What is the future of shopping?

As a small retailer trying to survive in today's crazy internet shopping obsessed world, the question we (meaning us at H&H) often ask ourselves is what is the future of retailing? In the next 5 years will our loyal customer even come into our store anymore or will they be solely contacting us via the internet? Will there be a place in the big over connected world wide web for smaller retailers who don't have the resources to compete with the big retail kahunas out there?

No doubt we struggle to compete with all the emerging discounts sites that are happily stealing away some of our clients. (Never mind the fact that the a majority of the goods that they are selling are last years or last seasons leftovers.) But as the big get bigger and more powerful, how is your local 'main street' boutique ever going to survive?

A recent article in Fast Company addresses this concern by focusing on a company that Ebay recently acquired called Milo. Milo.com is attempting to bring "every product on every shelf in every store in the physical world onto the Internet."

Ebay believes that "in the next three to five years, we're about to see more change in how consumers shop and pay than in the last decade."

If you are interested in this topic, be sure to check out the interesting Fast Company article
How Jack Abraham I Reinventing Ebay. Not only will you see a brilliant and insightful quote by me, Alanna Klein (ha ha) but you will also learn a lot about how the major retailers out there are working to shape our shopping experiences of tomorrow.

While all these changes are exciting and amazing, they can also be daunting. As a small business owner keeping up with the ever evolving business environment created by this new technology is paramount.

We at Honeys & Heroes want to continue to be a part of your life and community for many years to come. We plan on doing our best to keep up with these exciting changes as well as offer more to you and your kids in terms of content and a new type of web shopping experience in the future.

You Know You Are Preggers When.....

1. There are almost as many noises come out of your bottom as your top.

2. Your brain thinks it is working but seems to be misfiring without you even realizing... like using your remote control as your cell phone.

3. You walk by store windows and wonder if you will ever be able to wear something with a waist again.

4. You wonder why your husband can't understand why frozen yogurt and Pop Chips don't make a balanced meal... hey there is some dairy and a tiny bit of vegetable somewhere in this diet plan.

5. Your overly sensitive sense of smell kicks in. Everyone at the gym has that sweaty 'haven't washed my clothes in 2 workouts smell'...disgusting!

6. Getting dressed is the hardest part of the day... what will fit today?? Bye-bye favorite jeans.

7. Realizing every morning is it's own adventure. Will I be sick? Will I be nauseous? Will I need prune juice? How big will I be when I wake-up?

8. You can't stop wondering about that little miracle growing inside of you. What will he/she look like? Will he/she look like you or your husband/partner? Why does he/she kick all night? Why can't he/she sleep when you are sleeping? Why did you just kick me in the ribs?

9. Your mother keeps asking you to register somewhere... anywhere! What's the big deal? My child will be here for a long time, you can always buy him/her something later on, like a college education!

10. The weeks turn into months and the months turn into years. Why do these 40 weeks feel like the longest weeks of my life? Oh yeah, so I can suffer through, I mean cherish, every moment of being pregnant.

A Nursery For Us All!

The time has come for me to make my big announcement. I will be having a baby girl this Fall. Yippee!

While having a baby is exciting, there is only so much you can do that bonds you to your baby before they arrive.
As a result, I've chosen to focus all my maternal (or burgeoning maternal) excitement into making the coolest room possible for my little Yum Yum.

My vision for her room is to make it stylish and unexpected, but not too mature or bizarre. Make it fun and youthful but not too sweet and cliche.

I want it to be a room that we can all enjoy hanging out in but not have that ornate and over the top '1st baby' feeling.
Unfortunately, I'm sure she won't care a bit about how I hard I struggled over the perfect paint color or how I scoured the Alameda swap meet to find that perfect dresser. However, I believe that since this is the first real introduction to my baby, I want her room to convey her parents (by 'parents' I mean me) personality and style.

So far I've spent countless hours scouring the internet for ideas but I have found the best inspiration in Susanna Salk's book, "For Room for Children: Stylish Spaces for Sleep and Play, (Rizzoli, April 2010). This book is full of inspirational ideas for nurseries through teen bedrooms. I love the modern farmhouse look nursery not necessarily for the 'farmhouse' but because it shows how a room can be young and charming while feeling cool and not too babyish. This room can easily be transformed into a kids or young adults room as a child grows.

Another fun idea that I am in love with came from this image from the Pottery Barn Kids website, http://www.potterybarnkids.com/room/rom/romnur/romnurpsl/.

How great are the cluster of poofs and Chinese lanterns gathered together on the ceiling? This is a very inexpensive way to give a room dimension as well as personality. You can find these fun lanterns at Party City.

My final recommendation is to always have some furniture that fit the little people. (By 'little people' I mean your kids.) If there is one thing I have learned after having my stores for 9 years is that kids love chairs and tables in their size. Some of my favorite pieces are made by Jennifer Delonge. Check out her website http://www.jenniferdelonge.com/shop to find a wonderful collection of chairs, sofas, tables and other accouterments for your child.

So let's be honest here, yes it is all about me (my husband couldn't care less and at this point all my baby does is kick me and give me gas) and the opportunity to create a wonderful and unique environment for my delicious little girl.

And yes, I will be the one spending the bulk of my time in the room (sorry hubby, I know you will be the one sleeping through the night.) So, I'm going to make this nursery a fun place for both of us to spend lots of quality time together. Why shouldn't all that bonding occur in a room we both love!