From Bonnie's Desk: Dog Rescue was not on my to-do list today!

Traveling the back way from the furniture store to meeting today, I saw a large dog and 4 puppies running loose along the sidewalk. At first glance, it looked like a mama and her puppies had escaped from a back yard. I stopped and rolled my window down to get a better look and it didn’t look good. The pups looked to be about 8 weeks old and their ribs were clearly visible. Mama dog was very friendly and turned out not to be mama but a male dog looking after these 4 boxer mix puppies. I was dressed for a meeting and short on time but quickly decided that the least I could do was go get them some food. 

 

I went to the house and grabbed the dog food and some water. When I got back to the spot, another person had stopped to see about them and was happy to see me and the food.  Soon, 3 other cars stopped and together we watched them devour the food. The hungry male dog let the puppies push him away from the food bowl so I had to give him food in a separate bowl so he could eat. I was amazed. Phone calls were made to rescue groups, friends, vets and photos were taken. Eventually one of us offered to keep them in his fenced area until they could be officially rescued. I’ll check on them tomorrow. They are super cute, and the adult male dog? A great disposition….and parent!

 

Notes from Bonnie's Desk: The Dress Decade

Yellow, Calvin Klein, size 4, sundress, it jumped out from the dress wall as I was straightening during Spring Fling Saturday. It was added to the pile of dresses to try on after closing. So many beautiful dresses and oh so tempting to someone like me, who believes this wardrobe staple deserves more accolades than it receives.

 

In a workshop I love to teach, Closet Chaos to Closet Confidence, attenders are instructed to purge their closets of unloved clothing. After the purging process, they are encouraged to fill in wardrobe gaps, especially the dress gap. Why? Dresses are the great “go-to” piece of the decade, quickly edited with accessories, heel heights, jackets, cardigans and belts. One dress can go a long way, all the while making a statement for the wearer.

 

And then there’s the fabulous party/cocktail dress on the sale rack that fits like a charm….and it’s NOT black. If ever there was something that made listeners stop and take note, it was when I made this statement: “No wardrobe is complete without a couple of great looking cocktail dresses, so for heaven sakes, buy the dress you found on the sale rack, that you love, that fits wonderfully, even though you don’t have an event on the horizon, because you WILL need it and when you do, you WILL already own it.” It was permission given and written down, like a hall pass from the teacher…”yes, she has permission to buy a dress she doesn’t need, just in case.”

 

Ask Betsy about this. A few years back we were shopping the sale racks at Macy’s and the party dresses were deeply discounted. She tried on a  dress that fit beautifully and was very affordable. However, it was after the season and she “didn’t need it” so she didn’t buy it even though I warned her that she would have regrets, and to this day she still does.

 

Because shopping for the perfect dress when you must have one is not efficient. It’s too stressful, too demanding and usually too expensive.

 

Shopping for dresses should be on-going, therapeutic and sensible. Dresses are plentiful and a good value in stores everywhere from consignment stores to regular retail. Even prom dresses can be found at consignment stores like Forever Young in Lilburn, where an entire floor is dedicated to formal wear, long and short, simple to extravagant but all extremely affordable.

 

Of course I tout shopping resale, because that’s my life. The dress walls at both Finders Keepers locations are an array of beautiful colors, textures, fabrics, designers and styles at extremely affordable prices. As a shopper, one must be willing to try on many, even those that may not have great hanger appeal, to find a dress or 2 that add pop to a wardrobe. Of all the dresses I tried on that evening, I only bought one, the yellow Calvin Klein. Embrace the fact that it takes continual additions to have a wardrobe that is ready for any of life’s events and go shopping often and only buy what you love. Chaos will give way to confidence and with confidence comes peace. We all need more of that!

 

Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this week’s email for the coupon for 20% off one regular-priced dress, my Easter gift to you. (Not on our email list? Visit our website to sign up: http://www.fkconsign.com/Join-Our-Email-List.html)

 

Bonnie Kallenberg

The Big Red Ball: A night out for a great cause (from Bonnie's Desk)

My introduction to 50cents.period was about 2 years ago at a “red party” hosted in Avondale Estates, right around the corner from my house. I had heard a little bit already about the mission of the organization and wanted more information. We were to wear red and bring a checkbook, in case the presentation led us to contribute to this cause. Lorrie King, the founder of 50cents.period, spoke to the group of 50+ women in red, about her work, mostly in India, to improve the lives of women by starting with the girls.

 

Girls in developing countries often live in poverty and I was aware of that fact. However, what I did not know until this meeting is those girls are not allowed to attend school the week of their menstruation cycle unless they have the necessary sanitary supplies AND basic restroom facilities at the school. Lorrie and her team found in their travels in India that both are rare and have been on a mission to raise money for and awareness about this problem via this not-for-profit that was birthed in DeKalb county. Many women in our community have embraced this effort with their time, effort, and donations. In a short time, more girls can attend school because sanitary supplies are given to those who need them, at school, and very basic restroom facilities with safe water have been constructed at a few schools and more are in the works.

 

However, there are many girls in areas where 50cents.period has not reached. They miss a week of school a month and often deal with a stigma that their menstruation makes them unclean and is a curse. Once they fall behind in school, often they drop out and either get jobs to help the family or get married very young and start having babies, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Basic women’s health education is another piece of Lorrie’s mission in developing countries. By educating mothers and girls about their bodies and health, stigmas will vanish, empowerment can take hold and the lives of a generation of women in India will change, forever.

 

Last Friday was International Women’s Day. It was also the day chosen for a fundraiser for 50cents.period, “The Big Red Ball”, hosted at the Decatur Courthouse.  It was a formal event and we all got to dress up and go out on a Friday night! Big Band Atlanta played dance music, the Stilleto Dancers performed, Sun in My Belly Restaurant laid out a lovely buffet and various businesses and individuals (including Finders Keepers) sponsored the event. Lorrie spoke. You can’t “not give” after Lorrie speaks about the work and mission of 50cents.period. She is changing the lives of women for the better, one school at a time, in one town at a time, one package of 8 sanitary napkins at a time.

 

You see, a package of 8 sanitary napkins costs 20 rupees, which is about 50 cents in U.S. currency. Most girls require 3 packages during their period.

 

For $1.50 you can guarantee a girl will remain in school for a month. By supplying this very basic need, a girl will be given a chance to live a life different from her mother’s. Education is the key that unlocks the door to possibility, to hope, to empowerment. Women empowered will change the lives of the next generation for the better. This is doable!

 

If this information has pulled at your heartstrings, as my first encounter with this cause did, please go to their website www.50centsperiod.org  to find out more, to consider giving, and to join the effort to change the lives of a generation of girls.

Finders Keepers Fashions received one EPIC makeover

Mission Accomplished!

 

I love nothing better than a crew of skilled workers on a mission as they create excitement and energy that cannot be duplicated!

 

The mission? To revamp Finders Keepers Fashions in 4 days including interior painting, exterior painting and repairs, new flooring, new ceiling fans, up-cycling old counters, additional electrical wiring and various overdue repair projects. Not to mention putting the store back together and re-merchandised once the work was complete.

 

We did it in 4 days and we posted about it regularly on Facebook for those interested. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the co-ordination that took place beforehand by our contractor and his project manager and a great deal of prep work on our part. The various teams worked together like a symphony performance and everyone had a part, everyone kept working, everyone kept moving. Hours and days flew by.

 

Saturday night at closing, my staff and I pushed all the merchandise to the right hand side of the shop, as far as it would go. It was a well-orchestrated dance as we packed the accessory room with as many racks as would fit. The guys arrived at 7 p.m., started on the cleared area by removing the carpet, the wall racks and prepping the walls and ceiling. Half of the shop was totally painted the first night. All the fans were replaced in the main part of the store.

 

Sunday the flooring guys arrived, unloaded the flooring and began prepping the floor. The floor was installed on the left half of the shop by 5:00 p.m. We could tell how wonderful the store was going to look already. I ran to the used store fixture warehouse and purchased a set of 3 counters that once lived in a Wolf Camera store. They had great potential and with some bead board and re-laminating, they will be good as new! We discovered that the fans I purchased caused an installation problem and only went one speed….super-fast, creating a hurricane effect that was humorous but expensive to correct. Note to self: read the box before purchasing, especially when purchasing 12….

 

By 5:15 we were moving all the racks of clothing over to the left side, on to the new floor! By 6:15, everything was moved over and the right-hand side was empty and ready for the guys who arrived at 7 p.m. to strip the carpet and paint the rest of the shop. This night they stayed until about 3 a.m. Unfortunately, as the painters were leaving, one of the drivers thought he turned his car headlights on, didn’t and got pulled over immediately by the police. His license had expired and he ended up spending the night in the DeKalb County jail. A long, bad day for him and the contractor bailed him out the next day.Monday the flooring men arrived about 11:00 and prepped and installed the rest of the flooring, including the kitchen and 2 restrooms. Again they were out by 5:00 p.m. Exterior repairs and painting began. The staff began organizing the clothing on the racks. The counters were delivered. I had to figure out the new arrangement of the counter space. Fans now go 4 speeds but the wall switches are faulty and dangerous. Fans kept off until this is corrected. It would be a shame to burn down the building after all this effort and work….not to mention expense.

 

Tuesday the manager and I planned and implemented the new floor lay-out. We donated old racks and put casters on ALL the racks for easy and safe repositioning. Wall racks went back up, all merchandise was placed on each rack with great care. For once, there was not one thing on the wrong rack and each piece was colorized. Accessory room was put back together, old counters and jewelry cases cleaned like never before.

 

The electrician was there all day, disassembled a power column on the floor and ran wires behind a wall, then through it into the new counters so all cords are hidden and off the floor. Hurray! He left about midnight.

 

Wednesday my husband re-connects all of the computers to all of the new wiring. This project takes all day and several Office Depot runs. New curtains go up for the fitting rooms, all mirrors are re-hung, and displays are created, crafted and beautiful, including the jewelry cases. The exterior is still being painted and repaired. Punch list items are addressed. Computers are tested, and the final job of sorting through boxes of stuff once in the counters and drawers begins. The manager puts her area back together, floors are swept and mopped, paper over the windows removed. I found myself just standing and staring at the shop, totally thrilled with the outcome. We leave about 8 p.m. after taking lots of photos.

 

Thursday 10:00 a.m. Back in Business! Thanks to a great staff and a great contractor. Yes, there are still some things to be done but we made it, and it was worth ALL the effort! We love it and we hope you love it, too, because we want to look our best for you, our loyal customers and consignors, in honor of our 29^th birthday. Stop by and see us soon!

Check out a few pictures below, and visit us on facebook: www.facebook.com/fkfashions for the whole photostory.

 

A first step for Kanu and a walk down Mom-Mode memory lane for me

On a recent rainy Monday, Kanu and I loaded up my minivan with as much of his furniture that would fit and headed off to find a place for him to live in Eastman, Ga. Always upbeat, Kanu had given me no indication that his housing situation for college was dire. Several roommate options had materialized and then vanished over the past few months and Kanu was super stressed out but not letting on. Finally, before our fundraiser, he told me that he had no place to stay and was a bit worried. Well that’s all it took for me to go into Mom-Mode and make a plan. We would drive to Eastman the next day we both had off and find a place for him to live.

 

So that day arrived and we headed down south to accomplish 2 goals: one was to open a bank account with all of the money customers, consignors and fellow employees contributed during our fundraising (over $4000!) and two was to find housing. I had 2.5 hours in the car with Kanu to “discuss” what I thought was important, how to manage money, how to stay focused, how to write thank you notes and more. Okay, maybe it was a bit of a lecture but hopefully some of it sank in. And remember, I was in Mom-Mode…..

 

Mustafa, Kanu’s friend who attends the Aviation School, met us and rode with us to various housing possibilities he had already scoped out, saving us a world of time. We saw a trailer in a really remote area but fairly close to the school, public housing and all of that paperwork, unaffordable apartments and condo rentals and finally a one bedroom duplex unit. We decided on the duplex unit because it is close to Mustafa and the shopping district and not a bad bicycle ride to school. The trailer was fine but it was far from everything and Kanu will be traveling by bicycle so this could be problematic. Also, I think he will be more comfortable closer to a friend.

 

We opened his account at the main bank in town where they graciously welcomed him as a customer and offered their own words of wisdom. Mustafa was with us and many of the pretty girls working there stopped by to give him a hug. Somehow, I think these guys are pretty popular in town!

 

We stopped by the campus where Kanu will be spending most of his time and saw the hanger with all of the planes he will be flying including the old Air Tran Plane that serves as a landmark for the left turn to the school.

 

So as a Mom, I now feel that Kanu is going to be okay. He has a home, money in the bank, a few old friends and a few new ones. He has people “at home” who care about him and to come home to.  He has Betsy and me planning random visits to Eastman to check on him and folks who want to send him “care packages”.

It was on the way home from Eastman that Kanu let on just how worried he had been about it all as he thanked me for taking my day off to drive to Eastman with him. He explained how he had hardly been able to focus because the fear of the unknown was taking over and weighing him down. This trip to Eastman, Finders Keepers, his job, his co-workers and customers had blessed him. Now his spirits were lifted, he could be a college kid, be excited about his future.

 

That was my blessing and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Two events this Saturday!

We're closing our March workshop series with a bang this Saturday: back by popular demand, "Closet Chaos to Closet Confidence" by Bonnie Kallenberg, our fearless leader, will inspire you to spring clean your stuffed closets and excavate your personal style in the process. Bonnie has probably evaluated more pieces of clothing than any other person in Atlanta, and her workshop will teach you how to get control of your closet with organizational strategies that are easy to implement once you take the plunge...and she's all about getting started! Bonus: she'll also give you a few pointers about successful consigning, which is great since spring (and spring cleaning!) are officially here. This workshop will begin at 9:30am sharp this Saturday, March 24th.

You're invited to a Shredding Event! What better way to show paper who's boss by telling it where to go and how to there? In this case: on a secure Ecoshred truck that will shred your paper on site. Talk about satisfying. Celebrate your victory by safely destroying old documents during this shred event at Finders Keepers Furnishings. The cost is $6 per box (computer-paper sized box), and will be held from 12pm - 2pm this Saturday, March 24th. Learn more about Ecoshred on their official website: www.ecoshredding.com.

Both of these events will be held at Finders Keepers Furnishings:
2753 E. College Avenue in Decatur.

Thoughts and notes from Bonnie's Desk

7 years ago I had a minor surgery (it felt major to me) and I return each year for a quick recheck of the site as a preventative measure and every year the same kind and competent nurse named Mary is there to greet me. It always brings me comfort to see her and this year was no exception.  Mary was there with a smile and a wave from down the hall as a different nurse was responsible for me that day but I was happy to see that Mary was STILL there. That kind of loyalty and dedication is rare these days, I guess that’s why it makes such an impression on me.

I have an employee like Mary at Finders Keepers and her name is Patsy Sanders. February marks her 15 year anniversary with the shop and I know so many of you are glad to see her when they come in, even if all she has time for is a smile and a wave. Patsy is one of those true blue, dedicated and loyal employees who weathers passing storms, changing policies, computer updates and all the things that happen at a small business each year, with dignity and grace. Whatever personal hardships she is facing will never be shown in her tone or demeanor, her actions or her words. She always just soldiers on with a smile.

In fact, Patsy soldiered on through breast cancer and did not miss a day of work while receiving chemotherapy. She has been in remission for 12 years now as of last month and the port near her collar bone has finally been removed. So we have much to celebrate with Patsy, 15 years of service at Finders Keepers and 12 years in remission from breast cancer.

So in honor of Patsy, our charitable giving this month will be to the Atlanta Chapter of the American Cancer Society with a designation to breast cancer awareness. Proceeds from our $1 $3 $5 $10 racks will go to this charity in Patsy’s honor and we will have jars at each register for cash donations to this important cause.

We will celebrate with cake and punch on Valentine’s Day so please join us and be sure to congratulate Patsy on her 15 year anniversary with Finders Keepers, but more importantly, on her survival of breast cancer. Please give this month in honor of Patsy so that more women will have the chance to be breast cancer survivors instead of breast cancer statistics.

Always be giving,

Bonnie Kallenberg

Notes from Bonnie's Desk

January brought many opportunities for giving to some truly worthwhile causes and I am humbled by the awesome response to our Soles4Souls shoe drive which ended this week. I am thrilled to say that Finders Keepers collected 3670 pairs of shoes and 69 singles for this shoe drive and I would like to thank to each and every customer, consignor, neighbor, friend and church member who took the time to clean out their closets and bring those no longer needed shoes to one of the shops, Avondale City Hall, Avondale First Baptist, or my front porch!

Together with NAPO-GA, we sent 10,157 pairs of shoes and 359 singles to the Soles4Souls distribution center in Alabama over the last 3 months. We proved that the greater Atlanta Area is a very giving community.

Many of those shoes will go to developing countries including Haiti and some will be distributed in the United States. These shoes are often the first pair of shoes that a person will own. That should make us all happy and humbled at the same time, I know it does me. But there is another avenue for some of these shoes which to me is more exciting as an entrepreneur and I want to share a little of what I have learned about this.  Some of the shoes get packaged and sold to individuals in developing countries for a “micro enterprise” business venture. This micro-entrepreneur cleans and sells the shoes at village markets and then with those profits, he or she buys more shoes and thus grows the business. This business is a way to escape poverty and take care of his or her family by making a living instead of living on handouts. Now THIS appeals to me!

I saw some awesome shoes as I rubber banded and tied shoes together, wondering who would be wearing the brand new Timberland boots that someone donated or what woman just have to have the cute red sandals with the button closure or what child’s feet would be protected in the stride rite sneakers. Your generosity has warmed my heart and warmed many feet far from here. To find out more go to www.soles4souls.org

Always Be Giving,

Bonnie Kallenberg

Owner, Finders Keepers, Inc

Free Workshop: Closet Chaos to Closet Confidence

Our very own fearless leader Bonnie Kallenberg took a turn on the free-workshop stage earlier this month to teach attendees how to fall in love with the wardrobe again. The first step: Try every. single. thing. that you own on. If it doesn't fit NOW, it doesn't flatter you, or it doesn't make you feel good when you're in it, get it out of your active wardrobe. You pay for your clothing - which means that THEY work for YOU. And if they're not meeting your expectations, they need a pink-slip departure from your closet. Free up room in your wardrobe for clothing that makes you feel like the very best you, and remember that when it comes to clothing, less is more. A lean, mean wardrobe in which you actually ENJOY every piece of clothing that you're choosing from makes getting dressed in the morning simple and fun.