Poppy Barley Weekly 16

Welcome to Friday! It’s been a whirlwind of travel. I spent last weekend in the Okanagan celebrating the marriage of a dearest friend, flew directly to New York (shot from under the Manhattan bridge, below) and home again to Edmonton. Here on the prairies of Alberta, autumn’s brisk temperatures have arrived. I rode my bike to work yesterday to a fresh layer of frost on the pedestrian bridge. Today, we’re going to start on a sad note. Our beloved, incredible Breanne is leaving us. Tomorrow marks her final day at Poppy Barley {insert lots of tears}. When you’re a team of 2 or 4 or 8 – every person makes a significant contribution to a company. Breanne’s personality, brains, consciousness and commitment set a standard for customer care, events and fun at Poppy Barley. She may be leaving but will forever be part of the Poppy Barley story. Breanne, we’ll miss: everything pink, stories of fake hair, your smile, your patience, your kindness, for being up for anything, your mad excel skills, your bikini-packing skills, always having everything under control… YOU! For your next journey, the whole Poppy Barley team (in Edmonton and Mexico) is cheering and supporting you. Good luck! Here’s what happened this week:

• Canadian Living gave Poppy Barley a mention in its blog post about the best places to shop for both small and big feet.
• The press continued with Toronto Life including us in The Bespoke Club: 5 e-retailers delivering customization to the masses.
• We’re popping up at Workhall Boutique during the Edmonton City Market this Saturday, Sept. 13th, from 9am to 6pm! Secure your measuring appointment by booking here (3 spots left!), and RSVP on Facebook. Walk-ins welcome!
• Next weekend we’re hosting a Popup Shop at NOUL (840 Granville) on Saturday, Sept. 20th from 11am-7pm and Sunday, Sept. 21st from 11am-7pm. Customers have the opportunity to see our latest product in person, get measured for custom boots and shoes, and learn more about our manufacturing in Mexico. Book a measuring appointment and RSVP on Facebook. Again, walk-ins welcome!
• We launched Limited Edition Collection 03 featuring Gotham Grey Highline Boots, Midnight Confetti Slippers and Park Avenue Purple Classic Points.
• Sarah from 204 Park shares her love for our Midnight Confetti Feminine Slippers.
• Curious who the "headless" model is in our latest campaign? Meet Lori. (P.S. Wouldn’t it be great if she held a “full body selfie workshop” in Edmonton??)
• Next week on Wed. Sept 17, go listen to Justine talk about working with family (aka me!) on the Capital Ideas Panel. I also wrote this article about why working with your sibling works.
• While in NYC, I attended a Decoded Fashion and Women Who Code NYC event held at Condé Nast. Five women entrepreneurs honestly talked about bringing their ideas to life and working as a female in the tech world. Sound like your kind of dialogue, mark your calendar for Decoded Fashion NYC Summit Nov. 18-19.

Here’s what we’re reading:

• Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewiez. It’s long, but so brilliant. It serves as welcome reminder that we do our best thinking by slowing down and concentrating.
• The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship by Jessica Bruder. Who can ignore relatable words like “before they made it big, they struggled through moments of near-debilitating anxiety and despair--times when it seemed everything might crumble.”
• As I spend more time thinking about designing a Poppy Barley retail concept, this article made me think: Retailers Shift Strategy to Court Millennials.