I admit it: I expect my children to reflect how cool I am, how urbane, how out-of-the dreary-mainstream.  At least I expect them not to reveal how I sometimes fall from that grace into the plastic, mass-produced quagmire or cave in to unreasonable demands for inappropriate toys or accessories.  

Enter the Mini Messenger bag. The perfect opportunity for my eight-year-old daughter to carry around her wanna-be-tween flotsam and jetsam in an ultra-hip bike messenger bag rather than the transparent pink plastic petrochemical Tinkerbell nightmare from which everyone can see the bottles of nail polish and trainer lip-glosses that she has accumulated against my better judgment. A rugged, unisex bag suited to the collection of stones, cones, and sticks; sturdy enough for a water bottle and a hearty snack on one of our urban explores.  A bag to reflect well on mama’s tastes and choices.   More...

-By Eric Loebel

We are living in challenging economic times. This is true for nearly every business, and it may be particularly true for those with retail locations. However as a green and local business, this is an opportunity to embrace the challenge and engage in new ways of attracting customers and generating sales. I detect a silver lining in this economic mess: As consumers slow down their purchasing habits it is a chance for green and local businesses to demonstrate the unique value of the innovative products that we sell. More...