NARTS Conference 2012

 I spent the weekend in St. Louis at a Conference specifically for owners of resale and thrift shops. There were over 400 women (and men) there and for four days we ate, had cocktails, socialized, and took workshops on various topics concerning our shops. We never stopped. I taught a group of people some Facebook tricks over a glass of wine at a restaurant bar. The opportunities to share information NEVER stopped presenting themselves, and I am FULL of fabulous new ideas for Castaways!

Here is my hotel room. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton, also known as the Lap of Luxury. I came back every evening exhausted, but still lounged in that bed with my pen and notebook, writing down and prioritizing all of my great ideas.

 This is Kerstin Block, owner of a chain of 44 resale stores called Buffalo Exchange. She was amazing to talk to and definitely a wonderful mentor. I have four heroes in this business, and Kerstin is definitely one of them. I want to be her when I grow up! :)

 Here are Dot and I on our first evening at Conference, at the Getting To Know You party. So much fun!  Meeting so many people is always a little overwhelming, but so exciting.

 On the first day, we took a bus trip to several shops in the area. This one, Back on The Rack, was my favorite, simply because it reminded me most of Castaways. Look at all of these resale shoppers! I WISH I could have 400 shop owners come visit. It would be quite the party!

 Another shop on the trip was Women's Closet Exchange. Amazing! Just LOOK at all of the Louis Vuittons. We were all drooling.

This shop was Scholarshop, a non for profit shop that uses it's proceeds to provide college scholarships to about 60 local students per year. SO cool! This was just a portion of their crazy amount of donations that were waiting to be tagged. It was mind boggling. And it is all name brand, lots of designer. Wow!

Many friendships were forged at Conference. We loved Kimberly and Cathy from Atlanta, Georgia! Their story reminds me so much of Castaways, and I wish them the greatest success!

It was a wonderful weekend, and I am relaxing today and trying to decide which of my HUGE list of ideas to do first. My staff is probably a little excited... and also a little bit frightened. :) The good news is that I came back reassured that we are already doing a LOT right! But there are ALWAYS things we can do better, so look forward to seeing some really amazing ideas being put into action.  Already looking forward to NEXT year's Conference, this time in San Diego.  Ahhhhh........

Can't wait to see you all at the shop this week!
Cindy

Five For... Wednesday

 1. The POP of these orange jeans is fabulous. I am a huge fan of skinny jeans in fun colors. The orange is SO cute for summer, I'd wear it with a plain white tee, a bright necklace in a contrasting color, and flat sandals. Gorgeous, and what an amazing color for showing off a glowing summer tan! This picture is from Pinterest, with no link that I was able to find. :(

2. Fantabulous summer color block dress (courtesy of She Inside). Love the turquoise and navy combo. The look is perfect with wedges and a long dainty necklace... and maybe a wrap watch from Castaways! We JUST got a color block dress similar to this in at the shop yesterday!

3. I cannot get enough mint green (or green of any shade) at the moment. This is a look that is SO easy to duplicate at Castaways. Ruffle top, cute cardigan, skirt or pleated shorts with a skinny belt and a chunky long necklace. If you are having trouble coming up with an outfit for any occasion, simply bring in a picture of your inspiration (Pinterest, where this picture came from, is perfect for great ideas!) and we will help you build your ideal outfit!

4. I LOVE the pop of the turquoise necklace on the bright pink top. This is what summer is all about! Not sure I would choose flared trousers, though. I think I would do this with cropped, cuffed white skinny jeans. Otherwise it is PERFECt, I wish I owned the top and necklace. I think I will try to find a similar necklace the next time I order jewelry for Castaways! (Outfit found on Chictopia.)

5. Nike running shoes by Tiffany & Company? That ought to be enough to make even the most non-athletic among us a TINY bit motivated. And since I just ran the Steamboat Classic on Saturday, I am seriously DROOLING! 

So, there's a little bit of wardrobe incentive for the week! Come in and visit us ~ we'll help you keep cool in this HEAT! See you soon!

Cindy

What I'm Wearing Wednesday

Super fun tropical print skirt ~ Free People ~ Retail $78.00 ~ Castaways Price $16.99
Via Spiga Gladiator Sandals ~ Retail $125.00 ~ Castaways Price $28.99.

My t~shirt is just a plaid white crew neck tee from J. Crew, not all that exciting, but a great quality tee that, with saving so much on the rest of my outfit, I will happily shell out for!

Another great summer outfit, courtesy of Castaways! Come put together your own boutique finds today! Need help finding the perfect pieces to complete your outfit... or having trouble getting started? No problem, any one of our staff is happy to help you create your masterpiece!

Have a wonderful day!
Cindy

Five For Friday

1. I have always loved all things J. Crew.  Ever since the first time I laid eyes on the catalog, in approximately 1989. I BEGGED my parents for a green rugby with a white collar and blue oxford cloth ticking where it buttoned at the neck. I got the coveted rugby and LOVED it for it's clean-preppy simplicity. I still love J. Crew, and lately I have become even more obsessed. In the past few seasons, I could easily create my wardrobe from the pages of J. Crew's catalogs. Thank you for making me so very happy, J. Crew! And, fortunately for us, there are always lots of customers bringing their J. Crew pieces to Castaways. In fact, a few will be going out on our sales floor this morning.

2. Flat sandals, especially in metallics. As I walked along South Beach last weekend (more about that in a minute), flat sandals were EVERYWHERE. (Well, those and wedges). One street over, as we strolled the shops on Collins Avenue, I fell in love with these from Nine West. I want them, in fact, I need to have them. However, we have TONS of these sandals available at Castaways too! Don't you love that they are like jewelry for your feet?

3. I am crushing on all things green right now, from mint to this shade, and everything in between. I am on a mission to find the perfect dress right now. Such a fun color, and I love this embellished version with a belt. :) This one is from Ruche!

4. I think the maxi skirt is a great go-to piece for summer. Long, soft, easy, cool, and comfortable. And gorgeous and elegant with the  previously mentioned flat sandals. Effortless when paired with a simple white tank and long but dainty necklace, however, I LOVE it this way, with the belt and denim shirt! I found this one on Pinterest, but could not locate where it came from originally. Luckily, it is so easy for us to duplicate, and I don't suppose I need to tell you where you can locate all the necessary pieces. ;)

5. This post was inspired by my trip to Miami last week. We stayed at a hotel on Ocean Drive and spent our evenings sipping mojitos at the fabulous tables along the sidewalk, watching the impossibly gorgeous tanned fashionable people strolling by. It was an amazing experience, and I felt a bit like I was doing research for Castaways ~ I guess I was. :) THAT is my kind of work! :)

I hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend! And I hope I have inspired one or two wardrobe ideas!

Cindy

What I'm Wearing Wednesday... With a Twist

I bought this dress at J Crew in Miami... only in mint rather than navy. I am going to wear it today... to do more shopping. My question is, due to the high neckline, I am not sure what jewelry to wear with it... If YOU were wearing this dress, how would you accessorize it? Inquiring minds want to know. :) Comment here with your answer and one random winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate for Castaways!

Hope your day brings you wonderful shopping finds!

Cindy