We're Learning . . .

Well we've been in the new store for almost 4 weeks now. And we've gotten so many wonderful comments from all of you about how much you like our new place--a lot of room and a lot of new stuff. Our new Second Bloom Room where everything is $1 has been doing really well. We know it's so much easier now that you don't have to sort through bins on the floor! So to all of our customers that visited us in our old location, thanks for sticking with us through the move. We also have been getting in so many new customers who have been giving us compliments and already returning more than once. And we got wonderful write-ups in the Observer and Ann Arbor.com. Things have been going well so far. And thanks for asking. It is feeling more like home here now at Westgate. We are settling in and learning what is working and what isn't over here at Westgate. For example:

1. Go ahead and stop right out in front to drop stuff off, but don't leave the car for long because one of our customers was ticketed. We'll be more than happy to help you with your things.

2. We are getting in more than double the amount of stuff people were dropping off at our old location, so we really can't store the things we were not able to accept for more than 3 days. After 3 days we donate them, so please come get them if you want them (or give us a call if there are extenuating circumstances).

3. It's a long walk to our back room, so please be patient while we check on your drop-offs.

3. The extra space seems to invite children to ride around on our ride-on toys, which is fine, but it does seem to invite more accidents. We do now stock band-aids, but you might want to keep an eye on your busy little ones!

4. You also might want to make sure we don't try to sell you your library books!

If there is anything we can do to make your visit here more enjoyable, please let us know!

Come See Our New Store

Well we did it! What an exhausting week we had moving from the old store to the new one and putting everything in its proper place. We worked all day long Monday through Thursday to get it all done. And I don't know about everyone else, but my back ached for days afterward! However we are grateful for all the wonderful help we had.

So here we are! We've been open now for almost a week and have gotten so many compliments on our new space--so big and in such a great location. And business has been brisk. Our new Second Bloom Room in which all items are $1.00 has definitely been a big hit.

Have you been in for a visit yet? If not, please stop by soon to see the new place. Then you can head over to the library, have a bite to eat at one of the four restaurants in Westgate Plaza, and top it off with some delicious cupcakes at the new Just Baked cupcake store (I am definitely going to put on some pounds working here!). Hope to see you soon!

In Case You Didn't Already Know . . .

WE'RE MOVING!!

We are so excited about this move and we hope you are too. Here are the details:

We will be closing up shop on Monday, May 10th. We will reopen in our new location in Westgate Plaza on Friday, May 14th.

And here are our new hours in our new location:

Monday thru Friday 9:30 - 8:00

Saturday 9:30 - 6:00

Sunday 11:00 - 5:00

Some of you have expressed your concern about the parking situation over at Westgate. We're aware that it is not ideal for bringing in larger things to sell. So we will be allowing drop-offs at our back door between 11:00 and 4:00. Just drive around to the back and ring the bell. As always, you are welcome to drop-off anytime through the front door, but we won't have the extra staff to answer the bell at the back earlier or later in the day.

And here's some more exciting news: instead of our weekly bin sales, we will have a new space in the store devoted entirely to our discount items. It is called the Second Bloom Room. And everything in the room will be $1 everyday! So no more waiting until the weekend and no more bending over the bins. We will also have a new program in place that will allow you to trade in some of your No Thank You's (those items we were not able to buy outright from you) for Second Bloom Room credits. We are still happy to take any donations, but this will give you a chance to choose to earn a little extra store credit. Next time you are in selling, ask us for details.

I'm not going to post any pictures of how it all looks now. You are just going to have to come over to our new digs to see for yourself! We will look forward to seeing you after the move!

Moving Update

We've heard from alot of our customers about how excited they are about our move. Thanks for all the words of encouragement! Many people have asked us when exactly we will be opening the new store. I'm afraid we still don't have a firm date on that. There is still plenty to do and we are just not sure how long it's all going to take. It should be sometime next month. But things are "moving" along. We've painted and put up some walls. We also have a new dressing room. And we are waiting for fixtures that will house all our great new stuff. Here are some pictures to satiate your curiosity for a little while:

What's New?

Well, the new store is coming along. We are having a new, bigger sales counter built. It will be purple and green of course! All the walls have been patched and sanded. And all the lighting has been checked and updated. We also have a doorbell and peep hole for the back door, so all our customers will be able to conveniently pull up and drop off during our buying hours.


We also have plenty of new items in the store. Here is a sample:







*Melissa and Doug Bug Catchers, Bug Houses, Magnifying Glasses, and Binoculars

*Playskool Easy Dunk Basketball

*Winfun Electric Piano

*Box of K'Nex

*Soccer Pop-Up Goal

*Ikea Wooden Tool Set

*Little People Keyboard

*Tea set in Wicker Picnic Case

*Imaginarium Activity Cube

*Melissa and Doug Easel Paper Holder

*Matchbox Power Scouts Skull's Challenge

*Graco Contempo High Chair

*Graco Duoglider Double Stroller

*Evenflo Exersaucer

*Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair

*First Years Safety Gate

*Pottery Barn Safari Rug

*Little Tikes Floor Activity Table

*Phil & Ted's Traveller Crib

*Diaper Champ

*New Envirosax Styles--Bunnies and Piggies

We also have all our spring dresses out on the racks, as well as some really cute Easter baskets and Easter Basket gifts!

Big News!

Hello all you fabulous Grow With Me fans! Sorry for the long absence. Both us owners have had quite a week-and-a-half. Elyssa had an unexpected death in the family and Marni had surgery, so we were both out of the store for some number of days.

But we are both back now and we have big news for you all:

We Are Moving!!

We are so excited about this and hope you will be too. We are going to be moving into a much larger space, so we can expand our selection. And we plan on adding something new to our store. We'll give you some more details on the at later on. Any guesses as to where we will be moving? Here's a hint:

Still no idea? Here's another hint--we will be in the same shopping plaza as some of my favorites: Nicola's Bookstore, Barry's Bagels, and the Ann Arbor District Library. Yep. We are moving to Westgate! So not a far move. In fact, we timed it. It's only 6 minutes down Jackson Rd. from where we are now; 4 minutes if you take 94. We will be much easier to find for first-timers and hopefully we won't get as many Ann Arborites exclaiming, "Oh, you're so far out there!" But we are also hopeful that all our wonderful Dexter and Chelsea customers won't find the extra few minutes a hassle.

It will probably be at least the beginning of May before everything is ready for the big move. And we hope to bring you all along for the ride. So here are the first pictures of our soon-to-be new abode with as yet no work done:

And stay tuned for the next installment of Grow With Me on the Move!