Thanks MOM!!

GUUUESSS who is back! Yep. But Im pretty sure Im not going to make any excuses or say I'll get better at writing, until I actually DO BECOME better and consistent at keeping yall up on this blog!

Lots of wonderful and exciting things are coming up for sugar snap pea! We had to take a slight snooze on our e-commerce website, but our hopes are not all lost. We are still working on that, and will let you know as soon as it happens! (perhaps even reward you for your patience)

But today's post is to say thank you to all the MOMS. Moms who love their kiddos and bring them to SSP to show them off. Moms who may be on a business trip but still cant resist not bringing something back for their little ones. Moms and Dads who may be on their baby vacation or babymoon, and spend hours at SSP just getting excited for their new arrivals.

To say THANK YOU to all of you, please stop by Sugar Snap Pea this week and get a special promotion. When you purchase 2 full priced items, you get your 3rd 50%. Pretty dandy!

whats with the silence?

Im pretty sure I can count on multiple hands, mine and yours, how many time I said i'll get better at blogging about SSP. I think I'll just stop saying it and try to get better :) With the fall show that just happened in NY, to multiple trips that i'm taking to building a website and interviewing for positions at ssp (if you're interested in a retail position dont hesitate to email me!) I have fallen off the wagon. But worry not, ill be getting back on this asap!

in other news....

FUN NEW THINGS!!!!

So many of you have asked about shoes, and well, we have new ones!! Morgan and Milo didnt disappoint again and looky here what we have, varying in sizes!

girls sizes 6-13.5

girls sizes 9.5-2

girls sizes 9-1

baby unisex sizes 4-7

boy sizes 7-12

playground has never been more fun in these!!

outfit of the day

Sorry this blog seems to be so unstable :) We are swamped building our website which we hope to bring to you by the end of this month!! We had a great success hosting Jonathan Miller and Sammy's books this past sunday. It was so much fun, that we decided to keep his books and sell them! If you'd like a signed copy, we have a few extras!

To continue with our fun products and small shipments that are starting to arrive here and there, we are continuing with our "outfit of the day" posts. Our outfit of the day fits in with this beautiful weather we are having. Perhaps start thinking about beautiful easter outfits? Great pieces by egg baby.

Girl:

Sizes 6 months-6 years

isnt the back so cool??

beautiful front of the dress

Boy

12 months-6 years

yes please.

outfit of the day

Our website phase I is complete, which means we are THAT much closer to letting you have full shopping control of all of our store goodies. In the meantime, I would like to feature outfit of the day. This way, you can start checking out what we have!

Girl Tea

sizes: 2-8

Adorable bubble dress that is great for transitional cold weather but can be used in warm spring as well!

Boy Tea: a Tee that can easily be layered and pants that roll up or down. Don't let the light color fool you, super durable and easy to wash!

Sizes 2-8

are you joining us?

Super exciting news! Sunday, February 13th, we will have our local artist Jonathan Miller read and sign his fun books: Adventures of Sammy. Check out Sammy and his owner here and join us on Second Sunday! Remember, King street will be closed to cars, so walking with strollers and kids will be that much more fun! Check out more info on Second Sunday here.

If you can't make the reading schedule, come purchase a book to support our local artist anytime!

If you're not getting our emails, but would like to, please visit www.sugarsnappea.com to sign up! Promise we are very good about not bugging you too much ;)

so humbled-nursery notations

As many of you know, December was a crazy month. Mostly because I had to leave the store and for me, its like leaving your baby with a relative...you trust them, but you call them every 15 minutes to make sure your baby is ok. ( I don't have children, but Im totally picturing myself doing that....oh boy)

Anyway, when I was traveling, the store was in very trusted hands of Meg and Heather (some of you love them more than you love me....and I'm ok with that...) So while I was away, we had a lovely visitor that I heard SO much about prior to her visit. I was HONORED that she stopped in and loved the store, but what I didnt expect is for her to blog about it on her amazing website: http://www.nurserynotations.com/

Here is the funny part-I've been following her blog for some time now. In fact, all the fun nursery designs that I saw, and some other neat inspirations for the store, came from that blog!! So much to my amazement this morning, and to a little stalking, I found out she wrote an AMAZING article on her blog. Jaw-floor-grin-side to side.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU and I hope that next time we can actually meet face to face!

P.S. all my new mommies and mommies to be-still not sure how you want to decorate your nursery? Make this page your daily go to!!

To check out the article and some of her great pictures of the store check here:

http://www.nurserynotations.com/

visiting and living charleston just got better!

Sugar Snap Pea loves Charleston! If you don't live here (we're sorry for you) but have been dying to visit, your trip planning with your little ones just got easier.

Starting in February we are offering a rental program to make packing a little bit easier. We will continue to add new products to our lists, but if there is something you need but don't see on the list, give us a call!

Live in Charleston and have been dying to see if these products are right for you? Come rent them for a day and if you're satisfied and ready to purchase one from us, we will rebate your rental!

Currently on our rental lists include:

Bugaboo Cameleon: Perfect to rent as a bassinet or as a stroller. Great for infants and for our bumpy cobblestone streets. Heading to the beach? Turn this stroller into a 2 wheel cart!

Rate: Day Rate-$10, Weekend rate (friday through sunday)- $20, Week Rate-$45

Bjorn Travel Crib: 11 lbs total, easiest folding and unfolding. You will never want to go back to your old pack n' play!

Rate: Day Rate-$7, Weekend rate (friday through sunday)- $20, Week Rate-$40

Bugaboo Bee: Perfect one part fold stroller. Be ready to head out to the beach or off the peninsula to see some other Charleston sites!

Rate: Day Rate-$7, Weekend rate (friday through sunday)- $20, Week Rate-$40

Bjorn Synery Carrier: Light and Mesh, perfect for our Charleston Heat. The best part? Has full back support, so will make carrying your little one easier on you and them!

Rate: Day Rate-$5, Weekend rate (friday through sunday)- $15, Week Rate-$30

We will be taking reservations, so make sure to book yours ahead of time!! info@sspbaby.com

we're cooking something good!!

January may be a month where people relax from their busy holiday schedules, but that's not the case here at Sugar Snap Pea! As many of you know, we have a lot of fun secrets under our sleeves, and well be announcing them very soon!

Currently we are working on our webstore!! So many people, locals or visitors, asked if we had an online store, that we knew waiting another 6 months wouldn't be smart.

Currently our goal is to have everything up by February 21st, but who knows, we may work overtime :)

Some of the fun things it will include:

~baby registry~

While we LOVE having moms come in and register here, and will continue to encourage in store consultations, we want your out of town relatives to be able to buy you gifts you actually WANT!

~baby registry recommendations~

we love helping parents make smart decisions for their new additions. You'll be able to read on our registry recommendations and make an educated decision on what you'll want to register, even if its not with us!

~top 10 gifts~

so many of you have birthday parties that you know you HAVE to go to, but have no idea what to get. Enter-SSP. We will make the best recommendations based on age, quality and price.

~gift baskets~

We are finally going to launch our concierge service we talked so much about! Pick a gift from $25, $50 or $100 and let us do the rest! (these will be preset or you can customize your own)

And remember, all of our gift wrap is complimentary!

Any other fun options that you'd like to see on our site? Were open to all suggestions!

P.S. GOOGLE: Sugar Snap Pea and see what you get! We just beat our biggest competition-the vegetables!

HAPPY 6months TO US!!!!!

google images-nicksmithphotography

SSP IS 6 months today!!!! Thats right! We're growing faster than we can stand it and are so so excited. To celebrate we are having a little birthday party. Ok, half birthday party...we hope to look like this by the end of it:

On a serious note: On February 13th (beautiful Second Sunday on King Street) we are having Jonathan Miller, the author of Adventures of Sammy, have a fun book signing and reading time for all of you! Times are to come, but there will be 2 readings so that you can be sure to stop by!

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY SSP!

P.S. Keep checking our website-sugarsnappea.com, Margaret is AMAZING and our webstore is COMING SOON!!!

dont walk...RUN!

Hi everyone! I deserve a big fat F for neglecting this blog. But not to worry, 2011 resolution will keep me in check when it comes to updating this blog :) ( i am sure this blog will get more attention than my gym membership)

I hope everyone had a great holiday and thank you all for stopping back to ask me how my travels were. Visiting my folks was wonderful and I had my store in wonderful hands, thanks to Heather and Meg.

2011 is here and I can not WAIT until all the new stuff arrive. We just got our new tea collection items for early spring and its amazing. The best part? we have sizes through 8!!!! Our next collection will have sizes through 12 in select outfits for girls.

Dont believe me that its great? How about some of these images below? I will leave you drooling, while I finish unpacking it all ( and psst we have 30% off some great items too!!)

5 months!!

SSP is 5 months today! I can't believe were getting so old! And today I realized that were not the only ones. I noticed myself re-asking customers how old their babies are, because I could have sworn they were just born, or we just talked about the cool bathtub for them. And now, they are either starting to crawl, walk or even talk. I cant wait to look back at this time and see these kids grow before our eyes.

We have a lot of fun and exciting things planned for 2011. Some things we started to share, some will be a big surprise. But for now, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Thank you for making this year so great for us. You welcomed SSP into your homes and for that I am so grateful!

lifetime memories

A few weeks ago Sugar Snap Pea hosted Santa. He was kind enough to stop by our store to snap a few pictures and let some kids tell him what they want for Christmas.

I dont recall my first picture with Santa, but I sure am glad I was able to witness a few firsts at the store. From sweet newborns to unsure and cautious toddlers, Carmen was able to capture wonderful images.

I even got wonderful emails from parents saying I have their permission to post these fun memories for everyone to enjoy! I look forward to many more in the years to come!!! And how cute are these kiddos?!?!

Tripp Trapp!!

Its true. Stokke Tripp Trapp is coming to Sugar Snap Pea. Its almost as exciting as Santa....almost.

Here is why the Tripp Trapp is so great. I believe when you make an investment it should last you awhile. This goes for it all...strollers...cribs that start as a small bassinet to a toddler bed, and so on.

This high chair starts as a great seat for a baby 6months all the way to a baby 99 years old. After your child grows out of the high chair position, you can use it as a chair for doing homework and then a chair you can pull next to your thanksgiving table. The beauty of this brand, is that everything is made out of natural wood and the quality is impeccable.

The colors can be as traditional as you want (from white, black and neutral) to purple, red and green.

Sugar Snap Pea will have these by the end of the month in the store, but if you want to pre-order your color today, you get a special gift with purchase!

SANTA!!!

It's true. I am becoming a kid more and more, while owning my own children's boutique. I may or may not be more excited that Santa is coming to Sugar Snap Pea this weekend. Thats right folks. Mr. International traveler himself, will be at 161 1/2 King Street for a little modeling photoshoot. Young or old, you are welcome to come sit next to Santa and tell him what you may want this Christmas and get your picture taken by our wonderful Carmen.

So stop on by, say hello and lets kick this season off right!

P.S. its still not too late to go to lovegave.com and make a childs Christmas that much more special. Dont forget about the 10% offer!!

Love Gave...have you?

As the holiday season is approaching, people are starting to look for a place and a way to give. When I started Sugar Snap Pea, I had every intention of making sure that SSP cares for others. This season, Sugar Snap Pea will be involved in many fundraisers, but one to point out will be Love Gave-the Bike Drive.

Please read below on their effort:

"LoveGave Bikes is a city-wide effort to give bikes to over 250 kids spread across 12 different Charleston area schools. For most of these kids, no bike would mean no Christmas present this year. To pull this off, we need you to partner with us. There are two ways you can give: online or in person. To give online, use the link below and we’ll purchase and deliver the bike on your behalf. To give in person, purchase a new bike at the West Ashley Walmart during the LoveGave Bikes event Thur. Dec 2, 9am — Sat Dec 4, 7pm. We’ll be perched high in a crane above the parking lot for 58 hours broad-casting live right here at LoveGave.com, chatting with you and giving updates on our progress along the way!"

Best part of it all? If you're not counting on kids who will be overjoyed because they will have a Christmas present? Sugar Snap Pea will offer you 10% off if you participate! And lets remember, that this should happen not just during the holiday season!

GO TO LOVEGAVE.COM and give!!

Traveling in style

Well, its that time of the year. When 4pm feels like 9pm, and its pitch dark at 6pm outside. But not for long, because before you know it, Christmas lights are going to take over our streets and it will be nice and bright.

So while I'm not participating in jolly music yet, I am thinking about upcoming holiday travel. This is when I wish I were a kid again, and I'd say that luxury is back in traveling.

Trunkis are a great little suitcase that packs a great deal of stuff for a fun trip to grandma's and also can be a nice resting seat while at the airport. Kids can push themselves through hallways, and also can be pulled by the parent. Besides the fun side of it, its also very practical if you're traveling with a stroller or another kid.

I may or may not be jealous that I cant fit on one.

Urban Sunday

I met a lot of new vendors at ENK. So many, I cant wait for you to see during spring time at sugar snap pea. However, there is one fun accessory line that just arrived. Some of you may think its a typical southern thing, but with its catchy name, the company shows that a fun accessory for a boy is not just a thing of the south.

Urban Sunday makes wonderful bow-ties and ties for babies all ages. I just got an amazing order of gingham, bicycle, and seahorses bow-ties and ties. You don't have to turn your little guy into a little man just yet, but there will always be an occasion when a tie is a must :)

the power of advertising

I come from the ad world. A world where you spend lots of money for a reader to see your shiny ad and make a split decision if they like you or not.

I was always on the: "you should be in our publication" side. Now, Im the person I used to run after. Advertising is great, but its usually very painful to spend the money that you actually need to advertise well.

I could think of million other places to put the money ( more merchandise, classes, maybe even lunch) but you cant have a sucesful business unless people know about you. Ho Hum.

Social media is great. Its a tool, that if used well, can bring great brand recognition and may cost you a bit less too. So I tried to dabble in it all. Sugar Snap Pea obviously has this blog, facebook and twitter accounts, and now we're going to print.

If you visit Charleston, you'll see SSP ads in a local map and then another visitors guide. Our latest, is going to a local magazine-Skirt. Check it out! And if you're not a fan on facebook...well Im not really sure what your excuse is ;)

baby store mythbusters #2

So I guess Im going to do a fun series on myth-busters. Im kind of excited about it, since Im learning so much as I grow this business. This week it will all be related to clothing.

Myth # 2--there are no cute and practical shoes for kids.

Yesterday I got a few delicious pairs of shoes. Indulge below:

our winter shoe :)

great for school since so many schools need a rubber bottom.

Stop in and get your size! They range from 7-2!