Poppy Barley Weekly 19

Another busy week! I (Justine) will start with design and product updates, since I have been immersed in that:

• After a million years of development, we will finally be releasing The Contemporary Ballet flat this month at a special introductory price to thank you for your patience! Stay tuned! As always PB Insiders will get first dibs. (And for you bow haters - you know who you are - don't worry, we've added a non-bow, solid colour option.)
• Help us finalize our Men's Collection, coming this November, by taking and sharing this survey! This will help put an end to our hour-long debate over details like - full leather or leather-rubber sole? Natural or black sole finish? etc. etc.
• We're also working on our Spring Collection (polls to gather your feedback coming soon!) and have already received catalogues of Fall/Winter 2015 leather possibilities - making us feel split between three seasons.

In other news:

• Our office is now divided by those who own the Poppy Barley Chelsea Boot and those who wish they did. (The Blue Jean Baby Classic Ankle Bootie is another office favourite.) Caroline and I are the cool girls so far ;)
• We are so excited for The Founders Assembly happening this Saturday! If you missed the memo on what this event is all about, watch this.
• Our experiments with offering the best shipping service continue - we are now getting bulk orders to Edmonton, are doing the handling ourselves and shipping them out via FedEx ground.
• Kendall and I attend the Western Living Designers of the Year Awards in Calgary this Wednesday. Here's a look at how much fun we had. It was a great crowd of architects, designers, and creatives - some of my favourite people. (BTW - how does every architect have such great style?)

• Our artisans in Mexico are working so hard to make all your September orders. We are blessed to have such talent supporting us.
• We've got lots of popup shops happening this month - so book your spot now:
  • Retail Week - October 6th (this will include an exclusive student discount - $150 for flats! - at the U of A's 2014 School of Retailing conference.)
  • Calgary - October 17 & 18 (this is in partnership with Vine Styles and will include wine tastings paired with our leather colours. Yes, we will get you drunk and make you buy boots ;)
  • St. Albert - October 19th (this is part of Sarasota Homes' Popup Shop Collective; we'll be popping up with Glow Juicery, Stella & Dot and Bella Maas Boutique.)
• Press: We got a hard copy of our feature in Toronto Life (there's nothing like print!), and were thrilled to see The Savannah Hill Boot featured in Avenue Edmonton for October's Cool Hunter page.
• We had some fantastic blog coverage this week! Thanks to:
  • Holly at In the Fun Lane for sharing her love for her Midnight Confetti Feminine Slippers;
  • The girls at 204 Park for showcasing Kali's super cute knee-high sock and Everyday City Boot look;
  • Brittany at the Canadian Gift Guide for helping us spread the word about the brand in such a well-written post (who needs photos with descriptions like that?!);
  • Cheryl at Dining Room Empire for sharing her story about foot growth + pregnancy (we hear this from women all the time!) and her lovely, honest review of Poppy Barley.
  • And Lori Andrews, the photographer behind our Limited Edition Collection 03, is seen sporting Poppy Barley product on the regular. Visit her Instagram to check it out!

Here's what we're reading/watching:

• Same-day delivery: E-Commerce Giants Are Battling To Own The 'Last Mile'
• Carine Roitfeld in Fashion at Work
• Why I went to Butler School - (This article was inspired by my friend's brother who went from working in northern Alberta to butler school in Europe.)
• Black Gold Fuels Fashion Boomtowns from Perth to Calgary
• How to Bounce Back from Burnout
• The Brave Future of the Telephone
• Why Men Never Remember Anything
• The Expectation Dance
• A lot of TV, apparently (blame the colds!). Favourite shows right now: The Good Wife, Homeland, The Masters of Sex, and Suits
• Boyhood - highly recommended!