The Downtown Fairfax Retailers Association is in great need of your help.  Whether you are a Fairfax City resident or not, this affects you and your shopping needs.  We are currently in a “battle” to save the 33 spaces in the gravel lot behind the historic City Hall.  This is at the intersection of North St and University.  As business owners and managers, we need to keep these spaces for  parking!  Customers need close in, accessible parking to attract them to the restaurants and other businesses in downtown Fairfax.  Please show your support.  Our Facebook page is listed below. 

We appreciate your support.

Judy

The attachment is the letter we have sent to the city outlining some of the issues we need addressed.  The face book page given below provides you links to the other facebook pages and websites that address different aspects of our list of issues.

Face book page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Town-Fairfax-City/228505397216311?sk=wall

Hey, Yesterday’s Rose fans!!!

Just returned from a dynamite summt in Portland, OR where I met with the leaders of the resale industry.  We were a group of 28 women who owned resale stores across the country.  You could almost cut the energy with a knife.  One of our workshop presenters was Amanda Grisham, desinger of Grishley and recipient of the Portland Designer of the Year Award.  She gave us some forecasts for the upcoming Fall/Winter season.  So, here are her predictions:

Fashion trends will be a flashback to the 70s, complete with chunky heeled shoes and bow front blouses (bleh).  The glitzy girl is still around with bold looks of rhinestones and crystals.  Fedoras will take a back seat to cloche hats.  Ponchos will be big, along with “infinity” scarves.  An infinity scarf is one with no ends…it is one big loop that you can layer around your neck.  Take a second look at Sperry topsiders too.

Native American prints will be shown a lot along with the same look in footwear that displays fabric.  Jewelry will show big textured metal (hammered) and multiple layers in draping jewelry.  Both Yesterday’s Rose and Rose Too have many affordable necklaces to choose from a rock bottom low prices so you can achieve that look at a fraction of the cost.  Vintage will be huge….jewelry, clothing, hats and purses.  Or course, Rose Too is your destination for anything vintage.  Don’t forget that tomorrow, October 18th will feature 25% off clothing in Rose Too and we’re talking Talbots, DKNY and many European designers!

Colors?  Let’s talk a true, rich, vibrant RED for the holidays along with black and grey as we get into winter.  Rose Too has a beautiful display of red shoes, purses and a lot of silver jewelry to complement these colors.  We have a side selection of the big cuff bracelets that are so popular now

This resale summit was a huge event for me and what I discovered was that no matter the venue, Yesterday’s Rose and Rose Too are at the top of the list when it comes to style, value and service.

We deeply appreciate your support with your fabulous donations and your daily presence in your “friendly neighborhood thrift shop”.  I look forward to seeing you at Yesterday’s Rose and Rose Too!

Judy

Greetings!

Wow!  It’s gotten cooler fast!  We have increased sales in sweaters, jackets and blankets lately which proves the point!  So, what’s going on at your favorite, friendly neighborhood thrift shop?  For starters…

Rose Too…right next door to Yesterday’s Rose and is a treasure house of upscale clothing, shoes and NY “hot” jewelry.  We also have vintage linens, hats and other accessories and furniture.  JUST IN:  a beautiful, signed and dated and hand painted small secretary-style desk with “Alexandria, VA” painted on it!  It’s a beauty and it’s dated 1946!!!Come in and take a peek.  Don’t forget:  All Rose Too shoes will be 25% off on Tuesday, 09/20.

If you haven’t been to Rose Too, let me tell you….it is the “gem” of Fairfax City and truly a one-of-a-kind store.  Stop in and say hello to Anne.  Several days ago, a woman came in with her husband to shop.  He sat in the back “parlor”.  She bought, among other things, a black lace bustier.  When Anne was wrapping her purchases, she asked Anne to hide the bustier from her husband because it was “HIS present”.  Haha.  Your world is much brighter when you have this attitude!

LIBRARY SALE:  This is a biggie!!!!  75% off all books and media!  Wow.  We have such a wonderful collection of books on all subjects and a great selection of LPs, DVDs and CDs!  We have a record player in our lower level library too and our customers used to enjoy the music and our record buyers had the opportunity to “test” their records before purchasing them.  Unfortunately, we have some people who think it is OK to steal from a thrift shop and we have lost 2 needles (only I think that today it is called a “stylus”).  I can’t afford to continue supplying needles for the record player, so it remains silent.  Anyhow, no more needles=no more record player.  We all lose when this happens, but this lack of even basic moral values is evident everywhere.

AND NOW, FOR THE STELLAR SALE OF THE MONTH (drum roll, please)…SATURDAY, SEPT. 24:  Back by popular demand:  “Bargain In A Basket” sale!  Our first basket sale was last month and it was a big hit with you so we will be repeating it.  Fill a level standard size laundry basket with clothing and shoes for $10!!!  Hard to believe such a deal, huh.  AND, we even supply the laundry basket!  AND we have been thoughtful enough to attach some twine to the basket so you can pull it around the store rather than having to carry it!  Think about filling this basket with clothing and shoes for TEN DOLLARS per level basket!  What can you get these days for $10?  At Yesterday’s Rose, depending on how creative you are with your packing of a basket, you can get a whole lot!  Hours that day:  10-6.

GEORGE MASON….WELCOME BACK!  GMU had a “Scavenger Hunt” a few weeks ago for new and returning students and Yesterday’s Rose participated with a table of information.  My table was right in front of the GM Dance Team….was I ever that young?  Was I ever that long and lean and energetic and …..and….and….when the signal was given to “GO”, they all ran off in every direction to get their puzzle pieces and left me in the dust.  I sat there, at my table, in the drizzling rain, thinking…”was I ever that young?”

GEORGE MASON, continued….the campus has a new Fashion Club and some of their new club members stopped by to chat.  They are planning a Fashion Show soon and they have asked us to participate with some of our great clothing!  In addition, the Fashion Club has been given the opportunity to decorate our windows and our mannequins and will, of course, be given full “props” for their efforts.  Be on the lookout for some pretty snazzy windows in the future.

Check us out on Facebook too.  We often have deals posted on our Facebook page and unless you are a FB user, you can’t get the deal!  We’d also appreciate it if you would “like”" us which really spreads the word about Yesterday’s Rose quickly.

STARVING ARTIST SALE:  75% off pictures and frames on Tuesday, 09/27.  with school pictures coming up soon, these frames will be perfect to keep them from getting damaged.  Pictures too, of every size which will be wonderful for covering up wall dings and handyman repairs that went wrong!

Of course, the end of each month is celebrated with our Clean Sweep sale.  50% off storewide at Yesterday’s Rose.  Stop by on Friday, 09/30 from 10-7PM.

I don’t know about you, but this is my favorite time of the year.  The view from my glider shows a scene that is about to burst with color.  Won’t be long before you see your breath when you step outside and fleece is a popular fashion add-on.  Pumpkin and sandalwood are the favorite scents and many people are wearing their autumn colors of orange, burgandy and brown.  When I sit out on the glider and greet all of you as you stop by, I think about how blessed I am to be manager of such a wonderful store and be the “leader” of a wonderful team of staff and volunteers.  Life is much fuller if you have a job that you love.  Everyone at Yesterday’s Rose appreciates your support, your kind comments and your donations!  Hope to see you soon at Yesterday’s Rose, the neighborhood watering hole and to my Jewish customers and donors:  L’Shana Tovah!

Judy

Lots of things happening at your friendly neighborhood thrift shop!  Our customers are becoming familiar with our new location, the parking and our donor drop off and, as always, we appreciate your support!  Our “Bargain In A Basket” sale held last Saturday was a huge success…all of the clothing and shoes in a level laundry basket for only $10 and we supplied the basket too!  Cutomers have asked to have this sale repeated, so look for it on the September calendar.

So what’s happening for the rest of the month….

Tomorrow!  August 17th…  TRUNK SALE in Rose Too!  Woo-wee..Anne has been working on this for a long time now and we have special trunks loaded with shoes, scarves, furs, jewelry and bric-a-brac.  What we couldn’t fit in the trunks are on top of our display cases.  All jewelry is 20% off and the rest of the store is a whopping 50% off.  That holiday season is right around the corner so start shopping now.  Hours for this sale:  10-6PM.  Be sure to stop in and say “HI” to Anne and tell her what a mar-vah-lous job she is doing.  She’ll like that.

Friday, August 19th:  Housewares will be 50% off and Books and Music will be 75% off.  For all of the college students heading back soon, this is the chance to grab some kitchen stuff or a lamp and save money for other things.  Don’t forget that we hav a working turntable in the library that is there just for you to test your LPs before you take them home.  The sofas invite you to sit and relax and take your time looking thru our vast library.  It’s a pretty comfy spot and a popular destination for our customers.

SUPER SATURDAY, August 20th and we GOOFED!  Yes, every once in awhile, we make a mistake….not often, but we do.  SUPER SATURDAY should be 75% off clothing and shoes.  The calendar sates that it is 50% off.  What a great opportunity to stock up on jeans, Ts, shirts, shoes, etc for back-to-school.  Now you can take those savings and get a fresh backpack and all of thos supplies that teachers list as “must haves”.  Saturday hours:  10-6PM.

FACEBOOK:  We have a Facebook page and we would sincerely appreciate it if you would “like” us so news about how great our store is can be spread around town.  I occasionally post a “word of the day” too which is always a surprise treat for our Facebook fans.

STARVING ARTIST SALE:  Sunday, August 21 and 75% off pictures, frames and mirrors.  No velvet paintings of Elvis, but we keep hoping that one will turn up.  We DO have about every size and subject matter of painting you could imagine and at 75% off it’s an inexpensive way to decorate a dorm room or re-do a bedroom or bath.

TWO big sales on Wednesday, August 24th:  In Yesterday’s Rose we have “Dollar Dreaming” and we combine all of our Dollar Daze items into one sale day.  All jeans, skirts, shirts/blouses, pants and shoes…only ONE DOLLAR each!  Can’t be beat.  Then…head on down to Rose Too right next door and it will be “Christmas in August”.  Trees will be decorated with new jewelry from NY, many collectibles will be on display, including some American Girl dolls & clothing…we will even have Christmas music playing.  That sale will be in Rose Too and we hope to see you there for some holiday cheer.

We are still working on getting the “kinks” out of our new location.  Same staff, same great sales, new spot in town though.  Sometimes, however, when you are so deeply involved in the day-to-day, you miss the obvious.  As our customers, we respect your thoughts and suggestions, so if you have an idea or a suggestion on what we could do to make us even better (is that possible?), please drop me a note and let me know.  This is YOUR store and we work very hard to provide funding for the charities that we represent and to bring to you the best deals in town.  So, if we are missing something, we want to know.  Many thanks.

September 6th-11th will be George Mason Days at Yesterday’s Rose.  Bring in your Mason ID and receive 20% off your purchases.  We support GMU and they have been wonderful customers so we welcome them back to campus with open arms!!!

News coverage lately has been anything but cheerful.  People are worried about their investments, employment, homes, etc.  There is a new 4H is this country:  hungry, homeless, healthless and hugless.  Small towns like Fairfax City represent all that is good about this country.  Small businesses like Yesterday’s Rose try to bring you bargains to save you money.  We employee a staff of adults who might not find work elsewhere.  We do our best to offer a smile and a nice word and we play some music that takes us back a few years.  We are not “corporate”.  We are Yesterday’s Rose and we have been serving the community for a generation and, with your support and your donations, we will continue to do so for many more years.  Thank you for allowing us to be who we are and for giving us the opportunity to serve the nicest customers in the world!

Judy

Dear YRose Fans…

I am calling this store newsletter “Notes From The

Glider” because I have spent many thoughtful moments out on our porch, swaying back and forth in that glider, enjoying our new home.

BIG SALES COMIN’ UP:

Monday, August 1st is “Lunes Loco” which is a whopping 75% off all clothing,  shoes and purses.  Hours are 10-7.  Our generous donors have helped us fill our racks with everything you will need to keep you and your family fashionable.

SCHOOL TAX HOLIDAY:  August 5-7th.  All school supplies with an individual value of less than $20  and clothing and shoes of an individual value of less than $100 will be TAX FREE!!!I guess that’s pretty much anything we have in our store (smile).

HOME SALE, Saturday, August 6th:  All Furniture, housewares and linens will be 50% off!  Great news for back-to-college customers who have a dorm to decorate!  This will be part of our “Hot Dog…We’ve Been Here for 3 Months Sale” and we are giving one FREE hot dog out per customer!  Get’em while they last! 

Every Wednesday is “Dollar Daze” at Yesterday’s eEvery Wednesday, we promote something on sale for a dollar!  Wednesday, August 10th will be JEANS.  All JEANS will be only $1.00 a pair!  Can you believe it?  Have you seen the prices of jeans at the mall?  And they aren’t any better than ours, but our jeans are more “lived in”

On this same day, Rose Too (right next door) is having a 20% off sale on most of the store.  Some folks have never ventured into Rose Too which is right next to the glider!  Don’t have to walk far at all!  Rose Too has become the “jewel” of Fairfax City with its collection of upscale, vintage and high fashion jewelry!  It oozes with charm and delights the eye.

SOMETHING NEW TO YESTERDAY’S ROSE!!!

Every once in awhile…on a particular Friday…we will have a “FREEBIE FRIDAY” and you can come in and get whatever the special item is for FREE!  On Friday, August 12th, come in and get one FREE shirt or blouse!  Please, one per customer.  Also, please check our Facebook page for our “Word Of The Day”…and it only lasts for a day too, so you have to be quick.

ANOTHER NEW EVENT:  “Bargain In A Basket”.  We will supply the standard size plastic laundry basket.  YOU get to fill it with clothes, shoes and purses.  ALL level baskets are only $10 each.  Baskets provided on a first come, first serve basis so get here early.  TEN DOLLARS for a LAUNDRY BASKET full of CLOTHES and SHOES.  Can’t beat that anywhere.  That’s Saturday, August 13th from 10-6PM

We are slowly settling into our new “digs” and it is a work in progress.  Most of you really like the new store.  Some of you miss the old one.  Change is difficult.  No one likes change but a wet baby.  Our new home has charm and grace.  It holds promise.  It attracts the best customers in the world.  It also depends on the best donors.  Our former location was our home for many years.  It is now home to our competition.  Yesterday’s Rose is the neighborhood, community thrift store.  Our competition is known nationwide and is a corporate giant, by comparison.  As our loyal customers, we have embraced you, listened to you, clothed you and your family, celebrated with you and mourned some losses along the way.  YOU are as much a part of the Yesterday’s Rose family as our staff, volunteers and management.

We ask that you consider Yesterday’s Rose when you are ready to donate and shop with us when you need to fill your rooms and your closets.  We are just down the road…on the front porch and right next to the glider.  Come set a spell (as they say in the South)

Judy