Almost There...

I just got an email from the realtor with my new lease attached. 24 pages to read through. Hopefully I can get through them all and sign on Monday!

How On Earth?

I'm a little bit overwhelmed with the idea of a second location. I'm not worried so much as curious how on earth I'm going to make that much jewelry? I think that it's time to start hiring reinforcements. I love the concept that I hand make each piece, I think that my customers do too. But I have to accept that at some point that is no longer realistic. I guess that my biggest concern is quality control. Each and every piece is a love affair for me. How can I expect somebody else to be that passionate or detailed with my designs?

Second Location?

Actually a 'For Rent' sign is something that you don't see often in Maui when it comes to store fronts. Sure people close down just like every where else. But in Maui there is an astonishing number of small business owners and not enough retail space to go around. So somebody is always waiting in the wings for you to throw in the towel. And I'll admit it, I've been one of those people for the last six months.
It's not that I don't love my location now. I do, trust me. I can count off all sorts of designers who would love to see me close. But I've become very aware that if I want to grow a second location is the first step. So I became one of those stalking the streets for a store front. And let me tell you that it wasn't easy. Every time that a store came available I was sure that I was the first one to notice. I would track down the landlord, not an easy task either, only to find out that there was a waiting list before the previous tenant even gave notice. I think I might have even shed a few tears. But I've played this game before and knew that there was a perfect spot for me and that I would find it eventually. And I think that day might have finally come. I don't want to say too much yet. The security check has been delivered but I won't announce anything until the lease is signed. I will keep everybody updated, I promise!

Vakker Blomst Designs

Some of my favorite hair pieces by Vakker Blomst Designs!

My Glam Squad

I recently was blessed enough to put together a photo shoot for Sophie Grace Maui. Don't worry, this isn't one of the pictures. This was taken by me from my phone trying to document the day. Which I later realized is silly when you have a photographer beside you basically doing the same thing.

I remember though that when I took this picture that I was thinking about how thankful I was to have so many talented people in my life. It surprised me when I realized that I already knew all of the people that I needed to help me to put this shoot together. I had met the hair and make-up artists, photographers, stylist and models through the years at different events and kept in touch. It can be really tough to be a small business owner and I think that it is so important to support and promote each other whenever possible. I'm going to mention more about the photographers and models once I'm able to share the real photos. But for now I wanted to say thank you to my glam squad and give them a little publicity. All of my soon to be brides out there, this is for you.

Make-Up: It doesn't matter if you're a resident or a tourist. If you need your makeup done then Camille Kozuki is the girl to call. I met Camille years ago when we were both working for Maggie Coulombe. She was born and raised in Maui but studied at the Cinema Makeup School in Hollywood. She is back on Maui working as a freelance Makeup artist AND STYLIST specializing in editorial print and weddings. In the past she has worked for Vanity Fair, Sport and Style France, GQ Germany, Victoria Secret and on the cast of Lost. Her email is camikozuki@hotmail.com and her website (which is under construction) is www.camiko.makeupmaui.com.

Hair: I met April when we were both pregnant. Her son is just a few months older than Sophie. When we realized that the two were soul mates we decided it would be a good idea to strike up a friendship as well. April is a natural at hair (she's quick too by the way) but she has taken it a step further. She is also the owner and designer of Vakker Blomst Hairpieces. Her small company is quickly becoming a must have in Maui. The model in the photo is wearing one. They are perfect for every event you can think of and weddings too of course! Keep you eye out for them as they begin to pop up in retail location and absolutely visit her online store.
www.vakkerblomstdesigns.com

Thanks to everybody who helped out with the shoot. More shout outs to come, I promise!

Thank You

Have you ever prayed for something so hard that when it happened you were too shocked to properly say Thank You? That just happened to me. I won't go in to detail because I really think most people would find the story a tad boring. But it was a needed prayer that was faithfully answered. So today I just wanted to express my gratitude to my Lord and Saviour who never lets me down even when I constantly assume that He will.

Have Your Heard?

I was recently talking to a friend of mine about starting a membership based jewelry (for lack of a better word) club. You sign up, pay a certain amount each month, and a piece of Sophie Grace Maui jewelry shows up in your mailbox. You could choose from a handful of items every month and if you don't like what you chose that month just send it back. You could exchange it or bank it or just skip that month all together. And because your a member the items are discounted. As I'm telling my friend about this fabulous idea she interrupts me and says, "you mean just like Shoe Dazzle?". Shoe what? I had to know more. I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard of this. Keep in mind my friend lives in the city and is very with it as opposed to me and my secluded island life.

So in the sake of "research" I signed up for Shoe Dazzle. It is exactly what I described above but for shoes. I LOVE IT! I highly recommend to check it out. There is one flaw however that I must bring up. If you live in Hawaii the shipping isn't free. Which becomes a nuisance when you don't like the pair you bought and have to send it back for a different pair. Then you end up paying for shipping 3 times, all of a sudden it's no longer a deal. At that point I just end up giving the shoes to my Mom or some other stylish person. Fashion is always a blessing! But for everybody else the shipping is free.

www.shoedazzle.com

Oh and for those of you who liked the Sophie Grace Jewelry "Club", I wasn't kidding. I promise to keep you posted!