Monday, November 23, 2009

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town!


We are so excited to announce that Santa Claus himself is going to be stopping in at The Cordial Cricket on Saturday, December 5th from 12:00 to 5:00. This will be a perfect opportunity to bring your little ones, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends to visit with Santa. Each child will have the opportunity to visit with Santa and receive a special treat! While they tell him what they would like this year for Christmas, you can take as many pictures as you would like! We will have cookies and drinks for the kids to share with Santa too!

This is a wonderful FREE opportunity for any children in the community to participate in and we are so looking forward to having them come to our store to visit with Santa! Please click here and RSVP to let us know if you will be bringing your children to our store to visit with Santa to help us plan for refreshments, etc. You do not need to make an appointment or have a reservation, so please come either way, but if you can let us know ahead that would be great!

Introducing Katie Lemon Designs

We are thrilled to now carry the trendy, unique and stylish designs of Katie Lemon Designs. Katie is local to our area and creates handmade one of a kind clutches that every girl will want to carry for her next night out on the town. Available in limited designs and each one is unique. Visit our store to check out her latest designs and pick up one for yourself and maybe one as a great gift for a friend! See some examples of Katie Lemon Designs below and read about Katie's story.






"Katie Lemon Designs started with just a sketch on a yellow sticky note.


My name is Katie Lemon and the start of my line of clutches all began with an idea I had in my head that I would sketch over and over, thinking of different color combinations, fabrics, etc. Never sewing a day in my life I recruited the help of a co-worker and my mother who taught me my valuable first sewing lessons and made my little sketch come to life. Since then I’ve spent countless hours sewing and scouring fabric and antique stores looking for the perfect fabrics and accessories to make that perfect clutch. I started this line about 3 months ago and love every minute of it. I am also currently working on new shapes and designs and can’t wait to get to debut them in the near future." ~ Katie Lemon


The latest Katie Lemon Designs clutches are exclusively available at The Cordial Cricket.

Black Friday Sale

Don't get up at 4 a.m. to stand in line and fight with crowds of shoppers this year on the day after Thanksgiving...instead come relax, hang out and shop at The Cordial Cricket! We will open "fashionably" late at 9:00 a.m. that morning and serve coffee and donuts while you leisurely shop and save 15% off on the entire store!

We would love to have you come and relax with us! Bring a donation for the Christmas Mother of canned food, a new toy or new children's book and receive an extra 5% off your entire purchase.

Grab some friends and come on over to see us anytime between 9:00 and 6:00, get free coffee and donuts while they last and the store sale is good all day long.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

P.S. Many of our vendors will be cutting off orders for personalized items as early as December 1st in order to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas...so make sure to have your personalized order info ready on Black Friday and take advantage of the sale too!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Are You Doing Your Part?

When was the last time you...

1. Ate at a restaurant that a local family owned?

2. Purchased a birthday card at a locally owned small business instead of a outlet store?

3. Had to buy a gift for a child's birthday party that your child was going to? Did you frantically shop at the closest big box store for the hottest trendy gift or go to a local gift store and find a one of kind award winning toy for the same price?

4. Purchased your insurance from the local hometown guy instead of the 1-800 #?

5. Bought a wedding gift...not off the registry at a large department store, instead from your a local boutique, home decor or gift store?

6. Went to a show at a local theatre company instead of the movies at the Stadium 16 Cinema?

7. Needed a gift for a co-worker who just had a new baby...and bought it from a local store instead of the nearest baby super store?

8. Stopped at the local coffee shop in town and went inside to order your morning coffee instead of cruising through the nearest chain drive thru?

9. Watched or listened to the local news and heard about yet another small business in your area going out of business...only to think to yourself, I really should have patronized that business more often, they really did have great service, affordable prices and a great selection.

10. Ordered a pizza from the local family owned italian restaurant instead of the closest delivery chain?

11. Replaced a worn out appliance from the local appliance store on Main Street instead of the warehouse discount club?

12. Bought a gift certificate for someone as a present...to a locally owned small business or restaurant?

13. Got your haircut by the local barber shop instead of the mall franchise?

14. Shopped at a local Farmer's Market or roadside stand on Saturday instead of the super-sized grocery store?

15. Thought about the fact that all of your purchases, no matter how small, affect your local economy?

Your individual spending at a local, independently owned small business helps that business to stay in business, helps to pay the health insurance premium for a local small business owner that you know personally, helps a small business owner to support their family and those of their employees who you may have grown up with, helps a small business purchase an ad in the local community paper to grow their business, which helps your local newspaper stay in business and helps put sales tax dollars back into improvements for your community.

If you answered yes to more than just a few of these questions, then your doing a pretty good job of thinking about where you choose to spend your dollars and spending them locally at every opportunity. If not, should you try harder?Supporting small & local business is more important now, in the current failing economy than ever before. Think about where you spend your dollars, shop local every time you can, tell people about the local places you choose to spend your dollars and ask them to do the same. *For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If that $100 was spent in a national chain, only $43 stays in the local community* (Courtesy of the 3/50 Project)

Trust me, your efforts to do this are appreciated by the local small business owners whom you do business with and remember your name and your kid's names much more than the corporate sales director at a national chain who's trying to meet a quota.

We support the 3/50 Project which was founded on these concepts - read about it here and decide which 3 local businesses you would miss most if they suddenly disappeared! Once you have thought of your 3, why not visit www.LoveALocalBusiness.com and help one of the local business that you love win a $5,000 small business grant.

Then tell them you chose them the next time you visit their business...the way it will make you feel is amazing!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Howard
Proud Owner of a Local, Independently Owned Small Business in Chester, VA

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Love Our Local Business

Won't you help us win!? Read more below about a contest we have been nominated for, sponsored by Intuit. With your help, we could actually win. Please click on this link to show your "Love" for our Local Business.

In a nationwide effort to help support the growth of small businesses, Intuit is hosting the “Love a Local Business” sweepstakes. Fans of local small businesses can nominate their favorite hometown haunt, which will make them eligible for a drawing to win a $1,000 Intuit Growth Grant, which includes a $500 Visa gift card and $500 in Intuit business services, such as Intuit Websites and Web Listings. One of those five winning local businesses will receive a grand prize of $5,000!

In addition, each business that is nominated will appear on a custom Google Map displaying favorite businesses from across the country. The more nominations a business has, the more chances they have to win a grant. Intuit has already awarded $55,000 in small business grants, now it’s time to show support for your favorite neighborhood shop! Go to Love a Local Business for more information.