A Change of Pace

If you've been a long time reader of this blog, you know that I started out going to Market in Atlanta and then started going to New York just before the store opened.  I had originally enjoyed going to Atlanta because I could then see my family in Athens, GA.  But when time was of the essence and I wanted to be able to see many brands at once (big and small), I starting taking day trips to NY for Market.

Last weekend was the first time I have been back to the Atlanta Market in over 2 years.  Due to work commitments, I wasn't able to attend market in NY in early May.  I made a quick day trip to NY see a new brand (more to come on this in a future post) in Showroom, visit Velvet/Graham & Spencer, Waverly Grey, and Cluny.  But I hadn't gotten to visit everyone else.  So a trip to Atlanta was in order.

Fortunately, the Atlanta Market stretched from Thursday - Sunday.  I was able to fly down on Friday night, stay in my favorite Atlanta hotel (the Marriott Marquis) and be at Market when they opened the next morning!  I had a busy day of appointments but had to stop to take a picture of this gorgeous flower arrangement in the main foyer.

And...I got yelled at for taking the picture.  There is a rule that photos aren't allowed in the AmericasMart.  When I told some of my reps my story, they said they had never heard of such a thing!  You know me...such a rebel.

The Mart is so large and showrooms are truly like large office spaces that it has a much more laid back feel than the temporary booths in the Javits Center and Piers in NY.  It is not unusual for the reps to offer you food and drink and for you to be able to look at a line by yourself.

One of the best parts was getting to visit the showrooms of the reps that had either only visited Zoe or I had always met in NY.  One of my favorite showrooms is Leib Associates - home to Alice & Trixie and Amy Matto.  I'll bet I spent close to two hours visiting with them and reviewing the Holiday collections.  If you recall, the amazing Maye actually visited me in my home prior to Zoe opening.  I will always love her for that.

Some of my other favorite things from Atlanta Market:

New Wrap Bracelet Style from Chan Luu.

New Bangles and Cuffs from our New Designer (coming in July)

Very Cool Elephant Necklace worn by Maye (so on trend with the feature in Alexandria Stylebook - have you checked out Zoe and our sister shops Kiskadee, Shoe Hive, and Bellacara yet?

This Beth Bowley Dress was to die for!

By 3:45, my work was done.  It was off to Athens for the night to see my family!  And for those wondering, the packing mentioned in the previous blog post worked out perfectly - everything fit is a small rollaboard bag!  And yes, I did not start packing until Friday morning.  Some things will never change.