New Year, New Product!

Happy 2014!  
We had a wonderful year in 2013, full of positive changes and successful events!  With local community events as a priority in Lansdale, we were happy as always to be party of the seasonal festivities.  After receiving a letter from Carl S., the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department in Lansdale, we know that our annual efforts do not go without appreciation.  To Carl and the Parks and Recreation Department--You're Welcome for all our help this winter season!

As we clean up from Christmas and run right into Valentine's Day we want to thank you all for continuing to support your local florist through the previous holiday, and going into the next!  Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away--it is February 14th, the same day every year...That being said, it's not too early to start thinking about what you're going to get for the special someone in your life!  Our seasonal collection of floral arrangements will be up on our site soon.  In the mean time, check out the great items we do have including Brighton Handbags, Chamilia beads and accessories, and apparel collections!

While we have styles on sale in store, we are making room for so much more new to come in the beginning weeks of 2014!  

• Vera Bradley's Spring 2014 collection launches on Thursday, January 9 with special in-store promotions. 
• Chamilia's Winter Collection including Limited Edition Valentine's Day beads launch on Monday, January 13.  

Lansdale already has a few new apparel items from FOCUS Fashions, and both stores have more to come this month!  The only thing missing from this list is footwear, don't worry, it's on the way too! Charles and our mangers went to NYC to preview new fashions and accessories and already purchased 11 NEW styles of Oka B. flats and sandals for the spring and summer!  

We do our best to keep up with the changing trends and styles, but sometimes the best suggestions come from our customers!  Is there a brand you know of and are dying to shop for locally?  Let our staff know!  You may know something that would be a great fit in our shop! 

Painting the Store Pink!

Okay, so we're really not painting the store pink...though all the painting work done during the spring and summer sure do make the outside of our shop look great in Harleysville!  Our Lansdale location had a little paint work as well with a gorgeous new mural on the side of our building (wall facing the parking lot) thanks to the Lansdale Mural Arts Program an organization by the Lansdale Business Association.  The changes to the outside of our buildings don't come close to the changes inside...Like our new changing rooms--perfect for trying on our newest apparel collections!

Just in time for Fall 2013, a variety of NYDJ styles arrived in stores in August.  A snippit from the newest issue of REDBOOK (October 2013) sums up the brand best with their review:  

                    "Worth the splurge!  Once you get past the fact that NYDJ stand for

                    "not your daughter's jeans," you'll find that these babies look amazing

                    whether you're 22 and single or 52 with grandkids.  With patented

                    technology that slims you a whole size, they're a REDBOOK staff favorite,

                    for really, really good reason."

Believe me, our staff can agree with that quote--we have sale associates and managers ranging from single 20-somethings and 30-ish new mom, to fabulous 50's empty-nesters and you'd never guess 60's grandmoms!  We all have them, and all love them!  Our customers are raving about the collection as well, a couple of our best sellers are the Janice Legging in Black, the Herringbone Print Legging in Dark Grey Ponte Knit, and the ever classic Marilyn Straight Leg in Tennessee Cove.

Most women are going to want to wear something with these great new pant styles we have, and that's where Willow and Cut-Loose come in!  Warm up those cool autumn days with the super cozy sweater from Willow.  We have styles ranging from pull over and button down to long cardi and jacket styles.  Cut-Loose is a wonderful company based out of San Francisco that is sewn and dyed to order, and known for their choice fabrics, flattering fits, and seasonally changing palette of colors.

We all know how exciting it is to have a great new outfit, so we invite you to try shopping for something new at the place you already love for jewelry and handbags!  Many of our beloved favorites have new items in store as well.  There are so many to choose from, but I want to show you all the get items that do more than look great on you!  Vera Bradley is continuing with the Ribbons pattern in many of their handbags, totes, travel bags, and accessories with proceeds going to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.  Chamilia is showcasing the Give Back Pink Ribbon bead, and donating 10% of sales to the organization Bright Pink.  Finally, our tried and true, Brighton's 2013 Power of Pink Bracelet, has a retail price of $60, and donates $5 from each bracelet to support Breast Cancer Research and Awareness.  This truly is a wonderful time to give back to someone so easily!

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

Last month we filled everyone in on what we have been up to so far this year, and trust me, there is plenty more to look forward to in the next couple months.  As we enter into our quiet season--Independence Day and Labor Day aren't big "flower" holidays--we will be making a lot of noise in and around the Harleysville location.  We are moving forward with renovations, right now we have Craig Swartz (Painting & Paperhanging/Exteriors/Interiors) working hard in the heat and humidity to paint the exteriors of our windows.  Craig and his crew will have ladders and caution tape around parts of our building but don't worry, we are still open!  Soon to come in the next few weeks is repairs to our front porch, new doors, and more!  Again, we will be open during all of this construction, so don't let it deter you from seeing what's new inside.

As you make plans to visit us, keep in mind both locations will be shortening our hours for the summer months.  Monday to Friday, we will be open 10am to 6pm, and Saturdays we will be here from 10am to 4pm.  We will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day.  While you're marking your calander, we have a few more important dates coming up--
Wednesday, July 3: Wedding Wednesday at Chantilly Lansdale beginning at 6pm
Friday, July 5: Join us in Lansdale for First Friday to celebrate Independence Day with live local bands and fun for all ages
Tuesday, July 9: Back to Campus Launch with Vera Bradley.  Join us as we start getting ready for school to start (come on, you know the kids are driving you nuts already and it's only been a few weeks!).
Wednesday, July 10: Watch for us on FOX News!
Thursday, July 25: Chamilia Trunk Show, Harleysville, more details to come on our site and Facebook page

As we begin getting ready for fall with Vera Bradley, we already have Christmas on our minds!  Well, sorta...we have previewed the Fall/Holiday 2013 collection from Brighton.  It's going to be filled with...you think I would really tell you this early out?  Nope, you'll just have to wait to see what you can add to your Wish List this year!  We do have samples of clothing coming into the store though.  Just today we received samples from Willow, and we should be receiving NYDJ (Not Your Daughters Jeans) any day now.  We are trying to fulfill the requests for product lines from our customers, so if you have something you love but can't find it in stores around here, let us know!

We have brought back greeting cards!  These are not your typical "Hallmark" card though.  Cindy and Charles attended the Paper & Gift Show at the Javits Center last month, after much debating about which cards to bring in, we have made a decision.  We did some classics with wonderful quotes perfect for weddings/anniversaries, sympathy, and simply thinking of you.  My favorite is the Paperqueen Fine Stationary collection.  These cards are perfect for your girlfriends, regardless of age!  Come in and see, I promise you will have someone in mind for every card we have!

Til next time!

It's the season of change at Chantilly

Most people think of New Year's Day being a fresh start, or even September when a new school year begins. At Chantilly we are getting our fresh start this summer!  Over the last few months we have been working hard to update Chantilly--outside, inside, and behind the scenes.  Everyone is excited for what is in store for the summer.  Before we get into what's coming in the next few months, I want to fill in everyone as to what we have been up to this year so far.

During the cold winter months of 2013, we began a little cosmetic work on our building here in Harleysville--a little face lift, you may say.  Some of you may remember seeing the scaffolding around our building and the cloud of dust that hung in the air.  We were having the bricks re-grouted from bottom to top and front to back (this is just the first step in our cosmetic work--kind of like a facial and having your pores cleaned!).  I have to say, it was grueling work, but the one guy we had outside for weeks battled through the cold wind and snow, and did a great job!  In the next few coming weeks, we will be moving on to the next step in our "cosmetic work", a little bit of make up! We will be having a painter joining us to work on the exterior of our building, followed by reconstruction of our front porch and landscaping!

Although we have shifted over the years to have more retail product in our shop than flowers, we promise that the flower end of our business is here to stay!  We have had some of the most successful "flower" holidays this year than in recent years.  From Valentine's Day in February to Mother's Day in May, we are seeing a revival of customers coming in our door for fresh cut flowers.  With the higher numbers of orders--in store, over the phone, and online--these holidays have driven a need for additional staff to help with deliveries, and calls for all hands on deck with our sales associates and managers in the store.

We are also staying busy with flowers for special occasions, most notably proms and weddings!  The 2013 Prom season is coming to an end.  After six weeks of teens and moms coming in with color swatches and ideas we are sad to see it be over until next year.  Although we have offered upgraded beaded wristlets and crystal accents for our corsages in the past, we bumped it up a notch this year and brought in three new styles of accent ribbons, five new bracelets including beaded layered styles and crystal rhinestones, and decorative leaves and feathers!  I must say, this years personalized designs are nothing like what you wore to your prom! Wedding season is in full swing and the variety of colors, styles, and themes are endless these days!  We are still having our open Wedding Forum in Lansdale on the first Wednesday of the month with open availability to speak with our designers about your big day.  It seems 2013 is a popular year to get married, and we already have weddings on the calender for 2014!

On the retail end, we have brought in a couple new lines of jewelry, CRISLU and Karine Sultan.  The CRISLU collection is our most dazzling line yet!  Founded in 1961, and family owned and operated, CRISLU is sold worldwide and is the only Nationally Branded CZ Jewelry line. The collection is composed of cubic zirconia stones and most pieces are set in Sterling Platinum (a sterling silver base with platinum overlay).  The collection has a base of classic styles that can be worn for any occasion, and seasonally special collections are available to add a little extra to your look.  We have had the line in store since Valentine's Day, and have already ordered three times to refill our display cabinet!  Karine Sultan is one of the fastest growing jewelry brands in Los Angeles and has been spotted around the neck and wrists of celebrities like Joan Rivers, Halle Berry, and the Ladies of "Dancing with the Stars" such as Brooke Burke, Cheryl Burke, and Julianne Hough.  The Karine Sultan line is hand crafted of pewter, dipped in 24 karat gold and some pieces include colored rhinestones and pearls.

Be sure to check back again to see what we have in store for the next couple of months!