Comments for laMotif

Comment on Goodbye to a wonderful retail pioneer. Moomah, you will be missed. by John

John — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:40:03 +0000

It’s so true. It’s beyond just the money piece, although that’s certainly a major part of things these days. It’s the daily toil and aloneness that people don’t get. I often say to John that there should be some way for retailers to come together and be honest about the struggles. Small retailer therapy with honesty and not about networking!

Comment on Goodbye to a wonderful retail pioneer. Moomah, you will be missed. by mary moore cathcart

mary moore cathcart — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:03:56 +0000

thanks, sydne– i will also miss this one. i was thinking this morning about how little most people realize how close to closing we all are– i don’t mean that the average independent retailer is going to close tomorrow, but that the stress, the money juggling– all the pieces that make it work– keep us a little more on the edge than most people are aware. thanks for the reminder to buy local!

Comment on Celebrating LOVE at Essentials (and our new window display!) by Liz

Liz — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:21:12 +0000

I love this display! You did such a wonderful job on this shoot; I was proud to be a part of it!

Comment on An Open Letter to Michael Buckley, Author of NERDS by John

John — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:43:14 +0000

Sarah, Thank you. It’s the “innocent” remarks that sometimes make me the angriest because it seems even harder to educate around those.
Happy Belated Mother’s Day!
Sydne

Comment on An Open Letter to Michael Buckley, Author of NERDS by Sarah Buttenwieser

Sarah Buttenwieser — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:00:26 +0000

I can’t tell you how many times a seemingly innocent & simple thing, a book, a line, the notion of animal “adoption” somehow equating that word with the notion of generosity & strays makes me want to stop & rant.

What a beautiful tribute to the complexity of mother’s day & motherhood.

Comment on No increased problems in Northampton? I respectfully disagree. by John

John — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Oh no! I just wrote you a long reply and somehow, it disappeared on the interwebs!
Thank you for writing, Laura. I appreciate your feedback and think there are so many issues at work here.

I was disheartened by the recent Gazette article regarding the “Mood” in downtown Northampton.
Here’s the link: http://www.gazettenet.com/2011/03/16/the-mood-in-downtown-northampton?SESS60cf743b079e48a558ea8944a4951c42=gnews

In the piece, the editorial writer says that they don’t really see an increase in problems, as does a letter writer who submitted a letter to the same issue. And again, I beg to differ. It is those of us who are in and around downtown every day who are facing this on a constant basis. As you so adeptly point out, that’s who is being impacted by the increase in these issues. We see public drunkenness daily, and I confess to being unsure about what to do anymore.

At this point, it’s tough to think about what to do next, and part of the reason I think people have now refrained from speaking out for fear of being branded anti-poverty, anti-homeless, etc. I’ve already heard some of that from people and it’s somewhat demoralizing when I am really thinking of myself as pro-safety for my staff. At this point, it seems like not much will change until, alas, someone gets hurt. It’s challenging at best. We witnessed another altercation outside the store today, but by the time we could call, the people were gone, off to their next spot.

My goal is to keep the conversation going. And as always, I am open to any suggestions as to how to do that.
Interestingly, of the letters I submitted to City Council members, I heard back from only two of them. Discouraging, at best.

Okay, off to pick up my guy at school. Let’s keep the dialogue happening!
Thanks again,
Sydne

Comment on Essentials loves the French and they love us just as much (and we love their crafty stuff!) by John

John — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:59:47 +0000

Feel free! Glad you like the post, and hope you are well.
We love your products!
All the best,
Sydne

Comment on Essentials loves the French and they love us just as much (and we love their crafty stuff!) by cartier

cartier — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:55:03 +0000

wouhaouuuuu ! thank you so much for this article ! i take it for my blog. are you ok ? Mélaminebonnemine

Comment on No increased problems in Northampton? I respectfully disagree. by Laura H

Laura H — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:04:03 +0000

Thank you for addressing this. I wrote to the mayor’s office a couple years ago about the homeless population and was told that the funding is not there to find housing for them. The same people sit in the same spots day after day, drunk as a skunk and asking people for money. Under the railroad bridge, on the bench by Union Station on the bike path, infront of toasted owl, infront of CVS and on the benches along that stretch, and infront of Haymarket. Why aren’t the police there to break up the situation and keep them moving? I understand that the times are tough and the homeless population has grown, but there is no reason why drunkeness in public should be tolerated. We had an incident where we had to call the police for two people that were drunk and had open containers, drinking, and they were not arrested, just spoken to. They then came back the next day and did it again. It needs to be known that this will not be tolerated in our city, but instead it is completely tolerated and a quick speaking to by a police officer will not do anything. Because it is tolerated, more and more come to town. I have lived here for 17 years and I have seen a drastic decline in the wonderful feel of downtown. It doesn’t matter how many flowers you put up – if someone who is completely wasted is coming up to you asking for money over and over and over (think about those of us who live downtown and have to walk pass these people over and over again) the flowers don’t matter. Clean up the biggest mess first!

Comment on Mina Samuels helps us Run Like Girls by John

John — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:49:58 +0000

I know. It’s a great one!
I will send you a copy tonight.
And thank you for a wonderful day on Monday. So inspiring and such a great break from the every day. (One of Aidan’s friends turned to another kid in class this morning and said, “Do you know she’s kind of like a movie star?” Yeah, baby!)
Thanks again,
Sydne