CRAVE CRUSH the urban girl's blog to all that you CRAVE

Introducing EcoEMPORIUM

February 28, 2011 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

The environment is always in style and ecoEMPORIUM, Atlanta’s first eco-lifestyle store, is your one-stop shop for inspiration, ideas and advice for living a greener lifestyle. The store offers wedding and baby registries, eco nursery classes, eco wedding gowns and invitations, non-toxic cookware and paint, organic mattresses and bedding, handbags, jewelry and much more for the urban, eco-chic stylista.

Take advantage of the last day of ecoEMPORIUM’s February blowout sale! Stop by At The Collective to get great deals on organic baby items and organic bedding and pillows!

How would you describe your business in exactly three adjectives?
Organic,  Sustainable, Stylish

What are your most popular products or services?
Organic Mattresses, Bamboo Bedding, Organic Baby Products, ecoNURSERY classes, ecoWEDDING gowns & jewelry

People may be surprised to know…
I was born in Key West and never learned to swim

What or who inspired you to start your business?
Health issues occurring from toxic furniture

What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
Not trusting my own instincts

What is your indulgence?
a spa treatment or massage

Where is your favorite place to go with your girlfriends?
Canyon Ranch Tuscon, Arizona

Fresh Face: Taylor Galen

February 25, 2011 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

Meet Taylor Galen, the creative entrepreness behind Taylor Galen Workroom!

Taylor Galen Workroom is a full-service drapery workroom for homes and commercial spaces in the Atlanta and Nashville areas.  Their services include window treatment consulting, design, production, and installation.  Products offered include soft draperies and hardware; blinds, shades, and shutters; and pillows and bedding.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Inventive, original, and resourceful.

What is your biggest goal for the future of your business?
My biggest goal is simply to continue to earn a reputation as being a reliable workroom that produces high quality product.

I would also love to see our work featured in a national design magazine such as House Beautiful or Elle DĂ©cor.

What is one thing you could not live without?
My husband and son. They make me laugh and inspire me. A close second would be my tape measure. It’s always in my purse.

What is your favorite thing about living in Atlanta?
The food! Whether it’s a nice dinner at Haven or a sandwich from Lee’s (my favorite Vietnamese bakery on Buford Highway) I never go hungry in this town.

What inspired you to start your business?
I wanted a career where I could be creative. I used to work in a corporate office where my imagination was limited to Power Point slides. I wanted to spend my days having fun and using my strongest skills.

What is your favorite part of being an entrepreneur?
I am in charge of the purpose and vision of my company. Also, I can put soft toilet paper in the company bathroom.

If you could have dinner and talk about business with one person, who would it be?
I would love to have dinner with Ina Garten (especially if she were hosting!) She has created an empire simply doing what she loves: cooking and entertaining. I admire her for taking risks in her business and staying true to her values.

If you could give one piece advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Find a mentor. A person with many years of experience in your field (or a related field) is invaluable. A mentor can serve as a sounding board, an advisor, and a source of support.

Fresh Face: Claire Watkins

February 4, 2011 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

Claire Watkins is the creative entrepreness behind Claire Watkins Interior Design and author of popular interior design blog, High Gloss Blue.  After writing her law school entrance essay on the characteristics of design as an argument, then paying for her business license and law school deposit in the same week, Claire made the decision to pursue her real dream.  Currently, she’s thrilled she gets to talk about chairs every single day, recession or not.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
One.  Hot.  Mess.

What is your biggest goal for the future of your business?
My biggest goal is the same as every small business owner’s goal to hire people to do all the non design related stuff I do for Claire Watkins Interior Design.  More concretely, my biggest goal is to take more design risks and fewer business risks.

When I first started my company, I was nervous about pushing clients in their design choices (would they think I was not listening to them or asserting my personal taste over theirs?).  I was nervous about having clients sign contract (would they think their was something in the fine print?).  I was nervous to push them to pay me on past due invoices (would I seem rude in following up on a late invoice?).  I’ve learned to listen to myself and now it is just a matter of having the discipline to always impart things.

What is one thing you could not live without?
My dogs.

What is your favorite thing about living in Atlanta?
The climate, hands down.

What inspired you to start your business?
After earning a degree in commercial interior design, I worked in textile design for major hotels and then as a photo stylist.  I always felt limited working for other people, like I was only using one half of my brain.  Looking for a challenging career, I decided to go to law school.  When I wrote the check for my tuition deposit, something clicked.  I bought my LLC the same week.  Design is my passion and I figured I could get this thing going in the three years it would take me to graduate from law school.

What is your favorite part of being an entrepreneur?
It is tremendously rewarding.  Every thing from getting to know new clients, to walking into a finished space, to creating relationships with artists, craftspeople and the Atlanta community in general (hello CRAVE and Laura Scholz), all the good stuff that comes with owning your own business really brings a high.

If you could have dinner and talk about business with one person, who would it be?
Let’s be honest, my next big client.

If you could give one piece advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?
You can do it.  Keep a day job, prepare to fail, meet all the people you can and start now, no excuses.  That is one sentence, so does it count as one piece of advice?  Oh and social media, social media, social media.

Introducing Finders Keepers Consignment

January 11, 2011 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

Finders Keepers Consignment is home to three of the best consignment stores in Atlanta, Georgia.  With over twenty-six years in business, their award-winning stores have the pleasure of working with thousands of consignors and customers nationwide.

Throughout the month of January, Finders Keepers will be offering FREE workshops to help you get organized in 2011!  Geared to help you get started, they are bringing you four savvy organizational pros who will teach you how to make the process easier.  Click here for more information.

What are your most popular products or services?
Well I have 3 stores, one does men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories, one does designer women’s and one does furniture and home furnishings so the answer is tricky.
Probably our most popular category is shoes and purses!  We recently did a 40% off all shoes at the Avondale store.  We have done sales before but this one was CRAZY!  I ended up in the back room where we keep the left shoes for 4 hours pulling shoe mates for the girls.  I had just stopped in to make sure everything was all set for the sale (it was my day off), we opened to a line of shoe-crazed women (I know them because I am one) and the madness did not stop for hours.  I literally pulled shoe mates for 4 hours before it calmed down!  We sold about 225 pairs of shoes in 2 days!  And handbags are always popular!  We rarely have to mark them down.  Sometimes I think having a store just for consigned shoes and handbags would be fun!

People may be surprised to know…
I am an Atlanta Native, you know we are rare these days.  I have sold other people’s stuff since I was about 10.  A friend and I used to set up our little shop of treasures on a street corner near our homes on a regular basis and sell stuff to Emory Students returning from class.  I love keeping merchandise out in the universe and am a big believer in feng shui.  I think hording stuff in closets and basements is bad feng shui and once you don’t love something anymore, it is your responsibility to return it to the universe so that someone else can have it and love it!

What or who inspired you to start your business?
My Dad, Casey Jones.  He was an entrepreneur who started a business in his garage at night, after working all day at his regular job and caring for his family.  He did all this after coming home from World War II.  I have a great deal of love and respect for this man.  He has always been my cheerleader, believing that I could do anything….and he loaned me the money for my first store!  He said consignment as a business is genius!  You don’t have any money tied up in inventory so if it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t matter.  The risks for a new venture are minimal so he was all for it…and it brought me and my family back from North Carolina.

What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
I now own 2 of my buildings and rent one.  Many times when I was renting, I passed up commercial buildings that were for sale because I thought they were overpriced and I was afraid of the mortgage payments.  I look back and the buildings are worth WAY more than the prices that I passed up.  I finally bought 2 buildings and it was the smartest thing I did.  Don’t pass up opportunities to buy commercial real estate, especially if it is to run your own business out of them! Why pay rent when you can pay a mortgage?  There is one particular building in Avondale that was $180,000 in the early 90′s.  Now it is worth probably 2 million, even in this economy.  That is one I will never forget, I could have owned that!

Fresh Face: Allie Carswell

January 7, 2011 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

This week’s Fresh Face is entrepreness Allie Carswell of Honey Bee Invites.  Allie’s blog, The Secret Life of Invites, celebrates the beauty and art of invitations and fine stationary: where the come from, why they’re made, what people are celebrating or announcing and why they look the way they do.  Every thought, paper, ink, sketch, letter, and color has a purpose.  Every invitation  is made with love.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Genuine, creative, dreamer

What is your biggest goal for the future of your business?
To make invitations for a celebrity!!

In all seriousness my goal is to always build a relationship with the client. It is one of the best parts of my job. Of course, I love painting, calligraphy, and hand-crafting invitations, but I also really enjoy getting to meet the clients and reflect their personality in my work.

What is one thing you could not live without?
Paper & pen.  Seriously! I am constantly thinking of random ideas for cards, invitations, etc. You never know when you’ll get inspired; sometimes it’s in mall or in the line at the DMV (this actually happened to me).

What is your favorite thing about living in Atlanta?
The food! Atlanta has the best restaurants.  The Social House is one of my favorite feel-good spots.

What inspired you to start your business?
Years ago, I found my passion in painting and letters. And while reading an amazing book by Dan Miller I came across an excerpt from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.

“Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. For if you break bread with indifference, you bake bitter bread that feeds but half a man’s hunger. And if you grudge the crushing of grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine. And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.”

Gibran’s words spoke right to me. And I decided, if you aren’t doing what you love, then read, learn, invest and absorb everything about what you love, and make your passion your business.

What is your favorite part of being an entrepreneur?
That I am living my dream.  It’s an amazing feeling to go after something you believe in, and watching Honey Bee Invites slowly grow has been incredible and very rewarding.

If you could have dinner and talk about business with one person, who would it be?
Ree Drummond of @thepioneerwoman. She is amazingly talented at many things and I think much of her successes cab be attributed to her business savvyness and go-getter attitude. I would love to ask her a million and one questions!

If you could give one piece advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Get involved with social media!  Social media can help grow your business immensely.  Coming from a background in PR, I strongly value media relations and with the new age of Twitter, Facebook, and blogging you can easily access and influence your target market.

Stay connected Allie and her business here:
@HoneyBeeInvites

Weekend CRAVE-ing Dec.17-19

December 16, 2010 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

Don’t let the cold scare you away–get out a shop, sip and savor all that Atlanta has to offer this weekend!

Mama Bath + Body’s Handmade Holiday Market Place
Saturday, December 18, 2010 10am-4pm
Head over to Mama Bath + Body this Saturday for some unique holiday shopping for handmade gifts your friends and family will adore!  Sip Mama’s complimentry famous fuzzy navel punch while shopping for goodies from some of Atlanta’s best designers and artists.

Westside Provisions District’s Holiday Shopping and Caroling Event
Saturday, December 18, 2010 11am-1pm
Sing and shop your way thought Westide Provisions District this Saturday for a fun and unique way to finish up your holiday shopping.  Enjoy award-winning food from West Egg Café, Taqueria del Sol and Star Provisions while singing along to festive music and shopping at some of the cities most eclectic shops!

Lunch with Santa at Shula’s 347 Grill
Saturday, December 18, 2010 11am-2pm
Get into the holiday spirit while enjoying some great eats with Santa this weekend at Shula’s 347 Grill!  This is the last weekend to enjoy Santa’s company at Shula’s.  Bring in a new toy for donation to Toys for Tots and receive a FREE kids meal from the children’s menu!

Holiday Ice Spectacular at Cobb Energy Center
December 16-24, 2010
Indulge in some good old fashion Christmas fun this weekend at the Holiday Ice Spectacular.  Coming to Atlanta for the first time ever this weekend, this fun filled frosty show is bursting with spectacular music, skating, dance, and comedy – all presented in the context of a warm, humorous story that the whole family will enjoy.  Tickets range from $20-69 with shows running through Christmas Eve.

Fabulous Interior Designers We CRAVE

September 1, 2010 by Laura Scholz | Comments (2)

Whether you’re CRAVE-ing a complete redesign, a small change, or even just a little guidance with your home’s interior, help is on the way.  We have put together a list of our favorite Atlanta abode styling specialists to help you transform your home from drab to fab.

Claire Watkins Interior Design
404-308-5685
Blog: High Gloss Blue
@ClaireatCWID
Claire Watkins was headed for law school.  But after writing her law school entrance essay on the characteristics of design as an argument, she applied for her business license, declined her space and Claire Watkins Interior Design was born.

A little over a year later, Claire is in demand for both residential and commercial work as well as her popular blog,  High Gloss Blue.  It’s a must-read–part inspiration board, part do-it-yourself tutorial, part insiders’ guide to all that’s hip in interior design.  Claire prides herself on her decisive instincts,  her ability to work at any price point and her ability to find beauty in the ordinary.

Charm Home
404-550-6045
Blog: Charm Home Blog
@charmhome

Cristi Holcombe, owner of Charm Home, is every bit as charming as her moniker suggests.  Founded just last year, Charm Home provides fresh, innovative, and affordable design services to clients in Atlanta.  Cristi’s passion for interior design is documented daily on her Charm Home blog, and she was voted Atlanta’s favorite local blogger in the “Best of the Big A” by ajc.com readers.

Charm Home offers a wide variety of interior design services catered to each and every client.  Whether you are in need of a little guidance or a complete design plan, Charm can help you out every step of the way.  Charm also offers a specialized “do-it-yourself” design service called Touch of Charm.

Erika Ward Interiors
404-507-6110
@ErikaatBluLabel
Blog: Blu Label Bungalow
As the founder of Erika Ward Interiors and BluLabel Bungalow, Erika is one of Atlanta’s most celebrated design resources.  She creates budget friendly interiors by cleverly merging goods from big box stores with heirlooms and other designer splurges.  When styling someone’s home, she looks to their wardrobe for inspiration.  She encourages all of the clients to celebrate their individuality, not someone else’s.

Lifestyle Design
@comfort_living
Blog: Comfort Living by Christine Eisner
This firm’s innovative approach reaches far beyond fabric and furniture to improve the way people experience their living and working spaces.  With an emphasis on comfort, Lifestyle Design offers practical tools and uncomplicated ideas that are easy to implement.  Owner of Lifestyle Design, Christine Eisner, is also the author of a back-to-basics guide book called, “Comfort Living”.  Every detail of the book is geared to making the path to a balances lifestyle simple, straightforward and accessible.

Flower Shops we CRAVE

April 30, 2010 by Laura Scholz | Comments (0)

Nothing says spring better than fresh, fabulous flowers.  Whether you are sending them as a gift (hint: Mother’s Day is just around the corner!) or buying some to add a dash of chic to your abode, you can’t go wrong with a bright, beautiful bouquet.  Here are some great spots in Atlanta to purchase those lush flowers and plants you CRAVE.

Foxgloves & Ivy
563 Memorial Dr. SE Suite C
404-892-7272
One of Atlanta’s most beloved floral shops, Foxgloves & Ivy will customize fresh flowers and blooming plants to mirror your unique style and taste.  From their signature residential arrangements to special event decor, you can trust Atlanta’s first “green” florist to provide you with luxe, luscious florals for every occasion.

At the Collective
280 Elizabeth St. Suite B103
770-695-5845
Now that spring has arrived, At the Collective has reopened the garden portion of its eclectic intown store.  Shop for fresh beautiful plants and flowers among jewelry, clothing, stationary, vintage items, artwork and handmade items from local artisans, including items from several of our featured entreprenesses.

Darryl Wiseman Flowers
1830 Piedmont Avenue, Suite H-7
866-476-3848
Darryl Wiseman, known for updating traditional designs with cutting-edge elegance, is a favorite of Atlanta brides, corporations and event planners alike.  From gorgeous custom bouquets to luscious blooming plants and bulbs to signature orchids, his style and selection will satisfy your floral CRAVE-ings.

Petals A Florist
1422 Woodmont Lane NW
404-350-8108
Using only the finest domestic and imported flowers along with unique botanicals, Petals A Florist is known for its lush signature arrangements.  From a simple centerpiece for an intimate dinner party to staging, lighting, arrangements, plant rentals and linens for a gala banquet, Petals is the urban fashionista’s one-stop shop for luxe decor.

Twelve
1000 Piedmont Avenue Suite D
404-541-2357
This hip Midtown spot is known for its ability to execute artistic, modern, one-of-a-kind designs tailored to meet your unique style and need.  With clients ranging from the Georgia Aquarium, the Four Seasons and Hotel Indigo, you can expect nothing less than glamorous arrangements for your next soiree.

Fuji Floral Design
361 17th Street Suite 3
404-881-0363
From delicate wedding creations to exotic couture displays, Fiji Floral Designs provide the ideal presentation for your special event, business or home.  Complete services including professional consultants, custom invitation and thank you card creations and on-site decorating experts are available for your special gathering. Visit them in Atlantic Station next to Twelve Hotel.

Celebrate Earth Day April 22

April 12, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (0)

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment, held on April 22. It is celebrated in many countries and has been receiving added attention in current years with the newfound popularity of going green and our increased consciousness of how we are harming the planet. As active motivated women, we, here at CRAVE, think Earth day is a wonderful chance to help women discover new ways to help our earth and conserve it for generations to come. The Nature Conservancy has some wonderful tips to do just that, pertaining to activities a lot of women deal with in their everyday lives.

Use reusable totes

You can help save oceans when you use reusable shopping bags instead of plastic bags. Sure, it’s a small step — but it can make a big difference in the health of our oceans. Unfortunately, 90 percent of the debris that washes up from our oceans are man-made and shouldn’t be there. Most of it has – unfortunately – come to be expected: derelict fishing equipment, disposable plastic bottles, plastic bags, cigarette butts, bits of unidentifiable plastic, Styrofoam. To help encourage others, share where you take reusable bags or where you’ve found your favorite tote.

Eat food

Just like you, conservationists, fishermen, chefs and consumers are working together to find new ways of living off our oceans and waters while keeping nature healthy. In a day and age when many of us “harvest” most of our meals by filling a grocery cart or skimming a menu, it can be easy to overlook nature’s role in putting food on our tables. This is especially true when it comes to seafood. For centuries, the oceans’ bounty seemed inexhaustible. Now, as scientists unravel the intricate relationships between fish and the vast lands below the water’s surface, we’re gaining a clearer picture of how humans have altered our oceans’ ability to provide for us. The Conservancy is tackling the problems by working with communities to restore degraded habitats and rebuild depleted fisheries. But sustainability also depends on how fish are brought to market. A service called FishPhone is Blue Ocean’s sustainable seafood text messaging service that instantly puts sustainable seafood information at your fingertips. To find out about your seafood choice, text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question. They’ll text you back with their assessment and better alternatives to fish with significant environmental concerns.

Green your gardening

Even while you’re gardening in your very own backyard, you can make a big difference in the health of the ocean. Fertilizers and other chemicals used in conventional gardening are washed into watersheds and eventually to sea, where they can harm coral reefs and other marine life. To help cut back on pollution, go native! Native plants require much less water and fertilizer than non-native plants do. Make your own compost! Composting kitchen scraps is a great way to create (free!) all-natural fertilizer. Set your mower to a cutting height of 2”-3” — which will eliminate undesirable weedy plants. Don’t rake your clippings; leave them behind as fertilizer. You can even try square-foot gardening. This method uses 90% less water and 95% fewer seeds than a traditional backyard garden and requires no chemicals!

You can find all the details on these tips and plenty more at earthday.nature.org

We’re CRAVE-ing Bella Cucina

March 23, 2010 by Laura Scholz | Comments (1)

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