Staten Island Needs to Follow the 3/50 project

OMG...Today I was in my store thinking about the state of the economy and my business in particular. I started reading my Country Register and lo & behold I came accross the 3/50 project.

the350project.net

Cindi Baxter pioneered this effort and I'm all for it as the owner of a small business. According to Cindi Baxter...

This is what we all need to do...

Save your (in my case Staten Island) local economy...one store at a time.

3

What three stores would you miss if they disappeared? Stop In. Say hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases keep them in business.

50

If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned stores, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.* Imagine what would happen if 3/4 the employed population did that.

68

For every $100 spent in locally owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

1

The number of people it takes to start a trend...YOU.

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.

For more information, visit the350project.net

I love this idea and I am going to the first person in Staten Island to start the trend. Tomorrow, I will make a conscious effort to shop at least one small business in Staten Island this week. Perhaps I'll try something new. A place I've never been. I'll buy something. Even if it is a card, candle, or soda. Let's all try this. It might be fun!!!

Warmest Regards,
Kathleen Sforza

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)

The Family that Gardens Together Stays Together!

Every Spring my Dad wants to plant his vegetable garden at his summer bungalow in the Catskills. It is an all day...or rather an all weekend affair that involves all of us.

Everyone has a job!!!

My Dad Lou, brother Stephen, and nephew Stephen prepare the garden soil.





Alexis, my oldest neice, job is to stand there, look pretty, & hand the plants to her boyfriend Anthony...



Anthony wants to know "Is there something wrong with this picture?"



My Dad "Lou"



My nephew "Stephen" is a busy beaver always ready to lend a helping hand.





My nephew "Stephen" helping his Mom "Denise". He's such a "Good Boy".



My Brother-in-law "Joe" supervises.



My Mom..."Grandma Jeanette"...is the "Boss"



My niece, Emily, decided to forgo all the fun and do a puzzle in the house.



The garden gnome will hopefully bring us luck and maybe keep the unwanted guests away!!!  (Peter Rabbit & all his friends)  ;)


Of course there are no pictures of me. I'm the photographer! Maybe next time...

Here's a preview of my flower garden...before I've weeded or removed the leaves...boy, do I have my work cut out. I'm tired already...



Happy Gardening!!!

Kathleen Sforza

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)

Blogs:
http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.blogspot.com/

Road to the Internet: Chapter 1

For years and years... I kept saying I was going to start selling on the internet. I have a store, I do shows and the first thing people always ask me is "what is your website? AHHHHH my answer.... "I don't have one." You ask, "How can that be?" We are in the 21st century, you are a small business owner and you do not have a website.

PLEASE NOTE: If you own a business or are planning to own a business, you must have a website in order to stay competitive!

But...I was soooooooo technologically challenged.

All the electronic gifts I ever received managed to stay in the box for years.

Did I mention that I really don't like electronic gifts? I very much prefer jewelry?

Parisian Charm Bracelet

I did not have a computer and I had no idea how to use one.

So for my birthday, my parents gave me a computer {what did I say before about "GIFTS"}. I brought the computer to my store, placed it in the corner and needless to say, like all my electronic gifts, there it sat............In mid-April, my sister Lorraine came to the store, saw the computer in the corner and asked "Is that the computer's new home?" {much like the Bose ipod docking station... a Christmas gift from my brother Louis 2 years ago...in the stockroom still in the box}.

What can I say? I'm technologically challenged!!!

I said "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!" But, in all honesty my birthday was February 4th and it had already been sitting in the corner for over 2 month. Maybe it was its new "Home".

With determination to prove my sister wrong, I called Verizon to set up my internet service. It really isn't my "Cup of Tea" talking to salespeople about electronic stuff that I know absolutely nothing about. Why is it that salespeople always try to sell you something else? Next Story: Telemarketer tries to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge!?!?!?!

Anyway, a few weeks later, my service switched over and the dreaded box came in the mail. Now I had to set up the computer. I had no idea what to do!!! Who do I call for help? Geek Squad? Ohhhh Noooo (I'm broke! I really can't afford to pay anyone right now)...

Soooo, I call my......sister Lorraine (who I might add is technologically challenged as well).

She comes to my rescue at 10:30 in the morning (exact time is important you'll see later why). Together we tackled the project. "Frick and Frack" not knowing what we were doing, managed to set up the computer by 2:00 PM {a mere 3 1/2 hours later}. We were thrilled!!!

Please Note: We did as much as we could, hit a snag, and then called the number in the set-up box and handed the reigns over to the girl on the telephone. This internet is amazing!!! She took control of our computer, helped us with the set-up and we were up and running.

I think we told everyone who came in the store about our accomplishment. We couldn't believe that we actually set up the computer and got onto the internet.

Now all we had to do was learn how to use the computer. After all how hard could a computer be? After all, we both already know how to type (with ten fingers!!!). We figure that if the kids ages 6, 12, 15, and 18 can work a computer, surely a pair of 40-something year olds could do the same.

Stay tune to my next blog... learning the computer and being taught by a 6-year old! :)

Warmest Regards,

Kathleen Sforza

Town & Country Gifts

1213 Castleton Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10310

718-447-8237

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)

Memorial Day in the Country

Our "Security Guard"



Hello,

Back from my weekend in the Catskills, NY {now known as the Hudson Valley}. What a beautiful weekend! Weather was perfect!

Perfect Home!!!



Bungalow looked as though it needed a good cleaning, but the weather was too beautiful to be spent indoors.

Arrival Time: Friday evening about 8:00 pm. First stop Emmanuel's in Stone Ridge for food for the weekend. Love this store! Sooo quaint. I want to buy everything.

Up by 6:00 am on Saturday. Why is it that I have so much energy and can get up bright & early on my days off, but on work days I am exhausted and can barely get my butt out of bed? Go figure!!!

Off to the thrift shop & Salvation Army in New Paltz with my Mom & Dad. (I don't understand "WHY" ??? my Dad wants to go. He gets out of the car, goes in the shop for approximately 5 minutes and then asks for the keys to go sit in the car). I think he thinks he is missing something.

Along the way we stopped at every yard sales. Some good and some not so good. All in all, I 'Love' this weekend.

Stopped at a garage sale in New Paltz. with a spectacular view of the mountain. Gentleman told me it was his parents home and now his. He showed me where his childhood swing set was and OMG a view you could die for!!!



Drove for many country miles...


Followed signs for a yard sale "Sale of the Century" Over 40 years accumulation.

OMG...Adrenaline Rush.

Arrive to a sale that was beyond words...What!!! Like the woman walking past me said..."I passed up all the good yard sales to come to...THIS!!!

Horrible! Guy sleeping on a lounge chair surrounded by old books and magazines. I guess this was his idea of 40 years of accumulation. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture...but you get the picture. UHGGGG!!!!

Next day my sister arrives and off we go to High Falls Flea Market. The market is every Sunday from May til October. We purchased a few items, had a burger & soda (barbecue by the local church yum...) & then headed home for our own barbecue where we were the 'Chefs' and 'Waitresses' and ' Busboys' and 'Dishwashers'.

The next day, I decided to start gardening. Cleaning up the leaves left from the fall and trying to plant in soil that is very very rocky. {It takes me a long time to just plant one 1 gallon perennials.} I am so sorry that when I started gardening fifteen years ago, that I didn't raise all my beds and have soil delivered. Anyway, I have to deal with what I've got.

It is very hard to plant in upstate NY. My plants are gourmet meals for deer and every other animal. See photos. Soooo cute, but very destructive. I'm hoping that when I get back this plant will have survived. You'd never know that I have been gardening for 15 years. Fifty percent of what I plant the deer eat!!!!

OH NOOOOOOOO.........



Breakfast...


Lunch...


and Dinner...

I hope these last thru the week!!!

But, I am always up for a challenge...

Happy Gardening!!!

Kathleen Sforza

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)

Blogs:
http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.blogspot.com/
http://www.accessoriesbyashleyrae.blogspot.com/ 

Self Employment...Dream? or Nightmare?

Okay, I've decided I was going to blog. But...what do I write about? Complete blank. OMG I'm Boring! I can't think about one thing that interests me that I think you would find interesting.

So, I'll tell you why I am starting my blog {Shameless self-promotion}. During these tough economic times, I am trying to promote my eBay Stores:

Kathleen Rose's Collection www.kathleenrosescollection.com

and

Lorraine's Favorite Finds www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com

Enough with the self-promotion, now onto a little bio and my feelings on being self-employed.

I own my own business. I am self-employed. Everyone else's "Dream". My "Nightmare"!!!

Why "Nightmare"? Because I love what I do BUT (a big but), I can't seem to make money and we all need money to live.

I've been in business for over 20 years and I still have made no money!

You may ask "How can that be?"

Because when you go in business for yourself, as my mother once said to me, "All you do is buy yourself a "JOB"."

When she said this to me, I didn't really pay attention. I was in my mid-20's and I had always dreamed of owning my own shop. My creative juices were flowing and I loved going to shows and buying merchandise for my store. I loved setting up the store displays. I loved helping my customers. I felt like a kid playing "Store". I loved all the creative aspects of owning a store.

Store Displays

And here comes the big... BUT... When you own your own business, you are now responsible for every aspect of your financial health.

High finance was never really my attribute. {Shopping on the other hand, I'm pretty good at!}

However, I need to fund my own retirement, my health care, my vacation, etc...When I go on vacation, I do not get paid.

So...I go on vacation and I loose money!

But, I am in business because I "LOVE" what I do!

If you want to go in business for yourself, you must love what you do because if you calculate the hours you put into your business you will be lucky if you make $1.00 an hour.

My Keys to Success

My job is my hobby. I put countless hours in trying to build my dream. I consider myself lucky to do what I do.

If you ask me if I would do it again? I would say in a "Heartbeat" YESSSS!

I love owning my own business. I would say "Go for It".

In a Heartbeat...Kathleen Sforza

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10310

718-447-8237

Store Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10:00 until 5:00

email: kathleensforza@hotmail.com

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)

Thank You Barton Horowitz!

Today we were thrilled to have an article written about our store in the Staten Island Advance NORTH SHORE Paper.

The senior business writer/columnist Barton Horowitz wrote a wonderful article about our business. We were so excited!!! The only thing...we hated was having our picture taken. :(

Here's the Story:

Last week, before we opened the store at 10:00 AM, we spent everyday cleaning out someone's estate. We were a mess, hair in a ponytail, no makeup, clothes dirty, and sort of smelling like old boxes. Yuck! You know the picture!!!

After carrying in the boxes and cluttering up the front of our store {trying to sort through what was trash & what was treasure}, my sister answers the phone. She starts talking and is very excited. She tells the person on the other end that they need to speak with me. She hands the phone to me and mouths "It's the Advance and they want to do an article on our store". I take the phone and shout "YES!!!" Silently thinking..."Thank you God!"

The writer/reporter Mr. Barton Horowitz introduces himself and said that he read about us and how we started our business. He then says "Can I come down & take pictures of the store". I was like "Sure". He then said he wanted a picture of me, my sister, and my mother and could he come "NOW". I was thinking OMG "No". We need to take a "SHOWER".

Fortunately, my mother was not there. He said he really wanted the three of us (Mom to the rescue as usual). We arranged for him to come the next day.

I hung up the phone and said "Lorraine we need to clean the store & loose 20 lbs in the next 8 hours. Let's Go".
We ran around and cleaned the entire store. We even set up our Christmas Trees (we actually hadn't taken them all down...well it was only May) & I was figuring we would do "Christmas in July".

So I would like to share with you the wonderful article that Barton Horowitz wrote about our store. We reeeealllly appreciated it!!!

Thank you Barton Horowitz.

Warmest Regards,
Kathleen Sforza, Jeanette Sforza, and Lorraine Razzano

http:/www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2009/05/staten_island_gift_shop_mixes.html http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

What is Html?

Hi everyone!

I wish I knew everything about the computer. What is this Html? I need this knowledge, but I don't feel like taking a class.

I wish my 10 year old niece Emily knew how. She showed me how to cut & paste.

My 18 year old niece Ashley {she had a class in high school} showed me once, but I fogot {it was way before I even knew how to email}.

My 15 year old niece Alyssa says she can do something with a b & an r
She does it on My Space??????? Maybe she'll help me.

I'll figure it out because I DO NOT want to take a class!

I'll keep you posted. When I find out how? I'll put it into the simplest terms & let you all know. Like press this, this, and that. This is how I learned to cut & paste.

1) Left Click on mouse to highlight words...

2)Left Click Edit...

3)Left Click Copy...

4)Right Click Paste...

5)There I've cut & paste.

I wrote it in a notebook so I never forget. Very simple and no class needed!

Warmest Regards,
Kathleen

Websites:

http://www.kathleenrosescollection.com/ (an eBay Store)

http://www.lorrainesfavoritefinds.com/ (an eBay Store)