I have a few unanticipated free minutes and I thought it might give me a chance to post a blog. We'll see how long those "free" minutes last...
Annie's Clothesline is still looking for a few possible new stores that will carry our products. We've investigated several stores in the state of Indiana and one or two out of state. We would like to add a new store or two but can't seem to make the ultimate decision until we know we can handle the increased work load. That means we need to hire one or two people to help us sew. Just a little help is needed for some piece working especially on our coats, since they are one of the most desirable items we make. We welcome any comments or interest.
I would also like to thank O'Child Boutique for the support over the last year. Selling our items in that store was one of the best decisions we made because it has opened a some doors for us. Thank you Nancy!
Follow the progress of our business. We create custom clothing for girls and boys ages 1 to 5 using vintage materials and vintage-inspired patterns.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Spring/Summer 2011 Fabrics Purchased
On New Year's day we made a trip to our favorite fabric store, The Stitching Post in Washington, Indiana. We were able to select many fabrics for a great deal of what we will be making for our spring/summer collection. We love our new fabrics and feel they will represent the upcoming seasons well. You should see our new collections at O'Child Boutique in Bloomington and Ballerinas and Bruisers in Zionsville. We're disappointed that the 3rd store that carried our collections, Ragpickers in Jasper, is closing. It is motivating us to find 2 new stores to carry our products this spring.
Washboard Girls
We plan to make short sleeve t-shirt dresses as well as tank dresses with these fabrics-
We also plan to introduce a new item to the Washboard Girls collection, skirts.
Kate and Izzy
Featuring the following fabrics paired with vintage barkcloths.
Rue Bee
More Princess Coats for spring out of fuchsia and a powdery-royal blue. We are also going to expand the Princess Coat design and make it into a dress with the following fabrics-
One more new design will be a shirt-waist dress with buttons down the front. We think this fabric below will be perfect for the introduction of the new design.
RJ Clark
Yes, we have a boys collection! We chose this fabric for RJ Clark. We will make boys overalls with shorts for spring and summer. I know we'll add more designs and fabrics for the boys collection, since now we have a few boys in the family to clothe.
Washboard Girls
We plan to make short sleeve t-shirt dresses as well as tank dresses with these fabrics-
We also plan to introduce a new item to the Washboard Girls collection, skirts.
Kate and Izzy
Featuring the following fabrics paired with vintage barkcloths.
Rue Bee
More Princess Coats for spring out of fuchsia and a powdery-royal blue. We are also going to expand the Princess Coat design and make it into a dress with the following fabrics-
One more new design will be a shirt-waist dress with buttons down the front. We think this fabric below will be perfect for the introduction of the new design.
RJ Clark
Yes, we have a boys collection! We chose this fabric for RJ Clark. We will make boys overalls with shorts for spring and summer. I know we'll add more designs and fabrics for the boys collection, since now we have a few boys in the family to clothe.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Reflections on the Year
2010 was a big year! Annie's Clothesline had our best year ever. We began 2010 by developing our logo and identity with a graphic designer. As a result we have a cool new logo and great colors to go with it. Work with him is leading us toward even more professional looking products by adding logo designs for our collections, new tags and labels.
Next, we tackled the website. We hired a designer from etsy to create a splash page for our site. Then we began implementation of a web redesign to go with it. The redesign is a never ending process for which I have to thank my webmaster, my father, for working so hard. Our site now includes pictures of our products on the left. When you click on the product you can see additional images of that product in the center of your screen. Our obstacle is that the large images take time to load so he is working on that now. Nonetheless you can still see more of what we have to offer in all of our collections.
We're still awaiting final sales from O'Child but we already know that we have increased our sales by over 600%! We have sales in stores to thank for that. O'Child Boutique in Bloomington has been our top seller. We have had a presence in the store for a little over a year now. Second in sales in Ballerinas and Bruisers in Zionsville. The patrons of that store love our coats. Speaking of which. My mother and co-owner made these beautiful coats for my daughters. Every where we go people are noticing them. Someone said, "What are those coats?" I had to say, "They are Annie's Clothesline!" Yes, we're heading for name recognition. The woman continued to say, "You don't see that in Bloomington. They look like they are from Paris." I said, "Well, now you do. And they're on sale at O'Child Boutique on the square."
The third store that sells our clothing, Ragpickers in Jasper has also had success in selling our products. It's the cutest store in downtown Jasper and is a great destination for gift shopping.
We also did a decent bit of selling to friends and acquaintances as well as attendance at the Plainfield Tri Kappa Gingerbread Christmas craft show. We enjoyed the show and hope to attend again next year. We learned a lot from attending the show and it will help us in achieving our goal of attending the Country Living Craft Show in Columbus, Ohio in a few years.
Thanks to everyone who supports us. We love our business and we hope you do too. Expect to see more growth and visibility of Annie's Clothesline in the future! Happy New Year!
Next, we tackled the website. We hired a designer from etsy to create a splash page for our site. Then we began implementation of a web redesign to go with it. The redesign is a never ending process for which I have to thank my webmaster, my father, for working so hard. Our site now includes pictures of our products on the left. When you click on the product you can see additional images of that product in the center of your screen. Our obstacle is that the large images take time to load so he is working on that now. Nonetheless you can still see more of what we have to offer in all of our collections.
We're still awaiting final sales from O'Child but we already know that we have increased our sales by over 600%! We have sales in stores to thank for that. O'Child Boutique in Bloomington has been our top seller. We have had a presence in the store for a little over a year now. Second in sales in Ballerinas and Bruisers in Zionsville. The patrons of that store love our coats. Speaking of which. My mother and co-owner made these beautiful coats for my daughters. Every where we go people are noticing them. Someone said, "What are those coats?" I had to say, "They are Annie's Clothesline!" Yes, we're heading for name recognition. The woman continued to say, "You don't see that in Bloomington. They look like they are from Paris." I said, "Well, now you do. And they're on sale at O'Child Boutique on the square."
 |
| A dress at Ragpickers |
 |
| Booth at Gingerbread Christmas |
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sale!
We had a great experience at the Gingerbread Christmas craft show. We hope to attend again next year!
New news-we have lowered prices on some of our Washboard Girls and Kate and Izzy dresses. We're offering over 1/2 off on the dresses posted on our Etsy store. Take a look. You might find something for your favorite little girl! http://www.etsy.com/shop/anniesclothesline
New news-we have lowered prices on some of our Washboard Girls and Kate and Izzy dresses. We're offering over 1/2 off on the dresses posted on our Etsy store. Take a look. You might find something for your favorite little girl! http://www.etsy.com/shop/anniesclothesline
Friday, December 3, 2010
Come Shop Annie's Clothesline Saturday, December 4th
They say we're going to get our first major snowfall this Saturday. There's noting better to gear us up for the holidays than snow and shopping! It's a perfect combination so come visit our booth at the Plainfield Tri Kappa Gingerbread Christmas craft fair on Saturday, December 4th from 9am-3pm. We'll have discounted items and new ones to share!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Shown on Fox 59 News in the morning!
Our dresses and coats were pictured on Fox 59 news last Friday morning. View our products when Sherman talks about O'Child Boutique! http://www.fox59.com/videobeta/?watchId=d6495d42-4fef-4e3f-a63b-41d3df57f55c
Monday, November 1, 2010
Making the Sale!
We are overjoyed that people out there like our product! We have been selling well in all three stores this month. Ragpickers in Jasper sold 3 Halloween Treat bags and a Kate and Izzy dress in 2 weeks! Now we know where the bags will sell. We'll have some for Easter that are very cute.
Our fleece swing coats are selling great at O'Child in Bloomington and at Ballerinas and Bruisers in Zionsville. We like making these coats and can make them in sizes 12 months to 6 in any color, as long as we can find the fabric. We have made them in pink, fuchsia, navy blue, black, and cranberry this fall. The berets are now available in O'Child and are made in fabrics to match the coats. Ragpickers will also have coats in a week or two. We are making a brown and a red coat for them in 12 month sizes. They are both adorable!
We are now starting to gear up for our next endeavor, the Tri Kappa Gingerbread Christmas in Plainfield, Indiana on December 4th. We are busy making new items for the show and will bring some of our past items for sale.
Finally, to my followers, if there is a children's store or boutique near you that you think our stuff will sell in please let us know. We are hoping to expand into another store in spring 2011. We are considering an out-of-state store, possibly in Michigan, Illinois, or Ohio. I know we don't have many followers yet but I'd love to hear any suggestions.
 |
| Easter Bag |
Our fleece swing coats are selling great at O'Child in Bloomington and at Ballerinas and Bruisers in Zionsville. We like making these coats and can make them in sizes 12 months to 6 in any color, as long as we can find the fabric. We have made them in pink, fuchsia, navy blue, black, and cranberry this fall. The berets are now available in O'Child and are made in fabrics to match the coats. Ragpickers will also have coats in a week or two. We are making a brown and a red coat for them in 12 month sizes. They are both adorable!
 |
| Princess Swing Coat in navy with pink flowers |
We are now starting to gear up for our next endeavor, the Tri Kappa Gingerbread Christmas in Plainfield, Indiana on December 4th. We are busy making new items for the show and will bring some of our past items for sale.
Finally, to my followers, if there is a children's store or boutique near you that you think our stuff will sell in please let us know. We are hoping to expand into another store in spring 2011. We are considering an out-of-state store, possibly in Michigan, Illinois, or Ohio. I know we don't have many followers yet but I'd love to hear any suggestions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)