Seattle Times reporters Melissa Allison and Monica Soto Ouchi write Retail Report, a weekly look at the trends, issues and people who makeup the dynamic and versatile retail sector throughout the Puget Sound region. Fridays in the Business Section. Send tips or comments to mallison@seattletimes.com or msoto@seattletimes.com.

In 1982, Fran introduced the pure chocolate experience to consumers when she opened her European-style chocolate shop in Seattle, Wash. Created as a place to showcase her sublimely rich and decadent desserts, Fran also offered her luxurious truffles, which quickly captured the taste buds of her customers and soon became the signature confection of her business.  Since opening the original shop, Fran has expanded her business to Bellevue in 1996 and U. Village in 1998. The growing line of award-winning confections, which is designed with the chocolate connoisseur in mind, includes truffles, exclusive soft caramels, signature Gold Bars, fruits and nuts, dessert sauces and baking bars.






www.franschocolates.com

                                                                                                                         Shannon Borg

Shannon Borg, Lifestyle Editor, Seattle magazine Shannon is putting her International Sommelier Guild fundamentals certification to work, pairing stories ABOUT Washington wine with stories from Food + Dining Editor Sara Dickerman. Shannon has worked at SF magazine and has contributed food, wine and travel and other articles to Northwest Palate, Wine Press Northwest, Seattle Weekly, Metropolitan Living, Avalonwine.com, and Citysearch.com. Native to eastern Washington, Shannon has lived in Utah, Hawaii, California, Texas and London. She holds a doctorate in poetry and literature from the University of Houston and has published a book of poems, “Corset,” Cherry Grove Collections, 2006. At Seattle magazine, she oversees all stories about food and wine, shopping, home design, entertaining and the magazine’s popular Flash/Talk party pictures page. She enjoys foraging Seattle’s Farmer’s Markets, visiting wine country, and sailing with her husband. Areas of expertise for interviews: Wine, beer and spirits trends and culture; farming, fishing and food trends and culture; the Seattle poetry scene; sailboat racing and boating.

www.seattlemag.com

                                                                                                                          Judy Burnside

Judy is the store manager for the Westlake Center Made In Washington Store, which in addition to being a one-stop shopping destination for tourists, specializes in custom corporate orders and hotel gift baskets.  She has been with the company for eight years, starting at the original Made In Washington location at the Pike Place Market, and then growing with the Westlake Store into it's new location on the first level last fall.  She has been in retail for many years starting with the executive training program at Macy's Herald Square after graduating from The University of Iowa with an M.A. in printmaking.  Judy is an active member of the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau and chairs the retail core marketing committee for the Downtown Seattle Association. She enjoys traveling, Washington wine events, Mariners baseball, and the Seattle Opera.


www.madeinwashington.com

                                                                    Colette Courtion, Founder/ President & CEO

Unable to find any spa, clinic or physician able to provide a comprehensive, sustainable program, Colette created Calidora Skin Clinic out of a personal pursuit for quality skin care. Unique to the market, the concept behind Calidora is to deliver a great customer experience through scientifically proven, innovative skin care treatments and products. With more then 10 years of retail, consumer, and venture capital industry experience, Colette’s extensive business experience includes creating the popular, first-ever Starbucks stored value/rewards credit card program, the Duetto Card, receiving the Best Product of the Year 2003 distinction from Business Week; serving on the investment team for Seattle-based Maveron; and 1997 Top Performer honors from Pepsi-Cola where she worked in finance.


www.calidora.com
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         Kristi Drake

Co-Owner of Le Panier since 1995.  Retail/Business manager of bakery from its beginning in 1983 until 1989 - just prior to the birth of her first child and 7 years of being an at-home Mom.  Married for 18 years.  Three daughters - ages 9, 13 and 16 years old.  Graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a BS in Food Science and Nutrition.  She has an absolute love of French food traditions and France itself.  She and her family have many French stamps in their passports. Raised on a dairy farm in eastern Washington and learned the entrepreneural spirit from her dad - a dairy farmer. She loves the life of the bakery and the french tradition of a fresh baguette each day.





www.lepanier.com       
                                                                                                                        Bettie Edwards

Whether it was working for a large-scale retailer in Seattle or her present 1800-square-foot gift shop on a rural island, Bettie Edwards has always fostered a passion for creating a great shopping experience and celebrating the people who step into her world. Fresh from her corporate fashion director post with Nordstrom, Bettie purchased The Little House in 1978 and never looked back. She stepped in with her business acumen from working a fast-paced retailer and applied it to her new gift shop, and savored the slower pace of the island that allowed for "face time" with each customer. Energy and optimism are contagious, Bettie says, and when applied in a retail setting, magic things happen. Next year The Little House will mark 30 years of successful operation and whole generations of Vashon Islanders entering through its front doors. In 2006 The Little House was one of just three finalists from across the nation considered for the REA honor in the promotional                                                        category. Twelve premier retailers were honored in all, among them Barnes                                                   and Noble Booksellers and Yankee Candle.
                                              
                                                                                                                      Lynn Edwards, CMP

Lynn Edwards is president of Lynn Edwards, CMP Inc., a hospitality company, which offers services such as sales and marketing, meeting planning and industry consulting. Her 20 years experience in the hospitality industry has included work for small luxury hotels, large convention hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, and meeting planning clients. She is a Certified Meeting Professional. Her meeting clients include Microsoft, Washington State Hotel & Lodging Association, Seattle Direct Marketing Association, Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association and Washington State Governor's Tourism Summit. She has also worked as a tourism consultant helping such communities as Yakima, Ocean Shores, Wenatchee and Lewis County develop strategies that will increase their tourism revenues.



                                                        Tamra Fleming, Founder, Architect Your Life, LLC

That breed, a retailer to the core…A Business Major at the University of Oregon; a Most Promising Graduate at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; a graduate Cum Laude of the University of San Francisco in Organizational Behavior has culminated her current customized career.  Tamra is the owner of Architect Your Life, a company designed to align the clarity of your intentions with the energy of your space.  She works with entrepreneurial businesses and retail store owners to create a customer experience that sizzles right to the bottom line.  Her experience:  Six years at Macy’s San Francisco in roles from sales trainer to sales management—a national leader and innovator in a special project between Liz Claiborne (herself) and Macy’s--and an invitation by Starbucks to develop a world-wide Barista training program that enhanced the in-store experience—a seven year veteran in her own business.  Her aim:  To make the energy of your vision, your space and your people SYNC for the ultimate customer experience.
www.architectyourlife.com

                                                                                                                      Nicola Hewitt

Nicola Hewitt joined the glassybaby force in January of 2006 after nearly 20 years of Set Decorating in the film business. Her roles at glassybaby are various, and include: sales manager, blog author, color consultant and sometimes party wrangler. Finding a niche role with a growing, dynamic company, helping represent a beautiful, meaningful product has been a wonderful career progression. The blog continues to receive generous traffic...twelve thousand hits and counting after one year on the website. It reminds us that there is quite often an emotional connection to our product... stories to be told and heard.



www.glassybaby.com                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                       Kit Hutchin

Kit Hutchin learned to knit as a seven year old in Quebec, Canada. In the fall of 2000, she opened the doors on her dream, Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Her warm and welcoming shop is a place to get encouraged and inspired, learn a new skill and meet friends.This was Kit's first retail venture, but she spent over a year making preparations while she waited for a retail space to become available in the downtown village. When it did, her shop helped launch a knitting boom on Bainbridge Island.
Now, almost seven years into it, Kit tries to avoid burnout by balancing doing with delegating. Thankfully, she has an outstanding staff.






www.churchmouseyarns.com

                                                                                                                       Karen Lorene

Karen Lorene, Owner of Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, this year celebrates 37 years in retail. She has created promotional events that include the production of a literary magazine, writing and publishing a book on antique jewelry, opening four different stores with champagne, an ice sculpture, and once a New Orleans style marching band. She has done it all with a sense of joy and exploration. Almost four decades of retail, and she still can hardly wait to get to work each day!
www.facerejewelryart.com

 



                                                                                                                                                               Steve Maris

Steve Maris is a 16-year veteran in Seattle’s tourism industry as the membership director of Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.  In that capacity, he works closely with a wide variety of Seattle CVB member businesses to help them effectively reach and attract visitors.  The Seattle CVB is the largest destination marketing organization in the Pacific Northwest and is responsible for “selling Seattle” and the surrounding region as a destination for conventions, tour groups and individual travelers.  Prior to working at the Seattle CVB, Maris was the VP of Marketing & Sales for the Puget Sound Business Journal.  He has an MBA from the University of Washington and is a member of the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Marketing Association.






www.visitseattle.org
                                                                                                                       Jasmine Moir

Jasmine Moir is the editor of DailyCandy Seattle, a free daily e-mail subscription that provides the scoop on everything fun, fashionable, food-related, and culturally stimulating in Seattle. Jasmine was lured away from sunny L.A. by a graduate fellowship at the University of Washington in 2003 and has since worked as a freelance lifestyle writer and editor for Seattle magazine, Seattle Bride and various other local publications.







www.dailycandy.com/seattle

                                                                                                                       Nancy Mudford

Le Petit Spa is the result of a lifelong dream for Nancy to become an entrepreneur. This type of business provides her with ample opportunities to be creative with marketing promotions, features a high traffic web site and she communicates monthly to her email database of customers.  She has a passion for high quality services delivered in a beautiful ambiance with professional staff.  Winning local awards, her spa has earned itself an excellent reputation after three years in business.   Always looking for new opportunities, Spa Boutique, an online skin care business, was created in February 2006.






www.lepetitspa.ca
                                                                                                                      Allison Olsen

Allison Olsen is Proprietress of Inside Out Home & Garden, LLC in Historic Downtown Snohomish. Opened in 2003, the shop has been featured multiple times in the Herald Travel & Leisure section "Great Finds," as well as written-up in "Wrap It Up" and most recently in NW Home & Garden Magazine. The book Crave Seattle named Inside Out, "Places We Crave: Worth the Drive." Olsen is currently spearheading collaborations with fellow merchants to bring various events and new people to the antique, boutique and authentically unique town of Snohomish that she wants to keep secret and share with the whole world at the same time.

www.einsideout.com

                                                                                                                       Kathi O'neil

Seattle Picks founder, Kathi O'Neil, started her career in Manhattan with Hearst Magazines and The Hearst Corporation. As a native of the Pacific Northwest, O'Neil and her husband returned to Portland in the early 90's. There O'Neil started Westover Media, a full-service marketing firm whose partial list of clients include: Elle, In Style, Lucky, Tom's of Maine, Oprah, Gourmet, The New Yorker, Town and Country, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Conde Nast Traveler, W and Health, to name a few.  She launched Portland Picks in 2004 and on the coattails of its success, launched Seattle Picks in 2007.
                                                                                                                   


                                                                                                                       Anne Phyfe Palmer
 
Anne Phyfe Palmer founded 8 Limbs Yoga Centers in 1996 to provide a hip but welcoming home for the diverse styles of yoga in Seattle. Since opening the first 8 Limbs on Capitol Hill she has since expanded into a Yoga Boutique and two additional studios in Wedgwood and West Seattle. The Yoga Boutique has just gone 50% sustainable, offering both props and clothing made of organic and/or sustainable materials under the direction of buyer Kristin Welch. Anne Phyfe balances her time between the three studios and her two children and husband.







www.8limbsyoga.com
                                                                                                                       Sonja Politakis

After an 18 year gig in corporate America, Sonja Politakis opened her boutique in downtown Tacoma in 1999.   She moved it to a North Tacoma neighborhood she wanted to help revitalize in 2005. A Tacoma native, she is the creator of the Gritty Tacoman Tee Shirt.  She likes the fact that she makes a living shopping for, dressing and hanging out with her girlfriends.  Surprisingly, she has a small closet.  Her favorite indulgence is Trader Joe's dark chocolate raisins.  She is addicted to You Tube and dukes out computer use with her 16 year old daughter.  Her husband Chris is glad she gets to use the color pink at the shop so he doesn't have to endure it at home.


www.sonjatacoma.com

                                                       Kim B. Pouncy, constant contact business partner

Kim has been a web designer for nearly 11 years and specializes in designing user-friendly web sites. She has worked in both commercial and government arenas.
Kim also specializes in writing for the web, including creating e-newsletters, news copy and ad copy. Kim has worked as a trainer and facilitator and uses her puckish sense of humor to keep students enthusiastic. Via her own small business, Pouncy Designs, she educates clients on the value of building relationships through email marketing and is a member of the Constant Contact Business Partner Program.


                                                                                                                  


www.pouncydesigns.com

                                                                                                                      Lee Rhodes

Since 1998, Lee Rhodes has been designing, publicizing, and selling these small, extremely tough and strong cups. In 2001, she began to learn to blow these glasses, and has produced many glasses since. It's mesmerizing. Handblown in Rhodes's 4,000-square-foot studio, Glassybaby is available in more than 53 different shades: Ever since the Glassybaby store opened just steps from the Greenlake walking path in late 2004, business has grown into a steady word-of-mouth stream. (A sidewalk placard out front reads: Flowers wilt. Chocolates melt. Glassybaby forever. Aside from that messaging, Rhodes has done no advertising.) Glassybaby orbs grace tables at Seattle restaurants like Wild Ginger, Monsoon, and Nishino.                                                                                                                   

www.glassybaby.com
                                                                                                                    Sabrina Rinderle

Sabrina’s career in fashion was fast and furious. At age 18, she moved to Miami to try her hand at modeling.  She quickly found herself signed with one of the premier agencies, traveling the world for photo shoots.  It was during this experience that she fell in love with fashion. It quickly became apparent that she had a gift as a stylist, knowing just exactly what would and wouldn’t work     As her desire to model waned, Sabrina seized the opportunity to return to Seattle and work with her Mother at Queen Anne Dispatch. As their business blossomed, Sabrina relied on her experiences and knowledge to bring in some fashion accessories, clothing, and shoes.  This side of the business eventually became known as the Undies and Outies Boutique. This year, Sabrina and her sister Tara have bought the family business and hope to continue the success they have had.


www.undiesandouties.com
                                                                                                                   Victoria Roberts

Seattle native, 4th generation husky, SU for graduate school. HR for 13 years, last position at Starbucks corporate working in business development which is where my entrepreneurial  light got turned on. I was "dating" again @ 40 after a divorce, went lingerie shopping as my drawer was SAD. Frustrated with where I had to shop so decided to create a shopping experience for women my age that made them feel special. Opened Zovo May 2005, in August of 2006 Zovo won one of the top awards in the country (lingerie's oscars if you will). As a buyer I became frustrated with the lack of lines for women my age, everything seemed to be for a younger client. We found a big opportunity in wholesale. Raised 2.5 million, found a partner in Hong Kong and developed a line of cotton, cashmere and silk. Broke the line in February 2007 in NY and at the same time, launched the Zovo e-commerce site so we are growing the brand in multi-channels. Oh another milestone, hired a CEO in October 2006 who has                                    an extensive retail, brand/marketing background who happens to be my husband.
www.zovolingerie.com

                                                                                                                    Amanda Rosenthal

After spending 10 years working in Internet advertising in San Francisco and Seattle, Amanda Rosenthal decided she was through with corporate America.  Forever obsessed with clothing, she dreamed of opening a clothing boutique similar to the shops found in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.  Sensing a void in the Seattle shopping scene, Rosenthal felt the Emerald City needed a store that featured up-and-coming designers that no one had seen before.  She took this inspiration and became a self-taught entrepreneur, throwing open the doors of La Rousse in 2005.  Currently living in Eastlake, there's nothing Rosenthal loves more than to bring her dog, Laddie, to work. At the end of a day, she can often be found hanging out with friends (and Laddie) while sipping on wine at the shop. 


www.la-rousse.com
                                                                                                                    Elise Vincentini

Elise Vincentini was born in NJ 40 years ago, and now happily resides in West Seattle. She owns the well known DOWNTOWN DOG LOUNGE…Seattle’s premier doggie daycare. Currently running 2 locations and working on a 3rd in Capitol Hill, most of Elise’s time is devoted to her business and her dogs (kids). She graduated from Elon University in NC, studying marketing & economics. Though most of her professional career has been in seafood sales, she’s found what really inspires her….caring for animals.



www.downtowndoglounge.com

                                                                                                                   James Weaver

James Weaver is the President of the Seattle Hotel Concierge Association (SHCA) and works at the Pan Pacific Seattle.  Became a Concierge 7 years ago while working at the Red Lion on 5th Ave, and finishing up an internship for Highline Community College's two year Hotel & Tourism Management program. During the summer months, works at the Citywide Concierge desk for the CVB. As an Ambassador of the Seattle Hotel & Tourism community, works closely with residence and visitors to create memorable Seattle experiences. Prior to working at the Pan Pacific Seattle, Weaver was a Concierge at the Red lion on 5th Ave. Nordstrom flagship, and Seattle Marriott Waterfront. Is now a Les Clef d'Or member and an active member in the Seattle Men's chorus.







www.panpacific.com/seattle
                                                                                                                    Maggie Winkel

Maggie Winkel has built a successful career in the competitive world of fashion by finding and driving entrepreneurial opportunities in corporate environments.  Whether it was creating the Charter Club Cashmere  and I.N.C. lines for MACY*S, being part of the inaugural team that created the LOFT stores for Ann Taylor, or creating new classifications of men’s pants -- Cargo and Utility -- for Old Navy, Maggie has been a “Startup Junkie” in her own rite.   After receiving her degrees, Maggie has had the opportunity to prosperously engage in enterprise from a multitude of angles.  In more recent years, Maggie has brought her talents and business savvy to Brand re-development projects for Levi Strauss and Co., where she restructured the business model and created both the Superlow and Nouveau jeanswear lines, as well as Tommy Bahama.  Maggie’s endeavors have been featured in publications ranging from the San Francisco Chronicle and The Wall Street Journal, to WWD and Cosmopolitan.  Now, this Brand Evangelista is excited to guide women on a journey to meet their manifesto destiny with startupjUNKiE!
www.startupjunkie.com
                                                                                                                    Luly Yang

Since 2000, Luly Yang has been celebrated for her elegant and timeless bridal gowns, and evening ensembles for ladies and gentlemen in luxurious silks and the finest fabrics. She has been voted Seattle's Best Dress Designer for 4 consecutive years by Seattle Bride magazine. In addition to the couture experience, Luly Yang's "L Boutique", offers ready-to-wear designer cocktail and evening dresses, day into night wear and resort ensembles. Her red carpet and classic shoe collections, and wide selection of jewelry masterpieces will complete any outfit. For the gentlemen, nested in the center of Luly Yang Couture is The Library, showcasing collectable fabrics, fashionable accessories and men's custom suiting. This annex to the current studio located at 1218 Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle opened it's doors in Spring 2006.



www.lulyyang.com