Tag Archives: the bling thing

Sep. 19.

Cheap Hobo Purse a Must have for Fall 2011

By brooke | Posted in products, the bling thing, Trend Alert, Uncategorized |
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Year in and year out our most popular handbag that we sell is the Hobo Purse.

We have them available in all the current colors including teal,orange,purple,black,brown,grey,and red.

The classic hobo purse is typically large,and has a crescent shaped slouchy shape.
it has a long shoulder to wear over the shoulder.

The hobo purse got its name because it resembles the shape of the pouch that hobos used to carry over their shoulders.

Our hobo purses look like real leather,but they are a synthetic.Real leather hobo purses are typically heavy,and this is one of the great benefits or our hobo purses!They are lightweight,and inexpensive.

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Jun. 20.

Shopping for my Vacation..In My Store!

By brooke | Posted in About Me, products, the bling thing |
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Vacation…Vacation…Vacation!

I luv me some vacation!

I am taking a few days off,and partying with the girls!…Stopped into my funtique The Bling Thing

I picked up some fun Wine Coasters ,some Woozies ,and some fun vacation wine!

Momma needed a new pair of shoes,so I got me some cool Yellow Box flips flops!Don’t ya love them?Yellow Box

I also picked up the hottest new feather earrings,and a purse that was calling my name since i bought it!

It felt great-Why don’t you give it a shot?

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May. 02.

Retail Happy Hour

By brooke | Posted in business, the bling thing |
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We will be expanding our retail showroom hours on

Thursdays,beginning this week.For the summer we will be open on Thursdays

from 11-7pm.To kick it off,we will be offering 10% off of all drink accessories

from 5pm-7pm,and offering a FREE gift with purchase between the hours of

5pm-7pm on Thursdays!

Join us this week!!

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Feb. 18.

Trend Report 2011

By brooke | Posted in products, the bling thing, Trend Alert, Uncategorized |
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We just got back from the Apparel market,and everywhere i looked it was leggings,leggings,leggings. The long sweaters and leggings are still popular,and we bought some long jackets to wear with them.

I am assuming the skinny jean trend will carry for a while,as peeps will need something besides leggings to wear with their jackets.Beige Ruffle Jacket

This is a picture of one of the jackets we brought back from market- notice the ruffles on the bottom.Ruffles are everywhere,we saw them on trendy tops,jackets,dresses,lots of embellishments!

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Oct. 12.

A year is a long time…but yet it seems like a day…

By brooke | Posted in About Me, That's all i have to say about that, the bling thing |
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It was a year ago October 8th, that our physical store came into existence along with a matching website.

In many respects, i totally rebranded my company.I had been selling swimwear and travel accessories on Brooke Boutique and was looking to expand.
At least once a week, i second guess the decision to open a retail presence in the midst of the worst recession i have ever seen in my life. I allready know i am a entrepeneur.I allready know i have taken a lot of risk in my life in business. However, I am starting to second guess whether i may be touched in the head!
It hasn’t helped that i ended up having severe back pain a couple months into opening the boutique.It hasn’t helped that i ended up having major back surgery and am still recovering from that.It has been rough.
The website TheBlingThing.com is humming along.. It is the retail store that is struggling as expected.Maybe i was arrogant to think that people would want to buy the affordable jewelry and handbags i had been selling online for years.Maybe I am just not giving the people what they want.These are the things you think about when you spend hour after hour alone in a retail setting.
I am not sure where I will go from here.I have had to make major decisions to try to save my company.Decisions that aren’t pleasant.I have had to go from a 4 person company, to a 1 person company temporarily i hope.I will continue to pull out every trick I can think of,but will it be enough?
Retail takes a lot of time,money,and commitment. I don’t have money, I may not have much time left in the retail brick and mortar business,but I am committed.
Committed to doing the best i can to share the trends with you at affordable prices.Committed to stay true to my style,and brand.Committed to being honest with you,and fair for as long as i can keep the doors open.
If the time comes to close the doors, I hope i can do it with the grace and charm that the customers and residents of Saline have shown me and my company.
That’s All I have to say about that!

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Aug. 15.

Give A SHIT!

By brooke | Posted in How we Roll, Rants |
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I don’t know if it is the age i am,the fact that my baby isn’t a baby anymore,the absolutely tumultous last couple of years we have had or

WHAT..

but lately i just feel like i need to be more vocal and more active about what happens in the city that I live in.

It all started a couple of years ago, when we sold our house that bordered on Ann Arbor and Saline.We had Saline schools and Ann Arbor mailing.
Our daughter went to Saline schools.However, i didn’t feel like I was really a part of the community.Sure, we would come downtown for dinner occasionally, and maybe hit the parade at Christmas but when we entertained we usually went to Ann Arbor.

We moved closer to downtown Saline to be closer to my daughters school as well as my office.

I started to get more involved in our local community,but still felt the need to do more.I have always wanted to open a brick and mortar(that is what we internet peeps call retail stores),and there was somewhat affordable space available in Saline,so it seemed like the perfect solution!
I would open my store,help to revitalize the downtown,satisfy both of my middle age pipe dreams!
My plan would work perfectly except for the fact that it has to be worst time in history to open a retail store,my financial situation is precarious at best,i allready worked 70 hours a week,and banks aren’t lending at all.

I DID IT ANYWAY

There is no bailout for us small business owners who make a mistake,if I want to live in a well rounded city,and be proud of my surroundings it is up to MOI .

One Saturday I was sitting at a day long volleyball tournament watching my daughter play,and this obnoxious man was trying to motivate his daughters team into playing better.

He kept yelling “Give A Shit” which was so inappropriate in the context of where we were,but I got what he was trying to say.

I am not asking you to open a retail boutique(unless you need a hobby),I am asking you to think about what you can do to help your community to be a better place.

Maybe you can commit to buying a cup of coffee a week from an independent coffee shop, or maybe you could plant a tree for a neighbor who needs it.

All I am asking is that you simply Give A Shit!

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Jul. 22.

Bid For A Cure Event

By brooke | Posted in Events |
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An event sponsored by Shani Inge,and her group to benefit breast cancer research was held in downtown Saline,Mi on July 1st.

I could not believe how many people came out to get signatures from the Detroit Tiger players! I heard they raised over $60,000!! How awesome is that!

Tiger Playersthe line was around the block to get siggies from these players!

Tiger Players

PawsHad a Blast,and all for a good cause!

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Jul. 07.

Do you have any glitter?

By brooke | Posted in the bling thing, Trend Alert, Uncategorized |
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Do you have any glitter?

This is the question a guest in our boutique asked me today. Hum.. No.. I guess we don’t have any glitter..

No glitter…but we have BLING…

Statement Jewelry is so hot! We have the hottest jewelry sets with the necklaces and earrings..

This set is only $25!

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Mar. 25.

How to freshen up your party!

By brooke | Posted in the bling thing, Trend Alert, Uncategorized |
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No cash has made most Michiganders a little more careful when we entertain. Some peeps are doing bring your own parties, some peeps are just cutting back. We have amassed a ton of new items that will help you to freshen your party. From cocktail napkins to inexpensive wine glasses there are a bunch of easy, inexpensive ways to brighten up your party.

The easiest and most inexpensive way to get people laughing is to serve drinks on funny cocktail napkins. They are typically inexpensive, and a package has enough napkins to use more than once if you are having a small party.

You can also use them sparingly like on the first drink you serve only. This will cut down on the number used, but still get people talking. Our most popular set of cocktail napkins is the one below, but you can do anything from a racy napkin, to a themed napkin, to a funny one.

Another fun way to update your existing party supplies is to add something unusual to the party. Whether it is a game to be played, name tags that you can make before the party, or fun themed ice cubes all are inexpensive!

One of the things we do when hosting a social event is we premake ice cubes in a fun theme. You can buy all kinds of ice cube trays at the dollar store,and use them for your event. We offer some fun reusable ice cubes in the shape of high heel shoes,but you can do a lot of different themes for cheap!

Finally, an inexpensive thing that will save your coffee table from rings, and your friends from sharing drinks is fun wine coasters.

We offer several different options, but some fun ones for summer are the High Heel Sandal Coasters
In conclusion, entertaining doesn’t have to be expensive, and you can add some inexpensive accessories to your party to update it and make it fun!

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Dec. 23.

New Year Resolutions

By brooke | Posted in About Me, How we Roll |
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It’s that time again… time to reflect on the past year and review my goals for this next year. I have always loved selling apparel, and will still sell the swimwear and tote bags that i have always sold on the http://www.brookeboutique.com site.

   However, as i posted in some past blogs, i decided to pull the gift and other stuff off of Brooke Boutique,and do a new website http://www.theblingthing.com ,and hey while i am  at it, why not open a retail store?lol

   So that is what i did! I opened TBT(The Bling Thing) in downtown Saline, in October of this year. I love it! I have been planning this store since  i was 8 years old. The website by the same name is now ready,and we are loading it as fast as we can.

I have always had an accessory store on my wish list, but did i think i would open a retail store in 2009? NO WAY! All i can say is that i was open to a new adventure, i knew i would have to continue to make my own job(no jobs in Michigan),and i have never seen a store even close to what i have at TBT.

So, when you are reviewing your resolutions for the year, you don’t have to make them specific. Open your heart, your ears,and your eyes. You never know… you may be living your own Bling Thing!

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