Thank you Jo for being part of our journey, it is an absolute privilege to be stocked in your beautiful store ~ Spoilt@Subi. You create so much love & happiness around you, and the wonderful feeling you get when you enter your store is a true testament of your talent, care & passion.

We love your enthusiasm towards ALEX&ANT and we are very excited about dressing your beautiful customers & your two divine little angels – Indiana & Lottie.

So here is Jo’s story – find out what inspires this successful & passionate gal!

A&A: Which five words best describe you?
Jo: Talkative, friendly, perfectionist, organised and optimistic.

A&A: How did you come to start your business and what point has it reached this present day?
Jo: It all started over seven years ago when I finished uni and decided that sitting in an office all week was not for me.  I needed something a lot more colourful, interactive and fun.  I’d always wanted to own my own gift shop and decided to take the risk.  Spoilt @ Subi opened its doors over six years ago now and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I love going to work and love the never ending retail therapy!

A&A: What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve overcome along the way?
Jo: Mmmm… by far the biggest hurdle came after Indiana arrived which was balancing work with family.  24 hours in a day just never seemed enough.  Thank goodness for amazing staff!

A&A: Tell us about the area in which you’re located and what’s special about it.
Jo: Subiaco (Western Australia) is a really vibrant suburb.  The shop is located next to the Subiaco train station which is surrounded by a mix of retail, commercial and residential apartments.  It is constantly growing and evolving.  What’s special about it?  Without doubt the amazing customers we have that are our neighbours!

A&A: What inspires you?  Books, Blogs, Websites, People, Movies, Family, etc…
Jo: Definitely my husband Reid and my two beautiful girls, Indiana & Lottie!  Every day is full of laughs and smiles thanks to them.

Websites & blogs are definitely a weakness of mine.  I could quite possibly spend days looking at endless sites full of architecture, photography, furniture, clothing, and new products.  It’s so fascinating the products people create.  The ideas people come up with keep me continuously inspired and amazed.

A&A: What dream(s) do you still want to fulfill, personal and/or professional?
Jo: Travel!  I can’t wait to take Indi and Lottie travelling!  By far one of the most memorable holidays I had growing up was visiting Disneyland.  I just thought that place was the bees knees and didn’t want that holiday to end.  I am definitely taking them there even if Mickey Mouse isn’t “in fashion”.

There are a few other ideas I have that I would love to achieve professionally, but sorry, it’s ‘secret squirrel’ business.

A&A: Tell us your favourite Alex&Ant item from your store and what response you’ve had to the label.
Jo: I LOVE the Alex & Ant girls singlets!  I just adore the white singlet with the big pink crochet flower and pom poms.  Oversized flowers, pom poms and lace trim are all a weakness of mine!

Alex & Ant is always a hit with customers.  Before the season even starts we have customers asking when new stock is arriving.  But seriously what isn’t there to like about the gorgeous label?!  I am totally addicted.

Welcome into the world (long-awaited, I know) of another special ALEX&ANT stockist, Charbella in Cronulla NSW.  This time it was a VERY exciting journey to visit this stunning store and into an area of Sydney with which I’m unfamiliar, but Donna made me feel like an old friend.  Olive was as good as gold and we had a gorgeous time in the store, surrounded by so much more than beautiful children’s clothes.  Charbella is styled beautifully and you can really appreciate the wonderful artistic flair and clear vision that drives these siblings.  There is a wonderful feeling in the air of Charbella Bubs, and you can see that all the loyal customers feel it too. We were so happy we spent most of the day there, it was a long day for Olive, but it was certainly well worth it for the inspiration I took away.

A&A: Which five words best describe you?
CB: Truly unique, everchanging style and beauty

A&A: How did you come to start your business and what point has it reached this present day?
CB: My sister and I have always had unique style.  We both wanted to pour our creative energy into something that we both could connect with.  Our children were born, Charlie and Bella and then came Charbella Bubs.

A&A: What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve overcome along the way?
CB: Toning down our creativity and not wanting to do that.  Having to please the masses.

A&A: What has kept you going and continues to inspire you?
CB: That we feel more people have dared to step outside the square. That “The Shire” is opening up to change.  Geographically it’s a beautiful small coastal town on the outskirts of Sydney.  It’s next to the oldest national Park in Australia and has access to the ocean as well as Port Hacking.  There are alot of birds around as well as great surf spots.  I grew up in old Bondi.  I watched Bondi grow and believe that this area will with time.

A&A: What dream(s) do you still want to fulfill?
CB: I would love to live in Bali with my son for a few years.  I would love a coastal cottage with an outdoor shower and a vege patch,  I also would like to swim in the ocean with my son  for the rest of my life… Those are my dreams.

A&A: Tell us about your favourite Alex&Ant stock item from your store and what response you’ve had to the new collection.
CB: I love the blue peace dove body suit.  I like the fact that it is blue and works for all.  Customers love the range.  They keep buying the pieces because they are unique and a great price.  The little polka dot shoes are cute too.  They love these.

Our bottles feature prominently, but if you look closely you’ll see our hats & shirred Anglaise onesie/playsuit folded, a couple of Surf VW bodysuits in the window…oh, and Olive rummaging through the styles!  Unfortunately most of the ALEX&ANT pieces were yet to be unpacked at the time, so we’ll look forward to seeing them on our next visit.  Of course, if any of our readers visit now (at the time of this post), you’ll see the whole Collection (baby – 6yrs).  Please make sure you mention our blog so I know someone out there is reading it!?  Love Fleur x

On Friday, Olive and I took a little trip to Summer Hill to visit one of our delightful Sydney stockists, ‘My Messy Room’.  What a gorgeous suburb and my thanks to Stav & Bec @ MMR for making us feel so welcome after our long drive (we did stop off at Belle Fleur chocolates to keep up our blood-sugar. You’ve GOT to try their new ‘Apple Strudel’ available only at their Rozelle & Petersham stores). We adored My Messy Room as is, but we know the store will look even lovelier when a huge delivery of Spring/Summer arrives ~ particularly when Stav merchandises our Alex&Ant collection with her trademark flair.  Any day now!

A&A: Which five words best describe you?
MMR: Optimistic, dedicated, family orientated, inspired and hardworking.

A&A: How did you come to start your business and what point has it reached today?
MMR: I had been a Buyer for a women’s chain store and whilst on maternity leave I started to think about doing my own thing so that I could have a better balance with family and work.  I had loved my job but it was highly competitive, lots of travel, late nights and deadlines.  I enjoy working and knew I needed to do something, but wanted it to be on my terms.  I hadn’t ever thought about childrenswear until Hudson arrived and that world suddenly opened up to me!  I then realised that there was an opportunity to open a store near where I lived, featuring products that I loved and couldn’t get in the area, to utilise my buying and retail skills, be my own boss and work just as hard but for my own gains.

If you can spot the Alex&Ant bottle design @ My Messy Room in the pics below, join us on facebook and tell us! Be the first to send us a facebook message quoting the name of this design and you will win it

Welcome to the second ‘Now Showing At’ blog, where we put one of our valued Alex&Ant stockists up in lights!  This month we chat with Emma from webstore TEN LITTLE INDIANS.

A&A: Which five words best describe you?

TLI: Hardworking, persistent, mildly obsessive, practical & sleep deprived!

A&A: How did you come to start your business, in what year and where can we find it?

TLI: Tina and I met when we were both expecting our first child.  We both had a love for children’s clothing and were living in an area where we didn’t readily have access to the products we were looking for.  We were sure there were plenty of people out there in the same position hence Ten Little Indians was born.  That was over 3 years ago.  Our business has obviously grown immensely.  We stock over 70 brands, shipping hundreds of parcels each week throughout Australia & internationally.

A&A: What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve overcome along the way?
TLI: Time is always the biggest hurdle – not enough of it! Sometimes people will say that it must be great having an online business that you can do from home not understanding that running our business is truly full-time.  Having a family and working is always a juggle.  We’ve been approached so many times by stay at home mums saying they want to do what we do.  Our advice is always that it is not as easy as it looks.  We try to be brutally honest so that they know what they are getting into.

A&A:What has kept you going and continues to inspire you?
TLI: Our children of course!  How can you not keep going with a family relying on you?

A&A: Please tell us about your favourite Alex&Ant stock item from your store.
TLI: My favourite Alex&Ant item is definitely the denim bird skirt, my youngest Hattie just loves this skirt because my eldest daughter Martha has one too!  It looks fabulous teamed with her Alex&Ant Glamour Puss long sleeve tee.

A&A: And finally, what dreams do you still want to fulfill?
There are oh so many….it’s only by reaching for the stars that we can inherit the universe!

A&A: Thank you for this insight into your busy life and successful business,  and also for this gorgeous photo of Hattie in her Alex&Ant ensemble. You too (our blog readership) can outfit your child with 20% off during the month of July.  That’s 20% off all Alex&Ant purchases through Emma & Tina @ Ten Little Indians.   Just enter “AA” in the coupon section of the checkout for the discount to apply during July only.
http://www.tenlittleindians.com.au/

And whilst you’re shopping you can read Emma’s blog, Even The Smallest Things Matter, written about Alex&Ant!
http://www.tenlittleindians.com.au/blog/

Welcome to our 1st “(Alex&Ant) Now Showing At…” post. I chose this title to put the names of our wonderful stockists ‘up in lights’!  They deserve it for all of the fantastic support they afford us.  Today we’re chatting with Mary from webstore MY BABY ROCKS and here’s what she has to offer us about life as a mother and store owner:

I have 2 kids, Joshua who is 5 and Chloe is 2, who keep me busy!  They are a huge part of My Baby Rocks, modeling clothes for me and testing out all of the lovely clothing, hair accessories & shoes.  My Baby Rocks is very much a family affair.  My lovely husband runs the website and has spent many many hours designing and putting it all together.  I have been running My Baby Rocks for 18 months now and love keeping up with all the latest trends and fashion.  It is wonderful to turn a hobby which I am passionate about into a business, whilst still being able to spend time at home with my family and of course, the kids look fabulous!

A&A: Which five words best describe you?
MBR: A Fun-loving perfectionist, very busy, even more tired but extremely happy!

A&A: How did you come to start your business, in what year and where can we find it?
MBR: My Baby Rocks began back in 2008 after the birth of my gorgeous daughter Chloe, unlike with my son there was a never ending supply of adorable outfits and accessories for girls…only trouble was I could not think of anything worse than shopping with an unwilling 3 year old boy and a tiny baby with severe colic!  Along with the colic came endless washing, soaking and scrubbing resulting in many out of shape, faded clothes complete with my worst enemy – lint!  So came about my mission to find quality clothing that looked new wash after wash.  Shopping online made life so much easier, but I just couldn’t find the bright, loud and quirky clothing I was looking for.  This is when the idea behind My Baby Rocks began, located in Madeley, Perth and we haven’t looked back since…

A&A: What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve overcome along the way?
MBR: Definitely, not having enough time – no more lazy Sundays or movies.  Being an online store means plenty of phone calls and emails in the evenings/weekends and working from home…well it really never ends!  In order to keep my sanity, I have learnt to organise my time better and allocate hours to both work and home as well as trying to keep working into the early hours of the morning to a minimum.  And I’ve had to accept that there’s always tomorrow!

A&A:What has kept you going and continues to inspire you?
MBR: The support of my wonderful husband who is always willing to lend a hand and my mum, who without this would not have been possible.  My kids continue to inspire me day after day and I hope to one day have a business that they can play a role in, or at the very least some very well dressed grandchildren.

A&A: And finally, please tell us about your favourite Alex&Ant stock item from your store.
MBR: My favourite Alex and Ant item at the moment would have to be the raspberry cord elephant pinnie, Chloe just loves this dress and we get so many comments when she is wearing it.  The fabric is light and looks fabulous teamed up with a long sleeve tee, tights and maryjanes.  I am eagerly awaiting the next season of Alex & Ant, I can’t give away any secrets, but it is absolutely divine!

A&A: Just LOVE that pic of Chloe showing some toddler attitude!
Thank you so much, Mary, for your wonderful and honest insight into your life and business.  To thank our blog readership, that’s YOU, Mary will be popping a free Alex&Ant wrap in with any Alex&Ant purchase from MY BABY ROCKS. Or wraps are not only perfect for swaddling, they’re great as a pram cover, tummy-time rug or a for a general snuggle!  Just enter “BLOG” at the MY BABY ROCKS checkout before June 30.

http://www.mybabyrocks.com.au/cart/index.php