I love going to this super specific trade show every year in Baltimore.  Atlantic Dance Show is hosted by my excellent reps, Sandy and Roger.  When they started the show years ago, I thought, oh I will get a chance to see the Harbor or tour Baltimore.  Um, yea right.  Each of the last two years I didn’t leave the hotel conference center for 48 hours.  Oh, it’s sunny?  Good thing I brought my vitamin D supplements.  Ha!

I had another successful trip this past weekend.  I always enjoy spending time with my colleagues that are fellow dancer retailers or small business owners/designers.  It is also inspiring and informative to take the seminars and classes.  Even though I have taken most of them repeatedly I always get refreshed and take home another nugget of nuance in fit that I didn’t know or had forgotten.   In the mornings I worked with Gaynor Minden, Bloch, Russian Pointe and Suffolk.  And after watching Mark Suffolk make a pointe shoe by hand right in front of me as well as explain what goes into the integrity of his craft and business I decided to pick up the line.  That’s right- The Hip Joint will soon be carrying the “Spotlight” by Suffolk.  We will let you know as soon as the shoes arrive!

Mark Suffolk!

Thanks, Blake from Gaynor Minden. Always classy.

As you may remember from last year, kd dance or kd dids is always our longest appointment.  I sit with the designer, David Lee, for three hours and map out shipments for the entire year.  We have beautiful knitwear from this fabulous designer and former dancer always coming in and out of the shop.  It is wearable all year ’round!  The Hip Joint loves KD!

After working all day Sunday it was fun to have the trade show cocktail party revolve around the Oscars.  We walked the “red carpet,” ate, drank, danced, and watched the Oscars.  I can’t believe that I had energy to do any of that but I think I just really needed it.  My brain was full.  New shoes.  More bun covers.  What colors? We are low on this.  That didn’t sell.  Do we want to carry that one or this one?  Lots of thoughts and decisions.  So at the end of the day when I could throw some money into the pot and place my picks for the Oscars it sounded easy to have a trivial thing to place my “bet” on!  I put my ballot in the pile and forgot about it.

Dinner with Renee from Repertoire Dance Shop, Amy Cogan of DRN, David Lee of KD and Georgia Tetradis from Beam and Barre. Love you guys!

Ok- So Monday was just as busy but I was even more tired so I didn’t go running in the hotel gym that morning.  (I forgot to say previously….I went on the treadmill before work on Sunday- what was I thinking!)  After placing all of my orders with my tried and true vendors I stop by the booth that caught my eye when we had walked in the first morning.  This was not a need but a want.  (You may remember my “Needs and Wants” post from last year at this time….He He!)  This year my “want” showed itself in a new shoe line called Rio Soul.  It is another woman owned small business and I cannot wait for you all to see and feel these great shoes.  I have plenty to say about them but I am going to write about them in detail when they come in…..I love how comfortable they are.  More on this later!

As I am getting ready to leave Sandy announces over the intercom who won the Oscar pool.  It was a tie!  Who could it be?  Not me…. OH- but it was me!  Me and a few others, he he!   But I won! Yay horray!  It’s always fun to place a bet and win.   As I was driving home I was just hoping that the new shoes that I just placed my “bet” on would be winners too!  I think that they will.

Colleen Bohen from Dance Retailer News

The Hip Joint will be closed the following days:

Monday, December 24th (note, we are always closed on Mondays)

Tuesday, December 25th

Wednesday, December 26th

& Tuesday, January 1st

Happy Holidays to all!

The shop windows at The Hip Joint continue to interest many people and they always get a lot of great feedback.  A few months ago I thought about having a live or moving window.  I talked to Sara from Charlottesville Ballet and my good friend, Dinah Gray.  We came up with the idea to have the company perform excerpts from their Nutcracker Suite for First Fridays for the month of December for Downtown for the Holidays.  After the performance the audience came into the shop for a meet and greet.  Everything Nutcracker was on sale.

What fun!  My office became a dressing room.  Costumes.  Hair spray.  Smelly pointe shoes.  Emily, Sara, Audrey, Hannah and Devin performed Dinah’s choreography.  After watching countless performances in living rooms, Dinah and I got to watch our daughters, Maya and Sylvie be little lamb’s with Clara.  The weather was excellent.  And the little kids lined up against the glass outside to see the magic on the “stage” inside.  Drosselmeyer was in costume  with them reading the story.

Thanks to all the parents who came out.  It was so much fun for me to witness the children experiencing  The Nutcracker in my shop.  Looks like we might have this be an annual event so for all who missed it- there is always next time!

Check out one of my video’s.  You can probably hear some of the funny commentary from the kids around me.

Movie:

IMG_0770

Hannah as the Snow Queen

Sylvie and Maya having fun.

Emily Mott as Suger Plum Fairy at the Meet and Greet

October is my favorite month of the year.  I love the colors, the sports, the cool nights and wearing jeans.  I love not running the heat or the AC.  I also love working on the floor in my shop and helping people design their costumes for parties and trick-or-treating.  I have helped people buy unitards to become superheroes, tutus to be the Black Swan, and tights and leotards to compliment many creative ideas too numerous to remember.  I think I sold someone a nude unitard one year so they could be Eve.

And on that note- I will comment on the current front store window.  Sara Eshleman has been rocking our store windows now for almost two years.  She has a cute Halloween theme in the window going on…I love watching her do her thing – she really takes pride in the project.  We always get people off the street coming in to comment on the windows and wanting to try on the clothes.  That is the point, right!

At night.

How many uses are there for a nude leo?!

Giant cob web!

Tights, leos, legwarmers and more for accessorizing or keeping warm on Halloween!

And thanks Sara E. for another good window!  I love your creativity and inspiration with our inventory!  When you can’t find Sara dressing our window, you may find her on a theatrical stage, in front of a camera, or serving fine cuisine at Maya Restaurant.

Sara Eshleman, window dresser extraordinaire!

As you all can probably tell from the title, I will be leaving The Hip Joint. In fact, Saturday, September 29 is my last shift. (So, if you want to come in and say a little goodbye or get your last pointe shoe fitting from me then come on in before close this Saturday. I would love to see you… Oh, but if you want me to fit you in pointe shoes, please make an appointment first.)

The reason I am leaving is, I have chosen to move to Richmond; and although I wish I could continue working here, or take The Hip Joint with me to Richmond (that would make me happiest), I unfortunately cannot, and I cannot continue to make the commute back and forth to work. Also, next fall I will be going back to VCU to finish getting my masters in accounting. So, unfortunately, there just isn’t enough time in one day to do everything that I would like, and with every choice in life, there are sacrifices that have to be made.

That being said, I really am going to miss The Hip Joint, its staff, and its clientele. You all have made the five years that I’ve worked here so much more enjoyable than any other job I’ve ever worked. I really felt like this shop was a home away from home for me, and an inviting, warm, and peaceful escape from my sometimes crazy life. I’ve made some good friends and gained a best friend while working here. I’ve also learned so much about so many different things! So, I wanted to send you all a BIG thank you, thank you, thank you. Each and everyone of you were part of my learning/growing experience here, and I appreciate you all for that and your dedication to The Hip Joint. Thank you for all the great memories and I wish you all the best in your respective futures.

If you want to keep in touch, you can find me on Facebook at Amberlyn Sasser.

Love to you all and break a leg!

Amberlyn Sasser

The school year has begun! Congratulations to all students and teachers for embarking on another year of training, teaching and learning. We appreciate all teachers! The world would not be the same without good teachers. You know what I mean!?

We have movement teachers of all kinds that like to visit the shop…and this summer especially we had a lot of students and teachers that were passing through town. Yea Charlottesville tourism! But the local dance community is back in town and revving up. The Hip Joint wants to say thank you especially to all of the dance schools (that we are aware of!) that have sent their students to us this Back to School season! Thank you to:

Albemarle Ballet Theatre

BalletSchool

Brushwood School of Dance

Charlottesville Ballet Academy

Charlottesville Parks and Rec

Crozet School Arts

Dance & Co.

Dance teams at Albemarle and Western Albemarle High Schools

Dinah Gray Dance

Greene Academy

Halestone

Lexington School of Dance

Live Arts

Old Dominion Performing Arts

Orange School for the Performing Arts

Performing Arts 2000

Piedmont Virginia Community College

Seven Hills Dance Studio

Shenandoah Academy of Dance

Staunton Academy of Ballet

The Studio for Dance and Arts

The Little Gym

University of Virginia

Wilson School of Dance

*We love meeting teachers so please come in and introduce yourself if you haven’t yet or are new to the area.

**Don’t forget that teachers always receive 10% off all year round. Just please identify yourselves and where you teach so we can set up your account.

Thanks again. Much gratitude. Have a wonderful school year!

Thanks Shenandoah Academy of Dance!

Best wishes,

Jen & everyone at The Hip Joint

OMG we are receiving a lot of fashion right now. Knitwear by KD Dance, Skirts, and tops by Hard Tail, Pants by XCVI and so on…

The knitwear that I buy from David Lee always makes me happy. It is all made in the Bronx, NY. He puts a lot of effort and time into his color dyes and his fabrics. I visit him once a year and map out shipments that periodically come to us throughout the entire year. His biggest shipment just arrived. Legwarmers. Shrugs. V-Neck Pullover Sweaters. Tunics. So comfortable and beautiful. And made right here in the US of A. Seems like I have been on a little kick with that lately here on this blog…

More on our Hard Tail and Prana fashion later.  – Jen

Our most popular legwarmer. $14.

Tunic and leggings from KD

This shrug feels really silky. I love this one.

I love KD knitwear so much I want to kiss it.

Another new shrug. Warm and cozy. Yes, it will get chilly again. $32

I am looking for a full time staff person.  I thought that I would put it out there on our blog/website because all of the employees that I have ever had have shopped in here.  That being said, I do prefer to have someone working at The Hip Joint that has some sort of background (it doesn’t have to be professional!) in dance or yoga.  Also, these are typically the attributes that I look for: honest, positive attitude, good communicator, curious, and motivated.

You can drop off a resume in the shop or send it via email to info@thehipjointdances.com.

This is not the most exciting blog post that I have written…so I am adding some photos for entertainment purposes.

Me and Am in the office. We know how to work hard and have fun.

I'm getting carried away with the photos-I thought I would put on shades....oh and here is the new Tonic shirt I wore to work today that just arrived this week....and...

...and what in the world! I don't need my shades... If I am going to ask for honesty in my staff I should present that too! Small business. Small town. This is me.

Scheduling interviews for a job with me here at The Hip Joint.  Help me spread the word.

Thanks,

Jen

This weekend is TAX FREE weekend in Virginia.  Back to School season is almost upon us and this is a little break for those of us that need to buy items over and over again for our great kiddos!  So- The Hip Joint has some inventory that fall under the Virginia tax free weekend plan…..leotards, tights and bags.  Tax free.  Not a bad little treat.

ALSO- The Hip Joint will kick off back to school season with it’s own, ONE WEEKEND ONLY – BACK TO SCHOOL SALE!  AUGUST 10-12TH.  Everything in the shop (excluding pointe shoes and sale items) is 15% OFF!

Our Most Popular Back to School leotard. Come and get it at 15% OFF at annual sale August 10-12

The Hip Joint is also having a CLEARANCE SALE.  Yes- I want to get rid of some lines.  I realized that I just have too many lines for how many square feet that I have.  We have such great yoga clothing but I really want to focus  and streamline the inventory.  SO- all inventory from Lucy, ReSe, Avani, Spanx, and a few more…..are 50% OFF!  That is right.  Until it is gone.  We are clearing out some women’s clothing!  Lots has already left the shop but we have more!

ReSe Rebecca Top. 50% off!

Have an excellent end to the summer.  I have to say I might be ready for some more structure soon.  I will be welcoming Fall with open arms!  The haphazard kids’ schedule and the heat might get the best of me soon.  In the meantime, I realized this week that I cannot stray from my yoga practice.  What a difference it makes when I commit to myself and my practice.  (All the while, I wore my capri’s that I love from Tonic)  Thank you teachers and thank you Tonic.

Now, I am off to go pick up some 3-ring binders and notebook paper!  Tax Free!  Thank goodness the school gives me a list.

Jen