News and White Sale!

Things have been a little hectic around here lately. A few posts ago I wrote about the damage the store sustained due to flooding and that we would be undergoing a bit of renovation to repair the floor. Well, I've been in a bit of a holding pattern since then as the repairs and work all needed to be approved by my insurance company and then co-ordinated and scheduled by the contractor. That has taken a lot longer than I expected it to. I had been hoping that the work would be done late January or early February in order that I could still start my annual White Sale on the usual February 15th start date. Not so much. So without any idea of when the repairs would begin I put off the sale until the 22nd, started it without as much fanfare as it usually gets and hoped for the best. For better or worse, I'm not completely sure which, I got an e-mail just a few days ago letting me know that the repairs would begin after hours on the 8th of March. I'm optimistic and hopeful that Oleander will remain open and relatively normal during store hours and that the replacement of the damaged sections of my wood floor with shiny new tile will go quickly and without problems. Hey, I said hopeful and optimistic didn't I? I'm going to hold on to that!

In the meantime, the White Sale has been on for thirteen days and there are lots of great deals to be had until the 23rd of March or I run out of stuff! My beloved Organika towels have been discontinued by the manufacturer and I have all my remaining stock at 50% off. I've also decided to move away from the OhSo Soft bamboo rayon/cotton towels and robes to something new so the last of my stock in that line is also 50% off. I have some great bedding by Revelle at fantastic clearance prices, they have discontinued a number of collections and as always I'm passing on the huge discounts to you. I am letting go of floor model bedding by Bella Notte, Alexandre Turpault and a few Canadian manufacturer at discounts between 15% and 30%. I have a few Bedhead flannel robes, one pair of flannel pj's and a great little cotton gown all at half price. Half price Beadhead! There are also sales on Talesma Turkish waffle and waffle/terry towels and robes, White Moss and 1869 by Acca Kappa, throw blankets, accent cushions and Brome Lake duvets.

Trade Show Talk

Over the last month or so I was able to get to four shows, two of which were new to me. First up, I hit Dallas for Dallas Market, which is a medium sized show with lots of large permanent showrooms and a few temporary booths, but unfortunately without much interesting product for me. I was able to see one of Bella Notte's big showrooms, which was really quite nice. Usually I see new collections from Bella at a small booth New York or when my rep comes to visit with samples, so it was really great to see a big room with many beds dressed in the new fabrics and colours. I took a couple of ideas from there that you'll see on my floor later this spring and summer.

The next stop was at the California Gift Show in Los Angeles. This show was unfortunately another slight disappointment. It was a very small show with only one or two interesting stops for me. One of them was highlighting Italian made organic bedding by Muse. It is really quite pretty, beautifully made and at a reasonable price point, but it's a new-ish collection that I think needs a bit of time to fill out a little before I make a decision to bring it to the floor. One of the highlights of the LA trip was a quick visit to the Amenity workshop. I've been dealing with those talented women for years so it was a real pleasure to get to meet them and get a sneak peak of their new spring patterns. I'll have lots of the new duvet covers and cushions on the floor by the middle to end of March.

After a few days back at the store I was off to the CGTA in Toronto. This show is where I check in with almost all of my Canadian suppliers to see what's new and what's changed. This time out I picked up a pretty printed sateen collection from St Geneve, two new patterns from Revelle and a great new pattern by a French company called Essix. I can't wait for it to start arriving!

After just a day and a half in Toronto, I was off to the NYIGF in New York. This show has been the place to find the newest of the new, and some of the most exciting things I bring into to the store. The last few seasons, given the economic situation in the US, the New York show has been a little unpredictable and occasionally disappointing. Vendors have been scaling back their collections and sticking to safe colours, some manufacturers have been downsizing their booths and others not going to the show at all. In August last year I was only able to find one new company - Alexandre Turpault, and had a bit of a difficult time filling the days I had allotted to spend at the show, so I went into this seasons trip thinking that it would be more of the same. I was wrong. Very, very wrong. This show was one of the best I've ever been to. Due to the down scaling of the larger manufacturers there were many new companies presenting collections. There were tiny little vendors, some of them more artisans than manufacturers, introducing collections for the first time and small scale manufacturers showing three times as much as they had in the past. It was amazing. I bought more new product this season than I have in a long time and I am very excited about all of it. I have gorgeous organic robes and gowns on the way, hand loomed organic Turkish towels and linen bath towels arriving this spring! New collections from some of the old favourites were also very strong and I'm really looking forward to the fuchsia Onam bedding I bought from Alexandre Turpault.

It will be a hugely colourful spring and summer at Oleander for Home. I can't wait!

Store News

Yesterday morning, Monday the fourth of January, I came in to find a bit of a mess. The store has taken a bit of water damage from what our insurance company is calling an "unexpected plumbing failure" from the condo unit above us. The damage is limited to one part of the store, and while we lost some inventory and will have to do some restoration or replacement of the floor in the area, we are still open for business as usual. Even though we're a little disheveled, you're more than welcome to come in and shop, browse or even just pop in to say hi.

On a more pleasant note, it's nearing show season, so I'm getting ready to do a bit of traveling. This month I'm going to be heading to Dallas and Los Angeles to visit shows that are totally new to me. I'm hoping to find some smaller companies offering new and exciting collections that aren't currently available in Canada. Also, I'm planning on doing a little trend spotting in LA. (Trend spotting = shopping. Yay!) It will also be really nice to get out of the snow for a few days. Come February, I'm back to the shows I always go to, Toronto and New York. At those ones I'll be looking at the new lines from companies I already work with as well as looking for some new hidden gems.

At the shows, I'm expecting to see a lot of purples, greys and dove colours. I would like to see some rich reds as lots of clients are asking for them, but I'm not really optimistic about it. Is there anything you are really hoping to see in store for spring/summer?

Holiday Hours

With the holidays drawing ever closer I thought it would be a good idea to let you know what the hours look like for the next few weeks. I'll be extending hours for a few days before Christmas and then taking a few days off.

Monday Dec. 21 to Wednesday Dec. 23 10 - 8
Thursday Dec 24 10 - 4
Friday Dec. 25 and Saturday Dec. 26 CLOSED
Sunday Dec. 27 11 - 5
Monday Dec. 28 to Wednesday Dec.30 10 - 6
Thursday Dec. 31 10 - 4
Friday Jan. 1 CLOSED
Saturday Jan. 2 10 - 6

I have lots of beautiful things, from pjs and robes to throws and ornaments, to make the best Christmas presents and to help decorate your home for the holidays. I hope to see you soon!

In the Store

Since we've been busy dressing up the place in preparation for our anniversary party this week, I figured I'd take a few photos and let you see how the store is looking. My Christmas colours this year are a combination of pale aqua blue and antique gold. It's a little softer and slightly more traditional looking than I usually do, but I'm really happy with how it looks!

In the front window I'm showing Colette, Adele, New Primrose and Olivia in Silvermist, Celeste in Ginger and Linen in Champagne, all by Bella Notte. The headboard is Aylce, designed in store and built for us by Design Emphasis.



On our pale blue Frankie bed, also by Design Emphasis, I am showing Sati by Alexandre Turpault mixed with a little bit of Capri Navy by St Geneve. I'm anxiously waiting for more of the Sati collection to arrive. There are beautiful accent cushions and shams that will really complete this bed. On the Reeves bed I've got a great new collection from Linen Way. It's a linen jacquard that is as comfortable as it is gorgeous.



At the back of the store I've gone with a slightly more traditional Christmas colour scheme, with a focus on red and white. The Morpheus bed (more Design Emphasis) is dressed in our best basic collection Lara (400 tc Egyptian cotton from Portugal) in white, accented with red ribbon and a few accessories from EnGry & Siff. I've also brought in the Pomegranate collection from Archipelago, it's a great body care line from California that smells heavenly.



One of the other themes this season is birds. I don't remember it being intentional as I was doing the buying, but it shows up through out the store anyway. On the Franco bed I'm showing Dusk by CuddleDown, the Roslyn headboard has Deux Hirondelles, and the Christmas tree is teeming with birds!



That's all I have time to show you today, but I've got a lot more photos to share so I'll try to get to back soon with more.

It's Our Third Anniversary!

Please join us at the store this Thursday November the 26th from 6 to 9 pm to help us celebrate our third anniversary! Click on the image to view the invitation in full size. We hope to see you there!

Help Wanted!

I'm looking to fill two positions at the store. I need one full time sales associate for 35-40 hours weekly, and one part time sales associate for 12 - 18 hours weekly.

I would like to find people who have a little knowledge of or experience with textiles and/or home decor, but an interest and willingness to learn will suffice. I do require English/French bilingualism as well as basic computer literacy (word processing and spread sheets.) Previous sales and customer service experience is an asset and excellent communication and interpersonal skill are an absolute must.

I expect a lot from my employees so compensation is higher than the average retail wage. Additionally, I offer excellent staff discounts, monthly goal incentives and a fun, flexible work environment.

Please submit your resume by fax to 613-789-8802 or stop by the store with it weekdays between 10-6.