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Shop, don’t drop Summer inspires us to reinvent ourselves. We rid ourselves of the layers that protect us from winter’s freezing temperatures. Long days are now spent frolicking under the sun followed by magical evenings passed with friends by the glow of stars long into the night. We see things in a whole new light. We crave newness. Luckily, the Vail Valley offers world-class shopping to fulfill a summer shopper's enthusiasm. Local shops, situated between New York and L.A., feature the best of both coasts. Ladies First If you’re looking for something unique, the Charm School Boutique next to Checkpoint Charlie in Vail Village offers one-of-a-kind clothing and jewelry. An eccentric and worldly shop with an attitude all its own, it’s perfect if you’re looking for something fun for a night on the town. Roxy, across from Charm School, carries classics and trends for all ages. They have a large Michael Stars collection and a great jean selection. Laughing Monkey, near the Children’s Fountain, features great knits by Vail-based Planet Earth Imports. Their funky and sophisticated mix of items makes it a longtime favorite among visitors and locals alike. Passages, a hidden gem next to the French Deli in Lionshead, has some great finds. It’s original and fresh. Guy ThingsMen love to shop. OK, maybe “love” is too strong a word. If you’re in dire need of some hip new pants or shoes, head to The Other Side across from the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek or the new Billabong store on Wall Street in Vail Village. Beaver Creek Sports near the covered bridge in Beaver Creek Village has a great selection of casual basics. If you’re looking for something dressy, Gorsuch in Vail Village and Beaver Creek Village specializes in tailored classics. Edwards The Riverwalk in Edwards has become a one-stop shopping mecca for the whole family. Ptarmigan Sports has the hottest gear around when it comes to recreational wear. Gypsy Boutique offers sophisticated, elegant looks for women. P.E. 101 offers fresh fashion straight from L.A. Vail Boot and Shoe has your feet covered with clogs, sneakers, heels, menswear and kids’ shoes. For the youngsters, Kid’s Cottage has fashion on miniature scale that’s irresistible. For gifts, the eclectic White Balcony sells a plethora of decorative accessories, as well as beauty products and second-hand threads. Laura Ball, arts and entertainment writer for the Daily, has been a fashionista since birth, sadly.
First Place: White Balcony Justine Reed has style. Luckily for us Reed materialized that style when she opened the eclectic gift store White Balcony in Edwards. Beautiful reproductions of vintage crystal chandeliers and feather embellished lamps shed light on second-hand threads, beauty products, a selection of decorative accessories and anything you could ever want. “The reason it’s popular is because it’s affordable for the locals,” said owner Justine Reed. “Locals are so good to me.”
First Place: White Balcony It smells good when you walk in the door. Like a chai-scented candle. No strawberry lipgloss. Or maybe it’s the lavender soap. Whatever it is, it’s girly. And there’s plenty to go around. “It means guys should know that they can come in here and get their girlfriends or wives gifts,” said owner Justine Reed. Hot holiday sales reported EAGLE COUNTY - Retail sales here bucked the doldrums that affected the rest of the country during the holidays. The driving force: The red-hot real estate market that has been setting records since August 2003. For retailers like Nancy Rehder, owner of the Linen Kist in Avon, it has been a months-long sprint that started early last summer. "It just broke loose this year and hasn't stopped since June," she said. "When the real estate industry is hot the whole valley is." The influx of people purchasing second homes and refurbishing them has created demand that has trickled down to local specialty and general retail shops, and has caused business to boom, she said. The hottest seller at Rehder's store during the pre-Christmas buying blitz was bath robes. "We couldn't grab them fast enough," she said. This year's holiday sales are much better than last year's, she said. Linen Kist customer Susan Washing of Avon said she spent more on Christmas presents this year than last. Washing's shopping mirrors a trend nationally that is seeing an increase in on-line sales. She guessed she spent one-third of her money shopping locally; one-third shopping out of the area and one third shopping on-line. Parking-space competition In Edwards shoppers were so thick that the competition for parking spaces at times resembled the free-for-all that sometimes occurs in urban shopping malls. There is no charge for parking in Edwards. "It was just crazy two days before Christmas," said Justine Reed of the White Balcony, a specialty gifts store in Riverwalk. "The whole week before Christmas it was hard not find someone in the store. Everyone was saying they couldn't find parking." Reed doubled the volume of sales logged last Christmas, she said. "A lot of locals were specifically doing a lot of shopping for stocking stuffers," she said. For Jean Anderson at Artelana, a clothing store in Riverwalk specializing in alpaca and vicuña clothing, the pre-Christmas period was busy and quite a bit of business came from Vail. "We had lots of people here from Vail," she said. "Parking here was like being in the city." Farther east the pre-Christmas rush at the Vail Valley Ace Hardware store in West Vail was intense, said owner Loren Gifford. "For a couple of days before Christmas, we were running around with our tongues hanging out," he said. The hot item this year was laser levels that vary in price from $30 to more than $100, Gifford said. Course change But Gifford said gift purchasers this Christmas were reversing long-established gender-based buying trends, too. "We're starting to see a trend where guys are spending more time in the kitchen and women are purchasing repair tools," he said. "We're seeing more cross-buying. It wasn't too many years ago the kitchen was for women and tools for guys." Christmas week is typically one of the busiest of the ski season in resort towns in Eagle County. Early reservation numbers from local lodging outlets and booking organizations indicate finding accommodation was tough during the holiday. "When we've got full rooms everyone is busy," said Gifford. "When everyone is busy, we are too." Staff Writer Cliff Thompson can be reached at (970) 949-0555, ext. 450, or cthompson@vaildaily.com. Last minute stocking stuffing? No sweat. Stockings are one of the best parts of Christmas morning. Santa always seems to find the perfect little something to slip inside it, but sometimes Santa's helpers need a little help. After all, one can only have so many chocolate Santas and batteries filling up their stockings. A saunter through the stores of Riverwalk in Edwards will present you with all sorts of possibilities to stuff those stockings, even at the last minute. So, for everyone on your list, here are some hints of the very best in goodies to finish off Christmas just right. For the lady in your life: Hanky Panky's thongs: Even the Wall Street Journal found these panties positively posh. One size fits all, so she can't be peeved when you buy her the wrong size. The bands are wide so they won't give her a wedgie: $18.95 at Lacy's. Ribbon belts are the trend, even if you're not from The Hamptons! Sagebrush has belts for both women and men, and they'll finish off any outfit with just the right touch: $30 at Sagebrush. Keep her on time: Merle Norman has fun watches with personalities of their own. From $12-$45. Jay Strongwater designs accessories that are both elegant and whimsical. Check out his assorted pins, from tiny ladybugs to life-sized dragonflies, these bejeweled beauties will enhance any sweater or evening gown: $30-$200 at Hughes Precious Metals. Fun in the bathtub - groovy Shoes bath confetti: $8 at Gypsy Boutique High glitz at a lower price - Moissanite looks just like a diamond, with all the brilliance and the toughness and hardness of the real thing. But it's only 10 percent of the cost. Buy her a pair of studs, and she'll glitter through the new year. At Portofino Jewelers. Freeze! Wrinkles, that is. Pick her up some Plump Lips by Freeze 24-7 at Cosbar. She'll kiss you for it! $40 For the gentleman: Pocket scarves for the distinguished and debonair. Made by Imperial, they'll spiff up any ordinary jacket. By Imperial, $22 at Brush Creek Dry Goods. It's winter, but he's thinking of spring. Get him ready to catch some fish by filling his stocking with flies: from $1.75 at Gorsuch Outfitters. Swiss Army knives - from the basic knife and nail file to the full Monty: $26 and up at Ptarmigan Sports For the little ones: Cell phone lip-gloss and dress up lip-gloss - make her feel like a grown-up: $2.50 and $3.75 Action watch Eco Expedition. Clips on to his backpack in camouflage color: $7.25 Kid's Cottage Hand knit beanies for the baby in your life. These beauties are hand-knit with hand-made beads: $29-$65 at Mums to Be. Forget the beanie babies, it's time for Jellycat animals. These soft little cuties will make anyone smile, from monkeys to angels; you'll want them all: $14-$38 at Goldies and the Kids. If she's into Hello Kitty, you'll have to go into End of the Rainbow. For your favorite friend: Woof wear dog collars. When only the best will do: around $35 at The Silver Buckle For everyone: If you've ever lost that tab on your zipper, you know how frustrating it is to try to pull it up again. So, get a Zangles zipper pull. Comes in many styles, including snowboarders, baseballs, volleyballs, yoga and more: $2.75 at Baggage Cheque Always a hit: Yankee Candles. The little votives are only $1.60, and come in too many scents to count, but they include peppermint cocoa, spiced apple, Christmas Eve and holly berry. At the Mulberry Patch. Dress up your door with custom-made doorknockers and doorbells in paw prints and pinecones from Paul Strauch Studio: $34.95 and $59.95 at Abode. White Balcony is a stocking stuffer's delight. From little glow frogs at 60 cents, to a the tongue-in-cheek Happy Bunny line to Dirty Girl cosmetics and scarves, you can't go wrong in this store. Cheese spreaders: From elegant musicians to whimsical snowmen, Christmas lights, shoes or gingerbread men, Kitchen Collage has just what you need to spread some cheer and some cheese: from $10.00 Jeweled Wine Stopper - makes even a half-finished bottle look beautiful:
Around $30 at Alpine Ambience.
For 10-year-old Emma Lathrop of Edwards, taking inventory is just another part of the routine in maintaining her business selling the novelty hair ties known as scrunchies at White Balcony in Edwards. Lathrop was 9 when she started her business, Bee Beautiful, last January. She first got the idea to make the scrunchies - she hand-crochets each one - when she saw a similar project a friend from Hawaii was working on. Her friend crocheted leis out of funky yarns and sold them at a garage sale. The leis were a hit and Lathrop was inspired. She took the same kind of yarn and crocheted scarves for her aunt and grandmother. She also learned how to use the same yarn and technique to crochet scrunchies. Things picked up for Lathrop when her Girl Scout troop started their annual cookie sale. She was selling cookies at businesses at Riverwalk in Edwards when she stumbled upon the White Balcony. A walking promotion, she was wearing one of her own creations in her hair and struck up a conversation with Justine Reed, owner of the eclectic, little-bit-of-everything store White Balcony. Lathrop's mother, Susan, asked Reed if the scrunchies were something she would be interested in selling at the store, and when the answer was yes, Lathrop started crocheting. Each scrunchie takes her about 45 minutes to make and she usually works on them while she is watching TV. Lessons in business Emma, who just finished fourth grade at the Eagle County Charter Academy, has always been business inclined. For the past four years, she has been the top cookie seller in her Brownie and Girl Scout troop. And while cookie-selling might have been what first sparked her drive and competitive nature when it comes to business, there were still lessons for her to learn when she branched out on her own. "I think she's learned that you can't just have a product and kind of throw it out there and expect people to buy it," says Susan Lathrop. "She's learned how important product merchandising is - making the product appealing and making the customer want to buy it. She's seen how retailing works." It's true Emma has an impressive knowledge of retailing, particularly for a 10-year-old. One of the first decisions she made as chief executive of Bee Beautiful was to sell the scrunchies on consignment - after, of course, learning what consignment actually means. Every few weeks, Emma - escorted by her mother - heads to the White Balcony to take inventory. She sees what colors are selling and how many new scrunchies she needs to make to replace them. She also collects her earnings. Over the course of about six months, Emma has sold 15 scrunchies. Her biggest sellers are the orange ones, which she has sold four of, but pink is a close second. Her personal favorite, however, is purple. One of Emma's surprise business lessons has been that price isn't the only thing that affects whether or not the scrunchies sell - it's also the color. "We found that people are willing to pay a little extra if it's for a color that is popular," says Susan Lathrop. "Some of them were priced for a dollar more because of the type of yarn, but that didn't stop people from buying them." Emma's favorite thing about Bee Beautiful, she says, is "making money," and she has learned that in order to make a good amount of it, fair pricing is key. Together with her mother and Reed, she figured out the cost of the ponytail holders and yarn, and then determined a price they would sell at but still bring in a profit. So far, Emma has made $61 - that's roughly $1.50 she pockets each time a scrunchie sells. And how much money has the White Balcony seen from the scrunchies? "Enough to buy a lot more Girl Scout cookies with," says Reed with a laugh. Business is expected to expand at the start of next winter, as Reed has requested scarves to accompany the scrunchies. "First I thought it would be difficult to compete with the scarves we already have," says Reed. "But a few people have asked me for handmade scarves, so there might be a market." Crafty beginnings Emma Lathrop has another key ingredient for success, too - creativity. She has been interested in arts and crafts for as long as she can remember, and she made her first quilt - for a doll - when she was only 5. And these days, when she's not crocheting, she is working on her second quilt, this one on a larger scale. Her favorite class at school is, of course, art. Now, her creativity is everywhere, even on the scrunchie packaging for Bee Beautiful, which she designed herself. Each scrunchie is wrapped around a hand-decorated tagboard cutout. A bumble bee buzzes around the hour-glass-shaped holder, reflecting the name of the company, which Emma chose based on a nickname. "My aunt calls me 'Emma B., Bumble Bee' 'cause my middle name starts with a 'B,'" she says. The packaging is a key marketing tool, the Lathrops and Reed have found, and the ultimate design is one that can be hung on a display rack if necessary, or laid out in a trunk, as the scrunchies currently are. But maybe the most key marketing tool of all lies in the words on the package: "Made by Emma B., age 9."
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