I was never one to get all caught up in "buying local". But, for some reason, living in Fresno has made be become a little crazy about making sure I do "buy local". I guess it's because the San Joaquin Valley has so many wonderful products to offer!
I'm finding myself reading labels and asking people "is this made locally"? My desire to "support our local economy" is becoming my mantra! I know that many of you out there have, probably, been a local supporter for a long time - I salute you! So, you've got to be excited to have another member on your team, right?
I think the biggest reason for my "local awareness" are all the farmer's markets and fruit and vegetable stands I pass everyday! And, I do mean everyday! When I buy from these growers, it feels good, knowing I'm supporting hard working farmers that live in my community!
And, they inspire me to make jam and can tomatoes, something I've never done before!
I think the other reason is the people here in Fresno! I have lived all over California my entire life, exceot for an 8-year stint in Phoenix, and never have I met such genuine, friendly people! I seem to make a friend everyday! They make me want to support the jobs they have and the impact they make! I am very lucky to live in this community and this community of wonderful people!
Thanks, Fresno, for inspiring me to support all things local!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Customer Service At It's Best!
I am a quilter. Now, I'm not an obsessive quilter and this I know because I've had three unfinished quilts hanging around the house for six months.
I think autumn has something to do with my all-of-a-sudden desire to, finally, finish them! With the cooling of the weather, I become much more productive and motivated!
My quilt buddy, Diane, lives in Camarillo and is the owner of a fabulous Janome sewing machine! When I'm at her house quilting, I get to use it and it makes me giddy! It has made me some very pretty quilts! But, when I am at home, I sew with a pretty basic machine. When I pulled it out of the closet, and set it up, I realized that I needed to buy a "walking foot" for the actual quilting of my quilt!
I went online to find something, not too expensive, that would do the job! The prices vary from $20 to $50 which further confused me! Do I really have to get one that works with only my machine or can I buy a generic brand and have it do the same job? So, I decided to call a sewing machine store, locally, to see what they would recommend!
I called Authorized Sew and Vac on Blackstone at Barstow and spoke to Veronica. Veronica epitomizes the best in customer service. She spent alot of time on the phone telling me the important reasons why I need to buy the exact parts formy brand and model of sewing machine. It will be a workhorse for me if I take care of it! And, she had the walking foot in stock for my machine!
I could've gotten the walking foot online for $5 cheaper, but when I experience service like Veronica supplied, I was going to buy it from her store!
I arrived at the store and you could tell that every employee in the store was trained by her! They were acknowleging and helpful, but I wanted to meet Veronica!
Veronica is a transplant from Florida and has lived in Fresno for two months, and she loves Fresno as much as I do! I spend another 45 minutes in the store to find out what else was special about this place!
They have a large variety of sewing machines and vacuum cleaners, and do repair and cleanings! They have terrific prices on sewing machines and give free lessons with your purchase! They also do trade-ins!
What peaked my interest was the sewing and quilting classes they offer! They have a nice classroom set-up, too! She has been ordering some really nice fabrics, as well, and her prices are less than the quilt shops! Her vision is for a store that goes beyond the store's name, and she is well on her way to doing just that!
Please stop by Authorized Sew and Vac and check it out! You won't be disappointed!
I think autumn has something to do with my all-of-a-sudden desire to, finally, finish them! With the cooling of the weather, I become much more productive and motivated!
My quilt buddy, Diane, lives in Camarillo and is the owner of a fabulous Janome sewing machine! When I'm at her house quilting, I get to use it and it makes me giddy! It has made me some very pretty quilts! But, when I am at home, I sew with a pretty basic machine. When I pulled it out of the closet, and set it up, I realized that I needed to buy a "walking foot" for the actual quilting of my quilt!
I went online to find something, not too expensive, that would do the job! The prices vary from $20 to $50 which further confused me! Do I really have to get one that works with only my machine or can I buy a generic brand and have it do the same job? So, I decided to call a sewing machine store, locally, to see what they would recommend!
I called Authorized Sew and Vac on Blackstone at Barstow and spoke to Veronica. Veronica epitomizes the best in customer service. She spent alot of time on the phone telling me the important reasons why I need to buy the exact parts formy brand and model of sewing machine. It will be a workhorse for me if I take care of it! And, she had the walking foot in stock for my machine!
I could've gotten the walking foot online for $5 cheaper, but when I experience service like Veronica supplied, I was going to buy it from her store!
I arrived at the store and you could tell that every employee in the store was trained by her! They were acknowleging and helpful, but I wanted to meet Veronica!
Veronica is a transplant from Florida and has lived in Fresno for two months, and she loves Fresno as much as I do! I spend another 45 minutes in the store to find out what else was special about this place!
They have a large variety of sewing machines and vacuum cleaners, and do repair and cleanings! They have terrific prices on sewing machines and give free lessons with your purchase! They also do trade-ins!
What peaked my interest was the sewing and quilting classes they offer! They have a nice classroom set-up, too! She has been ordering some really nice fabrics, as well, and her prices are less than the quilt shops! Her vision is for a store that goes beyond the store's name, and she is well on her way to doing just that!
Please stop by Authorized Sew and Vac and check it out! You won't be disappointed!
OOOOOO, so pretty!
Last week, my husband was shooting a commercial for one of his agency clients. He's the Creative Director at Catalyst Marketing, a really fun group of talented people by the way!
My 15 year career was in advertising at a big ad agency in Los Angeles, and it's where my husband and I met. I hadn't been to a commercial shoot in a very long time, so I was invited to go!
And, that is where I met Lisa! Lisa was the makeup artist for the cast of the commercial. I am a makeup junky, so I pulled up a chair in her vicinity so I could watch her do her magic! She did an amazing job on everyone, making them look naturally beautiful!
Afterwards, I spent time talking with her about makeup and it's application. I have been having a hard time figuring out what brushes I use with what makeup, cream or powdered eyeshadows, concealer or no concealer, dark lips or light, plum blush or pink???? I know there are some of you out there feeling my pain right now!
Well, feel it no longer - Ladies, go see Lisa at Muses Day Spa! Take all your makeup and brushes, and she will look at everything you have and show you what works and what doesn't work and why. She also did a makeup application on one side of my face, and then made me apply it on the other side! She spent and hour with me and charges $55 - such a great value! She's fun and knowledgeable and experienced - she even makes up celebrities on movie shoots! I left there so much more confident and OOOOOO, so pretty! Thanks, Lisa!
My 15 year career was in advertising at a big ad agency in Los Angeles, and it's where my husband and I met. I hadn't been to a commercial shoot in a very long time, so I was invited to go!
And, that is where I met Lisa! Lisa was the makeup artist for the cast of the commercial. I am a makeup junky, so I pulled up a chair in her vicinity so I could watch her do her magic! She did an amazing job on everyone, making them look naturally beautiful!
Afterwards, I spent time talking with her about makeup and it's application. I have been having a hard time figuring out what brushes I use with what makeup, cream or powdered eyeshadows, concealer or no concealer, dark lips or light, plum blush or pink???? I know there are some of you out there feeling my pain right now!
Well, feel it no longer - Ladies, go see Lisa at Muses Day Spa! Take all your makeup and brushes, and she will look at everything you have and show you what works and what doesn't work and why. She also did a makeup application on one side of my face, and then made me apply it on the other side! She spent and hour with me and charges $55 - such a great value! She's fun and knowledgeable and experienced - she even makes up celebrities on movie shoots! I left there so much more confident and OOOOOO, so pretty! Thanks, Lisa!
Music and Cinnamon Rolls!
Saturday night my husband, Michael, and I went to Rockstir, an event to promote the local businesses in the RiverView Shopping Center at Friant and Fort Washington. One of the sponsors was my husband's workplace, Catalyst Marketing - go Catalyst!
The "Rock" part of Rockstir was supplied by two bands, Fresno Undercover and IYAZ! Fresno Undercover performs on Sundays, 2:00pm at the Elbow Room and are terrific! They play current hits, country, and heavy rock. Their lead singer, Marie, is fantastic! Check them out on myspace.com/undercoverfresno and you can hear samples of their music.
IYAZ was the other band - hip/hop! We were unable to stay to hear them, but heard great comments about them as well!
"Stir" was provided by Budweiser and The Standard Restaurant and Lounge.
Food was delish - Chapala and Lassen's Natural Foods.
And, drum roll please!, a fashion show by She She Women's Boutique with the Budweiser Girls as models!
Lots of fun! Evidently, a yearly event, so put it on your calendar for next year!
Sunday morning, we were off to the Fresno State Fair! I can't tell you how many people told me that I HAD to get a cinnamon roll at the fair! I was so tired of hearing the suggestion, I almost didn't get one just because! What a mistake I would've made - the cinnamon rolls were "cin-ful"! Fat and gooey and so yummy! My only disappointment was that I didn't have anymore room for a funnel cake!
We really enjoyed the fair, more than we thought! It's huge with lots to see and experience! Our favorite venue was the horse races! We stood at the fence right at the finish line! What an amazing experience to see these beautiful creatures racing towards us, and the incredible sound of their hooves slamming the ground as they pass the finish line! Wow!
The agriculture building was really impressive, seeing the incredible variety of fruits and vegetables that Fresno County produces and supplies to the United States is really something to be proud of!
Then there were the quilts! Being a quilter, I particularly, loved seeing all of them hanging from the rafters! We have some pretty amazing quilt artists in the San Joaquin Valley, and they've got ribbons to prove it!
The most difficult area for me to see were the displays of award winning homemade pies, cakes, breads and cookies! Difficult because they lookied so scrumptious and tantalizing. Here they were, sitting on plates inviting us all to have a a bite, but it wasn't permitted! I think next year they should consider a "sampling" area for those of us with a sweet tooth!
My husband enjoyed the gem and jewelry building and we both loved seeing the fine artists and photographers our valley has to offer!
State Fairs are always fun, but I think ours is one of the best!
The "Rock" part of Rockstir was supplied by two bands, Fresno Undercover and IYAZ! Fresno Undercover performs on Sundays, 2:00pm at the Elbow Room and are terrific! They play current hits, country, and heavy rock. Their lead singer, Marie, is fantastic! Check them out on myspace.com/undercoverfresno and you can hear samples of their music.
IYAZ was the other band - hip/hop! We were unable to stay to hear them, but heard great comments about them as well!
"Stir" was provided by Budweiser and The Standard Restaurant and Lounge.
Food was delish - Chapala and Lassen's Natural Foods.
And, drum roll please!, a fashion show by She She Women's Boutique with the Budweiser Girls as models!
Lots of fun! Evidently, a yearly event, so put it on your calendar for next year!
Sunday morning, we were off to the Fresno State Fair! I can't tell you how many people told me that I HAD to get a cinnamon roll at the fair! I was so tired of hearing the suggestion, I almost didn't get one just because! What a mistake I would've made - the cinnamon rolls were "cin-ful"! Fat and gooey and so yummy! My only disappointment was that I didn't have anymore room for a funnel cake!
We really enjoyed the fair, more than we thought! It's huge with lots to see and experience! Our favorite venue was the horse races! We stood at the fence right at the finish line! What an amazing experience to see these beautiful creatures racing towards us, and the incredible sound of their hooves slamming the ground as they pass the finish line! Wow!
The agriculture building was really impressive, seeing the incredible variety of fruits and vegetables that Fresno County produces and supplies to the United States is really something to be proud of!
Then there were the quilts! Being a quilter, I particularly, loved seeing all of them hanging from the rafters! We have some pretty amazing quilt artists in the San Joaquin Valley, and they've got ribbons to prove it!
The most difficult area for me to see were the displays of award winning homemade pies, cakes, breads and cookies! Difficult because they lookied so scrumptious and tantalizing. Here they were, sitting on plates inviting us all to have a a bite, but it wasn't permitted! I think next year they should consider a "sampling" area for those of us with a sweet tooth!
My husband enjoyed the gem and jewelry building and we both loved seeing the fine artists and photographers our valley has to offer!
State Fairs are always fun, but I think ours is one of the best!
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