Little Notes

Yesterday, I was shook!  In a good way.  

For some context - most retailers have a markdown/increase schedule.  Typically, once a year (January) new prices are dished out.  This is usually the timing that we have to comply with certain vendors (there are oh so many rules) to increase our pricing.  You know, because they compete with us instead of working as a unit to sell their products (again, there are some gems out there that are amazing).  So, they are allowed to have sales on said products, but we aren't.  It's super fun.

However, I'm not typical, so I don't follow that schedule.  I like to make my own rules.  I have the boutique marked in sections, and do price changes according to MY schedule (unless I HAVE to by said rules).  Basically every section gets reviewed FOUR times a year.  And by review I mean, not necessarily increased, but decreased if possible.  

Also for context, and I promise I'll get to what has me shook...

When I first opened, 2 months before Covid, I was super competitive in pricing - even with the big guys.  If I was a dollar more for a shoe, I chalked it up to our always FREE fittings and getting the right size the first time is always a win.  I even heard from customers how our prices on xyz were cheaper than another one of the big guys!  Go me!  

However, since Covid, we have all been dealing with backorders + price increases.  It's awful.  Especially one of the most horrific increases last fall that I have ever seen.  I mean, completely ridiculous.  It was painful to do, but again, no choice.  I understood it then, but I've been saying for a while, I'm not understanding why the prices are not coming back down.  If demand/backorders on MOST things are no longer an issue, why is the pricing not reflecting that?  

Well, yesterday ( I told you I would get there)....

I was able to LOWER the prices on multiple of our high sell through products, and I'm not done yet!  I didn't think I would see the day!  I truly hope this is a sign for things to come, but just know, from one parent to another, I will ALWAYS stay as competitive as I'm allowed to + will continue to use our loyalty app + whatever else I can to save you time and money.  Plus, we're pretty fun + cool around here, so if you haven't tried us yet, you should :)  

Time to celebrate!  What's not to be happy about?  When we opened our doors on  1/11/2020, it was a joyous time!  The thought of having our local dance parents not having to travel out of state to try on dance shoes was exciting!  Getting to watch the smiling faces walk through our doors---first time dancers, professionals, teachers and my favorite---new dance moms looking for guidance...it's truly the best! 

Well....then we were closed (sigh).  It truly took the wind out of our sails, but we constantly looked on the bright side and of course, pivot, pivot, pivot.  When we re-opened, we were terrified.  Dancers were still on zoom and I sat many days in my empty store waiting for it to become alive again.  

Now, here we are!  I can hear Elton John's, "I'm still standing" in my head right now!  We still have our bad days, weeks, and months, but we are still here.  Comp season is coming to an end, but recital season within reach.  We still experience shipping challenges and backorders, but we have learned how to manage these issues instead of dread them.  When everything is "normal" it's truly going to be a breeze!  It's going to be normal again right???

So, cheers to us, all of the small business owners that stress out like me everyday, and cheers to all of YOU that help us help you!

Here's how you can support your local small businesses:

• Buy a gift card
• Write a great review
• Like AND follow them on social media
• Share their businesses on social media
• Talk about them!  Worth of mouth is the best advertising ever!
• Become one of their favorite customers!  

I don't talk about this often, but the reason why I started Little Dance Boutique is what keeps me going through the tough times (*COUGH* shipping delays, postal strikes and copycats *COUGH*).  So gather round the proverbial fire, children. Here's the story of why I started the company I run today.

I've always known that I was meant to be "in charge".  I've also referred to myself as a Jill of all trades and master of none.  I have SO MANY interests that it's hard for me to concentrate on just one thing.  I went from wanting to be a cartoonist to a coroner on my long list of "what do you want to be when you grow up".  

After 10 years of coaching cheerleading, I entered the dance world.  First as an acro instructor and then as a dance mom (the latter is much harder btw).  When my youngest joined the competition team, I didn't think it would be a big deal.  I've dealt with the competition aspect for years and we always had a cute dance store in the area...but it was gone!  

At about the same time that I was growing painfully tired of my 9-5, I was also growing painfully tired of buying the wrong dance gear for my daughter online.  One of my friends said, "someone should open a dancewear store" and I immediately knew that someone was me!  

Had I known Covid would hit after being open for 2 months, I probably wouldn't have done it, but I finally feel like I'm exactly where I am meant to be.  LDB isn't just a store, not just a company or even a brand.  It's a piece of my history and a community of all of the things that I love...Art, Children, Family, Teamwork & Kindness.  God willing it will be a part of the future with my great great grandkids running things in years to come.