My Little Online Pop-Up Store, Now Open!
Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 10:56PM
I've had plans for a while to open a little summertime pop-up retail store. Those plans - and I'm being a little vague here in order to leave my options open - include a VW Camper Van painted in an all-over print (with a canopy, of course), a summer spent traveling up or down the coast and a few hundred pounds of fabrics, dresses, kids and crafts books, surfboards, and stationary. Sort of like those food trucks that everybody tweets about these days (I may not tweet about them but I chase a few of them around the city regularly) except that .... not really. OK, its more than a plan... its more of a dream.
But this summer I'm grounded. There will be no carefree road trips for this knocked up lady. My husband won't even let me walk to the mailroom without him right now, and when I told my doctor a little about my plans and asked him how he would feel about my taking a few short trips close to my due date, he in turn asked me how I would feel about giving birth in a VW Camper Van, even one with an all over print. I actually think that the all-over print, for some reason, made the image of that scene in my head especially disturbing.
So I'm home. Well, not today. Today I am on The Martha Stewart Show, sewing bloomers. My husband is backstage, worried that my heels are dangerously high. Really. And here, on my blog, is my little Pop-Up Online Retail Store. Someday I hope I'll be able to come to your towns in a printed bus, but for now we will all have to wait for the VW bus experience (although TC didn't seem too upset about that), but we do have a virtual option
I'll be testing out different sorts of products and inventory. Vera, my amazing assistant, will be managing things from her west coast perch. You'll love her. I'm starting out with a product line that I've been working on for a while (some of you received samples in your studio sale package, on a slightly less fancy paper), an ever-changing collection of limited edition prints. I hope you like them, please let me know what you think!
I'll be back tomorrow to tell you a little more about my new offering at Spoonflower, and about a new book project that I'm working on with Melanie Falick at STC, and even a bit more about that VW bus in an all-over print. There's a connection, I promise.
OK, off to stuff myself into some extremely powerful undergarments and get myself up to the Martha Studios...
Reader Comments (26)
Oooh, I'm so confused and excited...........like pregnancy, no? :)
Oooh exciting! Good luck wit the Martha Stewart show today and have fun fun fun!
can't wait! Very excited!
Please please please start shipping to the UK, we love your work too!
Loved the show and the new prints! Your last visit to Martha inspired me to begin sewing and I've been hooked ever since. Can't wait to create something for my two girls with your new fabrics. Any idea of when it will be available? Thank you!
Hi Heather....congratulations....a baby on the way...how exciting. Watched you on the Martha Stewart show this morning....looking radiant as usual. DVR'd the show for Mama Sparks to watch later....as she doesn't have the Hallmark channel on her TV service....I know you will be very busy with the baby and your life will change forever.....just wondering if are you planning a studio sale this year??? I'm hoping for fabric this year as I was at the bottom of the list last year and the fabric was gone.......have a wonderful day :o)
Love these prints, so very sad that they are only available in the US...Canada is really not that far away!
I would love it and go absolutely broke when the Heather Ross bus circles my town selling fabric, books and surfboards! So much more tempting than ice cream. Besides, we need HR surfboards in Santa Cruz don't you think?! Maybe you can come next summer... and you can bring Hubby and little Baby Ross!!! In the meantime I'm ready to shop virtually and send Vera happy notes with my orders. Congratulations on all your new ventures most most especially... baby.
xx from California
You'll do wonderfully today, I'm sure. for a minute there I thought you were really going to do the traveling fabric van idea. I think it's splendid! I mean what a way to travel - with fabric. I'm sure you'll do quite well with your new little store. enjoy!
I absolutely love your new spoonflower fabric! The colors are perfect!
That sounds freakin' awesome! Especially the VW Bus part. I wanna see that bus!!
How exciting! :)
How nice to have this art available. I've stashed away quite a few yards of the Rapunzel fabric for my baby girl's room - it would be so exciting if there were Rapunzl prints in the works too. Or Princess and the Pea or the unicorns or the frog prince for that matter. (I've also stashed some unicorn stuff for her 1st birthday.) Enjoyed your appearance on Martha this morning and congratulations on your pregnancy!
Bring the new baby, Tc and the vw bus to Texas oh and don't forget Vera!
Oh Yippee!! I am ridiculously excited for your newest Spoonflower fabric, swoon! And, I love the VW bus idea, I am totally in for chasing you around and buying as much Heather Ross fabric as possible :-)
XOXO,
Maggie
Heather - here's a request from my daughter (who Adrianne made a dress for at Palm Springs, we owe you some pictures)... she loves the owl and pussy cat but really wants an armadillo! If anyone can draw a cute armadillo, it's you!
I love your idea! I once had a similar idea that involved a van that was painted like a purse, since I was only making purses at that time. Same thing happened. It's still a great idea though!
Congratulations! Martha is my favorite, I can only dream of meeting her in person, on the air! What a lucky girl you are! So glad you survived, heels and all. he,he,he!
Can I say again that I hope you have a boy so you'll draw some amazingly inspired things for boys? Maybe dragons? Would love to see what you would come up with in that department. I do love the snoozing fox and racoon!
I don't think it'll be like the old camper ones, but here's something for you to think about:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_geneva_auto_show_vw_bus
And there used to be a place along route 71, north of ottawa, IL that had tons of vw bugs that they must have worked on and sold... never know, they might have something out there still.... maybe an old van
I know what it feels like when they won't let you travel. Two weeks before my boy was born my husband's cousin was getting married. It was maybe a four hour drive and I was totally willing to make it, I mean there was going to be wedding cake. I love cake, that may be an understatement. Alas hubby and parent-in-laws said no. At least we can be glad they are looking out for us. New babies are such a blessing.
I had to buy the little girl with the horses photo. So very sweet and perfect for my girl's bedroom.
Loved seeing you on Martha, it was a total surprise, I was on vacation in Florida and for the first time while there sat down and turned Martha on while having my coffee and there was your segment. You look wonderful and those bloomers were the cutest.
Darling, it's Edward Lear not O'Leary who wrote the poem..... ;o)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Lear
but he should've been Irish - much more poetic
Heather, your prints are lovely. Please, please post outside the US!
Why oh why is there no shipping to outside US????? The whole world loves your work - can we not share it too??
Totally adorable...please, shipping to Canada!!!!