Magnolia Charlie: PREMIERE RETAILER Q&A

VISIT THEIR NEW ONLINE BOUTIQUE!
LAUNCHES TODAY @http://magnoliacharlie.net 

Three, Four Knock on Magnolia Charlie’s door!  Check out our 4th premier retailer in our “Store Spotlight” series where we feature one Le Top’s best stores of the week.  Not only did they JUST launch their online boutique TODAY (where you can buy the best-of-the-best of children’s and baby clothing) – we were lucky enough to get an exclusive inside “peek” of images of her latest arrivals in her freestanding boutique in California! 

 

Karen Seeber, owner of Magnolia Charlie, gives us the So Cal low-down on what any good mommy, daddy and kiddie shoppers would want to know, plus what she would bring to a deserted island if she sailed away from Balboa Island, California! 

1.   What made you decide to enter the children’s business?
Karen: My love of children’s clothing… I had 2 children and another on the way. Everyone told me how beautiful my children were always dressed and they never knew where to shop.  So I decided to open a children’s store. 

2.   What was your background prior to this business?
Karen: I was a mom who could not find traditional style clothing so I opened Magnolia Charlie in 1997. My husband, David, a builder transformed the store into a beach cottage. I knew the look of the store was just as important as the merchandise I carry. Everything had to blend together. 

3.   The name of your store reminds of me of a Charlie’s Angels but sweet – where did the name come from?
Karen: Magnolia Charlie is a town in the south… I love the south with all their smocking, appliqués and southern hospitality – so, I wanted to bring that to Balboa Island, California. 

4.   The harbour looks beautiful in Balboa Island, describe the neighborhood your store is in for us.
Karen: Our neighborhood is small town AMERICA with a lot of tourist from all over the world. The people we meet are incredible. They come back to shop year after year whether on vacation or business.  We are always making new friends. 

5.   Who is your target customer? Do you specialize in any certain types of product?
Karen: Our target customers are grandmothers… they want their grandchildren to look like children. All completely dressed from head to toe.  We carry a wide variety of smocking and appliquéd dresses, shortalls and capri sets – all with coordinating bows, hats and shoes. 

6.   Having a store in Southern California you tend to dress the warm weather type of babies who love the water, whether it be the beach or sailing – what would you say are the 3 essential clothing items for any baby or child?
Karen: Our beach babies always need sunhats, sweater or sweatshirts.  We always seem to have a sea breeze blowing and it gets cool in the mornings and evenings.  

Magnolia Charlie features set from Le Top Baby Pretty Sea Pony, Sweet Little Rosebud, and the Cherie collections

7.   What products do your clientele like the most?Karen: Our customers like the WOW factor whenever they are giving a gift. They like dresses, capri sets, rompers, etc. all to have coordinating pieces so the child is dressed complete. That’s why Le Top does so well for us because of the coordinating hats and toys.  

8.   Any Celebrity customers over the years or do you have any celebs buying right now?
Karen: We have so many celebrities and athletes who shop with us. What an honor to see our clothing on their children whether walking around town or in magazines. 

9.   If you were a new mom and sailed away on one of the cute boats from Balboa Island and got stranded on a deserted island – what 5 items could you not live without?
Karen: Stranded on a deserted island? I could not live without…the cutest swimsuit with matching cover-up, coordinating sunhat, jog suit and my monogrammed beach towel. 

10.   Between all of the social media outlets – Facebook, Twitter, and more – what do you think about social networking and how it allows moms and dads to join cyber parenting communities where they can meet, gain knowledge, as well as get recommendations and support.
Karen: I’m just learning about Facebook and Twitter…I think it is great for new moms and dads!    

11.   Do you think that you will make the big leap soon and have Magnolia Charlie join Facebook? You know Le Top will be your first fan!
Karen: Someday we will join Facebook! I will keep you updated more on what I think about the cyber mommy and daddy world once I join! 😉 

12.   What do you feel are the three biggest keys to your success?
Karen:  My 3 keys to success: 

1. Customer Service – Having an incredible sales staff that is always kind and knowledgeable about the merchandise. We will do anything for our customers.  Even if we have to go to another store to find it!
2. Store Appearance – Your front window tells the world who you are.  Always keep your displays fresh and merchandise the walls where every grouping tells a story and color palette.
3. Knowledge – Know the fashion industry and always keep learning.

13.   How do you select your products for the store? Do you find that there is a difference between your online boutique consumers for your brand versus your typical store consumer?
Karen: I buy what I love and what I would put on my children.  Each season I have fun and pick a theme – this season it was “Nautical” – the Le Top ‘DAISY DUCK’ group was incredible.  Our web site with ecommerce capabilities is launching today!  Visit us at: http://magnoliacharlie.net/ and check out our latest arrivals to buy online! 

14.   What is one trend you are seeing now that you love and one that you want to go away for dressing children?
Karen: The trend I am seeing right now are parents buying simple, fun clothing, yet traditional in style.  Traditional clothing never goes out of style.  You can always add a bit of “trendy” to make it your own style. 

Showing off pieces from the Le Top Ribbit and the Le Top Baby Choo Choo Zoo collections

15.  If you had one piece of advice for someone entering children’s retail today, what would it be?
Karen: My advice would be to read and talk to as many people as you can in this profession. I learned from the best … Mr. Pete Frasca (He was the original kid’s sales clothing representative that taught me about the children’s industry way back when). 

Special Note from Le Top: Le Top values our sales representatives as being a very special part of the Le Top family.  As much as we value our sales representatives, we equally value our retail customers like Magnolia Charlie.  We think the relationships that are developed over the years are extraordinary and continue to make the Le Top family exceptional, loving and a unique children’s community. 

16.   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?
Karen: I can’t think of a thing at the moment… But what I do know is that you never know what a child will say… 

17.   What is your best or most memorable moment in your store?
Karen: My memorable moments is when I see customers from all over the country come back and buy entire wardrobes for their grandchildren and they say, “I will see you in 6 months for another season!” I love them all. 

18.   What collection or piece from Le Top and rabbitmoon are you loving from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection?
Karen: It is hard to pick one group because we do so well with Le Top. I would say Le Top’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection of Daisy Duck, and Lots O’ Fish too! 

MAGNOLIA CHARLIE
317 Marine Avenue
Balboa Island, CA 92662
949.673.0066 

SHOP TODAY ON THEIR NEWLY LAUNCHED
ONLINE BOUTIQUE AT http://magnoliacharlie.net/ 

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New Guidelines for Teaching Babies to Swim?

I grew up swimming with a pool and I am a huge fan of teaching kids how to swim. The earlier the better.

Until recently it was belived that children under the age of 4 shouldn’t learn to swim because it can give them false sense of security and they may end up drowning.  However, this past Monday the nation’s largest pediatricians group is relaxing its stance against swimming lessons for children younger than 4.  Now the group says it’s fine to enroll children as young as 1 and can HELP reduce the chances of drowning! WOO-HOO!

Some studies suggest toddlers may be less likely to drown if they’ve had swim lessons. Of course, the doctors aren’t recommending lessons for every young child, and if parents feel their little ones aren’t ready, that’s okay.

I remember my boyfriend’s little cousin fell in the pool last summer and no one had been watching and she couldn’t swim – I looked over and saw a small pink body slowing sinking. I jumped in the pool and fortunately she had only just fallen in and I pulled her out of the pool safely.  Honestly, I was lucky she was okay that day.   My personal tip would be to never overreact if a child falls into the pool. Tell him or her she is “okay” and do not make the child think that something overly wrong happened or they will become fearful of the water. Try to encourage safety afterwards and swim with him or her again shortly after to show they will be “okay” and to be brave.

Connie Harvey who heads aquatics development for the American Red Cross said, “Parents should choose classes that emphasize water safety and require a parent or other adult to be in the water with the child, and have at least one instructor for every 10 students.”

The updated policy, released this Monday, May 24, 2010 by the Journal Pediatrics, also recommends fences around all pools, even with the popular inflatable ones. Kids can drown by leaning over the soft sides and falling in.

Take serious note that if you have an older pool – be weary as your kids can drown when their hair or hands get sucked into the drains of pools or spas without drain covers or proper filter-pump equipment.

The rate of childhood drowning deaths has declined in recent years. About 1,100 U.S. children drowned in 2006.

Okay, so how do you choose a swim program for your infant?  Know these few tips:

 1) Not all infant swimming instruction programs are created equal!  There are thousands of competing swimming instructors nationwide, and you can easily find someone willing to “teach swimming to your kids “. But what is IMPORTANT for parents to understand is that only Infant Swimming Resource’s nation-wide network of Instructors provide safe infant swim lessons that teach children as young as 6-months old self-rescue skills and do so in a manner that is completely safe and PROVEN.

2)  Many parents don’t realize the dangers of introducing babies to water (6-months to 4 years old)  before they know how to save their lives in an unexpected water encounter – eeks!  Those “Mommy & Me” classes can prove to be ultimately dangerous for your baby. Before your baby should feel confident to safely enjoy the water, they must first learn the skills needed for self-rescue.

3) Most recently Infant Swimming Resource was featured on NBC’s Today Show and had some great points about babies and kids and learning the importance of safety in the water – see the video clip at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37313517#37313517

In support of the new Prevention of Drowning Policy Statement, ISR believes this is a vital step towards keeping children safe both in and around the water. For more than 40 years, ISR has been teaching children from six months to six years aquatic Self-Rescue skills in addition to educating parents and the medical community about family water safety.

ISR’s Self-Rescue techniques were developed by Harvey Barnett, Ph.D. — focused on safety and parent education, ISR has safely and effectively taught more than 200,000 infants and young children. Today, ISR has more than 790 documented cases where former students have used their Self-Rescue to save their own life.

There’s a big problem in many parts of the country with infant and toddler drowning, a serious issue that has had me concerned for many years. I believe strongly that we as pediatricians need to do something about this epidemic, so I decided to take action and speak out on behalf of Dr. Barnett’s proven method for helping young children save their own lives in a drowning scenario. Over the last 20 years, I’ve referred all of my patients to ISR and promoted family aquatic safety by educating my physician peers and the community. Through ISR’s program, I have watched many children acquire life-saving skills and learn how to swim. The program helps babies learn self-rescue skills in the water, and ISR’s swimming method helps prevent drowning. It’s time that pediatricians do something about the drowning problem across the U.S. Observing children learn ISR’s proven techniques more than twenty years – it’s very obvious that young children can learn how to swim. ISR’s swimming lesson method works, and it helps children to save their own lives.”

–  David Carr, M.D.” – http://www.infantswim.com/

My final thoughts? All of these little babies should be wearing one of our Le Top swimsuits while they learn to swim! This is my favorite swimsuit from the Le Top Daisy Duck 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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