’s Blog! Click HERE

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Rowing the Atlantic in Memory of Mom

Paul Ridley, age 25, is 79 days into his solo, unsupported, trans-Atlantic journey in a yellow, 19′, 400lb row boat named ‘Liv’ – in memory of his mother, Katherine Ridley, who died of skin cancer in 2001. Inspired by his mom’s adventurous nature and with his newfound passion for cancer research fund-raising, Paul’s goals are to become only the 3rd and youngest person to ever row across an ocean, and in doing so, raise $500,000 for cancer research at the Yale Cancer Center. He set off  in early January in the Canary Islands (off Morocco) and has been putting in 8 to 13+ hours a day at the oars. The entire journey will require him to row more than 3000 nautical miles. He’s closing in on his goal and, weather permitting, is scheduled to pull into Antigua (in the Caribbean) at the end of March.

After seeing a few pictures of Paul, you might ask yourself why a person with a fair complexion and his mother’s battle with skin cancer would undertake such a long, grueling trip and – among all the other inherent risks – expose himself to so much sun? Well, Paul’s got plenty of sunblock, and for you apparel lovers out there – special ‘threads’ that block UV rays. Yup, science and technology is at work in apparel, too!

Did I mention Paul is undertaking this physical and mental challenge completely unsupported? That blows my mind! No sail, no motor, no support crew to bail him out if things turn ugly (which, hopefully, they won’t). This really hits me when I think about what it must be like out there, day after day – with no signs of human life – except for the 2 passenger planes Paul spotted up around 40,000′, the ocean liner that ‘brushed by’ (2 miles away), and yesterday, a bug landed on his deck (a sign that land is near)! He gets all giddy about such sightings.
Paul’s daily posts often focus on the interesting marine life he encounters, the physical and mental challenges he faces, his emotional ups and downs, his progress, what motivates him, and the ever-changing weather conditions. One of my favorite posts (from day 59) includes a description of how dramatic and dominating the constellations appear when viewed from a tiny row boat in the middle of the ocean.

As a tech-nut, I’m also amazed at Paul’s ability to stay in daily communication (via a solar powered satellite phone) with his support organization, Row for Hope, back in Connecticut. The information he relays immediately makes its way to the Web, into his blog, and even into his new Twitter page. Very cool. Here’s a guy out in the middle of the ocean – completely on his own – whose daily thoughts and reports are readily available to anyone around the world connected by computer (or even mobile phone!) to the Internet. Internet marketers/le•top e-tailers – are you listening? More on easily using some of these powerful technologies (to reach your target audience) is coming in future tech posts, so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, check out Paul’s Website and monitor his progress – it’s a fun, educational and inspiring thing to do with your kids. Also, please consider making a donation if you can. Due to the economic downturn impacting us all, Paul is falling short of his fund-raising goals – he could really use our assistance.

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Kicking and Screaming into the blogosphere…

We’ve received many photos from our customers over the years, but didn’t have the time to properly archive them (don’t you hate when that happens? Full of good intentions to get them organized, and all we could manage was taping them to a wall in our office kitchen). Well, with our blog (which we scarily agreed to kicking and screaming – we’re into beautiful kids clothes, not technology!) and lots of handholding from our Tech Wiz, we can finally ‘scrapbook’ your photos (if only our Tech Wiz would now just organize our closets). With our bellies still full from Thanksgiving feasts, we think photos of your “Messiest Eaters” would be a great way to kick off our blog launch.

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