Thursday, December 15, 2011

So much to see!!

As you may have seen in my last blog post we have been a very busy at the new boutique, getting the place decorated, open and stocked... Getting the new sulfate free/ Curly Specialty salon set up and opened. We have a fantastic new stylist on staff who has been fully trained in the DevaCurl method and is ready for new clients( both curly and straight!)  plus she's training to work in the boutique to take care of all of our customers needs. My assistant John has had a heartbreaking few weeks with a death in his family so has been away. I have been wearing the hats of owner, assistant, head cashier, salon assistant and on Tuesdays I turn into a student! Truly, in the world of ellenoire there is never a dull moment.

Holiday shopping has finally starting in the little town of Dundas, people have perhaps accepted that despite the weather the holidays will arrive nonetheless. I wanted to make sure you knew about all the new and fun things we have in store to help make your shopping easier.
  There are so many new products in the boutique they haven't even hit the website yet!
Ready?

 12 ideas for your last 10 days of Holiday shopping

1) Natural, ready to wear fragrances from two stunning Natural Perfume Companies: Anya's Garden  an artisan perfumery in Miami Florida and 1000 Flowers made by a Canadian Perfumer living & creating in Grasse, France

2) A huge selection of Pashmina scarves, Silk & wool scarves, Sparkly evening scarves .... all of them $25 or less.

3) The cutest little brightly coloured accent scarves for indoor wear, the best teachers gift of the season priced at $5!!

4) Soap, soap, soap and more soap! Handmade (by us)  Glycerine soap in tons of cool colours and natural fragrances, Handmade (by us) super fatted soap (the best way to wash in a dry climate!) Fun loofah scrubby soap from Virginia's soap of Manitoba, French Soap from Mistral back in stock on Monday Dec 19th, Black soap from Magno of Spain racing it's way to us due to popular demand.

5) The list of products handmade by the ellenoire elves is never ending! Extra Rich Lotion, Emollient Body oil, Exfoliating Sugar Scrub,  Acne Serum, Facial Mist & Toner, 100% pure Shea Butter, Bath Bombs, Tub Fizz, Bath Salts, Men's all purpose lotion, AfterShave, PreShave oil, Organic Shaving Foam... all unscented unless you request otherwise.

6) Our new line: ellenoire everyday.... Organic Body Wash, Organic Body Lotion, and Organic Foamee Soap available in unscented (ready for custom scenting, or not) Lavender-Lemongrass, Vanilla-Bergamot all scented with essential oils.

7) Victoria Trading stunning Victorian style cards, stationery, robes, hot water bottles, wrapping paper, gift bags, hand mirrors...

8) Yala (formerly Dreamsacks) silk pillowcases( for perfect curly hair the morning after), silk travel sleeping bags, Bamboo bedding, bamboo clothing, bamboo nightwear

9) Aquis Microfibre: Super Absorbent Towels, Robes, for everyday, travel, sports and dogs... ya dogs.

10) Muscle Mist: our 10 year bestselling Natural spray form painkiller for everyday muscle pain, fibromyalgia and arthritis.

 11) Cool new mens' gear: Fedora's and Silk Bowties and super soft winter scarves

12) And last but totally not least... the largest local selection of
 Badger Balm: balms , creams and oils.
 DevaCurl: cleansers, conditioners and styling products for naturally curly hair.
Sports Suds:  get the stink out of clothes and sports gear wash.
 Marjoram Stop Snoring diffusers
 Eshave luxury shaving tools and creams
 Betty: haircare for the "hair down there"
Face Atelier cosmetics: Canadian made, professional makeup for a grown woman.



Phew! Given how crazy, bananas, nuts we were today if I were you I would get in touch or drop by ASAP! We are open 7 days a week in the Old Post Office at 104 King street west, Dundas, by phone 905 627 9379 and email: ellenoire@ellenoire.com  We ship daily and as long as your order arrives by December 20th or so we should be able to get it to you on time, for the holidays.... in North America anyway. Get in touch for shipping info or to book a hair appointment, or pop by to say hi, or to bring the staff much needed sugary, caffeinated treats to keep them going for another few days! ;)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Grand Opening Fun!


I’m sorry, what did you say? It’s December 12th? Already? It only got cold here two days ago, how can that be?! Here we all are racing around getting ready for the holiday craziness and in Ontario for most of the fall we’ve had weather that was more like April. I really do believe that at this time of year weather affects our behavior more than any other. We “Don’t feel like its Christmas” until its cold out… (Then in typical Ontario nature we complain that it’s cold out)

I hope this finds you warm and cozy wherever you are.

This past 6 weeks has been a whirlwind for us at ellënoire! November 5th we opened the new boutique in the Old Dundas Post Office, and on November 18th we opened our new curly hair specialty salon within the boutique. Soon after, we went headlong into decorating for the Holiday Season and our Grand Opening events. There were many, many late nights making product, arguing over how to hang the ornaments from the ceiling and how high the tree should be and fighting with 12 foot long sheets of copper to create the overall effect in our gorgeous new spot. The ellënoire team seems tiny on any regular retail day but when needed we have magical ellënoire elves that appear out of the woodwork to go above and beyond to get things done.

Without the help of Doug, Steve and Heather the place would not have been decorated much at all. Skylar always managed to show up with the right tools, the time to make late night bath bombs and some stunning photographs to adorn our walls. John, my assistant always had his car full of just what we needed, soap made wherever we could find a clean surface and food ready just on time for the big party. The biggest help will always be Tim, my ever present jack-of-all-trades. On top of his hugely busy schedule Tim painted the whole store, hung the lights and the shelves then waved his magic wand to the copper sheets to make them look just like I had hoped.   A huge thank you to all who helped, I couldn’t have done it without you!

 Our Grand Opening party was a great success with lots of local business owners, friends and family out to celebrate with us. The food was plentiful, including meatballs from Phyllis at the Keeping Room, Cheese from Micky McGuire's Cheese and Magical Cheese & Hummus from Tammuz, my across the street neighbour. The bar kept everyone refreshed including a little of the bubbly stuff to cap off the evening! We had a plethora of awesome donations for our swag bags and draw gifts from both local businesses and our suppliers from around the world. Lucky, Lucky me! It was a fantastic night.

Check out who else came by to say hello!

Out in little old Dundas for our Grand Opening party! Colin & Justin sitting in our lovely new salon.


If you haven't been by to see our new boutique and salon we really hope you will! The response to our relocation to the Old Dundas Post Office has been nothing short of amazing. With the new Momentum Fitness Club upstairs, and some other businesses moving in soon the newly renovated building will be a great addition to our gorgeous little town.