So I met the cutest little girl today - actually lots of them - however this particular little girl's name was Emma.  She had earned 2nd place in her family's fishing contest, and so her Great Aunt had brought her to our store to spend her winnings!  Little Miss Emma, age 7, from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, has been shopping at Secret Sisters Boutique for three years now, yes that means she was four years old when she became a fan!  Her Great Aunt informed me that they come up on vacation every year, stay at LaTourell's Resort, and drive into town every day so she can shop at our store!  And every year, she buys a new purse.  She had purchased this year's purse yesterday.  Today she was in the market for swimsuits and dresses for her American Girl Dolls.  Need I say she accomplished her goal?  I have to say that I was rather impressed with this little girl and her Great Aunt; it seems they lunch, they shop, and they visit.  What a wonderful relationship these two have.  This little girl will remember her time with her Great Aunt for many years to come, not because they spent money, but because of the time they spent together.  I'm so happy that Secret Sisters Boutique will be a part of those memories!

Summer brings in groups of women - young and younger.  It's always so much fun to have these ladies in our store - whether they're giggling reading our greeting cards, oohing over the jewelry selection, aaahing over the clothes, or excitedly telling each other about their great find - we love to hear it all!  There are the little girls directing their groups to the little girls clothing section upstairs.  The bargain hunters heading to our sale sections.  The members of "Choose to Lose" - a local weight loss program who come in for new wardrobe pieces as they lose their weight!  The early Christmas shoppers who find that perfect present and tuck it away for the holidays.  The "Coobie" bra fans who bring in their friends to pick up their very own "Coobie".  The vacationers who tell us that our store is their first stop in Ely, that they think all year about when they get to come back, and how they save their money up (and their Frequent Shopper Cards) just for our store!  The weekly local shoppers who make sure they're on top of the latest finds in the store.  The summer Elyites who bring in all their visiting friends. We love you all!  So, whether you are shopping with friends, family, or by yourself - we hope your time in Secret Sisters Boutique will provide you with good memories too!

And p.s. Thanks for the memories (we'd break into song now, but we'd prefer you let Bob Hope's version run through your mind)!

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Fabulous, Family, Fantastic, Friends, Fun, Fashion and Fundraising.....in this case all these F's bring our report card to a shining gold star of exceeding expectations!  All this of course, in reference to our 2nd Annual "A Charity for our Children" Fashion Show!  With 105 people in attendance - ages ranging from the young to not quite so young - our show was deemed a success! 

At $10 a ticket, plus the sale of raffle tickets for a quilt made by our very own Autumn Cole, individual donations, and a chance to win a free membership to the "Choose to Lose" program if you made an additional donation  - we raised a little over $400 for each program this year!  Our chosen beneficiaries of this year's show were:  Quilts 4 Comfort, Project Care: Free Clinic, and the Northern Lights Clubhouse - all wonderful causes that help children through care, comfort and counseling.

Money talk aside, we're hearing great reports from our attendees.  There was a lot of great fashion talk, a lot of great fashion walk, and a lot of great door prizes given away!  All of our models did a great job - from our littlest, Elena at age 1 to our oldest ... well, we'll keep that name and number to ourselves!  The tips included things like how to turn a sweater into a scarf, to the best colors to wear for all women, to the latest in shoe designs - have you seen them?  The hoof shoe or the nail shoe?  Let me personally say ugh-a-ly!  But truly fun! 

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It's been crazy busy at your favorite little store in Ely!  Between taking part in the City Wide Rummage and Business Crazy Day Sales which was held on May 21st and all the great planning going on for our 2nd Annual "A Charity for our Children" Fashion Show coming up on June 11th and all the new summer tourist activity - it's been busy, busy, busy!

Let's break it down...

The City Wide Rummage and Business Crazy Day Sales were a great success with over 400 maps given out!  Rummagers were happy, rummagees were happier and businesses saw an increase in sales!  We're hoping it will become an annual event!  If you took part in any of the aforementioned capacities, be sure to talk to the Ely Chamber of Commerce to give your reviews!  There were lots of thank you's sent to our very own Autumn Cole who was the organizer of this event with the Chamber.  Way to go Autumn!

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On a personal note, the best of intentions in doing a weekly blog were dampened by events that caught us off guard these last few weeks.  We've had friends and family going through major surgeries, thankfully coming through with flying colors.  We have a Grandma dealing with a terrible health diagnosis.  We have beautiful baby girls turning one year old soon.  We have beautiful little girls making First Communion.  We have beautiful big girls going to Prom. 

As we see these life changes all going on before our eyes, we are reminded of just how precious life is.  At the risk of sounding corny... remember to take time to breathe.  Look around you.  Acknowledge the beauty of the day... If it's raining remember that rain is nurturing the flowers and grass so they'll grow beautiful.  Smile at someone you don't know, it just might make their day... you really don't know what hardships they may have been facing lately.  Hug your loved ones.  Hug your friends, or if you don't like hugging people, give your loved ones, friends, or a complete stranger a kind word.  Life truly is short.  Thank your Higher Power, whether you call Him or Her God or by some other name.  And thank people.  For everything.  And know that not only are we here to sell you fun stuff, we truly care about you.

Signed, your friends in life and shopping,

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Check it out!   I'm doing the old "copy and paste" so you too can see our first e-mail newsletter that we just sent!  We're so excited!  (Can you tell from all the exclamation marks!!!)  If you didn't get this in your e-mail...sign up on the Home page of this website...we've made it easy for you, just type in your name and e-mail address and you will automatically get the next one.  We're planning on our newsletter being a monthly event, so enjoy!

April, 2011

WELCOME to our first Secret Sisters Boutique Newsletter!  We plan on bringing you monthly news including all the fun happenings at the store and the hottest fashion tips for the season!    Have friends who like fun, fashion, and clothes recycling?  Send them to our website AND our store where they can sign up for their own copy!  Now on with the newsletter…

Secret Sisters Boutique is a happy and happening place!  We now have a fabulous NEW WEBSITE that features our shop, new items for sale, special events and specials, all about consigning and about us and we even have a blog!  Check it out often at www.secretsistersely.com.  And don’t forget – if you’re on Facebook – become a fan for some fun updates and sales!  Click “Suggest to Friends” when you’re on our page and see how many of your friends will join us too!

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On this momentous occasion of not only unveiling our new Secret Sisters Boutique website, but also beginning a blog for our fabulous, fun store, we must take time to pause and reflect.  Our happy little store first opened it's doors back in 2003, in a rented building in the middle of Ely.  If you visited our store then and have visited our store recently, you no doubt have noticed a few changes.  We began as a consignment store and have grown into a boutique that specializes in beautiful consigned and new clothing, new purses and accessories, new gift items and home decor!  We have three floors of merchandise and a "Backyard Boutique" where you can shop to your hearts content.  Our staff is here to answer questions, to help you pick out the perfect gift, or to help you in your fashion emergency.  Oh, and don't forget the coffee is always on and the cookies are warm out of the oven!  (Ok, we're pushing it there...warm out of the package would be more accurate.)