2013

525,600 minutes.  How have you spent all those minutes of 2013?  Was it a good year?  A bad year?  How do you measure? 

For us, the year was full of changes, challenges, and triumphs.  When 2013 began, Mini & Me didn't exist.  Baby Vie was limping along, and we were uncertain about our vision, our goals, the direction our little shop was heading in.

As a matter of fact, our landlord almost roosted us because he wanted a yogurt or ice cream shop in our spot.  I think he still wants a food store in our spot, but thankfully, he granted us a little more time in our little corner.

All spring, we struggled with our vision.  We painted.  We re-arranged.  We hired.  We fired.  We dreamed.  We cried.  We juggled our time, our money, and our emotions...

Until it just came together.  In one sunny summer month, we were suddenly blessed with clarity...a new name, new team members, a new look, a new direction...July of 2013 marked the birth of Mini & Me. 

Fashion shows, fundraisers, sporting events...We were in constant motion meeting new friends, shopping for new products, making a difference in our community...

During Childhood Cancer Awareness month in September, we sponsored the Gold 'n Hope fundraiser bringing in gift cards for Rady Children's Hospital oncology families and funds for the Children's Oncology Group. 

We sponsored a local girls' SRSC team, and we hosted fundraisers for RPPW (Penasquitos Pop Warner) cheerleaders and 3-Day Breast Cancer walkers.  And all year, we collected donations for Gently Hugged (providing newborn clothing to families in need) and the Hidden Valley House (a shelter for victims of domestic violence).  Operation Winter Warmth was our December sweater drive, and we collected hundreds of pounds of clothing for these organizations.  We have been thrilled and humbled by the generosity of our customers and neighbors with each of our fundraisers.

Our favorite fundraiser was our SHINE fashion show.  Watch SHINE! Click HERE  We love supporting AJ's CRANE toy drive, a local radio show's toy drive for Rady Children's Hospital, and we wanted to do something really special to encourage donations this year.  Local teens volunteered to model for us, and several oncology families from Rady's also agreed to be in our show.  Every single model was gorgeous and poised and showed off our holiday fashions with style!  We were so excited to connect our audience with some of the patients their donations were helping, and we were able to take 4 huge boxes of toys to the toy drive after the show!!

As the year draws to a close, grateful is the best way to describe the way we feel.  We've been given some magical opportunities, and we have met some of the most outstanding, generous people in the country.  Thank you for supporting us, our store, and our causes all year.  We reflect on 2013 gratefully and anticipate optimistically an even better year in 2014!

SHINE

As we mentioned in our last post, Mini & Me had a fashion show.  That's pretty standard fare for a clothing boutique, but ours was special this year.  Because we were collecting toys for a local radio station's toy drive for Rady Children's Hospital instead of collecting admission, we thought it would be most fitting to invite Rady's patients to model for us.  We were fortunate to have many oncology patients and their families step forward to participate, and several teens from the community joined them to create SHINE 2013!  The models were positive and inspiring and truly started our holiday season in style and grace.  Please watch this special show and share it with your friends.  Your donations at the holidays and all year go to real kids...Kids fighting battles that threaten their lives and rob their innocence.  Their families are scared and often face tremendous financial burdens related to treatment.  Your donations bring light and joy and relief to these precious lives.  Thank you if you came to our show, if you donate to a children's hospital charity, and for supporting our store and our causes!

                      Watch SHINE 2013:  click here to watch SHINE