January 2022

So last month, I was a few days early in posting all the updates and this month, we are already on day 3 of January. We have a few new things we will be trying as we start 2022……

24-Hour Shopping & Eau Claire Delivery

As a reminder our website is available for shopping 24 hours a day. You can securely pay right through the website and then pick-up in store or curbside once we notify you that your order is ready. For the winter months, we will be offering free delivery for those living in Eau Claire that order $50+ through the website. This is likely only something we will be offering during the winter while the roads are bad, the weather very cold and the construction/snow banks downtown can sometimes be hard to get around. Wednesday mornings or early evenings will be our delivery day, with other days as staff is available. Shipping is still NOT available.

Our Home Page

Inventory Reduction Sale

This is an online only sale for clothing in the store! Since the pandemic caused closures and changed so many ways we usually keep our inventory moving, we’ve been working our way through the 3, 200+ clothing items by marking down some of it up to 75% off! Generally, we have all clothing (except new arrivals and underwear), all books, the majority of toys over $2, about 1/2 our gear and about 1/2 our local hand-made gifts currently on the website for you to access anytime. That means we have over 5,000 inventory items online. This is something unique for a small gently-used consignment store. Shop at www.thatsadorableec.com

Monthly 50% In-Store Sale – January 7 & 8

Friday, January 7 from 10-6 and Saturday, January 8 from 10-2 will be our monthly 50% sale. This sale is in-store only. Any consignment that has been in-store longer than a month is 50% off. Excludes local hand-made gifts.

2 Day 50% Sale This Weekend!

Consignment Drop-Off – January

Sign Up for a time: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-january1

Some of our currently most sought after items include:

• Tights,
• Dance/Gymnastic Leotards and Shoes,
• Slippers,
• Tennis Shoes & Dress Shoes in size 8/9/10/13 Toddler,
• Boy Shoes in Size 1 Youth,
• PJs & Sleepers,
• Swimwear, especially 1 piece bathing suits in sizes 8-16 and swimtrunks with rash guards,
• Waterproof Gloves,
• Snowpants,
• Melissa & Doug Wooden Puzzles,
• Matchbox Cars,
• Wooden Train Sets,
• Blocks,
• Puppets,
• Games (must have all pieces and boxes in good condition

Winter Hours

• Tuesdays 9-3
• Wednesdays 12-5
• Thursdays 9-5
• Fridays 10-6
• Saturdays 10-2
• Or Schedule a Private Shopping Appointment by calling 715-864-0883
• If the ECASD closes for winter weather, please contact us before shopping, we usually close.
• Thursday, January 13, I will need to open a little late, one of the kids has a dentist appointment at 9 a.m. and I will be at the store as soon as possible

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from our Family to Yours.

December 2021

Consignment Drop-Off in December

We will have limited staffing during the week in December. So we have decided to limit how much consignment we accept. You still need to sign-up. The weekdays slots we will only be accepting outdoor winter gear like jackets, snowpants, snowsuits, boots and gloves -OR- books (infant-young adult, printed after 1985 but prefer after 2000). Please make sure everything is in good working condition and washed within days before bringing it in. There will be 3 slots for regular clothing/toys over 2 Saturdays. We will have regular drop-offs again in Janaury. Sign-Up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-december1

50% Sale Weekend – Dec. 3/4

Our monthly 50% off consignment sale is on Friday, December 3 from 10:00-6:00 and Saturday, December 4 from 10:00-5:00 (due to Christmas in the City happening nearby!). Any consignment that has been in the store at least a month will be 50% off.

Hours

We will be open our normal hours except for December 25-January 2, we only offer shop by appointment while the kids are on winter break from school. If for any reason we are sick or end up quarantined for covid, we will be closed and will post on social media and put a sign up on our door.

Tuesdays	9:00-3:00
Wednesdays	12:00-5:00
Thursdays	9:00-5:00
Fridays	10:00-6:00
Saturdays	10:00-2:00

Current Store Hours

Construction Zone

We continue to be right in the middle of two-three different construction zones!!! Next door, apartments are being built. Across the street is the future home of the new larger children’s museum. Behind us, a few blocks down Farwell is closed for the bus depot and Wilson Park apartments. Please continue to support our small business despite these constant disruptions to parking and roads to our store being blocked with inconvenient construction vehicles everywhere. I have talked with the project manager to be sure their employees are not blocking all the 2 hour parking out in-front of the store.

Shop 24 Hours Online – New Delivery in EC option!

You can always shop 24 hours a day online at www.thatsadorableec.com, then pick-up curbside or in-store. Plus, as we head into the winter, I know how hard it is to get out in the cold winter weather. If you live in Eau Claire, we will offer delivery 1 day per week (Wednesday) for orders through the website that are $50+. This will be offered December – March, weather permitting.

Current Picture when you walk in the door in December 2021 at That’s Adorable.

August 2021

Back-To-School!

It’s time to start thinking of back to school. Why spend full-price on outfits that will be stained or have ripped out knees in just a matter of time after school starts? We have a huge inventory of gently-used 2800+ clothing, 600+ books, 250+ footwear available right in Downtown Eau Claire. We kick the month off with our 50% off sale, any consignment in the store longer than 1 month will be 50% off on Thursday, August 5 1:00-7:00, Friday, August 6 12:00-6:00 and Saturday, August 7 9:00-3:00. This sale runs in-store only. The website has their own sales, you can find those and purchase, then pick-up curbside at www.thatsadorableec.com We are still on summer hours until September, but you can always call to schedule a private shopping appointment for an evening, Sunday or day we are working from home virtually on the website.

Tuesdays	10:00-5:00
Thursdays	1:00-7:00
Fridays	12:00-6:00
Saturdays	9:00-3:00

Summer 2021 Hours

August Consignment Drop-Off

Our monthly sign-up to drop consignment off is listed here and pinned for convenience to the top of our Facebook page. We are still quarantining the drop offs before we sort and tag. You can sign-up for the slots you need for any day, there are slots on Tuesdays and Fridays this month. We ask that you box or bag the items. Please be sure to wash clothing (unless new with tag) and sterilize toys, put batteries in them if needed. Listed are items we are looking for right now to add to our inventory. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-august1

• Preemie & Newborn Outfits/Sleepers
• Reusable Swim Diapers in all colors/sizes/styles
• Pajamas
• Swimwear – All Sizes, check elastic (especially youth 8-16)
• Tennis Shoes (Size 7 toddler-7 youth)
• Ballet Slippers in most sizes
• Hand Puppets
• Back-To-School Fall Clothing for sizes 4-16 now accepted
• Halloween & Dress-Up Costumes
• Soccer Shin Guards and Cleats
• Dance/Gymnastics Shoes and Leotards

Diaper Drive for The Diaper Bank & Plastic Bag Collection for 4H

We have two community projects we are currently collecting for in the Chippewa Valley. We’ve regularly been a drop location for the local Diaper Bank though the Junior League of Eau Claire. We can accept opened and unopened bags/boxes of diapers (even the ones your child outgrew in the middle of the size) and wipes. No cloth diapers are accepted. They distribute them to the local food banks to get them out to those in need. Find out more information here: https://www.juniorleague-ec.org/diaperbank.htm

We are also collecting plastic shopping bags for our local 4H youth to create plarn mats to give to those experiencing homelessness in our community and state. I’ve been told that the mats are lightweight, lice and bed bug resistant and help reduce the chance of hypothermia. With all the news coverage of the passing of a woman in another part of downtown Eau Claire, our local 4H clubs are participating in the state 2021 4H Service project, which was being worked on before we had this tragic loss in our community. The bags are recycled/cut into plastic yarn (plarn) and then crocheted into the sleep mats. I’ve been told that $ store and walmart bags are really thin and rip more easily, but the youth are working with what gets donated. Just make sure they are clean and nothing sticky had exploded inside the bags that are donated please. We will be collecting these bags for the rest of the year until December 31, 2021. You can find out more, or find directions to join the 4H youth in making and crocheting the mats. Details are here: https://4h.extension.wisc.edu/4h-resources/plarn-mats/

Check out our newly painted door! We absolutely love it. Thank you Girl Friday Can Do It for completing this project off my to-do list!

July 2021

On Holiday! Closed June 27 – July 7.

We’ve decided to recharge and unplug for short time as a family over the 4th of July holiday. We will be closed in-store and not responding to email or social media. You can still shop at our website 24 hours a day, orders will be processed on July 8, when we reopen.

2020 – Our Family on the 4th of July.

July Consignment

Consignment sign-up for July includes just 20 slots since we will be closed until July 7 and our children have the Eau Claire County Youth Fair through 4H at the end of July. Grab a time slot for yourself while some are available. The sign-up includes a list of most needed items right now. Sign Up HERE: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-july

Monthly 50% Sale

Our monthly 50% sale will run, Thursday, July 8, 1:00-7:00; Friday, July 9, 12:00-6:00 and Saturday, July 10, 9:00-3:00. It will be in-store only. On Thursday evening, Kevin will be making balloon animals for $2-$5 like he does at the artist market and Lily will offer face painting for $5. On Friday, the Food Truck Friday event will happen a block away near RCU (that is 11-7).

June 2021: School Ends, Summer Starts

The new sculpture tour is set up in EC.

Hours:

We will be switching to summer hours on Saturday, June 5. For this last week of school our hours are: Tuesday (06/01) 9:00-3:00, Thursday (06/03) 4:00-7:00, Friday (06/04) 12:00-6:00 and Saturday (06/05) 9:00-3:00. As usual, if you would like to shop (or would like a private shopping time) you can call/text the store and schedule for Sunday/Monday/Wednesday or any day or evening we are not open) For the rest of the summer our plan looks like this: (closed June 27-July 7 for a family reunion/family time)

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Friday

12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Saturday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Sunday

Closed

Monthly 50% Sale

The exciting news is we are trying something new for Summer 2021. We’ve extended the monthly 50% sale to include Thursday evenings during the beginning of the Sounds of Summer concert series, just once per month. On Thursday evenings, you can also get a balloon twisted by Kevin’s Juggling & Balloons ($2-$5) and face paintings by Lily’s Crafty Corner ($5). The First Friday Food Truck events are on our sale Fridays from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00/7:00 p.m. a block away in front of the RCU building. On Saturdays, there is the artist market and farmers market just 1 block away at Phoenix Park. You can score 50% off on gently-used children’s consignment items that have been in-store for longer than one month.

Thursday, June 3	4:00-7:00 p.m.
Friday, June 4	12:00-6:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 5	9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 8	1:00-7:00 p.m.
Friday, July 9	12:00-6:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 10	9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 5	1:00-7:00 p.m.
Friday, August 6	12:00-6:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 7	9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Summer 2021 Sale Dates & Times

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3 Thursdays this summer, get balloons twisted and faces painted during the 50% sale at That’s Adorable. ($)

Consignment Drop-Off

Here is the link to sign up for June: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a45a5ad28a3fe3-june

Our most wanted list: Swimwear, Sun Hats with straps, tennis shoes (size toddler 7-youth 7), hand puppets, preemie outfits/clothing, shorts, boxcar children books and graphic novels

Shop 24-Hours a Day

Our new e-commerce website. www.thatsadorableec.com

Remember you can shop and claim our inventory 24 hours a day, we add the new inventory weekly. You can see it first via a Facebook Live on Tuesdays before we post it to the website. At this point, the only sizes that still need loaded on the website are 6 month, 9 month, 12 month and 24 month. We have over around 3500 inventory items currently posted for view through the new website. You can shop and pay, then pick up in-store or curbside. We alert you once the order is ready for pick-up. I am working virtually from home loading the new arrivals each week on Wednesdays, so if you like to find what’s new, look that evening or on Thursdays.

May 2021! The farmers market is starting!

Today, as I type, I see families out on this beautiful day, walking the two blocks to the Phoenix Park Farmers market! Many amazing farmers and food trucks are over there every Saturday from 7:30-1:00. As the summer progresses, the market will also open in June on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the artist market will start on Saturdays in June. There will also be an abundance of fresh produce as we move into the growing season. Right now I see lots of greens, onions, rhubarb, flowers, kettle corn, cheese, honey and meat! As well as the bakeries and coffee. So many mother’s day ideas, next weekend (May 8) we will have our 50% off consignment sale from 10:00-4:00 overlapping with the market, so stop downtown with your mom! Perhaps, walk through, visit If & Buts Candy and Nuts (a new candy shop in Eau Claire!), support one of our many downtown restaurants like Silly Serrano or Galloway Grill. There are many unique little shops on North and South Barstow. Behind my store you can find The Local Store and Red’s Mercantile (Red’s does a TON to support women run small businesses!) as well as Ramone’s, our favorite ice cream stop. Farther downtown, you might find a treasure or yarn/beads to make your own gift at Tangled Up in Hue/Blue Boxer Arts. Maybe your mom could use new shoes, the owners at Blue Ox Running always hook me up with a new pair every year, just as a working mom on her feet (I am NOT a runner).

2021 – First Farm Market – We were able to see our friend Inga, from St. Isidore’s Dairy at her first market.

50% SALE – May 7 & May 8

The monthly 50% off sale on our gently-used consignment will be Friday, May 7 from 12:00-6:00 and Saturday, May 8 from 10:00-4:00. ALL consignment that has been in the store longer than 1 month will be on sale for 1/2 price. This means items that arrived in the store in April, or this first week of May will not be 50%, but everything that arrived March or before will be. It does exclude the local hand-made gifts. The sale will be in-store only, but check the website. You can shop 24 hours a day and then pick up curbside during our current hours. I have went through and marked down a number of items that have been in the store longer, so you may find a web deal/sale item during your browsing.

New Arrivals and the local made gifts aren’t included in the 50% sale.

Shop our inventory 24 hours a day – Yes, please!

Just an update on the e-commerce website we have been building. The site is up and running. ALL of our books and footwear/shoes/sandals are up on the site. Clothing in sizes: Newborn, 0-3 month, 3-6 month, 18 month, 3 toddler, youth 4, youth 5, youth 6, youth 7, youth 10, youth 12 and youth 14-16 are up on the site! A good variety of our toys and gear are also available on the website, but not all we have in-store. I’m still working on finishing sizes 6-12 month, 24 month, 2 toddler and youth 8! I work on Wednesdays/Thursdays from home to post the new arrivals each week. www.thatsadorableec.com

Consignment Drop Offs

The May sign-up is posted and ready! I’ve pinned it to the top of our Facebook page and here so you can find it. You MAY take more than one slot, but we ask that you take one slot for each bag/box. Also, be respectful and please do not take all the slots for a day, we love getting a variety in the store. Recently the items have been heavier winter clothing and snowsuits, please keep those until Fall (September). Remember to wash your clothing and wipe down your toys. The condition lately has been lacking and we’ve had a lot of dirty and stained items or non-working toys. I will not accept those to sell. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-may2021

Hours of Operation

Our hours will remain the same through Saturday, June 5. The one change is that we will be closed on Monday, May 31 for Memorial Day. Want to shop Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday – Call us and we will be happy to schedule a private shopping appointment. You can also head to our website to shop most of our inventory 24 hours a day.

Monday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Tuesday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

Closed

Friday

12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Saturday

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sunday

Closed

April 2021 – Contest, Sale & Consignment

EASTER EGG CONTEST

Easter Egg “Hunt” contest currently available! Through Friday, April 2 at midnight you can enter to win one of two gift certificates to our store. Lily has hidden plastic eggs in our two storefront window displays. We will draw a lucky winner live on Facebook on Saturday, April 3. One lucky winner that guesses the closest without going over will win a $20 certificate, everyone who enters will be then put in a drawing to win a $10 certificate. There are multiple ways to enter.

(1) You can come downtown, take a guess and enter during our open hours in-store

(2) You can take a nice stroll anytime downtown, click the poster on our website and enter your guess that way, we also have a poster in the window with a QR code to get you right to the webpage https://thatsadorableec.com/

(3) You can enter a random guess online with never actually seeing or counting the eggs in the window

This poster and contest was put together by our amazing 16 year old daughter, Lily.

MONTHLY 50% SALE – April 2-3

Yes, it is time for our monthly sale. Score 50% off on gently used clothing, footwear, toys, gear and books. We offer this sale the first Friday and corresponding Saturday of each month in-store only. It includes consignment that has been in the store at least 1 month. The sale excludes local hand-made gifts and new arrivals.

APRIL CONSIGNMENT

Want to sign up to consign? Here is our current sign-up for the month: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-april

Hopefully, we will have a less snowy Easter this year. Happy Easter!

March 2021 @ That’s Adorable

Check out our new OPEN sign! It can flash also!

Wow, what a year it has been. We are fast approaching that day in March 2020, when we had word everything had to shut-down. It was March 16, the day before our daughter turned 15. There was a mad rush on TP and other things like tuna fish! To say we were NOT prepared for what the year would bring is an understatement. Positives that we achieved as a small business to weather the storm of 2020……

• Online Facebook Sales/Albums for 6+ months that has lead us to building our own e-commerce site.
• A more organized sign-up for consignment using a monthly sign-up genius. Rather than not knowing who might drop off each week, we’ve been able to have a better idea. Although we do not like “quarentining” your stuff for 48-72 hours, the quality of the items we’ve been sorting has been much improved, so thank you consignors!
• Closure for nearly 2 months. We opened with a curbside and delivery only in April, that was……interesting and not sustainable for our small store, but we were happy to do what we could to keep your growing kids in clothing and shoes that fit!
• Needless to say, we never want to have to offer another $1 sale via Facebook albums again. That was insane!
• Our communities support, that has been priceless to us. You chose to shop with us and keep us paying the rent and phone bills all year. We appreciate it, more than you know. In October, That’s Adorable, turned 12 years old, without our usual party and sale for the month. We’d love to continue to outfit the youth in our community for many years to come.
• 1-2 times a week we try to show the new arrivals in a live facebook. You can shop via the comments during these and afterward, before we photograph and add the items to the website.

Consignment in March 2021

We have been using Sign-Up Genius since summer 2020 to organize and stager the consignment drop offs. I update the top each month with the most “NEEDED” items for the store. We are accepting new consignors, an application needs filled out and many of the details are in the sign-up. If you have questions feel free to call, email or FB message the store. Here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45A5AD28A3FE3-march

New WEBSITE!

We have been working for two months with the very talented and amazing Beth Anderson of Plum Creek Consulting of Pepin, WI to build a website with information about our store, but also an e-commerce site to make it possible for our local Chippewa Valley Families to shop from home 24 hours a day and then arrange to pick up orders curbside or in-store during our business hours. At this time shipping will NOT be available. It’s taking a LONG time to load inventory, at the time I’m writing this I have all shoes, books, a selection of our bigger toys, a selection of gear, some hand-made gifts and clothing in sizes: newborn, 0-3 month, 3T, 6 and 14/16. I hope to have size 12 and 4/4T finished this weekend. We have just one of each item usually, so we already have 1600 items on the site!! We will continue to work on posting sizes and adding the new items each week, but it may take the month of March to finish. I’d like to offer up the site for you to browse, shop and pay! Consignors simply choose in-store if you’d like to order and need me to check your account balance before paying to apply any credit. www.thatsadorableec.com

Monthly 50% Sale

We plan to continue our monthly 50% sale the first Friday weekend of every month. So, that First Friday and Saturday the consignment that has been in the store longer than 1 month will be 50% off for the two days. For the time, this sale will be in the storefront only and not online.

Current Hours:

Monday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Tuesday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

Closed

Friday

12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Saturday

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sunday

Closed

We are planning to continue with these hours that work around the current virtual school schedule for our 4 children. We offer shop by private appointment on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday or evening hours before 8:00 p.m. We just need a few hours notice via phone or messenger to arrange it. We realize that one of our children will be going back 4 days a week in April in the ECASD, so I’m not sure if hours will change for April, if not, we planned to keep these consistent until summer. You can always look for our new lite up flashing “OPEN” sign!

December 2020….Updates!

HOURS:

Our hours have changed for December 2020 due to the school district going all virtual for most of the month and my husband works for UPS, so as you can imagine, he works insane hours between the holidays. We are CLOSED on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I hope to work some Mondays and Tuesdays 9-3, when the kids are in school.

Open on Fridays: 12:00-6:00 Saturdays 10:00-4:00 or call/text/message anytime for a private shopping party!

CONSIGNMENT:

Due to the reduced hours and we already have a LOT of clothing inventory in sizes baby-toddler and a fair amount for most sizes for preschoolers through pre-teen. Therefore, we are accepting only books, winter gear (snowpants, jackets, boots and gloves) and pajamas in December. I still have some toys I’ve been processing, but our weekly updates will be much smaller as we approach the holidays. You still need to sign-up for drop off slots. Here is where to sign-up for December: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a45a5ad28a3fe3-december

Also Consignors, remember to reach out to us before the end of the year to check and update your account. We would like to know if you would like balances transferred to store credit or cashed out and it’s time to be sure your address/phone/email is still current! If you would like cashed out, I will need you to stop in the store to do so during our posted hours (prefer closest dates to the end of the month), if credit and update only, you can do that via email, phone or messenger!

DECI WINDOW COMPETITION:

Back before Halloween we were blessed with your votes for our window design and we won a $1000 advertising package! Well, DECI is offering another contest, it runs through December 31, 2020. You can vote daily and no sign-up is required. We would truly appreciate your vote for our window, designed and executed by talented 15 year old, Lily Schwartz! She has her own business, Lily’s Crafty Corner. Vote here: https://www.downtowneauclaire.org/winterwindow/

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Scones with St. Nick & other News…

Unfortunately, our annual Scones with St. Nick event has been cancelled this year. Although St. Nick and the Snow Princess told me they were very much looking forward to scones, reading stories and taking pictures with the adorable youth that visit That’s Adorable, at this time, we just do not feel it is the safe thing to do. We were exploring offering a zoom story time with St. Nick and our Snow Princess, but I haven’t set it up yet, basically due to time constraints. If that is something your family would enjoy, please reach out and let me know!

Scones with St. Nick from years ago.

Online Albums? Yes, we still have some limited albums available to shop via Facebook. Right now I have “Christmas”, “winter gear”, “books” “local made gifts” and “toys”. All the clothing is NOT currently up. After maintaining 30+ albums April-August, I took them down for some maintenance and to run the online $1 sale (which was crazy). During that time, Facebook forced an update which made a lot of changes to our albums. We can no longer move pictures around. We can no longer download entire albums. It hides comments sometimes. It’s been a HUGE pain in the neck! Add to that, the in-store shopping and I just haven’t found a way to get all the albums back up there. I know some love the albums, some tolerate them, some don’t like Facebook. The reason I was using the social media outlet for this was due to accessibility and ease of use. I often only have 1 of an item at a time, so I’ve been thinking and exploring options. I hope to get some of our inventory back up for the winter, I know how hard it is to get out and shop (and climb past the snowbanks downtown!)

The store is FULL of great finds!

How can you help our small business? There are multiple ways beside shopping with us. Leave a nice 5-star google or Facebook review. Interact with our live videos and posts on our social media sites. Refer us to friends who have (or who are shopping for) kids ages birth through youth size 14/16. Our store has been in downtown Eau Claire for 12 years and we would love to be here for many more years. My compliments to @Adriaadamsco for this graphic, so many options float around with similar designs, but it is SO true! Why is it so easy to support a big box store or a celebrity endorsement? But not your local friend or neighbor that own a small business? We are generally the ones that say yes to supporting local events and fundraisers, we live and spend in our community and in general love where we live. Kevin and I adore the Chippewa Valley and have chosen to stay and raise our family here.

Halloween Hop, Hours & Fall

Halloween Hop – October 31

Our normal downtown trick-or-treating is not happening in 2020. Before you cry (I love seeing the nearly 1000 kids all dressed up, I especially love when families have group costumes!) – DECI is promoting a downtown Halloween Hop shopping day from 9-5. We are usually open until 3 p.m. on Saturdays, my kids and Kevin are whining about me staying open late on Halloween, but we will be offering 75% off all remaining Halloween consignment and a book of your choice if you spend $25 on October 31 from 9-5. We will also participate in the window decoration contest, we’d appreciate your vote October 24-31, you could help us win an advertising package!! I will have treats for the kids who happen to shop that day as usual. You can find out more about our neighboring businesses and shop small/shop local this holiday season here: https://www.downtowneauclaire.org/

Flashback to Halloween years ago.

Hours

In case you missed it, we switched our hours on September 1. This is so we can accommodate our children’s new school schedule. We will do our best to accommodate shopping appointments if you call ahead and schedule a time that works around our children’s schedule.

Monday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Tuesday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

Closed

Friday

12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Saturday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Sunday

Closed

Fall Consignment

We are accepting scheduled consignment appointments each week. Most slots are Tuesdays, with a few on Friday and Saturday. The sign-up slots represent how much we can process in one week. I’ve had a few that are off Mondays and need to drop off then, that is ok if you let me know ahead of time, you still need to sign-up for a Tuesday slot. We are NOT accepting walk-in drop-offs. We will not sort immediately, everything will be left in quarantine for 72 hours before we process it. We do NOT want summer clothing again until March, although we will take swimwear, we carry that year round. Right now we’d love to have gently used snowpants, jackets, boots and water-proof gloves. Also Pjs in all sizes!! Children’s books are selling really fast as well, so if you haven’t cleared off your bookshelves recently, please do!

I know we say it over and over again – only bring in items that are freshly washed & clean, that means you JUST washed it in the last 1-2 days and your beloved cat/dog/pet or child didn’t make a bed of it or add their cheerios to the bin/bag/box. It keeps the store fresh smelling. It keeps allergies to a minimum. We prefer no softeners be used as well. Recently we had a drop off and at the bottom of the box there was mold – we had to throw out or return the whole lot. I simply will not sell items in that condition. Please look at your stuff, before bringing it to That’s Adorable. I really would love to not have to put in a warning system like other small businesses similar to mine.

Sign-up is posted monthly and pinned to the top of our facebook page. Here is the October sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a45a5ad28a3fe3-october

September Consignment sort in progress.

Bi-Annual $1 Sale to move Online in 2020

Twice a year, we usually have a HUGE inventory purge in April and September.  Well, you all know what happened back in April, EVERYTHING was cancelled for almost everyone.  We truly appreciate everyone that has reached out, shopped, supported us as we learned to sell some inventory online and in-store as we were able to reopen.

Just a small portion of our overstock items!  By the time we finished the 19-20 boxes we had two full racks to add.  Now all are photographed and ready with the 1,160 pieces of children’s clothing to go online this Friday for an epic sale.  

THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY – we’ve decided to offer our $1 sale online with local curb-side pick-up.  Here are some details and suggestions for how to shop:

Facebook Shopping Albums will be posted between 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 28. Sale will run through midnight on Saturday, August 29 unless we sell out earlier. All items will be $1 plus tax or $0.50 plus tax. ALL SALES ARE FINAL, sold as-is.

Tips for shopping:
1. Comment Sold under picture within the album to purchase, please do not tag others or comment with questions if possible so I can keep sales straight.
2. The album is labeled with $1 or $0.50 (I pulled older items so some pictures have other prices on the photos)
3. These items are overstock, older inventory or items found to have small blemishes, all are wearable. ALL SALES ARE FINAL.
4. The first to comment according to our computer gets the item, please no drama. Your grace and patience will be appreciated.
5. Do not delete “sold” comments, simply reply to your original comment if you change your mind, so others know it is still available.
6. I will NOT be deleting the pictures until the sale is over unless I have time and the order is paid for and picked up by the customer already.
7. This will be a local sale. Curbside pick-up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is expected on Friday from 12-6, Saturday 9-5 (possibly later) and may be possible on Sunday as well. I will NOT be shipping, we do not have the supplies to ship.
8. All orders are to be picked up and paid for by Tuesday, September 1 at 5 p.m.
9. Payments: Cash, Credit Card, Local Check or Email Invoice. Consignors may use their store credit.
10. When finished shopping you MUST personal message (PM)-Direct Message (DM) the store! This is very important, I will send you a photo, sale # and total when your order is ready. Please include your email for prompt invoicing.

Beth/Kevin, the owners, will be in the store:
Friday (08/28) from 12:00-6:00 p.m.
Saturday (08/29) from 9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. (possibly later)
Sunday (08/30) – TBA
Monday (8/31) – TBA
Tuesday (09/01) 9:00-5:00 (only curbside pick-up this day, our little girls will need to come to work with us)

We would be happy to have you stop in to shop the new arrival items on Friday/Saturday/Sunday to add to your order, those items will not be available online again until later in September. Likely, September 15.

We were only able to sort the clothing and books – so stayed tuned for a possible gear, footwear, toy and accessory sale later in September. (Unless by some miracle we get it all done on Thursday, even with taking the kids for dental cleanings!)

After sorting, this is what our 4 racks for newborn through 2T look like.  What’s left that isn’t in the sale after we purged the clothing that had been in store since 2019.  

 

Updated Hours & New Consignment Procedures – for now…..

Current Hours

Starting on Saturday May 23, 2020 – – we opened the store to shoppers with a few restrictions/suggestions.  We do ask that you shop with your eyes as much as possible.  We have extra hand sanitizing stations set-up.  Kevin and I will wear masks to protect you, we strongly “encourage” but don’t “require” the use of a mask.  Due to how much space we have in the store we can have a max of 5-6 people in-store at one time, so we’ve been attempting to keep it to 3 families/shoppers at one time.  There is new signage up asking kids to not touch and play while in the store.

• Fridays: Noon – 5 p.m.
• Saturdays: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Tuesdays: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (although we are not technically open, we are here processing new consignment and for curb-side pick-up orders)
• Facebook: 30+ online shopping albums are available on our page – 24 hours a day!
• Shop by appointment – call to schedule a time

Please bare with us as we adjust.  At this time, we have chosen to not allow our children to come to work with us (which was our norm).  So these hours reflect when I have childcare available and work around Kevin’s work schedule.

New Consignment Procedures

At this time, we are using sign-up genius to coordinate consignment.  We are doing our best to keep you and our family safe, while adhering to the constantly changing health department guidelines.  I just added 6 slots through early July.  I will not be adding more until after the next health department update June 24/25.

Sign Up Here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a45a5ad28a3fe3-consignment

You may drop off consignment during your window of time.  For now, you are limited to one bag.  If you have a larger item (like an exersaucer or larger toy, please DM the store with a photo for permission before bringing it with your bag). You may text us when curbside, 715-864-0883, for us to grab your items, or if we have less than 3 shoppers, you can drop it off on the rack near the books.  Your bag will be quarantined until the following Tuesday when we will sort, tag and photograph.  We will contact you to return items we will not sell after we’ve finished.  If you do not pick-up your returns by the Saturday after they are sorted, they will be donated locally.  We do NOT have room to store.

Guideline for Consignment:

• Label bag with Name, Consignor #, Drop off Date & If you’d like items returned we will not sell
• Must be freshly washed right before drop off, no softners or dryer sheets for clothing. Shoes must be clean.  Toys must be clean and have all pieces with no recalls.
• Please sort your items:  no holes, stains, missing pieces, etc.
• Limit of one large kitchen trash bag.  If you have shoes please bag seperatly and put at the bottom of your large bag.
• Right now we would like only summer items like shorts, tank tops, dresses, swimwear, summer hats, raincoats, rain boots, lightweight jackets – NO HEAVY sweaters/coats/gear.  That doesn’t mean I won’t take layering pieces like zip up sweatshirts, jeans or leggings.  I also DO NOT need size 3 month or size 14+ unless it is shorts or swimwear.
• If you would rather bring in books instead of a bag of clothing, you can do so in a clean box (so they will not bend) instead of a bag.  The box cannot be messy or contain pet hair, I’m highly allergic to cats.  Books must be printed after 1985, although with ever changing lead testing we prefer newer children’s books printed after 2000.  Only children’s and young adult books.
• We appreciate socks be bagged in small zip-lock bags together as sets (at least for the baby/toddler sizes)
• Keep in mind that a bag of infant/toddler items is a lot different than a bag of pre-teen clothing for the amount a bag will hold.
• Be patient.  Guidelines seem to change daily.  There are just two of us and we want to get back to business but need to be sure we are keeping our family and yours safe.  So many have liked the online shopping, we are working on making it possible to do both online and store-front locally.
• Reach out to us if you have questions.

New Consignor?  There is one extra step.  You will need to stop in the store (when you drop off your bag during your assigned time) to fill out a consignment application.  You need your ID, address, phone and email.  It takes 5-10 minutes.

What’s happening during this pandemic?

Store-Front Closed during Covid-19.

Imagine our amazement when schools closed on March 17 (our daughters 15th birthday) and soon to follow was a stay-at-home order from the governor.  We closed the store and gave ourselves a few weeks to watch what was to progress.  I wasn’t idle during this time, I talked and met virtually with a lot of small women-owned businesses in Wisconsin and across the country.

Due to the current orders, we are able to offer virtual shopping but not actually safely open the store -OR- accept consignment.  Those orders have been extended until May 26.  Although some restrictions are to be loosened, it doesn’t look like we will be able to open the store-front to the public while also keeping our family safe.

ONLINE SHOPPING: We are doing our best every week to photograph what is in the store and post it on Facebook for local sales.  Curb-side pick-up and local delivery available.  Please consider shopping or sharing those albums with locals looking for items as kids grow (or needing new books/puzzles/games for this LONG time at home).  Currently I have books, toys, baby gear, cloth diapers, bedding and local hand-made gifts – – up in 15 albums.  I will start on clothing and shoes this week.  I’ve been doing some face-time shopping appointments, so some clothing and shoes are selling with the items I’ve already photographed.  Boy would it be nice to have rather empty racks!  I’m certain you are all de-cluttering your kids items and are waiting for us to be able to take them again!  I am not offering shipping at this time, there are a variety of reasons why.

NOT ACCEPTING CONSIGNMENT:  We are NOT taking consignment at this time.  It pains us as much as it does you to not be able to pull new items into the store.  I could really use sandals, swimwear, shorts, girls size 6 month and step into reading books!  However, we just aren’t able to do so right now.  I will alert you when that changes.  I’ve set up a table in our garage to bag/sort items for donation or consignment and I suggest you do the same if you are able.  I’m making sure everything is freshly washed and then sealing it after dried into large clean bags or boxes.  Toys, I’m cleaning and boxing up in clean containers.  I will most likely ask you to schedule a day/time with us once we do take consignment again so we are not overrun with consignment all at once.

Care Act/PPP:  To put it bluntly, we aren’t actually eligible, plus the initial round of funds are already gone. We are just way to small and I really don’t want a loan.  We could use assistance to pay the rent and utilities, but for those programs to be forgivable 75% has to be paid toward payroll, we don’t have much payroll.  Luckily, I have always kept our overhead small.  We are ok for now, but I worry about paying the rent to our landlord on June 1.  This is different for every small business, so keep those things in mind as you order from amazon, target, walmart and other big retailers instead of small local stores or some of us may not be here when this is all over.  The same goes for many small restaurants, local farmers – – when you buy from all of us, we generally do the same and it supports our local economy.

May Surprise/Epic Sale?  So, I’m challenging myself to get the store photographed by the end of April and into albums on Facebook. If I can do that, we will have an epic ONLINE 50% sale on ALL consignment for at least a week in May.  My goal will to be sell $875 in May to cover the rent, phone, utilities and consignors for June. Hopefully, that would also clear racks for when we reopen. Can you help us do that?
Wash you hands, hug your kids and keep safe.

Winter Hours

It’s winter in Wisconsin.  In January and February we drop down to 3 day weeks with longer days.  We are happy to meet you for a pre-arranged shopping appointment anytime Sunday-Wednesday, just call.

January & February 2020

Thursdays/Fridays 9:00-6:00, Saturdays 10:00-3:00

Window Contest, Scones with St. Nick 2019 & Winter Hours

Wow, there has been a lot of winter weather this December so far.  Plus, it’s a really short amount of days/weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Is anyone else feeling the rush of less time?  I know we are, we’ve got a few exciting things happening between now and the holidays.

Vote for us!

Our Winter Window Entry

The Downtown Eau Claire Inc. is running a Winter Window Competition November 30-December 21, 2019.  You can vote every day.  The winner receives a $3000 advertising package.  We could really USE that package since we will be in a construction zone starting next summer, assuming the new children’s museum should break ground across the street in summer of 2020.  We would truly appreciate your support, for entry #25, That’s Adorable.  You can vote at: https://www.downtowneauclaire.org/winterwindow/

Many thanks and awe of amazement at the two local artist that happened to help us complete our Jan Brett, Gingerbread Baby inspired window display.  My husband, Kevin Schwartz, of Kevin’s Juggling and Balloons created all the balloon scenery, gingerbread house, fox chasing the gingerbread men and outside decor.  Jason Anhorn, of Anhorn Entertainment painted the window lettering.  Consider hiring them for balloon twisting or caricatures for your next event.  Jason also paints amazing murals!

Scones with St. Nick 2019 – Saturday, Dec. 21 from 10-1

2018 St. Nick and Snow Princess

It’s back again this year for it’s 9th year!  Our Scones with St. Nick/Santa event started in 2010.  We offer free local-made cinnamon chip scones, free photos with St. Nick (simply bring your camera and we will help you take a picture), our Snow Princess will read festive holiday stories with the kids.  We do offer a 50% sale on the consignment as well, in case you need warm clothing or any last minute gifts.  It includes books, toys, gear and clothing (it only excludes the local hand-made gifts).  Please head to our facebook page to RSVP, the event is free, but it helps us with planning supplies.

Holiday and Winter Hours 2019/2020

• Normal Hours through Saturday, December 21
• Christmas Eve (12/24) – – Open 10:00-2:00
• December 25-January 1 – – Closed due to kids school break, offering shop by appointment only – call the store at 715.864.0883 to book a shopping appointment
• Reopen Thursday, January 2 with winter hours
• January/February Winter Hours are:  Thursdays & Fridays 9:00-6:00, Saturdays 10:00-4:00, we do offer shopping appointments on all other days or evenings just call to set up a time.  Consignment (1 bin max) will be accepted on Thursdays from 9-6.

 

Warmest Winter Greetings to all of your from the Schwartz Family at That’s Adorable!

Family Time – July 14-22, 2019

Yes, it’s true.  Our friendly neighbor, that usually runs the store just a few times a year so that we can take some family time, moved far away.  {Insert crying sobs from me}  Actually, we really miss those friends but are so happy to see things going well for them from afar. I haven’t trained anyone else that had availability – – so we are CLOSING the store for just one long week of family time/rest.  Believe me, we need it before 4H Youth Fair week!

Here are a few new things available in-store right now:

2 strollers, 1 swing & 1 space saving high chair

Lincoln Log Set!  This one is REALLY nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save the Date!

Friday, September 6 from 9:00-7:00 and Saturday, September 7 from 9:00-4:00 will be the COMBINED $1 sale and 50% sale in our store.  More details to arrive next month!

 

Thank you for continuing to support us and allow us to assist in outfitting your child(ren) from birth through middle school.  That’s Adorable is still celebrating it’s 10th year!

Sales Combined!

For the first time, we’ve combined our biannual $1 sale and our monthly 50% sale all into one weekend!  Am I crazy, maybe?  What that means is insanely good deals for your to outfit the children in your life.

What?  We carry clothing for kids aged newborn through preteen!  Baby, Kid and Young adult books are always available at a great price, but yes, we have a ton that will be on sale $0.50-$1 this weekend.  Toys, we’ve got those also.  Then there is the “gear” section – – it can contain any variety of things for all ages (cloth diapers, bedding, blankets, safety, cups, dishes, bottles, nursing pillows, slings, diaper pails, potties, diaper bags, backpacks – – it is ever changing what is available!

When?  Friday, April 5, 2019 from 9:00-6:00 and Saturday, April 6 from 9:00-3:00 we will offer these deals.  Perhaps, we will do this again in September, we’ll wait and see how it goes. 🙂

Flashback to September 2018 – we were able to hang up the $1 sale items for the first time!

How does it work?  The tables with red cloths and the racks with red balloons – all items are $1.  There are even a couple baskets with $0.25 and $0.50 accessories.  For the sale books, paperbacks are $0.50 and hard/board cover are $1, which is 1/2 price.  (Don’t worry, we have everything marked and will know at the check-out)  For the newer arrivals, if it’s been in the store for more than 1 month it is 50% off.  All tags should have a date, if the tag says 03/19 or 04/19 on the back it isn’t on sale yet.  This sale excludes EVERYTHING in the local hand-made gifts corner.  That does mean the majority of our store will be on sale.  Plus, we have all our summer sandals, shorts and accessories out and available!

Special Happenings?  Yes!  Friday night from 4:00-6:00, Lily’s Crafty Corner will be offering a fun free spring craft for kids.  Plus, Saturday, all day, Lily will be here offering face painting for $2-$5, tips welcome.  She is raising money to fund a trip to Madison, WI in June to the 4H Youth Conference.  We appreciate any support you may give her.  Before you ask, Kevin isn’t planning on making balloons, he is here to help you find product and help check out customers.  I will ask him to have some balloons with him, just in case your child cannot live without a balloon, small creations will be just $1.

June – Sales and Stories

School is nearly done in Eau Claire, WI, where our little store sits nestled in the beautiful downtown among a sculpture tour, a farm/artist market every week and so many fun and amazing things to do for families.  Here is what we’ve got planned:

June 1st & 2nd  

It’s 50% SALE weekend at the store!!  Kevin will be reading stories on that Friday at 10:30 a.m.  We are offering all children’s clothing, footwear and gear consignment at 1/2 price if it’s been in the store for at least a month!  Only the hand-made gifts and books are not included.  On Friday from 4:00-6:00 you child can come and get creative with Lily in her Crafty Corner.  They can make a fun craft for FREE and Lily handles the assisting and clean-up, freeing you up to browse the sale.

June 8  

You scream, I scream, We ALL scream for ICE CREAM!  We are kicking off our summer story time series with a guest reader from Ramone’s Ice Cream Parlor!  What is your favorite flavor?  Mine is Lemon Poppy-seed from Ramone’s!  They are celebrating their one year anniversary in the weeks before being our guest and we are thrilled to say they are a neighbor to the store and just around the corner.  Story Time starts at 10:30 a.m.

June 15   

Our guest reader this week likes to spend time talking about floss, brushes and paste.  We are thrilled to announce that Martin Dental will be joining us and leading us through our stories and we hear the tooth fairy may even make an appearance.  Join us at 10:30 a.m.

June 22   

Dogs! Dogs!  Doggies!  – – Sound like your kids?  Do they love pets and specifically dogs?  This week our guest reader hails from EmBARK and will include a furry therapy friend to sit with us during story time. We will practice and talk about how to approach peoples pets at 10:30 a.m. on this Friday in addition to reading books.

June 29  

SPLAT!  Let’s get creative this week!  Our guest reader is from the Paint Shack.  Her stories are sure to include lots of fun colors and paint.    You don’t have to be creative or know how to paint to make a beautiful work of art at the Paint Shack.  Story Time starts at 10:30 a.m.

Our amazing line-up continues every Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. at our store (129 North Barstow, Eau Claire, WI 54703) through the entire summer.  We will announce July and August soon.

Summer 2018!

We are all ready for a break from the crazy late snow we’ve had this spring, right?  Here are some things to note at our store for this summer.

STORY-TIME: Fridays at 10:30 a.m.

It’s almost summer and we are working hard on a fun family-friendly line-up of story time guests.  What I can tell you is to save Friday mornings at 10:30 and plan to be at That’s Adorable, watch facebook for the announcement of who the guests will be.  Story time runs every Friday morning but will have special guest readers each week from June 8 (Hint: I Scream, You Scream, We ALL Scream for ICE CREAM!) through August 31.  Kids can obtain a kids club card and attend 10 of the 13, they can pick out their own book to take home. 🙂

CONSIGNING

Lots of new families have found the store.  Summer hats and shorts (especially in bigger kids sizes) are flying off the shelves, so if you’d like to consign and have kids in sizes 3T-16 year, we’d love to see your summer hats, outfits, shorts and sandals!  Bring them in on a Tuesday 10-5 or Wednesday 12-5, freshly washed unless new with tags.  We currently have an abundance of really fun and cute items in the 0-3 month through 18 month areas.  I could use more preemie and newborn.

BOOK SALE

With summer approaching, we are making room for new arrivals, but also for you to kick your summer off reading.  50% Sale on select books during the month of May, while supplies last.  Our regular priced books are only $1-$2, so you can afford to say YES, to that plea from your child.  There is a reason the schools send home so many papers and the libraries run reading programs, kids tend to loose some of that reading ability over the summer.  We’d love to be a part of the solution.

First Friday 50% Sales

We switched a few years ago now and we offer this sale on the first full weekend of each month.  Friday from 10-6 and Saturday from 9-3, you can purchase consignment clothing, footwear, kid/baby gear and toys for 1/2 price if it’s been in the store at least a month.

Lily’s Crafty Corner

As part of that First Friday of the month sale from 4:00-6:00 p.m. – – 13 year old Lily offers a fun free craft for kids to participate.  She handles assisting them and the clean-up.  The project is different each month.  It’s part of her 4H Leadership Project, to teach and make art fun – while using as many inexpensive or recyclable materials as she can.

 
When you head downtown to the Phoenix Park Farmer’s Market.  Stop by and check-in.  We love visiting with you, the kids and you never know what might be new and just waiting for you that may make you declare, “That’s Adorable!”

Scones with Santa

Scones with Santa!

2015

This year we are going to try something just a little bit different with our annual event.

We aren’t going to hold this event at the same time as the downtown holiday celebration, we will hold this one week later!

• Visit with St. Nick from 10:00-1:00
• Listen to Christmas stories with the Snow Princess from 10:00-12:00
• Share a scone
• Shop and receive Buy One Get One FREE on consignment purchases of equal/lesser value (excludes local-made items)

Stop in and celebrate the holidays with That’s Adorable!  Shop Small & Shop Local

Your pocketbook will like adore our prices.

Stories with the Snow Princess!

Visit with St. Nick!

Mark you calendar for Saturday, December 12!

Credit Cards……Foe or Friend?

Do you carry cash or your checkbook anymore?

Do you think about where the funds are coming from when you lay down that plastic card?

Find these signs at stores?

When I took over this small store in 2012, maybe 10 people asked to use a card in the first 10 months.  Now, it is a daily occurrence, just 3 years later.  The thing about using your debit or credit card, that I hadn’t even thought about until forced to consider it, is that there are fees for using them.  Those corporate giants, “Visa, Discover, American Express, Mastercard,” they don’t provide these services for free.  There are employees, advertising and overhead costs.  Generally, the merchant where you are shopping get charged the fees for YOU to choose to use your card.  It isn’t really a small amount either.

Well, perhaps it is small to big box retailers, to the small local shops like That’s Adorable it is a huge thing.  Over the past year, I’ve met with three credit reps and investigated three of those devices you plug into your phone like most craft booths use (Square, Intuit, Paypal).

For example:  With the Square Reader, I am charged 2.75% of my total sale to swipe your card and must have internet access to process it.  If your card has to be manually entered, the fee is 3.5% of the sale plus a $0.15 flat fee!  Those reps I told you I met with insist that these readers are not “secure” as well, that you take a chance in information being breached.  In October 2015, most are unaware that you now need a special “chip” reader that you have to purchase for the new cards being released.

For a small store like mine, that operates on consignment say you are purchasing a $2 shirt.  The consignor gets $0.50-$0.80.  The credit card gets $0.06 (or $0.22 if keyed in).  Leaving just $0.98 – $1.44 left to go to the store.  There is rent, phone and other operating costs to having a store front.  NO – I do not take a paycheck.

CHALLENGE:  My family and I are trying our best to use cash at the small local shops we will support this holiday season.  Please consider using cash or only using your card on larger purchases when at small local stores.  The owner will truly appreciate it.  Just think, your pocketbook may as well in the stormy winter months when you do not have those credit bills to pay.

Our mini-Ipad is ready, when the internet is connecting properly to accept cards. We ask that you consider cash instead though.

That’s Adorable is now able to accept credit cards.

October…..the month of Halloween

Kevin’s Juggling & Balloons does a unique window display every year!

Does your family celebrate Halloween?

How about a Harvest Festival of some sort?

Do you let your kids dress-up?  Seek candy?  Attend community events?

How do you decide what to hand out to your neighborhood?  Do you participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project?

The month of October is full of fun fall activities including apple orchard visits, pumpkin patches and trick-or-treating.  In fact, Downtown Eau Claire offers a fun, safe environment for kids 12 and under to trick-or-treat.  This year it will be on Friday, October 30 from 3:00-5:00.

Businesses downtown will offer treats during those hours, That’s Adorable included.  I have organic suckers without all the food dyes and we participate in the teal pumpkin project for kids with allergies (yes, I have kids with allergies) and I will have some sort of non-candy item for those kids.  Plus, we have a Halloween story time offered at 1:30 that afternoon!

Stop by and visit, please be polite, wait your turn and smile!  We usually have 400-500 kids stop to see us on North Barstow.  Which is less than the 1000-2000 on South Barstow.

Oh and if you still need a costume…..don’t pay full retail.  We have plenty available for $1-$15 each!  Stop by soon for the best selection.

These hats are ADORABLE and made locally by Lavender’s Green.

Surprise! Baby Bump #4!

Yes, the That’s Adorable family will be growing this year.

Surprise, yes we we’re surprised as well!  Baby Schwartz #4 will be making an appearance sometime in early November 2015.

I’ve started to look at my schedule realistically and eliminate extras.

• Community booths that seem more work than benefit.
• I’ve put off that Mother’s Day community baby shower I’ve been thinking about for years and had started to plan for this year.
• I’m toying with closing the store in winter for a few weeks to a month while I have a newborn in my arms.  Or only being open on Friday/Saturday for a month.
• I’ve announced retirement after more than five years of volunteering for La Leche League of Eau Claire assisting breastfeeding families.

Don’t worry, That’s Adorable is still here with all amazing consignors, gently-used second-hand children’s gear and local-made gifts.  We just may not have as much of a public appearance in the coming months while I struggle through those various pregnancy challenges that plague expecting moms.

Just think, as my third child enters school with her big siblings we will have another little one to greet you when you stop by the store.

Respect and Kids.

One day I stepped away from the store and left my husband in charge for a short time.  It was a cold snowy day and I was needed for assisting at the kids school for an hour.

Customers did come in, but while I was gone, isn’t that the way it always goes!

The first thing I noticed when I arrived back were all the consignment toys across the floor.  Then WHAM, I see it.  I receive so many nice pictures and notes, left behind by kids that make me smile, but this time a new shopper to the store and my hubby didn’t notice that this child drew across my entire backroom door with a crayon.  Yep, it happened.  I sat reflecting on whether the mother didn’t notice or chose to ignore the mess and crayon and will never know.

I’m laid back about these things at the store and want you and your child to feel welcome, but I appreciate when you assist and remind your kids at age appropriate levels that this isn’t home and we need to pick up.  It is a RESPECT thing.

Being such a small store we spend LOTS of time picking up and trying to keep up with the new arrivals, marketing editing, event planning, rearranging displays, running sales and things like this take a chunk out of our day.

No worries though, I have Young Living Lemon Essential Oil which takes off things like this in a snap.  So my misfortune, will be your gain.  I have a selection of oils available down at the store and would love to answer your questions.  Plus, ask a question here on our blog or share our blog online and I will be giving away one bottle of Young Living Lemon Oil for the little mishaps in your home.  Enter by the last day of July!  Winner announced August 1, just in time for school.

Attached see some of the sweet messages kids (I do not know which ones) have left me and the one I would have rather not received, can you guess which is which?

We have these magnets and a whammer on the back door. In mid-February I found this message from a kid, not sure which one. Recently it changed to Happy St. Patricks Day. Promise, I don’t do these!

Yes, we have a chalkboard fireplace. I keep the chalk up in case little ones like to eat it, but I found this beauty.

After one of our Saturday classes, I found this on the back of our easel. 🙂

Yep, hard to see in the picture but this little gift was left for me at the store. 😦

Thrift Sale Season

Are you a “sale” sign follower?

I sit here and contemplate my Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the spring/summer.  My husband is a thrifter, in fact, he nearly gives us whiplash if he sees a sign all for the elusive item he didn’t know he thinks he needs for a good deal!

It seems that SO many forget that our little store exists this time of year.

Most of the thrift sales I have stopped at the last 1-2 years, the children’s items are priced at or above where I would price it at That’s Adorable.

That’s Adorable closes the Saturday of the East Hill 90+ thrift sales (May 16, 2015) because I never have any shoppers, yet I see these posts….

• “ISO:  Boys 18 month+”
• “Looking for little boys newborn through toddler, I never find any at thrift sales”
• “Iso 9 month boy summer clothes”
• “ISO cloth diapers ….. also 9/12 month girl stuff at 3/6, 6/12 month shoes”
• “I’m looking for girl clothes, sizes 5 – 7. Anyone??”
• “ISO: Girls clothes sizes 0-12months, 4-5T, and 14-16. Also any baby girl or gender neutral gear!:-)”
• “Looking for board games. Anyone?”
• “Iso: infant toys”

I have LOTS of these items in amazing condition from 150 local families!

Obviously, I cannot help you find that coffee table, mission style piece of antique furniture or Wii games but I can help you find great kids clothing, toys, books and locally-handcrafted gifts at reasonable prices.  Especially in those smaller sizes.

So good luck in your pursuit of the best deal, but don’t overspend because you feel it is your only used option!

Remember, to support your small local businesses, we rely on YOU!

April Fool’s no….Egg Hunt!

The 6th Annual Grand Avenue Egg Hunt is happening on Saturday, April 4 promptly at 2:00!

No foolin…..

This downtown Egg Hunt began with a few business owners, That’s Adorable included, to thank and give back to their customers and consignors.  It has now grown to include 175 kids last year and a long list of downtown Eau Claire businesses!  The Easter bunny visits and you can snap photos.

All this fun takes place despite the Wisconsin weather at Freedom Park on the corner of 1st and Grand Avenue.

At 5 minutes until 2:00, the organizers, count the number of kids age 12 and under and then, guess what, divide that number by the amount of eggs we were able to stuff from the amazing downtown business donations and BAM – the # of eggs you can retrieve is announced.  Yes, I use the math I learned in school!

For this event to happen, we really rely on parents being fair and making sure their kids only take the amount of designated eggs, so that all kids get to participate.

Don’t grab your designated # of eggs too fast, we always have an elusive golden egg and one child will win an amazing Easter basket full of goodies.  We collect the eggs to recycle and provide you with a packet of flyers and coupons from the places that help make this happen!

Remember to shop small, shop local and support those little stores downtown if you want these types of things to still happen next year.

We had 175 kids in 2014, not counting all the grown-up types joining them!

This family stopped by the 2014 egg hunt!