Whether you just discovered us or have been with us since the beginning, we thought you might enjoy taking a look back at the past five years. It's always fun to take a trip down memory lane, right?
Here goes:
We started out in a very small space
Our vision from the beginning was to give mommies and families a place to come not only for super-cute maternity clothing and pregnancy/baby/breastfeeding items, but a place where parents can come to get the support they need to help with their pregnancy, breastfeeding, and natural parenting needs as well.
In 2009 we joined the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce:
As part of our goal to be a resource for our community, we have held classes and hosted events - things like childbirth classes, BOLD Red Tent birth-story-sharing, movie viewing, prenatal yoga, breastfeeding resource groups, belly-casting, and so many others!
We have been featured in the Argus Leader and on local TV Stations. We have had a presence at awesome events like FamilyFest, Etc Expo, SD State Fair, LifeLight, and many others!
In 2010 we got more space for our store!
On the retail side of things, we have been passionate about being an outlet for Work At Home Moms to showcase their quality work, and we have been honored to carry so many items in the store that are made at home by mamas who are working hard to help support their families. Last month here on the blog we featured many of the WAHM vendors we currently carry in the store...we encourage you to check them out and support these wonderful families! Here are just a few examples:
In January of 2012 we moved into our new, permanent location at 207 W 37th here in Sioux Falls. It was a long, arduous process getting the space ready, but we did it, and have been so happy here since then! Seriously - you should stop in and see us (particularly this weekend *wink*)!
Not only did we move our retail store to a new permanent location, but we also started our sister-organization, the non-profit Educated Mommy, whose space is in the back of our building. Educated Mommy has taken our goal of being a constant resource and support for area parents to a whole new level. They offer support groups for moms of newborns, moms heading back to work, meeting space for the local La Leche League and Babywearing International chapter meeting, and have an abundance of classes that go more in depth with all kinds of issues surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and natural parenting including a Cloth Diaper 101 class and a Babywearing 101 class. If you haven't already, you should totally check out their lineup of classes and events - they're great!
We have also hosted many fun events - some big and some smaller - anything from the Great Cloth Diaper Change and the Big Latch On (both world record events) to Last Minute Pictures with Santa and Halloween Costume Contests.
One of the best things about the past five years, though, is the relationships we have built. We have made many, many new friends since we set up shop in 2008. Even if we don't get to see you on a regular basis because you live in a different part of the country or world, we can't even begin to tell you how much you all mean to us! We absolutely adore seeing the pictures you have shared with us through the years...
After all....we are here to serve YOU!!
So, hat's off to an amazing first five years, and we look forward to many, many more!
~Elegant Mommy
P.s. We have always liked hosting giveaways for our readers too, and you can look forward to a great one coming up next week, so stay tuned!
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