The Evolution of oo la la!

At least once a week for the past 6 months, I have had fleeting thoughts about the store blog. Fleeting because I have been moving at the speed of light and have been trying to figure out what the store does and does not need, what I can and cannot do and whether I will or will not stay.

If you're a regular at the store, then you've noticed that in the past year or so, the store has become part-time. I've always done more than one thing and my travel schedule, youth & adult trips and change in lifestyle have had me all over the place...particularly in the past 18 months. What's interesting about my new part-time status is that as long as I place the heart-shaped note on the front door of the store with my return date on it, you all show up to see where I've been and what I brought back. To be honest, it keeps everything interesting for me because I don't have the "stay put" gene in my DNA. Maybe I have ADD. LOL

I'm writing this post mostly because it's time and secondly because I just registered with a new vendor (LOVE their jackets!) and left the space blank when it asked for my store Web site because this site hasn't been updated in quite some time. Now is as good as any to get current, don't you think?

A week from this Monday, I am leaving for Paris and will be back in the store early December with goodies from The City of Light and from my new vendor. I'll be pre-selling to my Facebook tribe and checking in while I'm away, but in the meantime I want you to know that I am dedicated to my part-time status here at oo la la! I love being a buyer and I love that you love what I buy. I get such a kick seeing you leave with items that excite me as much as they excite you and appreciate your ongoing support.

Guess I'll sign off and get back to work.

With all my heart,

Tracey

Your part-time Oakland Shop Girl

New Digs!

No, no, no!  The store doesn't have new digs!  Instead, I'm using new digs for the Annual Trip to Paris!

I have compiled some photos (below) of the apartments that my guests will stay in this November for the trip to Paris.  Lynda + Alice will share a 2 bedroom apartment and Judy will stay in a studio apartment. 

If you can't make it in 2011, consider 2012.  In fact, Sherry Trujillo of San Jose, California has already made her deposit for 2012!  She'll be turning 45 in the City of Light.  oo la laaaaaaa!

Here is Lynda & Alice's two bedroom Paris apartment!

  

Now here's traveler Judy's studio apartment 

Aren't they the cutest?!  Hope you can make it some time.  If not with me in November, then Just Go!  Hope to see you soon!

Tracey

Your Oakland Shop Girl

Be Careful What You Wish For...

Resting in the Lounge Area at Accessories/The Show
Las Vegas 2/15/11

In case you might have noticed, I've been moving at the speed of light lately.  After my annual November holiday in France, I had a lovely holiday season (December) at the store.  It was fun catching up with customers and getting into the holiday spirit! 

It's lunch time!
Martinique, French West Indies
January 2011

In January, I took off for the Caribbean (Barbados and Martinique) to belatedly celebrate my 10 year wedding anniversary.  (My actual anniversary is in August.)  And as much as I love to travel, getting back home for longer than a month was heavy on my mind.  There is, after all, no place like home.

So here I am on my last day in Las Vegas where I went to MAGIC (at the Las Vegas Convention Center), WWIN (at the hotel Rio) and Accessories/The Show (at The Venetian) to see what was unique, cute and new in retail.  In the picture above, I was pooped from shopping and taking a break.  So, yes, it's true.  A woman can actually tire from shopping.  *Smile*

Specifically on the lookout for new sunglasses, body shapers and a refund from a vendor that took my order and my money in August 2010 (!) and didn't send me my stuff (long story), I found what I was looking for and more.  I can' wait for everything to start rolling in...

2011 is going to be busy for me.  The store has turned into a part-time business (Noon-6pm Monday through Friday when I'm in town) because I spoke some things into existence by putting my desires out there into The Universe about more travel and my continued celebration of culture.  As a result, I signed a contract with American Airlines' BlackAtlas.com to travel and provide content for their site; I won a spot in a travel blogging contest with Wyndham Worldwide; I'm going to be a panelist at a big blogging conference; and I am actively marketing my travel adventure camp for girls.  All I can say is Be careful what you wish for.  You know the rest...because you might just get it!

Thanks for putting up with me!  I love my store and I love all of you for your support. 

See you tomorrow!

Tracey

Your Oakland Shop Girl

The Shop Girl in Paris 2010

My customer Tracy & I at Dom Perignon on The Avenue de Champagne in Épernay,
the Champagne capital of the world.

Wow.  When I stop and think about it, I've been here in Paris for 15 or 16 days and we leave next week on Wednesday or Thursday to come back (I don't remember the exact date and I refuse to look at the tickets).  How unfair that this whole vacay is going by far too quickly. 

Far too grand to capture in one image, this is the front of the Château de Versailles.
See  http://en.chateauversailles.fr/the-palace- for details about its brilliant history.



Inside view of Château de Versailles.
I wish the people would've moved. LOL.



Marie-Antoinette slept here.

Every day that I've been here, I've told myself "You need to write to your customers" and every day I didn't.  Instead, I wrote and posted pictures on my Facebook page, because it was quick and easy...and to be honest...I didn't know what to say to all of you.  Remember last year?  I gave you all a blow by blow and I thought it would probably bore you if I did the same.  So until I could figure out what I should say, I said nothing.  But that's my usual M.O.  I don't say anything until I'm sure I should.  I think that can be both good and bad. 

One of the magnificent store windows at Printemps Department Store.



Another window at Printemps.

Anyway.  I'm not really ready to come back to Oakland.  But then again I am.  (Oooo, I'm so contrary.)  You see, I bought some really cutesie stuff and tomorrow I'm going to pick up the rest of it.  The exchange rate is horrible (same as last year), so I wasn't able to get as much as I would have liked, but I at least bought as much as I did last year, so it's all good.  I want to come back and show it to you...but I want to stay and "be French" too.  LOL.  Clearly, I have issues. 

A really cool sculpture that uses negative space brilliantly.

The truth is...I'm coming back in July for a family wedding, so I really should stop whining like a big baby.  But blogging is a good way to vent...and I don't mind sharing my feelings with you.  =)  I'll just save the details of the trip for when I get back.  (Wanda and Tracy, my two customers from Oakland, are having a blast, by the way.  Hope you can make it next year.)

The magnificent Riems Cathedral which is 800 years old.  Wow.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Reims
(not to be mistaken with Notre Dame in Paris).



An inside view.

Guess I'll sign off now.  It's after midnight and I should at least lie down so I can be energerized for tomorrow's shopping.  I really do sorta kinda miss you all.  LOL.  See you on the 30th!

Tracey ;-)

Your Oakland Shop Girl



At Aunt Astrid's...acting silly.  LOL.



My horse encounter (today!) of the magnificent kind...



OMG, I Missed You!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted here.  You know how it is when you keep thinking (and thinking) about doing something and then something else gets in the way?  Well, that's my story.  But I'm pretty much over myself and woke up early just to write.  I love my store and I love my customers, so here's What's What in oo la la Land.  =)

Paris.  As you (hopefully) know by now, the store is going to be closed (I know, I know) for the month of November.  I'm going on a nice little vacay in France, where it will be chilly (who cares?) and fabulous in spite of the protests and al Qaeda threats (gulp).  (France has never bored me and I guess it never will.)  And while there is some really cute new (!) stuff in the store right now, I'm going to be shipping back some French fabulosity that I'm hoping will knock your socks off!  I'll be back in the store on November 30, so be sure to mark your calendars and tell a friend!  In the meantime, I just got in the MOST BEAUTIFUL scarves eh-ver...

This year, two of my customers - Wanda and Tracy - will be joining me in Paris for 10 days of oo la la!  I am truly looking forward to setting them up in their Paris apartment, orienting them to the city, and stopping by their apartment to swap stories and drink champagne.  If you're a Facebook person, feel free to join me on the One Brown Girl In Paris Facebook page so you can get a blow by blow and decide if you want to come along on my annual November jaunt next year.  Everyone is welcome!  I'll be posting updates here as well, but not as often.  (Facebook has really taken over the world, haven't they?)

Other than Paris, I've been doing a lot (!) of writing and traveling and thinking about What's Next...and overall life is good. 

My last day in the store is October 29 and I plan to work from Noon-6pm Monday-Friday between now and then, so please...if you have a little gift you need to give (to yourself or someone else), come on down.  Even if you don't, come on down and say hello (maybe good-bye is more appropriate...LOL).  And if you happen to see lights on while I'm away, it's just a friend checking on things and keeping the space occupied.  She will not, however, answer the door....so kindly keep that in mind.

Time for me to scoot!  We have some overzealous raccoons here at my house (do you believe one actually used its paws to slide open our bedroom window?!?!?), so I need to do some cleanup and raccoon prevention.  Any tips?

Your Oakland Shop Girl,

Tracey =)

Home Again, Home Again, Diggity Dig!

I’ve been flitting around California and other parts of the US like a little bumble bee since July 25th and I’m pleased to say that I am flitting no more. Well, not right this minute anyway. I was in Las Vegas for MAGIC and I can’t wait for the orders to start coming in (see American Airlines Black Atlas site for my travel story). I just got back from a houseboat mini-camp experience at Lake Shasta with 10 girls over Labor Day Weekend and had a blast! (See http://www.Facebook.com/OBGAdventureCamps for photos.) During the rest of September, the store will be open Monday through Friday from Noon to 6pm and I will only be closed for one day on Friday, September 24. In October, I’m in Miami for a long weekend. But right now, it feels good to be still.

I’m tying up loose ends for oo la la!’s Shopping Trip to Paris (which of course isn't just a shopping trip) this November and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be the doing the trip every November from now on. This year, two of my customers – Wanda and Tracy – are going to experience Paris the oo la la! way. =) In fact, I’m firming up the Marais apartment now and will be booking airfare this week. If you were interested in making the trip but were unable to, I’ll be doing my regular blog and Facebook reporting once I get there (just like last time) so we can still experience Paris together technologically (smiling). And if you're still interested, you are certainly welcome.  Just don’t forget that oo la la!’s very own Paris Fashion Week will start on Tuesday, November 30. I can’t wait!

Yesterday, I got a shipment in of these really cute sandals. You can swap out the middle part and have an entirely different shoe. Kuh-yute! Great for vacations, cruises, beaches, hanging out. I wear a 9.5 and I fit a 10 (they don't come in half sizes, but do go up to a Size 11).  Come and get 'em!  (I don't think they'll last.)

I look forward to seeing you!

Bye for now....

Tracey, Your Oakland Shop Girl

The State of Retail

It's been awhile since I've posted, but if you've been by the store and I haven't been there, you've seen my little heart-shaped post-its with the "Be Back Soon" messages and know that I've been busy as a bee handling business for the store, handling business for my travel adventure camp for girls, developing a new e-commerce site at http://shop.onebrowngirl.com, going to conferences and expos, and simply having a good time.  Whew.  As I type this blog post, I'm in my (lovely) hotel room in Las Vegas on the tippy-top floor of the Aria, a new hotel here on The Strip.  (My husband, who got comped for 3 days at MGM Grand, the Bellagio and here, selected this hotel because it's new.  And I'm not mad at that either.)  When you walk into your room, the drapes open automatically and the lights come on and every single thing is managed technologically from the control panel next to the bed.  It's a modern, luxuriuos room and the bathroom is absolutely to die for.  When I'm not at the conference I came here for, I'd rather be up here than in the smoky casino down below.  Anyway....enough about Vegas. 

I was quoted recently in an Oakbook article about the proposed sales tax hike by saying "It sucks for retail and retail sucks right now” and by the looks of things here at MAGIC - the preeminent trade event in the international fashion industry that takes place twice a year in Las Vegas - I was dead on.  What was once a massive fashion expo with tons of people is now a moderately sized event with much fewer attendees and vendors...and it's painfully obvious.  I don't even see any fashion groupies.  And you know something's up when the groupies don't show.  LOL.

About a year ago, when all you heard about in the media was the demise of retail, I was doing extraordinarily well at the store.  I thought I must've been doing something right.  And then it was my store's turn...and for the past 6 months, it's been...well, let's just say...retails sucks.  LOL.  I buy with far more care than I used to and although (as you know), my prices are more than fair, I'm a little slower to bring in higher end items.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I have my faithful loyal customers and I get new customers every day (that I'm open) because of the high foot traffic area.  But I've had lots of my regulars come in to tell me that they've been laid off and/or they're moving out of State and/or their hours have been cut.  And I feel really bad for them too.

I hope I don't sound depressing or anything, because that's not at all how I feel.  I love my part-time boutique, I love my customers (mostly ... LOL), I love being a buyer, and I love presenting (aka merchandising).  Retail is rewarding in many ways and being here at MAGIC is just one of the perks.  I managed to order a little bit of really cute stuff and I can't wait for you to see what'll be coming in.  (I'm really looking forward to bringing back stuff from Paris again this November though.  You all bought me out in less than 10 days the last time.  Stay tuned for more info about that.) 

Well, I guess I'll go downstairs and hang out with my husband before we head out.  Our flight leaves for Oakland tonight at around 9pm and I've got to catch a flight to Los Angeles (just for the day) tomorrow.  But Art & Soul is this weekend, so look for me there as I won't re-open the store until Tuesday or so.  I miss talking to all of you and hope to see you soon.  Until we meet again, remember to always wear cute stuff.  LOL.

Your Oakland Shop Girl,

Tracey =)

The Mehserle Verdict

Yesterday at 1pm, I finally bit the bullet and arranged for the front of my store to be boarded up.  And I was right on time evidently, as the Mehserle verdict was announced three hours later and the Mischief Makers started causing problems in Downtown Oakland just as it began to get dark.  I was watching the news when all three of my contact phones started ringing.  It was my alarm company calling.  I had to get up and go to my store at 10pm last night because "your glass break sensors have gone off and have been comprised." Here we go.  On my way, I saw small groups of people on the street hanging out.  I even saw one guy carrying a pipe. When I got there, there were a dozen police officers in riot gear standing by, the psychic guy was outside, some local business owners were on the corner, and another store owner was guarding her property.  They gave me the full story:  Apparently, a small group used M100s to try to blow open the coffee shop (aka marijuana dispensary) across the street from my store and the vibration triggered my alarm. Created broken glass for some and anxiety for me.  I so resent this.

Before The Verdict:  When other store owners on the street began to panic last week and started boarding up their stores, I stubbornly refused.  I ran my business "as usual" and shooed away the news reporters and news cameras that pounced on 17th Street en masse.  (18 months ago, I got a threatening phone call after 17th Street got hit and I appeared on the news.  I don't need that.) 

My "kumbayah" stance faded quickly however and I closed my store early on the Friday before the 4th of July weekend since 17th Street looked like a war zone with boarded up windows and business owners were in fear passing out posters of Oscar Grant in the hopes that his image would actually make a difference to the Mischief Makers (I think not).  I even had a flight attendant customer from another city comment on the tension in the air and she didn't even know what was going on.   

This Week:  Because I knew the verdict results would be coming in "any day now," I decided not to open this week.  I resented the idea that fear was being used as a weapon and I saw no point in hanging out in a charged environment.  And then yesterday, I fought with my stubborn streak and boarded up my property.  With floor to ceiling glass, the expense of replacing it outweighed my fear.  Like I need another expense. 

I am writing this blog post because this morning I saw some people on Facebook try to minimize the damage last night by saying that the media is sensationalizing the damage.  And while they are known to do so, it's the casual attitude of the people that haven't been affected that irritates me the most.  "Oh, they [the Mischief Makers] just started a few fires and looted a few stores.  The media sensationalizes everything."  You know what?  Bite me.  When you own a store and you start to operate from fear, then you can talk.  In the meantime, STHU.

P.S.  I am outraged by the killing of Oscar Grant and the unjust verdict.  However, damaging property and ruining people's livelihoods is not and never will be the answer.  I'm pissed.

Checking In

I have the biggest smile on my face. Not only is it the start of summer, but it's the 4th of July and I have officially started planning for the trip to Paris this November! No, I'm not eating barbecue (yet) and no, I'm not at the County Fair (which is a really good idea actually). Instead, I'm dreaming of Paris (so what else is new?) and planning for Paris too! I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.  Check out the new tab at the top of this blog to get info about the trip.  Hope you can make it!  (Even if you can't, I promise I'll bring back some great stuff for the store!)

A Sale Like I've Never Had Before

50% off all clothing!

until it's all gone.

It doesn't get any simpler than that.  =)

And no, I'm not going out of business...just reorganizing and such...

Volcanoes Mess Stuff Up

I'm bummed.  All of this volcanic activity in Iceland is putting a dent in a trip I was going to take to Europe this July.  But I'd rather be safe than sorry, so oh well.

I am, however, excited about the Shopping Trip to Paris I have planned for November!  In fact, Miss W (that's what I'll call her) came in and dropped off her deposit today!  Miss T, the other adventuress, dropped off her deposit several weeks ago.  It makes me feel good to know that they trust that I will find the best possible price for the trip.  Of course, and as I've stated before, they'll get all of their money back should they be unsatisfied with the final price and decide not to go.  I seriously don't think that's going to happen though.  =)  Let me know if you're interested.  November will be here fast.  Watch.

Other than not  being able to go to Paris, everything is going pretty well.  I have lots of changes coming on the horizon, so it'll be fun to see oo la la! transition over the next year.  Even though I'm not going to Europe (boo, hiss, boo), I plan to do some shopping in June, after the sale is over.  Oh yeah.  I guess I shouldn't forget to mention that there is a sale going on at the store:  10% off on all jewelry, hats and gloves through Memorial Day Weekend.  In fact, if you bring in a copy of this blog post, I'll give you another 10% off (smiling).  I swear, I love a sale.

I guess that's it for now.  I've got seeds to plant.  =)

RIP Lena Horne

My love of fashion started at any early age.  I grew up watching musicals and old movies and was always drawn to the imbeccable style and craftsmanship of the garments, whether I was looking at Greta Garbo wear a man's hat and pinstriped suit or Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor in an Edith Head creation.  They just don't make clothes like they used to.

They also don't make stars like they used to.  Stars back in the day always had so much style and class.  Including Lena Horne.  Lena Horne died today at the age of 92 and there will never be another like her, just like the fashions of my childhood cannot ever be re-created in the same way.  RIP, Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010). 
For more photos, click here.

Happy Monday!

Earth Appreciation Sale

So this coming Thursday is Earth Day and this week is Earth Week, which are designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.  Frankly, and like most of you, I think Earth Day is and should be every day, but since I've just returned from one of the most beautiful environments on earth teaching adolescent girls about the beauty of nature, I thought it would be appropriate to have oo la la!'s very own 20% Off Earth Appreciation Sale for the rest of the month of April to honor the world we live in!  Likewise (and FYI only), the Children & Nature Network has designated April as Children & Nature Awareness Month which is right in line with President Obama's White House Conference on America's Great Outdoors that took place this past Friday, which is right in line with one of my own interests.  So if you need a little pick me up for yourself or a gift for a friend, or if you just want to say Happy Earth Day, come on in!  ;-)
P.S. The World Peace necklace I have in the store makes a great gift!

Shopping Trip to Paris

Several years ago, I snuck a peek at a questionnaire my husband was filling out that asked him what famous person I reminded him of and he wrote Josephine Baker (see photo to your right).  I thought that was kinda cool.  I always fancied myself one of those women that - like dear Josephine - would pack it all up and move out of the country.  In fact, it had always been my plan to live somewhere in either the Carribean or Paris, both places I love (among others).  And although my husband is a French citizen with his mom's side of the family all over France, I loved Paris waaay before I met James.  He's definitely the gravy.  Good gravy too.  =)

When James and I trotted off to France last year, a part of my agenda was to do some planning for the Shopping Trip to Paris (for interested oo la la! customers) I had been talking about for so long.  After a 3 week holiday, I changed my mind.  And now I've changed it back.  I enjoy travel for myself, but I also enjoy facilitating travel as well -- as you might have deduced from my travel camp for girls.  So here we are, and this time, I'm going for it! 

The plan is to take 10 easy going & adventurous women (i.e., 5 sets of girlfriends, co-workers, moms & daughters, etc.) away for 10 days of gay Paris departing around November 10, 2010!  I will host 2 complimentary dinner/info meetings before we go; arrange all of the air transportation and hotel rooms; arrange for 3-4 tours; provide an itinerary (with choices!); and throw in a few surprises!  All you'll need is money for food, shopping and Paris Metro &/or taxi fare.  All costs will be laid out for you and I will simply charge a concierge fee for my services.  I throw a mean party and put together even meaner events, so I feel confident that you will have a fantastic (and rather unique) experience.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here or shoot me an email.  I'm accepting $250 deposits (that will be held in escrow) to secure your spot until I firm up the cost of everything.  You can even start making $300/month payments now!  Once the price of the trip is announced (I'm aiming for a great deal for less than $2000), if you decide not to take the trip for any reason, you get your deposit back (and any payments) toot suite!  It's really as simple as that!

Vive la France!

I've Got Butterflies

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

I created a heartfelt little Facebook pictorial in honor of the butterflies that have invaded my stomach on and off for the past week or so (because of the launch of an OBG Adventure Camps inaugural trip).  I imagine the butterflies must be enjoying themselves, because they're definitely making their presence known. Cheers to their beauty and to the change and growth they represent. =)

See Oakland Run

I jogged to the dentist's office and back yesterday.  His office is two blocks away from my house.  Boy was I tired.  And the day before that, I ran on the treadmill at the Oakland YMCA for 1 minute, then walked 1 minute, ran 1 minute, walked 1 minute...for about 40 minutes (so that's 20 minutes in all...LOL).  Today, I raced my husband down the street for about half a block.  I won't say who won.  But it wasn't me.  I was relieved when I went to exercise class last night and learned that the instructor wasn't going to make us run around the indoor track like he made us do last week.  Yeesh.  I just get tired thinking about it.

As you might be able to tell, I'm not a runner.  My knees refuse to cooperate and my lungs are friends with my knees.  But I am pleased as punch that Oakland (after a 25 year hiatus) will be bringing back the Oakland Marathon...uh...Running Festival this coming weekend (March 27 & 28, 2010).  In fact, I think it's pretty exciting stuff!  I even had the nerve to consider running in it when I first heard about it as a way to get fit, but I changed my mind.  I even imagined that someone would notice this little block and the course would make its way down 17th Street (and not 19th).  Ha!  I think I'll surprise my friend Tovi and volunteer at her water stop (it's at mile 6) for a few hours.  Maybe I'll even jog there. 

For more info about the Oakland Running Festival, click here.

Never a Dull Moment

I keep saying that someone should bring a reality camera to 17th street and shoot a series.  I swear:  It is SO colorful.  Between the new crop of psychiatrically impaired people that like to make 17th Street their hang out (Security!) and the traffic that the Pot Club attracts (not to mention the stuff I can't talk about), this little tree-lined block of Downtown Oakland is a slice of life that would make for some great tv.  The restaurants, retailers, hairstylists, and yes, even the psychics on 17th bring a spectrum of the working class to the well heeled and it's kinda cool to just sit outside sometimes on a sunny day and watch the world go by.  Folks fighting about parking spaces, horns blaring, cars driving too fast, tattoo guys hanging outside smoking cigarettes, and the occasional pimped out Mack Daddy strolling down the street in his lime green ensemble make this 2 lane stretch of land Oakland's mini-version of Venice Beach.  For me, last week was eventful, as always.  A group of 5 girls showed up in the store and stole some stuff; I almost started a fire in the wastebasket; the property manager for the building thought he had permission to yell at me and treat me disrespectfully (and found out what a big mistake that was); and someone (from the City?) is finally making an attempt to care for the trees on 17th Street and there is now mulch at the base of the trees.  (I'd like to think my b*tching & groaning had something to do with it, but I can't confirm it.)  I'm telling you:  There is never a dull moment...

Flower Power: A Sneak Peek

 

I'm gearing up for Spring and Summer and found these adorable flip flops - called SwopFlops - for the store!  The flower snaps on and off, so that if you're feeling pinktastic, you can wear a pink flower; and if you're feeling apple-licious, you can snap on an apple green flower.  They also come in black and orange in Sizes XS-XL (which is supposed to fit up to an 11). They'll be here in May.  Cute, cute, cute.