POP (up)!

Today was a very exciting day for Skinny Jeans.  First, it was the one year anniversary of my store location opening!  I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing team and cannot believe how far we have come.  I can’t wait to see what happens in the future.  Love you girls!!!!

SECOND!  Today was the first day of the Sundar Imports Pop Up Shop.  I have been waiting for this day for three months.  I am sure you are thinking….what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is she talking about?  Well, let me fill you in!  Sundar Imports is a cool little shop started by some moms in Hudson, Wisconsin who (in their own words) :  “shared a love for fair trade fashion with frill and a personal vision to make the world a little brighter!”  The shop currently appears every few months for 3 days and is filled with fair trade goodies from around the world.  The ladies at Sundar spend oodles of time looking for clothing, jewelry, bags, headbands, etc. which are inspired by artisans around the world.  They have featured items made from recycled saris, old cassette tapes, and even acai berries.  So for the next two days (sorry, they are closed for today), they will be sharing their wares with the local area.

Of course, being the lover of all things fashion, I arranged to meet my friend, Leah, at Sundar after work.  I said if she was interested in a particular clutch shown as a teaser on their Facebook page (make sure you “like” it!).  Leah is nothing if not determined.  She showed up an hour early and waited on a bench for the opening.  Twenty minutes prior I pulled up, just as a few other ladies showed up and the line began.  I would have a picture of the line, but I did not want to lose my place as #2 in line!  One of my favorite parts of line, was making “line friends”.  Naturally, I love to chat and we had a blast talking to those around us.  

At five o’clock on the nose, the doors opened (thank goodness, since it had started to rain).  I felt like it was Black Friday at Wal-Mart, except we were all sociable and fun!  The girls lined up were all so determined and eager, but who could blame them.  The items Sundar  Imports has are so cute!  Girls were grabbing pants, dresses and accessories up as quick as they could.  Changing rooms were filled with as many girls as possible at a time and there was a overall feeling of camaraderie at the shop.  Some of the hot items (from my observations) were the navy lace Astoria dress, which our line friend Michelle managed to snag as you can (see her extreme joy in the picture above? YAY!), a cute rouched hoodie, a great scrunched scarf  and the adorable Sundar Frill Pant.

Downside?  These poor girls are so popular, the line to check out can get a little long.  But they seem to always be streamlining to make things faster and easier.  When something is this cute and fun, isn’t it worth the wait??  Besides, it is always a great excuse to make MORE line friends.  Do you see my friend, Shannon, waving from the front of the cash/check line while my other friend ,Tracy, laughs?  If you think that line is long, you aren’t even really seeing the credit card line.  Wow.  But can the girls at Sundar help it if they are popular?  Nope!

While at Sundar Imports, I noticed a lot of familiar faces.  Half of the shoppers are our shoppers at Hot Mama!  It was so much fun to see these ladies out and about, supporting another amazing company.  Did I mention Hot Mama and Sundar have some of the best customers ever?  Not that I am biased or anything…

Of course, I would not be a good blogger if I did not purchase some wares to sample myself.  I DID try on the navy lace dress, which I was amazed to see fit (and was cute) but I passed due to the disagreement between the neckline and my boob size.  However, I left with an adorable headband (for me…not my kids…just sayin’), the recycled clutch in navy from New Delhi, and the Mirasol Farm salt scrub. 

I would be an even worse blogger if I did not mention on of the cool changes I have seen since the last Pop Up shop.  This time around, Sundar Imports is donating 5% of their sales to The SOURCE.  The SOURCE is a newly formed resource organization serving the needs of the Hudson community. Its purpose is to provide a place where Hudson area residents can interact with volunteers to identify the best available social services to meet their needs.  I love that Sundar Imports not only has a global focus, but a local focus as well.  Can these ladies get any more fabulous?

So if you are in the Hudson area this weekend, please be sure to visit Sundar Imports!  They are located  in Hudson, Wisconsin at 220 Locust Street (right below Knoke’s Chocolates, so stop in for a sweet, chocolaty treat as long as you are in the neighborhood).  This time around, they are open September 21 (5:00 pm to 9:00 pm), September 22 (9:00 am to 6:00 pm), and September 23 (11:00 am to 4:00 pm). 

If you can’t make it this weekend, hopefully I will run in to you in a few months at Sundar Imports for holiday shopping.  Don’t worry, I will bring my wish list to make it easy for you.