I first stumbled upon novel. about two years ago when they were in their downtown location.  I had received a set of monogrammed Tervis Tumblers as a Holiday gift from my sister.  When my in-law’s birthdays came around half a year later, I knew they would love a set too!  I set out to find them.. gulp…  on-line, but found the shipping to be quite outrageous!  My big box brain (Yes, I used to be a department store buyer) made me believe that I’d never find a good price locally.  So, how cool is it that I stumbled upon novel. and found their prices to be less expensive that what I found online?  Score!!!

novel. is a gift boutique located in the North Wing of Barracks Road Shopping Center.  novel. mixes elements of classic preppiness with luxe bohemian.  At novel., you will find something for every stylish woman on your gift list…  jewels, bags, bath, candles, frames, books, wearables and paper along with a special order personalized gift department and a baby section (aptly named “short story”).  novel. also prints custom invitations and stationary because “if every gift should have a story, then every invitation should be a masterpiece.”

novel. is the brainchild of Kate Bloxsom, a retailer at heart.  Kate always knew that she wanted to own a store and even wrote her first business plan in college.  After a brief stint on Capitol Hill, Kate worked for Anthropologie in Washington, DC.  She later moved to Atlanta where she worked for a family-owned store.  When she moved to Charlottesville, she found the void she was looking for and filled it!  Charlottesville was the perfect place to open a shop with everything that Kate and her friends always seemed to need for shower, birthday, wedding, baby or “just because” gifts…  a selection of things you can’t find anywhere else around town.  Kate utilizes both the large store operational concepts and small town boutique principles to run her business.

So how does Kate provide us with fabulous gifts and raise her 1 year old, Beau (plus baby #2 due in December)??  Kate says, “It was a lot easier before my little one was mobile.”  (Amen to that!!)  Kate states that she can do a lot of things (buying, accounting, marketing, etc.) from her home during naps and after bedtime.  She tries to be in the store at least 2 mornings a week.  She has great babysitters that help her make this happen, but there is a lot of coming and going with baby in tow as well.  She also has a great team of women that work at novel. and keep everything running smoothly.

Kate believes that marketing is key to the success of her boutique.  She has used TV, print and email marketing campaigns at some point, but finds word of mouth to be her best form of advertising.  Her best advertisement is a customer who LOVES the store and goes out to tell all of her friends about it.  Sometimes the perfect shower gift evokes “ooohhs and aaahhs” and the best questions that can get asked is, “WHERE did you get that?”

If you would like to learn more about novel., visit the store at Barracks Road North Wing or visit novel. online (www.novelboutique.com).

PS.  Keep an eye out… Kate hopes to write her own novel. someday!

A Side Note From Entremom:  C’Ville Entremom is Marijean Jaggers’ (www.stlworkingmom.com) Blog of the Week!  Look for our feature tonight on WCAV CBS-19 News around 6:40!  We were also featured on Suzy Said this week in the Mom to Mom Section!  I’m so excited for all the press!  Thank you all for making the blog so successful!

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If you are like me, you have boxes upon crates upon bags of children’s clothes taking over your house.  You are “saving” them for your “big yard sale”, which BTW, will probably never happen…  We’ll C’Ville, there’s a new little shop in town that wants your clothes (among other items):  Sugar Snap Consignment.   Think eBay prices for gently used clothing in a child friendly shopping environment (added bonus:  you actually get to see/try on the merchandise before you buy… much better than crossing fingers, in my opinion)!

Sugar Snap Consignment specializes in baby items, but also carries high quality children’s clothing (up to size 10), maternity clothing, nursing tops and cloth diapers, just to name a few .  Prices range from $1.00 for onesies to $85 for new slings and designer diaper bags.  Sugar Snap also carries new items such as hair bows, hand knit wool soakers and framed prints, all handmade by local entrepreneurs.  Becoming a consigner at Sugar Snap Consignments is very simple and straightforward:  Consigners can simply drop items off in bins with their contact information.  The items are looked over in the next couple of days and a tally is given to the consigner with what the total “take” will be assuming the consignments sell.  If the consigner is comfortable with the quote, the goods are hung in the store, priced and promoted.  Each month, consigners will receive a check for the items that sold.  Sugar Snap offers 30% commission on each item sold (items over $100 receive 50% commission or can be negotiated on a case by case basis).

Vijay Owens, a born and raised New Yorker, opened Sugar Snap Consignment only 2 months ago in the old Nature’s Child location in Forest Lakes.  Though, she has exciting news:  Sugar Snap Consignment will be moving to York Place on the Downtown Mall as of this Saturday (7/4).  Vijay says she is lucky that her kids (Charlotte – 6) and (Violet – 4) have received many hand me downs throughout their childhood, but has found that other families are not always so lucky.  Families that she spoke with were often lamenting the high prices of good quality children’s clothing and the low quality of lower priced apparel.  She believes that, in theory, it is worth paying more for the better brands because they will last longer, but if money isn’t in the budget, quality clothes are not an option.  Vijay began to envision a place where people could get barely-used better brands for amazingly low prices and where kids could sit and play while the parents shopped.  Voila, another C’Ville Entremom business is born!  Vijay says that Sugar Snap is partly driven by being budget conscious, partly driven by being environmentally conscious and partly driven by the knowledge that many local parents want to dress their children in sturdy, comfortable and classic items.  Sugar Snap is proud that every dollar spent in the store will remain in Charlottesville.  She doesn’t ship goods and there is no need for wasteful packaging.

So how does Vijay manage raising 2 little girls while outfitting our kids?  Vijay’s younger sister, Hope Allen, is instrumental to making the business work.  Hope stays home with the children while Vijay runs the store, helps run the store while Vijay is out and generally makes the whole “machine” work.  Vijay claims that this venture would not be possible without Hope.  Vijay’s husband, Charles, is also very supportive and helps with the technological aspect of marketing and promoting the business as well as keeping the children entertained on the weekends, all while working full time at State Farm.  Vijay’s older daughter, Charlotte, can also be found helping out at the shop.  Vijay manages all of this while also raising an Autistic child (Violet).  What a strong and powerful role model you are Vijay!

Sugar Snap Consignment relies heavily on word of mouth to market the business.  The shop recently started advertising campaigns in Albemarle Family, C’Ville Weekly and a local Forest Lakes newsletter.  Future marketing endeavours includes ValPak coupons and Daily Progress ads.  Vijay also says that moving into the Nature’s Child location helped spread the word.

If you are interested in learning more about Sugar Snap Consignments, you can visit their new location at York Place on the Downtown Mall, visit their website or email (sugarsnap@me.com).  Sugar Snap is open Monday – Thursday 9-6, Friday 11-8, and Saturday 9-9.  Start getting your stuff together readers and make some $$!!

Please note:  photos from old location!

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