Mile High “T” Party!
We are excited to join a number of other local Colorado T-shirt designers in the first ever “Mile High T Party” benefiting The Children’s Hospital Foundation. Featuring lots of fun, food, tea and “tees” this should be a great event. Topping it all off will be a kid’s t-shirt fashion show which is bound to be entertaining with a bunch of 1-5 year olds walking the catwalk!
The Mile High T Party is the inspiration of our friend Olivia Omega Logan. In January 2007, Olivia’s son Gabriel contracted RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). At 11 months old, he was admitted to The Children’s Hospital in Parker, CO for treatment over five days. Shortly after Gabriel’s release from the hospital, Olivia left her career in marketing to care for him and to launch her infant and toddler T-shirt line, Baby Candy. Since his treatment, Gabriel, Olivia and the rest of the family have been great supporters of The Children’s Hospital. The Mile High T Party aims to raise awareness of and support for all the important work done by the doctors, nurses and staff of Children’s Hospital.
Gabriel will join Holland, my good friend’s 2 1/2 year old daughter (a twin who underwent heart surgery at Children’s Hospital recently) as the Ambajam models at the fashion show. Holland and her twin brother Will have been modeling for Ambajam since they were wee ones. They have become great promoters of Ambajam as Will won’t sleep without his cuddle-up blankets (all 10 of them!) and Holland is obsessed with frogs thanks to all her Ambajam froggie tees!
Anyway, we’ll be sure to get some photos at the show and post them so you can see our adorable models. In the meantime, here are Gabriel and Holland - they are going to make such a cute pair strutting down the catwalk!
See below for more details about the event.
The Ambajam Mini Boutique Team
Last weekend we had a little Ambajam get-together for our “Mini Boutique” team. With my mother, the snappy happy camera queen, in attendance we got the requisite Ambajam Team photo!
From left to right here’s Sarah, Carrie, PJ, Ali and Ann .
New Chapter for Ambajam
Today we launched the Ambajam Mini Boutique (aka kiosk) at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center here in Denver, CO. We were at the shopping center until 1am getting things set up for our grand opening this morning - oh what a night! A huge thank-you to Suz and Sarah for all their hard work during the set-up. I promised the kiosk would be completely transformed once we got our Ambajam hands on it and sure enough it is now bursting with color and whimsy!
It has been fun to watch people as they walk by - we definitely seem to be catching their attention! Many find it hard to resist reaching out and touching the blankets as they walk by. One boy, around seven years old, lay his head down on the stack of jumbo cuddles and looked like he was about to take a nap…I guess that’s what shopping does to a seven year old!
We had a lovely family stop by this evening with their son who was probably around a year and a half. The mum held up the turquoise mini cuddle to show him and he immediately stretched his hands out toward her. Once he had the mini cuddle in his hands he buried his face in the blanket and giggled! Nothing beats seeing a child react to our baby blankets like that. Here are a few snaps we were able to get of him and his new mini cuddle!
Countdown to the Kiosk continues
Ambajam’s Choo Choo Train!
While out and about last week looking for props and fixtures for the kiosk, Suz and I came across some fun magnetic, wood letters designed to create a "name train". We thought it would be fun to have an Ambajam "name train" on the kiosk - we’re really working on that Ambajam name recognition!
Suz took the letters home with her to paint. This morning she dropped them by and I just had to share them with our readers as I think they look fantastic (much better in person than in the photo)! They have such a fun, colorful and playful look.
Countdown to the Kiosk continued
The Look and Feel of Ambajam’s Mini Boutique
9 days and counting…
Our friend Suz, a very creative and experienced merchandiser, is working on the concept and lay-out for the Ambajam Mini Boutique. We have many products and styles (onesies, tees, pants, baby blankets, burp cloths, handmade baby quilts, among others) and it is challenging to figure out how to cleanly and aesthetically display the collection within the designated space of the kiosk. I am trying hard not to look over Suz’s shoulder all the time and appear too controlling! I guess when it is your baby it’s hard to let go!!
That being said, I have utter confidence in Suz’s ability to create a look and feel that will be totally in keeping with the Ambajam vibe. We are aiming for a contemporary, fun, colorful and engaging display that will really evoke a sense that this IS a mini boutique. We want to create a display that pulls people in so they can’t help but stop and check out the collection when walking through the Shopping Center.
See below for a sneak peak at our concept. Suz guarantees that come next Sunday evening, aka "Set-up Sunday", the concept will undoubtedly shift and change as we begin to arrange the products for real. Suz likes to refer to these changes as "happy accidents", and I am sure we will have more than one or two "happy accidents" next Sunday evening!
Countdown to the Kiosk
Ambajam’s Mini Boutique!
As soon as Ambajam launched we recognized the importance of getting the line in front of people. While we do our best on our website to evoke the feel and quality of the collection, nothing beats having a Cuddle-up Baby Blanket in your hands or feeling the softness of the cotton used in our baby tees and onesies. Ambajam is very much a sensory experience and we take great pride in the fabrics we use and the way in which our line of fun and trendy baby clothes and accessories are made.
Given all this, a few months ago we started toying with the idea of opening a Retail Merchandising Unit (aka a Kiosk) at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Ambajam’s hometown of Denver, CO. After much hemming and hawing we filled out the extensive application, met with the specialty leasing contact and were approved. Woohoo! Little did we realized then that the real work was just beginning. Over the last few weeks we have been searching for energetic and enthusiastic people to work, identifying which items to showcase, figuring how to ring up sales and so much more.
We are now 10 days and counting until the launch of what we like to refer to as Ambajam’s Mini Boutique. We thought our readers might enjoy coming along on the ride so keep checking on Ali’s Notes for further updates as we continue to countdown to June 2nd.
We love before and after photos so here is a photo of the kiosk before it has been “Ambajamed”. We guarantee that it will look nothing like this when we’re done!
Happy Mother’s Day
Ambajam wishes all you mums out there a wonderful and hopefully relaxing Mother’s Day!
I just spoke with my sister-in-law, Christa, this morning as I made my rounds of calls to friends and family wishing them a happy Mother’s Day. Christa and a couple of her girlfriends have massages and some much deserved downtime scheduled today. Wondering where the kiddies would be, she told me that the dads are taking the kids off for the day - strength in numbers it seems! My brother, Tim, and their 5 year old Emma (nicknamed Ambajam as a baby, hence our name) and 2 year old Oliver are taking the train up to San Francisco today to go to the baseball game. As Christa and I talked, the kids were in the background busily packing up their backpacks for their "adventure" with Daddy. I can’t wait to hear the stories that come out of this day…a couple of dads, 4 kids under 5, a baseball game, no nap-time, lots of popcorn and sugary treats! Hopefully they all survive the adventure and are happy and in one piece when they catch up with Mummy later this afternoon!
In the spirit of Mother’s Day here is a photo of Christa and Oliver at the playground…he is, of course, sporting a little bit of Ambajam!
Baby Clothes are YUMMY
An interesting thing is happening. The more people we meet at shows, on our website, and in boutiques, the more we hear a particular word used to describe Ambajam’s baby products - "YUMMY!" Whether used to describe our line of cuddle-up blankets, our new hoodie baby and toddler jackets, our soft corduroy trousers, or our pillows, "Yummy" is fast becoming the leading descriptor for all things Ambajam.
Yummy is not a word I had thought of, yet the more I hear it, the more it seems to capture the feeling of what we are trying to create at Ambajam. We are firm believers that whatever we design must feel good. Our little Ambajamers should be comfortable in their clothing - no scratchy, stiff or cumbersome fabrics. Their baby blankets, quilts, and pillows need to offer coziness and comfort. In many ways, Ambajam is a sensory experience - from the fabrics we use, to the vibrant colors we incorporate, to our simple and engaging animal shapes.
Back in the very early days of Ambajam, I took some fabric swatches when I went to visit some close friends. Gracie, their two year old daughter, suddenly dove into my bag of samples, pulling swatches out to examine. The interesting thing was that the first thing Gracie did was to put the fabric up to her cheek. She obviously wanted to see if it felt good. Now, I jokingly say that any fabric we use must pass the "Gracie cheek test!"
In addition to our desire to create comfortable, appealing children’s products, we also put a strong emphasis on the quality of the items that we design and produce. All items currently in the Ambajam line are manufactured domestically. As we look forward to 2008, we plan to continue to broaden our line and offer you many more yummy choices!
Happy Holidays!
Alessandra Mayer
Ambajam, Inc.
Ali’s Note
We received a call from a woman in Massachusetts who was looking for a store in her area that sold the Ambajam Cuddle-up baby blankets. She had received an Ambajam Cotton Candy Pink Cuddle-up blanket. when her baby was born. She loved the blanket so much that she wanted to give one to a friend who had just had a baby. We love it when a gift recipient turns into a gift giver!
Not only was she spreading the word by buying more Ambajam baby products for friends but we also found out she had been promoting the line in her area! Within minutes of our conversation, we received a call from the owner of a children’s boutique in MA saying that the same customer had strongly suggested the store carry baby clothes by Ambajam! With that, the owner placed an order right there and then.
Not only had our gift recipient turned into an Ambajam gift giver, but she had also become an impromptu rep!
We just want to say thanks to all of you for talking up Ambajam. We wouldn’t be here without you.
Thanks and be sure to keep sharing your stories with us!
Alessandra Mayer
Ambajam, Inc.
Ali’s Note
I met someone at a party recently who, when she found out I started Ambajam, became so excited and proceeded, along with her husband, to rave about our baby clothing line. Meeting an enthusiastic supporter like that is so rewarding. I wanted to run home right away and design some more cute and fun baby clothes!
It’s such fun when I meet someone new who happens to be an Ambajam fan. Even as a young brand, the word is getting out!
We love to hear back from our customers–whether it’s bumping into a new friend at a party or receiving an email from a customer. The feedback lets us create the products that you want. It also inspires us to keep moving forward.
Thanks,
Alessandra Mayer
Ambajam, Inc.
