Tot to Teen Village: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

It’s fun, it’s cute, it’s high quality…and no returns!”
– Lori Clarke, Owner of Tot to Teen Village boutique (on why she loves Le Top)

1.      What is one special or fun fact about your store that a typical customer wouldn’t know?
Lori: We’ve been in business for 74 years, and owned now by a third generation.

2.      Describe the neighborhood of Kalamazoo, Michigan where your store is located. The name has a great ring to it! Can you name 3 fun facts about your town your store is located in?
Lori: 
Fact #1) President Obama came to our town in June for one of our local school’s graduation because our state offers free college tuition for graduating students to Michigan schools.

Fact #2) The baseball player Derek Jeter was raised in Kalamazoo.

Fact #3) We have lots of lakes for fishing, boating, and water sports.

3.      What sets you apart as a successful children’s store?
Lori: We offer items that people cannot find at your typical stores. We’re unique!

4.      Where did the name Tot to Teen Village come from?
Lori: The owner designed the inside of the store to reflect different parts of the U.S.A.

5.      Back to school is here – what has been flying off the shelves and this fall’s “must-have”?
Lori: For girls, it is anything purple and “fru-fru.”

6.      Tell us about the school lunches your mom or dad made for you when you were a kid? What would someone find inside your brown paper bag or tin lunch box?
Lori: I seldom took my lunches to school as a child – our cafeteria food was pretty good. If I did take a lunch, it was always a bologna sandwich with Miracle Whip and a Hostess Twinkie…and no fruit because I hate fruit.

7.      What tip would you give to a parent dressing a child for fall? Any hot trends?
Lori: Don’t fight with them! Let them be comfortable, and buy easy-to-care-for items (merchandise). That way, everyday dressing is easier.

8.      If you had one piece of advice for someone trying to break into children’s retail, what would it be?
Lori: Are you insane? Actually I would say: You can’t be everything, so pick a niche and do it well.

9.      What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Lori: Finding out I was having a granddaughter, and going crazy buying clothes for her! (my “bring-me-home” I bought was of course Le Top.)

10.      What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line do you love from the Fall/Holiday 2010 collection?
Lori: My favorites are the Le Top baby Pretty Rosebuds collection and Lavender’s Blue.

Tot to Teen Village
229 W. Kilgore Rd.
Kalamazoo, MI 49002
(269) 381-7800
www.tottoteenvillage.com

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Names for Grandparents

Nana and Peepaw as penguins this past Halloween

A very close friend of mine, Tom, became a first-time uncle several years back. Of course, the chain of familial ties would then make his parents first-time grandparents. It would not be an understatement to say they were ECSTATIC to become grandparents. When this first grandchild was old enough to utter her first few words, she christened her grandfather, “Peepaw”. This distinguished man, having graduated from the Citadel, retiring after decades of service at GE as an engineer, and having raised 4 children with his wonderful wife, is now known by family and close friends as “Peepaw”! We have no idea how his adoring granddaughter came up with Peepaw, but it stuck. Peepaw’s wife is called, “Nana”…a name that I just love. I told her I’d always wished for a “Nana” of my own, and of course, she told me she would be mine…which so touched me that I teared up, so I got a big, loving hug from her…of course!…that’s what Nanas do!! 🙂

With her adoption of Henry Mantu, Carol, another close friend, made her parents into grandparents four times over. Henry Mantu’s grandparents are called, “Oma” and “Opa” (the German version of grandma and grandpa).

I don’t know, it seems like no matter what new name I hear, they all sound so endearing and special…I’m so charmed by them…probably because there’s just something so special about grandparents.

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100% Spoiled by Grandma

Miranda in Bloomin' Beauty. (Click on the image to see more from this le•top collection.)

After a day spent with Grandma, I picked up my daughter to find this bright pink and purple hair attachment clamped to the back of my daughter’s head. “What in the heck is that?!” My mom replied, “Well, we were at the mall, and she saw a girl wearing it, and we asked where she got it from, and well, Miranda really liked it, so I bought it for her.”

Other things that my mom has gotten for my daughter are:

• Hannah Montana crayons
• High School Musical pens
• Letting her get her nails done (in very light pink so I wouldn’t see it right away… sneaky!)
• DVDs (claiming that she doesn’t have DVDs at home)
• Sugary snacks such as chocolate covered pretzels, Dora yogurt and Hello Kitty cookies (claiming that mommy doesn’t get her good snacks)

I rolled my eyes and sighed, and thought about the days when I was a little girl and my mom refused to buy such sassy things. She always gave me the response, “If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you jump off, too?” Of course, now that she has a granddaughter who wants all these trendy things, my mom doesn’t even bat an eye. She gets it for her in a snap!

I wonder if I’ll be doing the same when I have grandkids. Probably. I guess it’s easy to spoil grandchildren than it is your own children.

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We Miss You, Arlene!

Arlene and Zidi at 'da beach'...is it snow or sand, grandma?

Arlene recently retired as our San Francisco sales rep and moved to Florida to be closer to her family. Arlene was much more than a sales rep (and good friend!), she was actually very instrumental in getting things ‘off the ground’ for us. She is originally a New Yorker, but transplanted here so early that she has a very California kind of vibe – but with a NY edge! She always pushed for us to move forward – seeing the potential that Paul brought to the table.

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