The main season may be over but you still have the rest of the year to show your love for your favorite NJ happy place! Last season we began the tradition of designing and producing our own LBI apparel for shoppers to enjoy and take home as stylish seaside souvenirs.
It's a well known tradition on the island that every summer you get a new LBI sweatshirt or t-shirt to add to your collection. Many people have had this tradition going since they were babies. It's fun to see people find their ALU version to take home for that year. It's something that we hope to grow even further since customers have been responding well to them.
Designing and manufacturing 2017's collection is on my super long list to tackle during the off season. But while we wait, the online shop is now stocked with all of 2016's LBI / NJ apparel in case you didn't scoop one up in store. Also an addition to 2016's collection? LITTLE ONES! Onesies, toddler tees..too cute. We have zero sweatshirts left though so take note for next year: get 'em while you can. Shop now by clicking here.
Is there anything better than the first few weeks of fall? The crisp in the air, the transition into cozier clothes and the excitement of Halloween and eventually Thanksgiving dancing all around. It's the best time of year! Hands down. I am certain I have yelled about this before but it's worth saying again.
The busy season on the island is officially over and we've switched over to a weekend only schedule. Although this summer has been a bit hectic with the Montclair shop closing, it's still been so nice to escape to work at this little piece of heaven. Now that the quiet season has begun, I am planning on taking the time to truly focus on how the shop can be even better because April will be here before we know it.
Aside from keeping the store's online platform stocked all year long, I'm planning on making trips for a variety of different trade shows to track down new vendors and check in with the already established ones we already know & love. Also? I want to take a good look at our current space and come up with a few redesigns to truly maximize every inch of the shop to ensure that our customers get the best experience possible. In addition to all of that exciting stuff, we're also working hard on an in-store product line focusing on all natural home items - so stay tuned because this will be ready just in time for the holidays.
Not to be too cheesy but it is true that when one door closes (or you close it yourself.) so many other doors open. I can't repeat that enough to myself these days and I'm always astounded at the power of personal choice. Since the difficult decision was made to not continue with the second location, so many things just immediately started falling into place and new possibilities started to sprout. So, go with your gut people. Or better..don't be afraid to admit you've made a mistake. Just correct it and be open to what's next because it just might be so much better for you. In fact, it usually always is.
Another exciting update? We're moving back to Red Bank! My fiance and I were born and raised in the Red Bank area and even met at high school there. But after almsot 10 years of living elsewhere, we couldn't ignore that we wanted to set down roots there. Giving Montclair a shot for a year was a nice experience but we are such Monmouth County people. So we are heading back to where we belong! In fact, we're moving next Saturday. Another bonus to that is that I will be even closer to Beach Haven. Thank gawd. And for those asking if there will be an ALU in Red Bank, the current answer is: "NO!!" but the real answer is "Never say never. AKA Maybe 10 years from now" :)
With all of that said, I felt it was a really important time to capture the store as it is right now at this very moment. It's a time of transition and stress but this little space has brought so much joy and is keeping me motivated. So I connected with a super talented photographer on LBI named Ann Cohen and she did a beautiful job capturing the store's feel. I am only going to show two right now but don't worry - more to come soon.
It's not secret that this summer has been the summer of "off the shoulder". You may be sick of it, but we are not. Anything that has been anywhere remotely close to an off the shoulder, cold shoulder, etc. has flown out of the store. The whole look epitomizes that whole breezy beachy cool girl style that is ideal in this steamy season.
However, as I sit here in my off the shoulder blouse..it feels impossible to even move without the shirt riding up and completely messing up the whole feel. I'm either walking around with my hands glued to my side like a loon or constantly tugging and yanking to keep everything in place. I mean, who knew you'd have to put so much effort into that fake "I just got back from a luxe vacation to Portofino" (in my case, sans tan) vibe. Customers have noted this also but for the love of the trend, we all ride it out. #reallifeproblems right?
Well, thank gawd for the internet because I stumbled upon numerous videos providing us all with a LYFE saving hack that will ensure that our shoulders remain exposed forever.
After learning a few tricks from the video, take a peek at our selection off off the shoulder dresses and tops. More are arriving each week until late fall weather tells us to chill.
Coraline Top - $44
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| Forever Vacation Dress - $54 |
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| Brynn Dress - $62 |
Rio Ruffle Blouse - $47
however, august is a wacky wacky month on LBI. It is like a cute little screaming toddler. Definitely fun, rewarding and worth it but totally keeps you on your toes, throws you for loops and tests your patience. The island is in full swing and this month is notorious according to all the locals / business owners since it for some reason brings in an array of different personalities and demands. (side note: i think 10 months in Montclair prepared me a bit for this ;) ) So, I am super happy I can focus on the Beach Haven store 100% and really finish this season off right. Did I expect this summer to end quite like this? No. But I'm glad it's heading where it's headed.
i love love love this ocean side happy place and i hope you do too!
ps: more fashion, decor, music posts are heading your way! no more sappy stuff.
From the time I could process my thoughts, I've always had a fire inside to turn my main dreams into realities. I'm a typical Scorpio - a passionate self starter who stops at nothing until my goal is accomplished. If I don't see an opportunity, I try to create it for myself. At the same time, if I see an opportunity and I take it, and realize it's a mistake - I will correct it. Especially when quality of life is getting impacted and it's just simply not worth the trouble.
After a lot of thought & consideration, I have decided it's best to close up the Montclair store this August and consolidate everything into one big store in Beach Haven.
Fresh off the heels of my first successful season on LBI, I felt like I didn't want to stop the moving train. Why not add more chaos and open a full time store again? It definitely made sense to give it a go. Plus, I let the nosey "how do you make money in the off season?" questions get to me and make me panic. I've grown up enough in the past year to know that the answer to those types of questions is a big fat "None of your business".
I feel if I didn't open the second store, I would have always wondered what it would be like to have two. The opportunity came to me and I took it. As time went on, it just became super obvious that it was a bit of a mistake. It just didn't click. Every month has been a struggle and the negative outweighed the positive. The stresses of doubling the already expensive overhead of a brick & mortar business mixed with many other things just proved to be simply too much. I'm not even 30 years old yet and I have a future I'd like to protect.
I'm super thankful nothing will truly go to waste since there is a spot to move everything to. All of the beautiful items that I spent time collecting and assembling in the Montclair store will have a happy sea side home. This is why I'm closing up there sooner than later so I can still make good use of everything while the LBI season is still in full swing. Time is precious in a situation like this.
A Lovely Universe will remain in the same spot in Beach Haven (412 n bay avenue!) and fully stocked online during the off season. Weekend hours on LBI will be extended past October and I'm planning a re-design this winter to truly maximize the space and make it even better once the third season rolls around. In a few years, I'd love to expand into a larger space on the island but not now.
The thing that remains the same with the Beach Haven location is that it's a happy place. My family is right down the street, I can bike to work, people are in good moods because they're on vacation and I'm happy to say the business is growing beautifully. Even the hard days, offbeat schedule and traveling back/ forth each week feel completely worth it and daydreaming about it's future is a true joy. Plus, having a few available months during the year can open the doors for the creative freelance projects I've been offered and perhaps travel time (!!!!!!). This is why I'm no longer sad about this decision and I'm looking at it with complete excitement. It took some time to get there though.
Now is time to retreat, pull back, analyze things and s l o w l y figure out what's next.
So yeah, this is one of those "Time for a re-do!" moves in life. This just happens to be a bit public (how fun!) but I can already feel the new calmer possibilities forming and that's the best.
Many thanks to those who supported the store over the year - please stay in touch!
note: the last official day in upper montclair will be august 7th
a lot of the stock is already either sold or moved down to LBI!
Many thanks to those who supported the store over the year - please stay in touch!
note: the last official day in upper montclair will be august 7th
a lot of the stock is already either sold or moved down to LBI!
