Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Shiloh!

They say it’s your BIRTHDAY!  Happy birthday Shiloh Jolie-Pitt! 4-years-old – how time flies by. We can’t wait to see what chic style you rock out in at your birthday party!

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STORE SPOTLIGHT – HEAR ALL ABOUT IT!

Today is the second in our new “Store Spotlight” series, where we feature a premiere le•top specialty retail store each week. Read more for an exclusive Q&A and “sneak peak” images of our featured store of the week!

Wickford - RI

This week we had the chance to interview one of Rhode Island and Connecticut’s finest boutiques, Teddy Bearskins. Meet the proud owners, Bob and Debra Semple and read about their 3 boutiques!

We want to give you the inside scoop on Teddy Bearskins’ latest and greatest news, and what YOU don’t know about a few of the East Coast’s cutest childrenswear stores.

1.     How did you get started with Teddy Bearskins?
Bob:  Debra made all the clothes in our first store. I remember it was a very small store, but within 2 years, we had 2 bigger stores, and 3 stores after 5 years.

2.     What was your and Bob’s background prior to this business?
Debra:  Bob was in advertising and sales management prior to entering the childrenswear business
Bob:  Deb was a home economics teacher, and also had a business degree. She [Deb] is by nature a fashion designer!

3.     Teddy Bearskins is a distinctive store name – does it have any special history?
Bob & Debra:  The name Teddy Bearskins just had a great ring to it, and our favorite place was Bearskin Neck in Rockport, Massachusetts.

4.     Why Rhode Island and Connecticut? How did you pick these unique locations?
Debra:  Bob moved to Rhode Island in 1983 for business, and unfortunately there were no teaching jobs. Our twins at the time were 3-years-old so we opted to start our own business.

5.     Describe the neighborhood your stores are in.

Mystic Village - CT

Bob & Debra:  Of our three stores, we would describe each as:

1. Wickford Location ~ “Historic seaport village, and very quaint.”
2. Mystic Location ~ “ A historic seaport and tourist area.” 
3. Barrington Location ~ “A high-end village bedroom community of Providence.”

6.     Who is your target customer? Do you specialize in any certain types of product?
Debra:  I would say our target customers are Grandparents, Parents, and Relatives of a newborn. We have a wide range of pricing.

7.     What products do your clientele like the most?

Bob:  Toys, shoes, and clothing from newborn to teenage.

8.     Any Celebrity customers over the years or do you have any celebs buying right now?
Bob & Debra:  Jane Pauley, Montel Williams, several soap opera stars, and many professional sports athletes. Other clients include many of the Rhode Island TV personalities!

9.     What’s coming up for Teddy Bearskins? You have 3 stores and an online store – will there be a 4th store in the near future?
Bob & Debra:  We are always considering some moves!

10.     You have a remarkable history having founded the first Teddy Bearskins store in 1983 – what makes Teddy Bearskins unique after all of these successful years?
Bob & Debra:  We have everything you might need or want for your child or grandchild – from birth to size 20. We have customers from all over the country who stop in, call or even email us since they know we will have what they need or want.

Barrington - RI

 

11.     What do both you and Bob feel are the three biggest keys to your success?
Bob & Debra:

1. Location
2. Customer Service
3. Hard Work, Hard Work, Hard Work!

12.     How do you select your products for the store?
Debra:  I listen to my customers and also use my instinct and gut feelings.

13.     What is one trend you’re currently seeing with customers?
Debra:  Simplicity.

14.     If you had one piece of advice for someone entering children’s retail today, what would it be?
Bob & Debra:  Make sure you know you will love retail. It’s 24/7, and if you do not want to put in 110%, do not open a store.

15.     What are your top 3 fashionista tips for dressing a child? And your #1 kid fashion “no-no”?
Bob & Debra:  Keep it simple, give your child 3 choices, when asking their advice. And keep their personality in mind when making a selection. Do not give in to tantrums.

16.     You probably have seen thousands of parents and their children come in-and-out of all 3 of your store doors – what is one of the funniest things you have heard come out of parent or child’s mouth?
Bob & Debra:  Nothing stands out at the moment. We have wonderful relationships with our customers, many laughs, great customers. It’s a big family and great fun. The kids always enjoy coming to our Teddy Bearskins locations.

17.     What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Debra:  One of My favorite customers passed away and she requested in her eulogy that they mention how she loved Teddy Bearskins.

18.     What collection or piece from le•top and/or rabbitmoon do you love right now from the Spring 2010 collection?
Bob & Debra:  Our favorite is the le•top boys Sail Away collection!

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STORE SPOTLIGHT – HEAR ALL ABOUT IT!

We are launching “Store Spotlight” today and will feature a premiere le·top specialty retail store each week.  Read more for an exclusive Q&A and “sneak peak” images of our featured store of the week! 

This week we interviewed one of New York City’s finest boutiques, Granny-Made.  Visit our Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/le-top/117553138255670 to preview our new video mini webisode introducing owner, Michael Rosenberg and head buyer, Adele Salzberg from Granny-Made!

We want to give you the inside scoop on Granny-Made’s latest and greatest news, and what YOU don’t know about one of New York’s hottest children’s stores.  

1.     Granny-Made is a distinctive store name – does it have a special history?
Michael: Well yes, I named it after my grandmother.  She was my Muse and my Inspiration.  I left the corporate world in ‘85 to start the business with her sweater designs.  I remember it was a hand-made catalogue of her sweater designs…I had a small contractor who produced them, and then I decided to advertise [the product] in The New York Times, The New Yorker and Harper’s Bazaar.  The press had a great reaction and the brand took off.  The store was named after her and actually my brother and I came up with the name!

2.     Describe the neighborhood your store is in. 
Adele: The upper side of Manhattan demographically has more young families with children than any other neighborhood in New York.  It is ethnically mixed and there are a lot of multiple births – lots of twins and even some triplets!  There are a lot of great schools, so it is a very desirable neighborhood.  It is the perfect location for a children’s store such as Granny-Made.

3.     Who is your target customer? Do you specialize in any certain types of product?
Adele: What I have found when I started working at Granny-Made is that Michael’s idea was to have very unique store with women’s sweaters. As I saw what the neighborhood was becoming over the years because of so many families with children, I thought it would be only natural to take an approach of [including] childrenswear.  What we wanted to create was a very special store where you could find merchandise that no one else carried.  We have now become the “go to store” for gifts, special occasion and novelty.  My background has always been novelty, which is why in particular le·top performs so well, because no one does novelty better than you [le•top].

4.     What products do your clientele like the most?
We do 20% volume toys, 20% is dresses and 20% of our volume is onesies and our business is anywhere from newborn up to size 8 for childrenswear.

5.     Any celebrity customers over the years or do you have any celebs buying right now?
Adele: Oh! Lot’s and lots! Well, we have had Julia Roberts, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rosallini, Frank Langella, Richard Kind, and Cynthia Nixon to name a few!

6.     What’s coming up for Granny-Made? I heard you are moving your store location – what will the new store offer?
Adele: The new store is on Amsterdam Avenue between 82^nd and 83^rd Street and the new address is: 467 Amsterdam Avenue.  I feel that as the children grow, we are growing, and we will now be offering up to size 10.  We’re also have started to offer christening items, which is not available at that many stores. When people ask for something – we bring it in!  We are also going to branch out into special little sparkly shoes to match the cute dresses we carry – pretty much whatever the customer wants, we will do.

Michael: We will also have small furniture, toy boxes, little chairs, something more unique, such as customized rocking chairs.

7.      You have a remarkable history and have been around 25 years, do you have any special plans or events for your anniversary?
Michael:  We will be making the new move to 82^nd Street!  We plan on having a celebration after Labor Day with an opening party and champagne! Stay tuned.

8.     What do you feel are the three biggest keys to your 25 year success?
Adele: Well…we are very unique in that:

•   We give amazing customer service – people know that when they come here they will be properly taken care of.
•   The quality of our merchandise is extraordinary – in fact, the Zagat has rated us as “E: extraordinary”.
•   From the beginning of the sale ’til the end, it is all about the SERVICE.

9.     How do you select your products for the store? 
Adele: Well, I shop all of the [childrens’] shows. Whenever a new vendor calls, I will always take the call and listen to what they can offer.  I also shop new resources. The business is constantly evolving and you need to constantly bring in new designers to keep it fresh. We are always one of the first to test a new designer.

Beautiful pieces from our rabbit moon 'passage' and 'fleur-de-lys' collections

10.     What is one trend you’re currently seeing with customers?
Michael: Our girls dress business has exploded! We are surrounded by little girl’s dresses in here!

Adele: In fact, the le·top girls’ dresses were among the first tested in our store, and have bought so many of them. When it comes to little boys, they don’t want the “cutesy” things, parents nowadays sometimes want them to look like little men.

Michael: With that said, it is not that we resist this trend [of little men], but little boys have plenty of time to look like dad.

Adele: Yes, we try to keep a balance between “cutesy” and “little men”, but for girls – they want it VERY girly.  What we hear a lot about our dresses from young women who walk into the store is, “I wish you had that [a little girl dress] in my size!”  The dresses we carry are very girly. We don’t want our little girls to look like they are going to a cocktail party; we want them to look like they are going to the Nutcracker [big smile].

11.     If you had one piece of advice for someone entering children’s retail today, what would it be?
Adele:

1. Do your homework.
2. Find out who your customers is.
3. Shop stores and see what is out there.
4. Talk to your vendors – GET the information and don’t go into it blind. Research is one the most important things when opening a business.
5. Talk to the other stores on the block – find out traffic patterns.
6. Walk around the neighborhood – see how many baby carriages, how many toddlers, and do your homework!

12.     You probably have seen thousands of mommies and their children come in and out of your store doors – what is one of the funniest things you have heard come out of parent or child’s mouth?
Adele: “I Want IT, I want it, I WANT IT!”

13.     What are your top 3 fashionista tips for dressing a child?
Adele:

1. When it comes to toddler girls – they only wear 3 colors: pink, pink and PINK. So, make sure you have pink!
2. When it comes to boys, they like dinosaurs and trucks.
3. It is important to have the right accessories for your perfect outfit – the dress, the hat, the tights, and the sweater – the perfect assortment to complete the outfit!  That’s what is so great about le·top is that you have all of the merchandise to “build the right package/outfit”.

14.     And your #1 kid fashion “no-no”?
Adele: Dress your child as children – they don’t stay children very long!

Michael: The reason we carry up to size 10 is because lots of children can wear bigger size childrenswear, and until they get up to the teen years where parents don’t have a lot of say on what their kids wear, parents still want that “say” and influence on their clothing. For us that is important.

15.    What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?

Michael and Adele [together]: That is hard! Every day is a special day here.

Adele:I just love it when they come in here and tell us they love our shop. I love it when they just get off the plane from Oklahoma and they say, “This is my first stop and I come to your store first.”  Every day, just the joy of making the customer happy and making the sale is Marvelous.

Swimsuit from the le•top Gone Fishin' Spring collection

Michael: Yes, it is truly gratifying. Now we are seeing the children that were growing up the last two dozen years coming in here now with their own children, and now their parents are grandparents… just moving on to the next generation is great!

16.    What collection or piece from le•top do you love right now from the Spring 2010 collection?
Adele: We love your duck collection [for Spring].  Nobody does ducks better! For Fall 2010, I can’t wait for your bomber aviator jacket to hit the store.

Visit our Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/le-top/117553138255670 and put a face with the name from our latest interview.  Preview our latest “Store Spotlight” video webisode introducing owner, Michael Rosenberg and head buyer and connoisseur, Adele Salzberg.

Granny Made
381 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10024
212.496.1222
www.grannymade.com

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Are You Ready for Some Football???

The sun is dipping lower in the sky and the nights grow just a bit cooler…do I see the hint of color in the leaves?  Fall is in the air!  With the fall season fast approaching there is excitement brewing here at le•top!  It’s Back to School!  Well, we do get excited about Fall fashions, but there is something else that stirs the senses – FOOTBALL RIVALRIES!  Yes, this cute and cuddly children’s clothing company is home to some serious fans – so while we are busy shipping our FABULOUS Varsity Blues collection to waiting retailers our football fanatics are ‘showing their colors!’  Since le•top is available in retailers across the United States we thought we would ask a few ‘fans’ here in the office where their loyalties lie.

Sarah and Diana in Their Team Jerseys

Sarah, our le•top assistant designer loves her team!  Sarah, growing up in Montana, really had the freedom to choose any team in the country – they are not ‘next’ to anything!  She relates that her mom, a native of North Dakota has always favored their ‘neighbor’ – The Minnesota Vikings.  Her Dad went with the Chicago Bears – but Sarah had to break with the family and choose the Indianapolis Colts.  Why???  Peyton!  She fell in love with football when Peyton Manning hooked her with his ‘Hail Mary!’  Now she is here in the San Francisco Bay Area…Niners? Raiders?  She maintains “I’m a Colts fan for life!’

Diana, our customer service specialist extraordinaire, took at little different path to loyalty…She grew up in Los Angeles – a ‘city girl.’  The Raiders, based in LA during her childhood, gained Diana’s loyalty as she watched football with her older brother.  She followed football just because she idolized her brother, and football was the common bond. When Diana, a ‘Navy Brat’ moved to the Bay Area (her father was stationed at Treasure Island) found out that the Raiders were moving back to the Bay Area there was celebrating in her family!  She can’t wait until September…Go Raiders!

If you are “READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!” check out the le•top Varsity Blues collection – you fans and dads will love it!  And as for me…NINERS RULE!

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Exciting News! Heartfelt Changes…

Sarah Showing us her Sparkly Ring

Last Thursday I heard shrieking from the front office…noises that herald the arrival of either: a new baby, a new puppy, or…an engagement ring!  Sarah, Assistant Designer of le•top, walked into the office this past week and flashed her beautiful new accessory announcing her engagement!  We are thrilled for Sarah, especially since we just love her fiancé Steve!  Sarah, a Montana native, managed to meet the man of her dreams – a fireman that shoes horses as his ‘second job.’  The transplanted Cowgirl finds a California Cowboy!

Gianna

Steve’s family loves Sarah!  When news of the engagement spread to Steve’s family, and her soon-to-be brother-in-law started teaching their 4 year old daughter Gianna that Sarah would now be “Auntie” Sarah (rather than “Big” Sarah – to differentiate her from a preschool friend with the same name.)  When Sarah arrived for a 1^st birthday party for Gianna’s younger sister she greeted her with “Auntie Sarah, Auntie Sarah!”  This was an exciting and heart warming surprise for Sarah!  She is really happy to be part of her fiancé’s family and becoming “Auntie” Sarah made it official!!

Congratulations Sarah!

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Kimora Lee Simmons – ‘Fabulous’ New Baby Photo!

source: okmagazine.com

Baby Phat CEO and Style Network star Kimora Lee Simmons and the love of her life, Oscar nominated Blood Diamond actor Djimon Hounsou, proudly show off their new baby boy Kenzo Lee Hounsou.  Kenzo, born May 30th weighed in at 8 pounds and was 20 inches long.

source: okmagazine.com

“I just never thought it could be this good,” Kimora, 34 told OK magazine.  She said that Kenzo is a “good, calm baby,” a nice thing with her busy life.  Kimora also has two daughters Ming, 9 and Aoki, 7 from her previous marriage to Russell Simmons.

le•top wishes Kimora congratulations on her beautiful family!

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