I've been at The Pink Cabbage all but the first year. It took me a year to catch on and I was lucky! I was invited at the very beginning but already had a big space at Emporium Antiques in Frederick; I just wasn't ready to make a major move again. The second year, things were changing big and fast at The Pink Cabbage and Karen (she and I were sharing the space in Frederick by then-it started with Janine and me) and I were asked again. We didn't hesitate. Now, for 4 years, there is a list of people waiting for a space there as long as a football field.
I'm in my third location in the shop. I started out with a great size room then decided that I wanted to downsize. I moved into the smallest space, a very small closet, there and it proved to...well, not work out. Now I'm in a small space but I think two people can be in my space at a time; the closet, not even one could be "in". The last reorganization has made for a beautiful setting.
So many talented and wonderful women. Sixteen of us! And we all like each other! Our group has matured together and become close. And we are some of our best customers.
As you can see, we have a diverse array of tastes and inventory but it all flows very nicely...
The turnover of merchandise there is head-spinning. We've all had the same idea of keeping prices down but particularly so when the economy tanked; we worked even harder to make everything there affordable.
I know that sometimes new customers think we are pushing a sale when we tell them not to count on an item still being there if they don't buy it when they see it. It only takes one "where tha?" to see it's not a pitch.
The cherry on the top is Jody, our leader. We are a co-op theoretically but we are very blessed to have a great leader. Jody works tirelessly to promote our shop, set up great events, and get us involved in many donation projects. A church or school silent auction, we all pony up items from our shops; we never say no to a good cause. Then the holidays, huge food donations as our customers get a discount for bringing in a food item. They also get a discount at Christmastime by bringing in a new, unused toy for Toys For Tots. Both occasions make for our shop spilling over with food and toys. We are in partnership with Success in Style, a non-profit that works to reintroduce women back to the workforce. We partner with a close-by elementary school making special lunches and treats for teacher work days. And our customer-based email list is worth millions!!!!
So Jody made pink martinis yesterday starting at 9 a.m. and we all brought in homemade desserts. The events are always so fun and special with beautiful details.
The best we've ever been able to do for a group photo-11 out of 16. Jody is front and center and, our mascot Madge, well hopefully you can figure out which one she is...
