Welcome! I'm a first time mom, busy wife, former model and "mompreneur" forging my way through this crazy maze called life. I share my insights on motherhood, marriage, cooking, and starting/running my clothing swap business called Gumdrop Swap. Who needs sleep? (*Raising my hand)
Gumdrop Swap will be an exhibitor at this festival for the 3rd year! It takes place at Taylor Farms (near Calf Pasture Beach) in Norwalk, CT on the weekend of September 15-16, 2012. Here are photos from my tent in 2011. People assume Gumdrop Swap Children's and Maternity Boutique only sells used merchandise. That's so not true! We carry lots of new merchandise as well. Plenty of gift options available and I make custom gift baskets.
I will have a booth for this 2 day festival to expose more people to Gumdrop Swap's unique spin on kids & maternity consignment. This unique service keeps the most important "green" (money) in your wallet. It's a FREE EVENT if you are on foot and $5 charge for each car to enter so if you must drive - carpool!
Do you have a business that is eco-friendly or family friendly? I highly recommend you being an exhibitor at this event. The organizers are very accommodating and organized. Live Green Connecticut gets better every year! They have entertainment, a kid's tent, food, discussions and of course a variety of vendors with products and services. Contact Daphne or Scot and make sure you mention Gabby from Gumdrop Swap sent ya!
Even if you can't come but you want to learn more about Connecticut's green movement, get involved or promote yourgreen efforts (no matter where you live) you should to sign up for free at GreenTowns.com. Search by state and city to see what's going on in your area!
Seriously, I love this company! I'm not a big citrus fruit eater. My mom told me that she ate a lot of oranges when she was pregnant with me. Maybe that's why? But my daughter loves oranges and tangerines. We began seeing tv commercials about Cuties easy to peel mandarins and my daughter would say "Mommy, let's get those". And before I could buy them myself, my mother bought some and gave them to us. They are the perfect size for little hands and really are easy to peel. So, one day I went to their website and they have these fun video contests and great prizes. I have tons of videos of my daughter on my computer. I began uploading videos that fit the different contests themes. And I've won the daily prize 3 times. You get an email if you are the daily winner to let you know a prize is on the way. (You provide your address when you sign up.) Then a few days later a package shows up. So far I've won a t-shirt which will fit my 4 yr old perfectly this summer. And I won two lunch boxes. So, I want to giveaway one of them to spread the love. Details at the bottom.
This is the last one I entered in their "Holiday Cuties" contest. The voting has ended for that particular one and sadly we didn't win the grand prize (Xbox 360 + Kinect & $500 DonorsChoose.org Gift Card). I know! Sweet, right? I wasn't excited for the Xbox. We already have a Wii that rarely gets played, lol. But that leads me to the DonorsChoose.org folks.
When you upload an acceptable video, the Cuties people email you a code to use on DonorsChoose. You can give that $10 to any school/project you want. I searched for local schools. Most projects are posted by public school teachers who need supplies for their students. I uploaded at least 5 videos in as many recent weeks, so I've donated $50 (not out of my own pocket mind you) to local causes. That feels great!!! I even get thank you notes from teachers. I really wanted to win that $500 donation to give to some Bridgeport schools in need. I am giving away this metal lunchbox with same image on both sides.
Earn up to 11 entries by doing tasks like Liking our FB page and Twitter, etc ENTER HERE. Winner will be drawn randomly on Wednesday, Feb 8 at 12:01 pm EST and I'll contact the winner the next day to get their mailing address.Thanks for playing!
I've been working on this for a few months off and on. I'm running a business 6 days a week, so I do what I can when I can. I liked my old site so I wasn't in a hurry to replace it. But I wanted a fresh look and easier navigation. Over the last two years, I have gotten better at explaining Gumdrop Swap's unique service and place in the children's resale industry. I believe the new site conveys that. I tried to sprinkle in some of my humor (sarcasm). Please let me know what you think!
The home page features a video from youtube produced by AVP (American View Productions) to promote businesses in Bridgeport, CT. But it's meant to be subtle instead of a commercial. You get to meet the real small business owners in an organic way and its not blatant advertising. Other businesses featured were: Magnolia Cafe (formerly Flour & Flower), Rainy Faye Bookstore, Metric (Grill & Bar), and Amici Miei. The crew was professional and we recorded everything in about six hours in one day. We hope to make a series of these videos as we start a merchant association.
I'm excited about what 2012 holds. There are a few secret projects I can't reveal yet. I have taken on some graphic design jobs when I've had the time. I'm doing the layouts for an independent magazine that features music, artists and fashion called ZWEI (pronounced "zw-eye" it means 2 in German). I have some time to take on a few graphic design projects if anyone needs a logo or website please contact me. I even created a Facebook fan page for my Graphic Design work. I'm going to redesign GiftofGabby.com next. That site is about 6 years old. Who needs sleep?
Please pray for me and my endeavors. I support small businesses whenever I can. I really believe the key to rebuilding the American economy is entrepreneurship and strong local communities. I hope you all have a prosperous new year as well!
2011 was my 1st complete calendar year in the retail location. I met many new people, swappers, and learned lessons. We acquired a lot more merchandise last year which required some redecorating and buying of new fixtures to display merchandise. I scored a nice acrylic shelf and pose-able mannequin from the closing of Filene's/SYMS in Fairfield, CT. And created an arch with 3 vertical shelves from Bed, Bath & Beyond when they had their Back to School Sale in September. People are surprised to find out how many NEW items and clothing we have. They are great to give as gifts for baby showers! We even offer free gift bag/box with your purchase of $10 or more.
We also began selling handmade bears by Ruth Broder. A lovely grandma who lives in the area and found the store when she was downtown for the Art Trail. She makes custom keepsake bears from fabric and can even use your child's old blanket they've outgrown. They are so adorable! They are priced according to size, $20-$30. You can contact her to order your own. rbromama@aol.com
Then, right before the holiay season we began selling NEW Baby Star luxury, plush accessories: blanketc, burp cloths, bibs (matching sets available in certain patterns). They range from $10-$30. This is a great deal for this expensive brand's normal retail prices. Any recipient will think you spent twice as much!
December was very busy for us. We hosted Santa Portraits again this year. But we set aside two Saturdays this year to accommodate more of your schedules. We partnered with CT Photography Plus. You had the choice of your child or whole family posing with or without Santa in front of a beautiful winter wonderland backdrop. Many avoided the long lines at the big malls and took advantage of the wonderful natural light the Arcade Mall offers. CT Photography Plus specializes in photo shoots with daycare students and are superb with getting the young ones to feel comfortable in front of the camera! But she is a complete mobile business which can be hired for any special event like birthday parties, professional events, etc. She prints everything on site! Here are a few of my favorite shots.
My city (Bridgeport, CT) gets a bad rap. We were even poked fun at in a episode of Family Guy. I'm wasn't born or raised in CT so I don't know first-hand what it was like 10-20 years ago. I hear it used to be a lot of crime and corruption. What former large city hasn't gone through a period of rebuilding? Bridgeport was once a major port and manufacturing city. I hear from customers how nice the city was when they were growing up 30-40 years ago. They reminisce when they come into the restored Arcade Mall because their parents used to shop for them here. People once flocked here for jobs and opportunity. When the jobs left, desperation and crime ran rampant just like Cleveland, OH (my birthplace) and cities like Detroit, MI.
We've got a long way to go with the public education system here. Don't think there's an easy fix for that. But I believe our worst is in the past. Every city has parts of town you shouldn't go to at night, alone, if you don't know anyone or have no business there. That's just common sense! I moved to CT in 2005. I moved into downtown because there was an experimental artist housing development placed here. I was familiar with Artspace from my time living in MN. They buy distressed properties all over the USA and rehab them and subsidize apartments for artists and their families. This gives them an affordable place to live as they work in their craft. Usually Artspace projects are located in urban areas that have been void of residents for a while. I lived there until I outgrew my apartment when I started my family. My husband and I purchased a home in Bridgeport's north end.
When I decided to go into business for myself, Bridgeport was an obvious choice for opportunity and growth and the retail home for Gumdrop Swap. I see the once abandoned buildings being refaced and replaced. I saw the potential about 2 years ago and everyone asked " Are you sure you want to open a business in BRIDGEPORT?" Uh, yeah. And I did. And now other people must be as crazy as I was because I see families and neighboring businesses are moving in. Sure, its not happening as fast as people (including myself) may want it to. But it took years to get the city in it's current state and it takes visionaries to invest, risk and make positive changes. I'm happy to be a part of the movement. I look forward to sharing some maybe-not-so-well-known things going on here. If you haven't been to downtown Bridgeport in years you've got to come see what you're missing! Delicious food, affordable shopping, relaxation, and great people. Park your car and explore! Unless, you consider the Family Guy cartoon a reliable travel guide. In that case, stay where you are, lol.
Spring is peeking out. I'm excited because this is my favorite time to update my modeling portfolio. I know some awesome photographers that I found when we were all just getting started in this industry. Now they've gone on to being very successful. So much so that they are too busy to "test" (work for trade i.e. free) which is understandable. Paying customers always take precedence over non-paying associates. So, I'm on the hunt for new go-to photographers. I'm posing for a photography group next week. The photographers range from novice to expert so it will be interesting how many good shots I will get. But I don't feel pressure like when I'm preparing for a paid shoot. I need to shop for new wardrobe and accessories for all the shoots for spring but this opportunity presented unexpectedly so it gave me the inspiration to begins shopping. I used my old faithful endless.com for shoes. You can't beat free shipping (even on returns!) and no-hassle returns up to ONE YEAR after your purchase. That's takes the fear out of shopping online. And I did return a pair of boots from my order last fall months after they arrived. It took me that long to find an outfit to wear with them and when I thought I did they were too high of a heel for me. I had the refund within a week. These are the three shoes I picked. I'm planning to wear the yellow shoes with a fitted black and white dress. And I have a green satin dress to try with the other two. What do you think?
As a solopreneur, I constantly need inspiration. Nothing is more inspirational than hearing the story of other people who have started their own successful business. Its even better when they are women and I can relate even more when those women are moms. As working moms and wives, there's is not much time left in our pies (think pie chart) for much else, especially running a business. So when I stumbled upon a website called Venture Mom a few months back I sighed in relief. "I'm not alone" I thought to myself. People (usually customers) ask me how I came up with the idea for Gumdrop Swap. So, after reading a few of the stories about Featured VentureMoms I decided to submit my story. I heard back from Holly (woman behind the site) and she interviewed me for a future feature. Which you can read here. Her site also allows you to submit your business in her online directory of Mom Ventures for FREE! I highly recommend that you sign-up for her newsletter. That way you'll never miss a featured VentureMom. She also shares tips and advice for those who are just thinking about starting a venture of their own. Holly can be hired for speaking engagements. She is based in my state of Connecticut but willing to travel and inspire!
Chef Mona makes some unique and delicious baked treats! I required a taste test before creating this business card for her. I tasted the mango cheesecake which inspired the illustration on the card. She makes some other flavors I look forward to trying soon. She uses shortbread cookies for the crust instead of the typical graham cracker crust. You can taste that the ingredients are fresh. I've ordered a cheesecake for my husband's upcoming birthday! For more of my graphic design and illustrations go to the Gift of Gabby website.
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It's amazing to me that a year ago, GumdropSwap didn't have a name. It was a crazy idea that came to me in a rare shower. I was a new mom: sleep deprived, emotional, and concerned about my "career" while on maternity leave. I needed a name for my online kids clothing swap club. I had settled on "swap" instead of trade or the like. But any word similar to kid, child, etc associated with swap made it sound like I was trafficking children or trying to copy the tv show Wife Swap. That may make a great reality show. Most parents have thought about trading their kids for ones with better behavior on some days. But I'll let the tv producers have that one. So, I had to find a word that suggested childhood without veering to far in another direction. Candy seemed an obvious choice. I kept thinking of the song "If all of the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops, oh what a rain that would be..." and that's when I decided gumdrop was generic enough candy reference and drop and swap rhymed. Here is a photo of the retail space after we painted and installed the wall hanging system.
My brother came to visit on his spring break. He is a teacher in Atlanta. My mother's and my birthday are only a few weeks apart so it was a perfect time to visit. He is encouraging with my business and wanted to help while in town so I accelerated the move-in to take advantage of his muscle. My husband and brother moved lots of heavy boxes in 2 storage places to my store in one day.
I didn't realize I had that much merchandise until it was all in one location! Geez. I had some crazy notion I could slowly move everything on my own in my compact car. That would have taken me months! It was a lot of stuff and I'm so glad that part was over. Then, my brother helped me move some things to the basement and begin unpacking and hanging clothes for 2 days. 4 days later and I'm still hanging and unpacking.
I am really proud of my spring window display though. I estimate I'm about 70% done hanging what I have. I'm looking for a creative way to display the 1000s of socks I have. Any suggestions?
If you are thinking of joining the children's clothing swap club (open to all U.S. residents) this month is the end of low introductory membership prices. Only $4.99/month for online members (those who do all swapping via mail and do not come into the bricks-and-mortar boutique in CT. Monthly rate will increase to $8.99 on May 1st, 2010. Confused? Don't be! Feel free to call 800-385-6080 or email gumdropswap(at)gmail(dot)com.
Think of it like this: For online members, your small membership rate ($5/month) allows you to swap as much as you want. You mail your gently used items to the boutique. I go through your box of unwanted items and credit the account you created at GumdropSwap. You will get an alert letting you know you have credits to shop with (called gumdrops). You use the website to select the clothes your children need now. You can even use your earned gumdrops to pay for your outgoing shipping! I pick your items and pack your box and you will get a box of clean, name brand, new and gently used clothes at your doorstep!
For locals that swap and shop in our boutique, the process is slightly different. You don't have to be a member to shop, but the savings is significant if you do. If you're from CT you probably haven't done much shopping downtown. You have no idea what you're missing! The Arcade Mall is one of the oldest indoor malls in the nation and a thing of beauty now that it has been restored. The glass atrium ceiling is breathtaking.
Non-members typically pay between $5-$25 per garment and do not have the privilege of swapping. If you are local to the CT area, the current rate to join is $9.99/mo if you are swapping for one child and an additional $3/month per child for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th child (no additional charge for more than 4 children!) Rates will increase to $14.99/month for 1st child on May 1, 2010. The additional charge for children 2-4 will not increase. Members pay about half the retail prices that non-members pay. And members get to swap their unwanted children's clothing and items into credits that pay for the things they want. This makes it easy to budget for your children's wardrobe. You know they are going to outgrow things. Once you pay the membership fee, those bags of outgrown clothing you are storing in your basement or attic or closet will buy the things your kids need now. A good estimate is a tall kitchen size garbage bag full of clothes usually earns about 200 gumdrop credits. So, if you swapped that much every three months you are paying $15 (online) and $30+ (local) to spend $200 in the store.
Why the difference? Online members pay for shipping coming and going and don't select the exact garments. Instead, they choose the size, gender and type of garment (i.e. 2T, boys, jeans) and I select the nicest garment that matches that description from the vast merchandise available. I am also guided by the style preferences you specify when you register or when you place your order. If there is anything new with the tags still on, that's what you will receive. Customers describe opening a shipment from GumdropSwap as getting a Christmas gift. I use my years in the art and fashion industry as expertise. Below is a photo of the entrance to the Arcade Mall on Main St. (between Fraiche Burger and McDonalds). Then a view of the corridor you walk through to get to the shops in the mall.
Local members have the advantage of rifling through our racks of merchandise. I encourage 1st time swappers to stay to see how I rate the quality of clothing and what kind of items go to charity. But you can drop off your swap if you do not have time to stay. I will credit your account to spend at a later date. Just want to get rid of the clothes? Come on by, I'll buy them from you.
GumdropSwap will be an exhibitor at the "Party for the Planet" event at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT on April 17-18, 2010. This is part of their Earth Day celebration. I was contacted after a representative from the zoo read about GumdropSwap in the Natural Awakenings of Fairfield County publication this past February. This is a perfect opportunity to let my local community know of GumdropSwap and my mission to keep kids clothes, books, and toys out of our landfills. We "recycle" damaged clothing into new apparel, accessories, and quilts. I better get to sewing! The "gumdrop Couture" items I made before have all been sold except for one sample. I guess people like the idea of having a one of a kind garment. Here is my daughter in a dress I made by cutting off the stained part of a shirt and attaching fabric to make a bohemian dress.
On Sat. 4/17/10, I will be there from 10am-3pm but Sunday I will only be there from 1-3pm due to my obligations at church. I would love to meet you in person if you can make it. I know my daughter will enjoy the festivities. You should bring your kids too!
I know, I know. It sounds to good to be true. Most recyclers do it for our planet. But if the greater good of the world isn't motivation enough, maybe your family needs more of an incentive? Or maybe recycling your household waste is part of your routine or even required where you live. If so, kudos to you! My mayor is pushing the "greening" of my Connecticut city, and I applaud his efforts. I recently discovered a company called RecycleBank that rewards you for recycling by working through/with businesses and municipalities (your town or city). I used the contact us link to request that they contact my mayor because I want this in my city! If I understand the program it works like this: The city provides you with a special receptacle to put your recyclable items in. Your RecycleBank cart will be weighed each week upon pick-up. The weight will then be translated to RecycleBank Points. The more you recycle, the more your household can earn. In a few select communities, households earn rewards based on their equal share of the total amount that their entire community recycles. You earn reward points which you can use to shop with thousands of local and national retailers. You can search retailers by your zip code. There are some big names of national chains participating like Whole Foods, Rite Aid, and CVS...
I think this is such a cool program. I will keep everyone updated if I hear from my mayor or we get this implemented in Bridgeport. We already have weekly pickup but why not get rewarded for it and encourage people who aren't voluntarily participating an incentive to join in. I'm curious if anyone's city is already doing this and how they feel about the program? Please comment!
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