Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is

On October 7th, we started giving away $50 each week to one Zazu customer.

Why? Keep reading...

 

That's why. It's got to start somewhere ...

So, for twelve weeks beginning October 7th, we randomly select one Zazu customer each week to receive a $50 bill. Our hope is that those $50 bills will be spent in some of our areas most loved independent small businesses. (yes, Zazu is eligible to be one of them!)

Each Friday, we will choose a winner and post on our Facebook page which local businesses earned a shout out that week for a job well done and appreciated!

There are several ways to enter, and yes, extra 
points for all doing all of them!
• "Like" us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Share our 3/50 post (or share on Facebook)
•Tell us on Facebook which three businesses really trip your trigger
• Comment at the bottom of this post ... those three trigger trippers
• Email us the names of your top 3 businesses (to coolstuff@shopzazu.com)
• Write a recommendation for Zazu on Facebook

Need more details? Keep reading ... we know, it IS a long post! Just got to cover all the bases.

Terms and Conditions - What Kind of Businesses are Eligible?
What exactly is an independent?   
Short answer: Someone who sleeps little, eats on the run, balances their checkbook over the breakfast table, combs through order forms in bed at night, and is capable of sorting invoices, signing paychecks, fielding questions, responding to emails, and faxing confirmations while simultaneously explaining to a new employee how to check in UPS.

Long answer: There are as many definitions for the word "independent" as there are types of retail stores. For the sake of clarity, we cull the most salient points from the most highly respected "buy local" organizations in the country, and hold businesses fitting that definition in the highest regard. Don't assume that "independent" equates to a monotone description, however. The 3/50 Project supports locally owned brick and mortar businesses of all types: retail stores, salons, dry cleaners, movie theaters, restaurants, etc. The people behind the counter and in the back office are the same ones you see at the nearby grocery store (possibly another indie business), each of which has a personal stake in the health of your local economy.

More specifically defined, Independent means:

· The majority of the business' ownership is private, by employees, the community, or an area cooperative, and is resident to the community in which it's based

· The business operates out of a physical storefront or similar and is the only business residing at that specific doorway's address (not a kiosk, home based business, etc.)

· The business relies solely on its unique name and reputation (ie, does not "wear" a regionally or nationally recognized brand name)

· The business is registered only in its home state, and has no affiliation with an out of state headquarters or corporate office

· Full decision making function for the business is held by the local owner(s), including the name, signage, brand, appearance, purchasing, etc.

· The business is solely responsible for paying its own rent, marketing, and other expenses

· It has no more than two outlets, both located in a single state, with a central base of operations in that state 

· It is not a vendor (ie, does not sell wholesale)

Why don't you include franchises or regional/national brand names in that definition? 

The definition of "independent" and the resulting guidelines used by The 3/50 Project were not created quickly or without thought, but are based on widely recognized standards as defined by the three largest and most highly respected Buy Local organizations in the country: BALLE, AMIBA, and the American Booksellers Association.

Unfortunately, no one can be all things to all people. Given the wide variations in the amount of corporate input and support among the thousands of franchise and chain operations around the country, The 3/50 Project supports one very specific, very unique business model-that of the independent business who does not have the benefit of a preferred vendor list, specially negotiated vendor pricing, corporate office access, and a regionally/nationally recognized brand name (which, by extension, allows franchises to benefit from the halo effect when the corporate office runs national ad campaigns).

Whether a hardware store or a burger place, a regionally or nationally recognized name provides benefits that true "independents" don't have-otherwise, why would anyone pay for the right to wear them?

Please don't feel we're tossing you out the door if you own a business that fits into this group, though. Hundreds of chains, franchises, and recognized brands agree that supporting their independent counterparts is critically important to the health of their local economies, and register with us to show it. If you look on our Supporters page, you'll see them listed on the right hand side of the page. Just our way of saying thanks for their belief in The 3/50 Project.

Why don't you include home based businesses in The 3/50 Project? 

Short answer: Because they aren't brick and mortar independents.
Long answer: Because commercial property tax is one of the largest lump sum contributions a brick and mortar makes to a community (in addition to whatever property taxes they pay for their home). Businesses operating from a residence do not make the hefty contribution to a community's commercial property tax fund that brick and mortars do. That's not to say that all home based businesses are bad-just that they don't qualify as a 3/50 Project participant (sorry, but this is not open for negotiation).

And ... Ta Da! The comment box...

Week #3 of our $50 Giveaway!

Each week, Zazu is giving away $50 to support our local independent small businesses.

Why? You'll find all the details in our original post.

The easy peasy entry form is right here and you can also find it on our Facebook page.

Happy Times!

Thanks for following this hot story all the way over to the blog!  My saga began with the idea that maybe our family should go on a fantastic vacation somewhere this Spring. Then, my husband suggested we go somewhere really exotic ... like Asia!

So we made our plans to visit Hong Kong, then jet over to Thailand where we would stay in Bangkok, Phuket, and the Phi Phi Islands. Immediately, I started making lists of all the food I was going to eat and then I remembered something frightening.

Because of the humidity in those parts, the last time we went, every picture of me looked like this:

So, I called over to my friend:

Who owns this:

And she said, "Oh, we'll just give you a Brazilian Keratin Treatment - it'll last for 4 (!) months. No frizz, no fuzz, no worries, friend. Happy times!"

And this is the result:

And ... oh my gawd, whenever I put Anna Michelle at the helm, happy times they are! So, in honor of my marvelous magician, Anna Michelle of Modern Concepts Salon, we present the Happy Timer!

Simply post a comment either on the blog or on our Facebook page and you could win one. Post in both and it doubles your chances. Happy times!www.modernconceptssalon.com

Really Great Giveaway!

Cousins Glena and Sabrina grew up in Logan, a small town in rural New Mexico which boasts a population of 500. The most entertaining activities in this rural area were swatting flies on their great grandmother's porch, building miniature houses out of rocks and bits of glass, seeking out hidden patches of wildflowers, and searching for the perfect smooth stone. Their great grandmother was the best playmate in New Mexico; leading them to explore a world of tiny hidden treasures, investigate abandoned houses and frontier dumps, while encouraging them to fill their pockets with sticks, stones, glass, feathers, and flowers.

In 2001, the two combined their love of family heirlooms, antique finds, and time-worn treasures with their experience in the fields of art and business to start a company of their own; Pick Up Sticks Jewelry Co., LLC. What started as a new business venture has become a way for the cousins to revisit their past and those times spent with their great grandmother in a small town. Now, Sabrina and Glena invite others to preserve their own memories via the photo charm and unique jewelry designs incorporating antique sentiment and collectible items.


Vintage images inspire this collection of collage art which is framed behind glass, encased in pewter and ready to be worn as a charm or pendant.

And now you know this week's Really Great Giveaway ... a Pick Up Sticks pendant of your very own!

To be considered in the running, please leave a comment by clicking on the tiny "comment" below. We will email the winner next Monday, December 1st and announce the next Really Great Giveaway.

Good Luck!


ps. last week's Really Great Giveaway winner was Karen Orr - Congratulations!

Really Great Giveaway!

Hey y'all! Yep, it's Monday - which absolutely means giveaway day! I've got a little question for you first...

"If you had to gain 10 pounds, what one food would you eat?"

That's the kind of inquiry you'll find in the Girl's Night Out Edition of Table Topics. One box of Table Topics can spark about a thousand conversations.




So ... what would you eat? Chocolate? Bacon? To be honest, I'd eat nothing but Bearnaise sauce. To win your very own pink box of conversation starters from Table Topics, please submit your answer to our "comment" box below. I will announce the winner next Monday, November 24.

Good Luck!

Last week's winner of the Switchflops was .... Elsie!! Congratulations!

Really Great Giveaway!

We just loaded these onto our website!!

The entire Zazu crew parades their pedis in Switchflops by LuLu Designs. The story behind Switchflops is my absolute favorite "small town girl goes big time" kind of a thing.

Switchflops started as a high school project. Repeat: a high school project! I may be dramatizing the actual event slightly but this is how I remember it when it was told to me by Lindsay (incredible girl designer) and her mom at the Atlanta Gift Show last year ...

It was a high school project. Her teacher felt very highly about Lindsay and her project. The teacher called Linday's parents to tell them what a super job she did and that they should really consider bringing this product to market.

The parents said, "what project?"

As you can tell, Lindsay and her parents figured out all the details about manufacturing, marketing, and shipping Lindsay's high school project to hundreds of stores across the globe.

Want to see Switchflops in action? Click the little triangle below ...

Want to win your very own pair of Switchflops? Leave a comment below ...



This contest ends on Monday, November 17th. We will then announce another "Really Great Giveaway. Last week's "Really Great Giveaway" winner of the Thymes candle was FatalisFortuna.

Really Great Giveaway!

Ok, it's Monday ... time to offer up another sweet surprise from Zazu.

This week, we would like to introduce you to our best selling candle ever - The Thymes' Frasier Fir! Although we only stock it from mid-October through December, it is clearly the shopper's favorite. Last year, we sold out and customers demanded to be put on a waiting list in case any were returned. None were ...

We are so hot for this product that it was the first thing we added to our website. {Yep, we're working on it ... great stuff being loaded by the minute!}

Listen to the description from The Thymes themselves:

Mountain fresh and glowing with the aromatic snap of crisp Siberian Fir needles, heartening cedarwood and relaxing sandalwood. The Thymes Frasier Fir sets the mood for those special moments that make up your life stories. Creating a tradition to savor ... and to share. Burns cleanly for approximately 50 hours.

And ... here's a picture ...

To enter to win this really great giveaway, please post a comment below. Next Monday (Nov. 10th), we will randomly choose the winner and post the results on this blog.

Good Luck!

Note: Last week's winner was rainydaygirl! rainydaygirl, could you please email us with your contact information? www.coolstuff@shopzazu.com

Keep in the Pink!

Unfortunately, we all know many women who have been faced with the diagnosis of breast cancer. Don't we all want to conquer this beast? Continued medical research and care for these women (and men) will eventually lead to a cure. Believe it!

Here's where we can start. Avon hosts sponsored walks in several large cities across the country. You may form a group to participate in one of these walks. You may help sponsor one of these groups. Or, Avon absolutely needs volunteers at points along the routes to support the teams.

Our friend (and printer) Amy Pruden, is part of a team participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte, NC on October 25 - 26. The "Booby Bunch" will walk a total of 40 miles in two days!!! The training is very difficult, and a big commitment.

Closer to home, my twin cousins, Samantha and Heather and their team, Twin Power will commit themselves for the fifth year . They will pound the pavement again this year in Washington, D.C. on the weekend of May 2-3, 2009. YOU GO, GIRLS!!!


About the Avon Foundation and the
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

The Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women and their families, and Avon philanthropic programs worldwide have raised and awarded more than $500 million. Now past the half century milestone, the Avon Foundation brings this mission to life through two key areas: breast cancer and domestic violence. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade launched in 1992, and Avon breast cancer programs in some 50 countries support advancing access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved. Funding is awarded to beneficiaries ranging from leading cancer centers to community-based breast health programs for awareness and education; screening and diagnosis; access to treatment; support services; and scientific research. Fundraising is through a variety of “pink ribbon” products, events, races and walks. The largest is the U.S. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series, which began in 2003.

For more information on the Avon Foundation visit http://www.avonfoundation.org/.

Give These Girls a Shout Out!

This week we are having a very special giveaway for these breast friends!

Please comment with your cheers of support to the Booby Bunch and Twin Power. Among those commenting, a winner will be randomly chosen to receive two terrific and relaxing offerings from The Thymes.


One of our favorite people from the Thymes family is a breast cancer survivor herself, so it is only fitting that we chose one of her (and our) favorite products. Kimono Rose has a girly (but not over-flowery) fresh scent and has always been one of our most popular items. The lucky winner will receive an aromatic candle and foaming bath . Femininity refined! I can feel a good soak coming on...

Please click on the tiny "comments" at the bottom of this post. The winner will be posted on Friday, October 17th, 2009.

This giveaway is now over ... Ashley was the big winnner! Thanks to all for your comments, every positive step is a step in the right direction. See us next week for our next giveaway.

Really Great Giveaway!

Our really great friend, Anna Michelle, is nuts about Staxx! Staxx have rings, pendants, and soon will have earrings that combine interchangeable components that allow you to change your Staxx look at your whimsy!

Start with a base, add as many disks as you like in the center, then secu

re your creation with a jeweled topper. There are hundreds of possible combinations!

So, in honor of Anna Michelle, we are holding a really great giveaway. To be eligible to win this fabulous Staxx set in Filligree and Finery, just post a comment below. Comments will be moderated and there will be a random drawing among those who comment.

You've got until Wednesday, October 8th!

Bonne Chance!