Prep for Boutiques Give Back

Zoe's first significant event as part of the Old Town Boutique District (OTBD) is the Annual Charity Day, called Boutiques Give Back on May 19th.  I was informed of the date at the time I was signing up for the OTBD and immediately started thinking about what charity I would promote and support that day.

Last year, although I was not yet a member of the OTBD, I participated in Charity Day on my own!  I didn't have the media coverage and promotion but instead relied on social media postings and a sign in the store.  At the end of the day, I was able to write a small check to my chosen charity, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

I am fortunate to know a couple of the members of the Board of Directors from AWLA - one a former co-worker and the other a Zoe customer.  I had recently made a donation to their Spring Fundraiser/Silent Auction event called Mardi Growl!  And it just seemed like a logical step to work with them for Boutiques Give Back.

I started out by writing to AWLA's Development Director to introduce myself, explain the promotion, my passion for the League, and ask if they would be comfortable with a) Zoe partnering with them and b) cross-promoting the event.  He got back to me quickly with an affirmative "Yes" and asked for my logo.  I sent it on to him and told him that I would provide him with more information as I learned more by mid-April.

I knew I also wanted to give my customers something for their pets as an additional incentive to visit Zoe that day.  I decided to stop in to visit PetSage, a local holistic pet store where I buy dry food for my kitties (all of their other spoiling ended when I left my job 2 years ago but we do still spend the money for the good dry food).  The owner knows me because I occasionally have to buy the food over the phone and have her leave it outside for me to pick up on my way home from Zoe (our store hours are the same so I have a hard time getting there when they are open).  When I stopped in to ask her advice on what kind of treats to get, she offered to donate the treats to me!  That was a fantastic advantage!  I picked up the 70 bags of dog treats and 30 bags of catnip on Monday!

AWLA and I agreed that it might be fun to help promote the event and partnership with my story of why I chose AWLA.  That was an easy one to write!  Although some of you who are on my mailing list and follow the store Facebook page have read the story, I will put a link here for those who have not read it yet.

AWLA has been a fantastic partner!  They have featured Muffin and her story as the "Tail of the Day" on their front page with the Zoe logo prominently displayed as well!  They have been sending out information on the event in their mailings that include the store and logo.  They have posted stories on Facebook and Twitter and they brought some great giveaways and information for me to hand out between now and Saturday!  As of right now, they plan to have a representative on hand between 12:30 and 2:30 and may even have an adoptable dog with them too!

I hope to share a great report on the event with you in my next blog post!

And now, a gratuitous picture of my precious Muffin - Jim and I still miss her.