Freshening Up for the New Year

Here is a pic from our 2009 Christmas at the Iron Master's Display in Poole Forge.

We will be open this Sat., 1/2 normal hours for your shopping enjoyment! Since last Sat. was pretty quiet, we worked on clearing out the Christmas merchandise (although we've left winter/snowman type goodies up for at least another month), & spent Sun. finishing upon the dreaded inventory counting. Today we were at the shop as well, cleaning, rearranging displays to mix things up, and begin introducing the Valentine's decor. It has not been a big sales weekend, but we sure have been busy! It was lots of work, but it feels good to have the place spruced up and fresh for the new year.

** Oh, and we got word last week that we have been approved to be in the Spring 2010 (that feels weird typing & trying to say) "Lancaster County's Best Kept Secrets Tour". Let the planning frenzy begin! The deadlines for promotional materials is fast approaching already in January. I think I'll need a few snow days to catch up!!

Passionately Pink for the Cure

Whoops...I forgot to post the Dec. news here. I sent the e-newsletter out to the guestbook list (which is pleasantly quite large since Oct.) but I neglected to post in the blog as well. Sorry about that.

Anyhow, for those of you nearby, the second weekend of the Poole Forge- Christmas at the Ironmaster's Event is this weekend (Dec. 11- 5-8 pm, Dec. 12 & 13 1-4 pm). Our display is awaiting your viewing (we're in the "blue room" upstairs) and your votes (if you are so inclined). This is a self-guided, walk-through tour of the historic mansion located off Rt. 23 in Churchtown, PA. Local businesses and organizations have created Christmas displays, including decorated trees throughout the property. Be sure to end your visit with complimentary hot drinks and homemade cookies available in the West Tenant House near the covered bridge.


Here is a picture from last year's display we did, which happened to earn us a 2nd place honor.

I'll post this year's display photos after the event is over. Hint: the display includes lots of pink (and gold/copper) this year as a kick-off to our "Passionately Pink for the Cure" private sale we're hosting this Sat. through next (Dec. 12-19). This special offer is a fundraiser benefitting our registered team with Susan G. Komen. Current guestlist customers as well as 2009 Christmas at the Iron Master's tour-goers were offered a "Pink Pass" outlying the special event in the shop this week. To get your pink pass and to receive the full details, simply email me at orders@vintagechicboutique.net with the subject "Join Guestlist" and I will forward the "scoop" your way!!

Thanksgiving Blessings

Wishing all our customers and friends from the shop a blessed Thanksgiving with your families.

We will be closed Wed. this week to prepare for the holiday ourselves but will be back Fri. to resume normal hours.

We have done more Christmas shopping (for the shop, that is...no time for our own gifts or home decorating these days!) ...so, stop in to get best picks on the new goodies. Lot of glittery, snowy, sparkly pretties to brighten your holiday home!! We were covered in all of those things yesterday while unpacking and setting up the new display. Most of the fall merchandise has been packed away for next year. Some Thanksgiving items remain on the porch for one more day (and last minute shoppers looking to dress their turkey tables with something festive).

Look for a post here over the weekend about upcoming December events we will be hosting and participating in :)

3 New Furniture Pieces on Craigslist & in Shop

Just a quick post to highlight a few of the latest furniture pieces we've listed on Lancaster County Craigslist. All three are currently available in the shop.

1. Sage Cottage Highback Bench (click for full ad)

--handcrafted by VCB, this decorative & practical bench would be great in a foyer with a basket underneath for storing shoes, backpacks, or a purse by the door. It would also be cute for displaying seasonal items or teddybears/dolls. 17 1/2" wide and total height of 59". Price: $59

2. Antique Mahogany Desk/Vanity (click on title for full ad listing)

40 1/2" across top x 29 3/4" high x 20" deep, we refinished this antique beauty & brought back its gorgeousness with sanding & a coat of protective poly on top.


-features 7 drawers, bottom bookshelf, & beautiful carved sold wood design, arms originally used for skirting could be removed if desired, great condition for $160.



3. Highboy Dresser (click link for full ad)

-Antique solid wood dresser in good condition w/ only minor wear on top, measures 40" across top x 3' tall (71 1/2" to top of mirror) x 18 1/2" deep...could also be used for storing dishes or linens.


-2 large drawers (about 9" deep & dovetailed), top drawer is 4" deep w/ 3 divided sections, wheels, & attached mirror, 9 " bottom clearance for additional storage.

listed for $165

Absolutely Amazing 2 Weeks

The Best Kept Secrets' Tour was an absolutely amazing event for us. We met well over 400 new customers during the 16 days, and heard time and time again how people didn't even know we were there before finding us on the tour. We received many wonderful compliments about our shop, our prices, and our merchandise. Purses, vintage dishware, candles, soaps, fall decor, denim skirt purses, and our "Garden Tea-lites"were wiped out just as quickly as we could restock them!! Wow, what a busy, exciting, and profitable couple of weeks for little Vintage Chic Boutique. Thanks to all our regular and new customers for helping make this endeavor such a huge success!! We welcome tour-goers to share their overall feedback (impressions, suggestions, cheers and jeers alike) for the event with us via the blog or email.

What's next?? We will be involved in a local holiday house display in early December. We are just beginning to brainstorm ideas and will share full detail here in the next couple of weeks.

For now, we are back to regular business hours (but will be closed this Friday for Halloween) and trying to regroup for the rest of the holiday season. We will continue to refresh our Christmas decor and gift-giving goodies. It is officially time to start the madness and find those special somethings for your special someones!!

Selling Up a Storm!!

The Lancaster County's Best Kept Secrets Tour began on Friday, October 9. It has already been a tremendous experience for our little shop! We have met so many new customers (people who didn't know we are there) and are selling up a storm!! Merchandise is flying off the displays like never before, and we are busy yet ecstatic about the positive response this event is bringing us. We are sooo glad we took on this challenge, as it has exposed us to such a large number of new folks in and around the area!!

In addition to the constant attempt to stay stocked up this week, we have added a few Christmas nooks in the shop. Here is a quick glimpse into the first wave of holiday goodies we've put out. Many of the things pictured have already sold, but we'll update more shots of new Christmas merchandise in the coming weeks (as I find time!!)

Until then, we do have tour bags still available for anyone wishing to get in on all the fun while it's still underway. Reminder: the tour runs through Oct. 24 (Sat.) so there is still plently of time & plenty of great deals in the 35 local small businesses participating in this season's tour. If you need further info, feel free to call us @ 717-354-6228 or email orders@vintagechicboutique.net.

New purses will be arriving early next week to replenish our stock of bags in the shop....and there are several furniture pieces in the painting process now. Stay tuned!!

Scents, Scents, & Dare We Dare...More Scents

This week, we've added a new line of handmade (in Lancaster County, PA) herbal soaps to the shop. To get a feel of what scents customers like, we are starting with the following:

• Lavender Shea (made with shea butter, a calming, relaxing, soothing scent of fresh lavender)
• Gardener's Delight (lifts mood & dirt for soft skin...spicy scent men will love as well as ladies & the pumice will help scrub away a day's work quite pleasantly!)
• Cocoa Butter (a mild scent that moisturizes & calms dry skin with hints of ylang-ylang, patchouli, & lavender)
• Sweet Orange (an invigoratingly sweet tangerine scent sure to be a favorite)
• Orange Blossom & Honey (mild scent to nourish & refresh)
• Green Tea & Honey (renews & repairs skin ...anitbacterial & antioxidant)

The soaps will sell for $5.25 in the shop. We also will have some cute gift/guest soaps in lavender, cherry, & peach as well as chocolate lover's bars.

We've also introduced a new line of handmade candles made in Lancaster County. These are clean-burning, eco-friendly, with lead-free wicks. They come in glass "canning-style" jars with metal lids. Even as appealing as their scents, is their price in the shop: $6.50!!! Again, we're sampling scents to start out, and plan to add more as we get a feel for what customers like best. Right now, the basic scents are:

• Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie
• Mulberry
• Pears 'N Berries
• Sweet Orange

The seasonal scents for fall include:

• Harvest Spice (a rich cinnamon-scented red candle)
• Pumpkin Spice
• Spicy Mulled Cider

And, for the coming winter seasonal scents, we have:

• Peppermint (an all-white candle smelling just like a candy cane)
• Christmas Berry (a cheery red candle with a cranberry scent)

If all these scents aren't enough, our next shipment of our private label woodwick candles will be arriving by this coming Friday (just in time for the kick-off of the Lancaster County's Best Kept Secrets' Tour!!) These include the following yummy blends:

• Sweet Potato Pie/Pumpkin Cider
• Mocha Java/Caramel Kiss (our all-season favorite!!)