THE BIG APPLE AKA NEW YORK CITY!!!

We had a fabulous four days in New York!!!

Brooklyn, NY

Allyson, Kitty, Amy, Anika

Now, anyone who has been to Manhattan knows how INSANELY crowded the city can be! Going into the tour, I was unsure of where we would hold our shopping appointments. Thankfully, my aunt lives in Brooklyn, so I enlisted her help. After some thought, she had the idea to park the Threads for Teens mobile boutique in front of the tattoo shop she manages, East River Tattoo, in Greenpoint. This was most definitely easier said than done, because of all of the permitting that we had to go through to secure street parking! However, my Auntie Kitty is an absolute saint and was able to get all the applications together from both the NYCDOT and Mayor's Office. Thank you to Auntie Kitty! But besides arranging our location, Auntie Kitty also organized a fundraiser at the tattoo shop. Several of the artists--Rob Banks, Rachel Haur, Raf Delalande, Guy LeTattooer-- donated their time and skill to participate in a flash sale to raise money for Threads for Teens. This went awesome, and the artists raised over $1,000 to donate to Threads for Teens! Thank you so much to East River Tattoo, especially Kitty Joe Sainte-Marie, who arranged everything, and Duke Riley, who owns the shop.

Onto the girls! The girls who came to our shopping event in Brooklyn were absolutely incredible. Many were referred through a program called the Lower Eastside Girls Club. All of the girls who came were super sweet and grateful for the opportunity. Unfortunately, many had felt and are still feeling the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Our visit made all the difference for the girls who had lost many belongings and were not in a position to be able to get new clothing anytime soon. One mother said that Threads for Teens was an answer to her prayers. The girls from the Girls Club were also tremendous in the fact that almost all of them were willing to be interviewed by the Today Show, who came to film for a segment that will air sometime in the future. I promise to keep all of you posted about this super exciting development! Also, another group from Good Shepherd Services also visited the boutique. Those girls were all extreme fashionistas and were impressed with the great selection of items on the truck.

Taylor, Allyson, Maryann

Once again, Claire's sent out employees to volunteer. It is always nice having extra hands around to help organize and set-up the boutique, and most importantly to be personal stylists to all of the girls when we have large groups. Now at this stop, Maryann Porter, Vice President Northeast U.S. & Canada East at Claire's Accessories, who arranged for us to have Claire's volunteers at each stop of the third leg of our tour, came out to visit. I was extremely excited to meet her, as Maryann has been instrumental in obtaining locations, hotels, and volunteers on this third leg. A big shoutout and thank you to Maryann!!!

After all of the appointments were over, we were able to have some downtime in the city on Saturday and Sunday, before resuming work appointments on Monday and Tuesday. Taylor had to leave the tour on Sunday, which was a bummer as she is always a great help and go-getter. The Threads for Teens Windsor location is extremely lucky to have her, and she will undoubtably bring a fresh new insight to the boutique.

While in New York, we were able to see Matilda on Broadway, which I highly recommend. We actually didn't have tickets, so we waited for the lottery. I didn't have high hopes, as they only give away twenty tickets and most people put down that they want a pair. At the lottery for the matinee show on Sunday, there were probably 200 people! To my astonishment, they drew my name second! I won two tickets for great seats that were only $27 each! Then, so my mom could see it she bought herself a full priced ticket. My mom, sister, and I absolutely loved the show, especially given that we are all huge Roald Dahl fans and fans of the movie.

On Tuesday, we met with donors from ANN Inc. which was awesome! I personally know several of the women who work there, so it was great to see all of them and meet new people! The offices are so fun and everyone who works there is so stylish and fabulous.

Now, I am almost caught up to our most recent adventures in Bridgeport and Woonsocket! Keep checking back!