Heart to Heart Forum

February Leap Year

2012-02-10T11:12:00.003-07:00

Good Morning Everyone, We are so happy to have "one more day" this year to hang on to the wonderful times we are having at the Heart Shoppe : ) We hope more will come join us as the economy turns around and small businesses are back in biz...

Visit our feature page for February: C'est Chouette

Happy Valentine's Day
Victoria

Happy December!

2011-12-01T08:39:00.002-07:00

And Good Morning Everyone!

Can anyone believe it is already December? We have a gorgeous feature page brought to us by Roses and Teacups:

December's Featured Site

Our monthly Victorian Etc. Newsletter has already attracted 514 page views this morning by 8:30 a.m. Wow! Don't forget to open yours and see what all the fuss is about : )

Hoping this month brings you all the joys of the Christmas season! Next year will be better than ever, we believe and expect this to be true : )

Have a great day,
Vic & Jeff

November Fun!

2011-11-16T09:14:00.002-07:00

Good Morning All,
Yes, I'm back! Had a great time with family in Minnesota and Iowa : ) Please take a minute today to visit our featured shop:

Coeur d'Alene Gifts

Brought to us this month by Nancy of Coeur d'Alene Gifts. Thanks Nancy for the great "light hanging" lesson for the Holidays! You should all really enjoy this creative tip and be able to use it this year.

Good to be home,
Vic

October Feature

2011-10-06T09:35:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Friends,

It is a beautiful day in Albuquerque and the mass ascension of our 40th International Balloon Fiesta! All I can say is WOW : ) We are watching it on TV but the colors and shapes in the clear blue sky never get old.

Our October feature site is brought to us by Linda of Charmed Victorian. Linda has changed to a Blog format and also has a wonderful Etsy shop for her gorgeous Cameos:

Charmed Victorian

We would like to thank Linda for her "shout out to us" on her blog.

If you haven't read the Victorian Etc. magazine yet, please do so this weekend. This is such a "feel good" issue and we would like you to enjoy yourself and then let us know what you think. We appreciate all of your feedback!

Victorian Etc. Magazine

Now that the magazine has been released, we will be working on our holiday promotions. Please read upcoming e-mails for literature and requests.

Thanks and Happy Fall,
Vic

September Morning

2011-09-01T10:43:00.002-06:00

Take time to enjoy your life! Visit our featured shop for September:

Millani's Antique Cottage

Millie has some wonderful heirlooms and collectibles!

August ~ Lazy Days of Summer Sales

2011-08-01T17:47:00.003-06:00

Check out our featured website for August:

Victorian Laurels

Victorian Heart Shoppe has all of the gifts galore for the ladies in your life!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-01T08:07:00.002-06:00

Fireworks from our featured site:

Swan Lake Farm

Let the latest issue of Victorian Etc. Magazine light up your July sky!

Southern Solace!

Have a safe and Happy 4th!

Victoria

June is Tea Month

2011-06-01T08:31:00.003-06:00

Good Morning, Anyone interested in the Victorian era probably knows that the World Tea Expo takes place in June in Las Vegas, NV. Our feature site for June is SBS Teas:

June's featured site, SBS Teas

Oh for the love of Tea (or Coffee! Pay them a visit : )

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T11:49:00.004-06:00

Hi Ladies,

Happy Mother's Day to all of you at the Victorian Heart Shoppe! I hope the ladies of the the Heart Shoppe are all having a wonderful day and enjoying their family and friends. Send your mother, daughter, sister, or best friend an invitation to subscribe to Victorian Etc. Magazine! Just forward this message with the following link:

Free Subscription to the Victorian Etc. News!

April, no foolin'

2011-04-01T10:09:00.003-06:00

Good Morning Ladies and Gents, April has finally come in like a bit of a lamb in New Mexico : ) Beautiful day, lots of sunshine, and expecting warm temps! We would love for you to take some time this weekend and spend it with our featured site, "Roses and Teacups":

April Featured Roses & Teacups

What an amazing stock of hand-crafted, many one-of-a-kind goodies they have for spring and Mother's Day just around the corner!

Also, our magazine issue is out with our coordinated contests, so take a look for yourself and send the links on to friends:

$100 Sweeps

We hope you are all perusing your Victorian Etc. newsletter and clicking through on the links as we speak. We are setting records with the magazine and absolutely love this issue, Wild West ~ Fashion & Fame. We appreciate and need your support, so if for whatever reason you have not subscribed, don't delay, go there today:

Victorian Etc. Magazine

And we love you for that,
Vic & Jeff

March Madness

2011-03-02T07:17:00.003-07:00

Good Morning Dear Readers,

Our feature site for March is a beautiful rendition of Spring! You must see what Linda from Charmed Victorian has gifted us with:

Visit March's Feature

Good Day,
Vic

February and Spring is in the Air...

2011-02-24T08:57:00.002-07:00

Visit our Feb feature!

Victorian Laurels

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T08:25:00.002-07:00

We at the Victorian Heart Shoppe are celebrating the New Year by remembering the old. Check out our feature page for January which commemorates the 99th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic:

January's Featured Site

Thanks for shopping at our mall and enjoy your life this new year!

Victoria

December's Business

2010-12-01T08:25:00.002-07:00

Good morning everyone, Can you believe it is already December? At times I thought it would never come and now there is so much to do : ) But first things first. Take time to visit our feature with cups of joy from Nancy and Julie of Roses and Teacups:

December Feature

Then, be sure and open and follow the links on our official Victorian Etc. December Newsletter. What's that you say? You haven't signed up for it yet? (That's a double opt-in form.) Well, there's no time like the present for the gift that keeps on giving:

Victorian Etc. Newsletter

Now down to the business of the day. We are starting work on Volume II, Issue #1 (Jan. 2011) of the magazine. We have an offer from Patty Suchy (Novel Explorations) to do the food and drink article on the World Tea Expo. Barb of SBS Teas and I are working on a novel theme ourselves. We have decided to feature "the Titanic" in this Issue for its upcoming 99th Anniversary. If you have an inclination to help or a passion to write, please let us know that you would be willing to contribute.

Thanks for all that you do and last but not least, visit our media page at the Heart Shoppe and view or "List of Gratitudes" for 2010.

"Victorian Gratitudes"

Thanks to all of you who participated!

Vic

November's Featured Website

2010-11-01T08:38:00.002-06:00

Are you ever in for a Treat! Visit our featured site for November and view an exquisite online emporium full of original artwork:

Shelley McVittie's Studio

You'll be glad you did : ) Victoria

October Surprise

2010-09-30T19:40:00.004-06:00

Good morning All, Hope all of you will take time to visit our featured website for October brought to us by Linda from Charmed Victorian. Linda is constantly creating new and beautiful cameos to add to her wide selection.

October Feature

Our newsletter went out early this morning and we already have hundreds of page loads (502 at 7 am). By the way, some fabulous facts about our newsletter for Victorian Etc. We have won an "Excellence in E-mail Marketing" from Vertical Response with a rank of # 52 for quarter three of 2010. Not sure how many customers they have but we do feel honored by this award. You will find it next to our newsletter subscription on the home page of the Magazine:

Victorian Etc. Magazine

We have more postcards to mail out for anyone who would like to include them with their orders from now through the end of the year. Just drop us a note with your snail address and how many you would like.

Thanks for all that you do : )

With deep appreciation,
Vic

September morn'

2010-09-01T09:44:00.002-06:00

Good Morning All, Happy September! Oh, we have sooooo much going on this month and it is all good : )

First, pay a visit to our unique feature page brought to us by Carol from the Swan Company:
September Feature Page

Second, we have a brand new Holiday Contest with lots of participants (thanks to all) and fun things to see:
Holiday Contest Begins

Last, but not least, we have a new find 'Lulu Mae's Monogram Hunt' for September at Victorian Etc. Magazine:
Find Lulu Mae's Monogram Hunt

This one is fairly easy so try your luck and hone your investigatory skills! Thanks to Linda from Charmed Victorian for sponsoring this month's gift. Clue list is a real giveaway.

Thanks,
Vic

P.S. We are still offering a First Avenue window to any current Heart Shoppe member for only $50 thru the end of the year (four months). Great to have throughout the Holiday shopping season!

August Feature

2010-07-29T09:52:00.004-06:00

Don't miss our August Feature page and a fabulous "Dog Days of Summer" sale:

August Feature site is "Victorian Laurels".

Victorian Craft Faire

2010-06-13T07:52:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Victoriana lovers! Below is a copy of an e-mail we received from Victorian Crafts Fair people in NY. Thought some of you might be close enough to participate:

Dear Victorian Heart Shoppe,

My name is Danielle Gorton-Williams and I represent Historic Events, the production company that will be putting on the Victorian Leisure Fair for six weekends this summer at Erie Canal Village in Rome, New York! We are very excited about the opportunity to bring history and literature alive with this family friendly summer event. Like the Renaissance Fair that everyone is familiar with, we will have reenactors creating living history environments, stage performances, choral groups, instrumental groups, parades, and vendors selling food and wares. However, we will be focusing on the Age of Industry and Innovation that was the Victorian Era, and we have a working canal barge and steam train!

This is a great opportunity for your business. We will be running commercials on the cable channels, and local radio throughout the Central New York Region. We will also be teaming up with local charities and schools to get the word out to our customer base. We have the ability to handle up to 20,000 customers per day of fair!! We will be offering on-site camping for our vendors. The fair is set to open on July 31st and run every weekend through September 5th.

There are many vendor opportunities at the Victorian Leisure Fair. We are in need of vendors who will be selling Victorian Era wares and clothing and providing services that would be appropriate to our era. Based on your website, the wares you sell would be perfect for our clientele.

You can visit our website at Historic Fairs to view the Non-Food Vendor along with detailed information regarding the requirements of booths at the fair. Please feel free to contact us via email at danielle@historicfairs.com or rene@historicfairs.com or via phone at 562-714-3714 with any questions you may have. We look forward to starting a grand new tradition with you!

Sincerely,

Danielle Gorton-Williams

June's Faetured Site

2010-05-31T19:22:00.003-06:00

Good Morning All, We hope that you will all enjoy the featured site for June brought to us by Barb of SBS Teas:

June's Feature: SBS Teas

Thanks for stopping by!

May Day

2010-05-01T09:27:00.003-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, May 1st is upon us and we have nothing but good things to announce!

1) Our feature page for May is brought to you by the women of Roses and Teacups. Julie and Nancy have an amazing array of Mother's Day gifts and beautiful things. In fact, every time I go to this site I can't help but think about my mom : )
Roses and Teacups

2) Our new Contest is amazing! You can play Bingo and win prizes and just have fun with it : ) Thanks to those who are participating, it officially starts tomorrow but take a sneak peek today:
Bingo Blast Contest

3) We have chosen our first round of Vetcy Winners in each of the four categories! These winners will compete for your vote to win the Grand Prize which is a full page spread in the next Victorian Etc. Magazine. Voting officially begins for the 'People's Choice Vetcy' tomorrow, but we will accept your votes today. Click the link at the bottom of this page to view the four winners and vote for your favorite:
Vetcy Award Winners Announced

4) Our find Lulu Mae's Monogram Hunt ends today with the winner drawn this evening. Tomorrow we start a new hunt with a new prize and our monogram once again hidden. Tell your friends this one is easy to find and they can still participate today : )
Find Lulu Mae's Monogram Hunt

You might have noticed that everything starts May 2nd. I don't like to start anything on a Saturday since it is such a slow computer day. Also, our computer has been down for two days because the garbage truck broke our cable line. Almost had to make a trip out with the wireless Netbook : )

Vic

April's Featured Website

2010-04-01T16:31:00.001-06:00

No foolin' we have a new Feature Page for April! Stop by Sweet Necessi-teas

Featured April

Thanks to Karen for also writing the feature article for our Magazine, Victorian Etc.

Easter Tea Party

We were quite pleasantly surprised to have over 500 page loads at 8:00 this morning! Please tell your friends : )

We soooooooo appreciate all of you!
Vic & Jeff

Victorian Etc. Magazine Issue #2

2010-04-01T08:28:00.002-06:00

Read Issue #2

See what everyone's talking about! Sign-up for the free newsletter, find "Lulu Mae's Monogram Hunt" with a new April prize.

Our Newest Member is a Specialist!

2010-03-30T11:41:00.002-06:00

Visit our newest member, Barb from SBS Teas on First Avenue:

SBS Teas

Here is a little info about Barb:
"I am the first STI certified Tea Specialist in North Carolina and one of the first 23 in the world."

Are we ever happy to have her in our community!

March Madness

2010-03-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

We just wanted to direct your attention to our March featured shop:
"March Features Charmed Victorian"

Brought to you by Linda of Charmed Victorian, you will see delightful new designs for spring and summer!

Also, the magazine is going full steam ahead with a new scavenger hunt bringing lots of lookers which has resulted in many more hits to the Heart Shoppe:
"Lulu Mae's Monogram Hunt"

Take a peek, it's fun. Advertisers will not be allowed to participate in the contest.

Have a great month!
Vic

Happy February

2010-01-31T19:23:00.003-07:00

Good Morning All, We feel like January was the start of something very big for the Heart Shoppe this year. We thank all of you for your support on your sites, blogs, facebook and twitter accounts. We mailed our first Victorian Etc. newsletter and have received a great response already.

We would like to welcome a new merchant to our group. Please pay a visit to Sheila, of "Faded... but Desired Treasures" on Second Ave:
Second Ave.
You will love the look of Sheila's retro shop and some of the treasures featured therein. Sheila and I have a special bond, we both own Bloodhounds so that kind of makes us bloodsisters : )

We have a very beautiful 'featured page' for February brought to us by Nancy of "Coeur d'Alene Gifts". Please pay Nancy a visit at some time this month, you'll be glad you did:
February Featured Shop

We want to thank Bertie of "Aunt May's Cottage" who jumped on the bandwagon and promoted our sister site, Victorian Etc. on her blog:
Aunt May's Cottage

We expect hearts and flowers this month and lots of new targeted traffic and sales beyond belief.

Have an exceptional month,
Vic & Jeff

Victorian Etc. Magazine

2010-01-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

It's wonderful, marvelous, and it's online now!

Victorian Etc.

Can't get enough of the Victorian era? Read, indulge, find a refuge and a friend at Victorian Etc. online! While you are there, sign up for the free newsletter.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:13:00.002-07:00

Our featured shoppe for January is a preview of an upcoming online Victorian Crafts Magazine:
"Victorian Etc."

We wish you all a blessed and safe new year. We cannot express what your friendship, support, and encouragement have done for us over the past year. So many of you have had personal challenges above and beyond what could and should be born, and yet you remain positive and optimistic. This group is a blessing without compare : ) Stay tuned tomorrow for a big announcement as we attempt to pay some of it back, tee hee!

Love,
Vic & Jeff

2009-12-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All, We are now recruiting for participants in the New Year's 2010 Contest. The entry fee is only $25 of which $10 goes toward the Grand Prize gift voucher. The Contest will run January through April. (The current contest winner will be drawn Christmas Day. They then have 48 hours to choose from the participating shops, where they would like to spend their voucher. We PayPal the voucher amount to the shop chosen by the winner.) We rotate the shops to the top of the page and the redirect from the contest entry form goes to each one in turn. See $100 Contest for an example. We will be working on the new contest over the next two weeks and would like to get started ASAP. If you would like to participate or have any questions, please respond to this e-mail. Although we limit the participants to ten, we seldom get that many : ) We make up any remainder of the $100 prize with a gift provided by us. The $25 will by due by December 31st. Thanks!

We look forward to hearing from some of you,
Vic & Jeff

2009-12-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone, I hope you have all recovered from giving thanks with great food : ) God is good!

Please take a minute today and check out our beautiful December feature:
December Feature

The ladies at Roses and Teacups really know how to put on a show of wonderful gift ideas!

Thanks to all of you who have weathered the economic storm with us this year. You have touched my heart in so many ways, sharing your hopes and challenges on a daily basis! I am so appreciative of each and every one of you for your support, encouragement, and very personal caring!

May you all be blessed with His saving grace!

Thanks,
Vic

P.S. Jeff will be here at your beck and call : )

November's Feature

2009-11-01T12:42:00.002-07:00

Good Afternoon, If you find yourself browsing this beautiful Sunday afternoon, take a minute or two to visit our Feature page for November:
November Feature 'Shelley McVittie's Studio'

The beautiful graphics are compliments of Shelley, from Shelley McVittie's Studio. What a treat it is to visit our neighbor to the north (Shelley is located in Canada) and really appreciate her talent on display! Enjoy your day : )

Vic

P.S. Special announcement either tomorrow or Tuesday about our participation in the Make Mine Pink Shop Hop!

October's Featured Site

2009-10-01T09:04:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, We are welcoming October this morning in New Mexico : ) September seemed to be a rather challenging month for many of us. I hope that those of you who faced some tough challenges see a bright new day today!

We would like to direct you toward our Featured page for October:

October Features 'Swan's Picture Hangers'

Carol of Swan's Picture Hangers has some great deals to offer as well as some historic significance of Victorian Picture Hanging! If you pay Swan's a visit sometime today, you may never look at picture hanging the same again. I certainly never have since first visiting Carol's shop now some five years ago!

Have a great day and let's keep encouraging each other in our endeavors. An internet business seems for many of us our "heart and soul" in cyberspace!

Vic

New Member to Welcome

2009-09-28T08:40:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone, It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon in New Mexico! A great day for thanksgiving, baseball, and barbeque : )

If you are strolling through the internet today, take a minute to visit our newest member's shop: Marianne from Recollections

You will find Recollections' gorgeous product line displayed on our First, Second, and Fifth Avenue Shoppes.
First Avenue
Second Avenue
Fifth Avenue

We welcome Marianne to our community. (See her photo in our gallery: About Us )

Regards,
Vic

Remembering September 11th, our fallen Heroes

2009-09-25T11:15:00.002-06:00

Lest we never forget their sacrifice:
Charmed Victorian Remembers

End of summer news!

2009-08-15T08:34:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, We are giving you a sneak preview of our End-of-Year Event! This contest will run from September 1st - December 31st:

End-of-Year Event!

It will take the place of the current holiday page after our summer winner is drawn : ) We actually have room for a few more merchants to join us on this page. I purposely put the prize as a grab bag so we could adjust its value. If anyone else would like to participate, let me know by Monday and we can add you to the page.

Hope you all have great 'end of summer' days!

Vic

2009-08-01T08:26:00.004-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, It is a beautiful morning in New Mexico! We are grateful for this mild summer weather : )

Speaking of Summer, cool off with these darling delicacies brought to us by Patty of Pink Hugs Sweet Shoppe:
August Feature
Nothing could top these faux pastries for a summer Birthday party or backyard Tea Party!

We are so happy to welcome Moira of Mostly-Victorian.com to our Second Avenue Shoppes:
Second Avenue Shoppes
This site is packed with information on the Victorian era, well researched, wonderfully illustrated, and a plethora of knowledge : ) Enjoy perusing!

We have gone back to our summer Contest page and will hold the current drawing in late August. We have room for a couple more merchants on the "end of the year" contest. So if anyone else is interested in participating please let us know in the next couple of days. Instructions to follow for all of our participants. See current Contest for more details:
$100 Contest Drawing

Have a wonderful August,
Vic

End of Year Contest Prep

2009-07-28T11:39:00.002-06:00

Good Morning All, We got home yesterday from our visit with family in Texas. Long drive from Houston to Albuquerque : ) It was hot and humid but being originally from Minnesota, I am familiar with that kind of weather!

For our own Victorian Laurels website, business has really picked up in July. I'm hoping this is a pattern and has affected all of your businesses as well. August 1st we will return to our summer contest page for the duration of the current drawing. We will be putting up a new Contest page on or around September 1st. I will be out of town with my mom in Minnesota, so everything will be prepared before I leave.

Those of you who want to participate in our year-end contest can notify me now! The contest prize will again be a $100 value of which $10 is taken from each participating merchant's entry fee. I will be building this page in the next three weeks, so there will be plenty of time to get your information and image to me : ) Just respond to this e-mail with a "count me in" message and I will confirm your spot.

Thanks,
Vic

2009-07-09T09:54:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, We have a new friend to welcome to our group this morning : )

Please join me in visiting Lynette from Misty Moonlight Creations on our Third Avenue:
Third Avenue

And see her lovely image in our "about us" photo gallery:
About Us Gallery

Not only does Lynette have some beautiful merchandise, she has the most gorgeous roses I have ever seen! You can almost smell them through the screen...

Our Christmas in July event has picked up considerably after the long holiday weekend. Tell your friends or better yet, put this "event ticket" on your site : )

Thanks,
Vic

July's Featured Page

2009-07-01T08:46:00.001-06:00

Good Morning, It's July, WOW! It seems like this summer is going so fast : ) Please visit our featured page sometime today brought to us by Charlotte from Mrs. Charlotte's Boutique:
July's Featured Page

There are some beautiful one-of-a-kind creations featured this month! We are so grateful to have such a talented group of artisans at the Heart Shoppe!

Also, Christmas in July is open to the public. We have posted the link on Twitter and Facebook and it seems to already be drawing visitors : ) Please support each other in this event if you're in the mood for shopping.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!
Vic

Private Showing

2009-06-30T08:38:00.000-06:00

Good Morning everyone, We are really excited about our upcoming "Christmas in July" page. We have worked really hard on this event with lots of publicity and our pre-sell campaign : ) We would like to invite all of you to a "private showing" of our event that officially starts tomorrow. Here is a link to the page that will take over the Contest Page for the month of July:

Christmas in July Preview

Each of the merchants involved have worked very hard to display a special product, price, and in some cases page of delightful Christmas sales. We have snail-mailed invitations all over the country and hope that we have an influx of new visitors. We have advertised this event with news blasts at both Qflea and Tea Bureau as well as other places online. We want to put the Victorian Heart Shoppe on the map and in hearts across the country. Thanks for your preview of this event and we would appreciate any comments or feedback : )

Join the fun,
Vic

Upcoming Events: Christmas in July Sale

2009-06-18T09:38:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, We did our second blast of invitations this morning and hope to see an increase in traffic on July 1st : ) Some of you have inquired where our invitations have been mailed! Our first batch went to Victorian shops across the country, the second to Victorian towns such as Cape May, NJ and our third will go to Christmas shops across the country. Again, if you have one such establishment in your area and would like them to get an invite, just send us their full name and snail address and we will see to it. Thanks to all of you who have already put up our special "Invitation Link" below. Direct links to the holiday page:
Christmas in July Sale
This is fun!

Thanks,
Vic

June Feature and our new Wholesale page!

2009-06-01T08:44:00.003-06:00

Good Morning and Happy June 1st! We have loads of exciting news at the Heart Shoppe this morning but I will try to be brief : )

Our feature page for June is brought to us by Kellie of "Pretty Shabby". Kellie and her mom, Carol, have a very pretty selection of goodies for the home! Pay them a visit sometime today and be sure to check out their "SALE ITEMS" link.

June Feature

Our wholesale page is up and we think it looks great. More importantly, we think it will provide a much needed service for those businesses looking for uniqueness, quality, and affordability:

Wholesale Page

We have included a bit of "wholesale info" in our most recent Rack Cards which are directed toward both shoppers and business owners.

Lastly, we will begin sending out "event tickets" for our Christmas in July page this month. Look for more on this later : )

Summer is almost upon us, time to shine : ) If your business has been a little down in the dumps, "DO SOMETHING" to perk it up!

Thanks,
Vic

Introductory Offer

2009-05-28T09:01:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, We wanted to give everyone one last chance to participate in our "Grand Opening" of the wholesale page : ) This will be ready to upload on June 1st and we have decided to give everyone who participates one free month at the end of their year. So that's 13 months for only $25. I wanted to let you know that some of our merchants are looking for wholesale prices and believe this will be a quick and easy way to find them:

"As having a brick and mortar shop I am always looking for specialty handmade products to sell in the boutique if they are a good fit here. Those products I usually do not put online but offer locally to my regular customers so I will look forward to viewing some of the wholesale merchants products. I think this could be a good service to offer."
Thanks,
June @ Scarlett Rose

Thanks to June for sharing this with the group! If you are interested in getting in on this great introductory offer, just e-mail us in the next two days and we will let you know what you need to send.

Thanks,
Vic

Coming Soon - Wholesale Page

2009-05-22T09:36:00.001-06:00

Good Morning and Happy Friday,
We have already received a handful of interest about our "Wholesale page" so we will lay out the objectives for this campaign.

To fill a need: I receive phone calls and e-mail at Victorian Laurels requesting wholesale prices mostly for "brick and mortars" and "indoor mall" booths. Wholesale orders have actually kept my shop in steady business this calendar year. There are times when these vendors are looking for items beyond my limited stock. I always refer them to the Heart Shoppe, but don't really have a handle on which of you might offer wholesale prices to these vendors.

The plan: We will be adding a page to the mall for our "wholesale merchants". The price will be $25/yr for a listing similar to the "contest page" listing. We will feature an image logo and a 50-75 word description of your wholesale program. We will also include an e-mail link with your name so that it is readily accessible to interested vendors.

Grand Opening: We will have everything ready for a June 1st "online showing".

Those of you who have already e-mailed with your interest will receive further instructions today. Anyone else who would like to join us is welcome, just drop us a note. The listing will begin alphabetical with rotations throughout the year so each merchant will have equal time at the top of the list.

Thanks,
Vic

"20th Wedding Anniversary" Road Trip

2009-05-11T09:42:00.001-06:00

Good Morning, We are back and totally refreshed : ) Take a peek at our Blog sometime today and you will see some of the highlights of our 20th Wedding Anniversary road trip!

See photos below on the right!

We just had a fantastic time with the highlight of our trip being Mickey Gilley in Concert at the Tropicana Express! Mickey is responsible for us "getting together and staying together" in a very round about way : )

Have a great day,
Vic & Jeff

Happy May Day!

2009-05-01T07:44:00.001-06:00

We have a few bits of news to cover this morning so let's get right to it : )

Our Feature page for May is brought to us by Angela and Jo of Gilded Rose Collection:
"May's Featured Shoppe"

It is nice that so many of our shoppes are a family affair. Jo and Angela are mother and daughter which seems fitting for Mother's Day! Take a peek sometime today at their lovely unique creations!
-----------

We made the Vendor's Spotlight once again at Qflea for May 1st. You can link to their newsletter on our join page under media blitz highlights:
"Join Us"

It is nice to have this international exposure!
------------

Lastly, we hit a bit of a milestone this week on the internet. Our Alexa ranking for the "United States" is 97,958. We've been waiting for five years to hit the top 100,000:
"Alexa Traffic Ranking"

Hit the link above and scroll to the bottom of the page, it is the last tidbit on the left! I know that this is not the "be all and end all" of ranking systems, but they do provide some very valuable information such as time on site, page views per user, bounce rate, keywords, etc. Their Stats don't exactly match our more defined Stats, but it is useful. I have been reading about "Bounce Rate" and anything under 50% is considered really good. This refers to the number of visitors who just "bounce off your front page" and leave your site w/o looking around.

Have a great May Day,
Vic

New Merchant and New Contest

2009-04-23T07:35:00.001-06:00

Good Morning, This spring has been a bustling round of activity at the Heart Shoppe. We have some great new friends and of course many loyal old friends! Our hits remain constant in a rather stale economy, along with our Alexa rankings : ) Every seems to be coming up roses!

Please join me in welcoming our newest member, Barbara of Paris Chic Boutique:
Third Avenue
I just love our international flare and the touch romance it brings to an otherwise uneventful day! Visitors seem to get lost in another era on our site : ) Pay Barbara a visit sometime today and you can visit Paris in the spring!

We also want you to be the first to see our new contest page:
$100 Contest
I love the retro look of our new contest page and the items our participants have chosen to feature. Take a look and see what's new on those sites!

Thanks and have a glorious day,
Vic

New Merchant to Welcome

2009-04-20T09:09:00.002-06:00

Good Monday Morning, Hoping you all had a very pleasant weekend! We finally got nice enough weather to get out in the yard. Oh, my aching back : )

We are so happy to welcome a bright young face to our group this morning! Please take some time to visit Stacey of Shabby Rose Boutique on our Third Avenue shoppes. Stacey has a lovely shop featuring Romantic Shabby Chic & Cottage Style Decor! It looks like she will see some friendly, familiar faces here.
Third Avenue
Our Photo Gallery

Our new contest is almost ready for its debut. We will let you all know when it is up. Our last contest winner picked Pretty Shabby for her $100 Gift Certificate and had some really nice things to say about our mall.

Have a gorgeous day,
Vic

Welcome New Merchant

2009-04-13T08:05:00.000-06:00

Good Morning everyone, It is a beautiful morning in New Mexico complete with a clear blue sky : ) I'm hoping this is a sign of our elusive spring! We have a new merchant to welcome to our mall. Take a minute out of your busy day to meet June of Scarlett Rose:

Third Avenue
About Us

In her own words, "...joining up with a few "kindred" souls online would be fun!" I'm hoping you will all pay her a visit and make her feel welcome!

Also, we have room for three more participants in our next Contest and we will be working on the new page this weekend. Those of you who have volunteered, look for more information coming your way. The current drawing will be held April 15th and the winner will have about a week to choose their shop. Any questions, please just e-mail us.

Thanks,
Vic

Welcome!

2009-04-06T08:03:00.001-06:00

Good Morning, I hope you will all join me in welcoming our newest member:

Meet Bertie from Aunt May's Cottage on 3rd and 4th Avenues!
Third Avenue
Fourth Avenue
Seems Bertie has been collecting and creating for many happy years following her love of the "Victorian era". You'll love her unique treasures : )

Also, our contest is in its last 10 days and the drawing is drawing near (April 15th). This means we are taking requests for our next trimester contest. This could be just the thing you are looking for to boost those summer sales. We will take up to ten shops to highlight. The price is $25 and the contest will run from late April through late August. Of this amount $10 will go toward the Gift Certificate. If we don't have ten shops, Victorian Heart Shoppe will make up the difference of the $100 prize. Please check out the contest page for an example of what your exposure will look like over the next four months.
Contest Page
The shops are rotated throughout the contest and each shoppe has a share of the re-directs from the entry form. Our entry winner chooses one of the shops on the contest page to spend their Gift Certificate at and we PayPal that shop the amount of the Gift Certificate. (Could be you!)

Thanks,
Vic

No Foolin'

2009-04-01T09:18:00.003-06:00

Good Morning and Happy April Fool's Day! I hope you haven't been caught off guard yet today : ) I have to admit that I was with one e-mail but there was no harm done! Please take a few minutes of your day to visit our featured shop for April:

April's Featured Shop

We thank Karen of Sweet Necessi-Teas for bringing us her new 'floating banner' and wholesale program!

My mom called this morning with "winter wonderland" images of Minnesota. Hope that all of you around the country are safe and warm!

Greetings,
Vic

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-27T08:26:00.001-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, Almost April and snowstorms across the country! We're even expecting snow in New Mexico today. Stay warm out there!

We would like to extend warm greetings to our newest member, Nancy of Coeur d'Alene Gifts (maybe I'll learn how to spell that w/o looking). You will find Nancy's inviting shop on First and Second Avenues:
First Avenue
Second Avenue

Please take a minute out of your busy day to pay her a visit. Nancy says she already recognizes some friendly faces here : )

I am attaching a "Spring Cleaning" article that I found very helpful for my Victorian Laurels Shop. It is by author, Terri Seymour. I will also post it on our blog. (To see full article scroll to bottom!) Have a great day!

Regards,
Vic

2009-03-02T07:57:00.002-07:00

Good Morning, It is a beautiful March day in New Mexico but I see that the east coast has not been so lucky. Hope all of you out there are tucked in to weather the storm : ) We have just a few tidbits of housekeeping today!

Please stop by our March feature page where 'Roses and Teacups' has brought us some lovely one-of-a-kind items for spring:

March Featured Site

Don't forget to pay our newest member, Mishutka Design Studio, a visit from our Fifth Avenue Shoppes:
Fifth Avenue Shoppes

We have one window open this morning on Third Avenue for a current or new member, so invite your friends over:
Third Avenue Shoppes

We get most of our new members through referrals and are so appreciative of your support : )

Thanks,
Vic

2009-02-02T19:14:00.003-07:00

Be sure to check out our new February Feature page:

February Feature

We are so excited to have these beautiful hand painted roses from Bella Rosa Designs for Valentine's month!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T10:11:00.002-07:00

Good Morning everyone! Happy New Year to all of you : ) If you have a minute watching football or kids today, drop by our January Featured page:

January Featured Page

Our own Victorian Laurels shop is starting the year off right with a bountiful Valentine's Sweetheart Box, a fun gift for any woman.

We will be billing January renewals sometime today. If you need an explanation or a payment plan just e-mail us and we will work it out.
Our new contest has had a great start and we are hitting the ground running in '09. As always we welcome your greetings, suggestions, prayer requests, or just a friendly hello! God has richly blessed us with this community and we thank all of you for your support.

In appreciation,
Vic & Jeff

2008-12-01T08:50:00.001-07:00

Good Morning and Happy Cyber Monday! We hope this day marks the beginning of a holiday boom : ) Even though Christmas spending is down, we know that our "nostalgic gifts" of Christmas' past still have a vast consumer audience!

Take a minute to visit the ladies at "Roses and Teacups" who are our December Featured site:

December's Featured Site

Enjoy their "Front Page" 3-day Specials now through Christmas! What beautiful collections from gifted artists they have in store for you!

We pray that the next two weeks resolve everyone's expectations for 2008 and let each of us thrive in the "spirit" of giving : ) We are truly blessed!

Thanks,
Vic & Jeff

November Kudos

2008-11-03T10:12:00.004-07:00

Good Morning Everyone, Please visit our featured shop for November, Victoria Rose Cottage:

November's Featured Shop

In their own words, "We have been blessed by God to find some of the most talented artisans from all over the United States of America..."
We think you will love the exquisite creations they have chosen for this month's feature!

Our own Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms made the cover of the December issue of "Romantic Homes" magazine. Our own Shelley McVittie has a Gallery showing at her "Cobblestones" cottage in Ontario, Canada this weekend. Any more good news to share with the group we will gladly pass along!

Blessings,
Vic & Jeff

October Feature Site

2008-10-01T08:56:00.002-06:00

Good Morning and Happy October, There is that autumn chill in the air these beautiful mornings! Take the chill off quickly by visiting our warm, inviting October Featured Page:
October Feature

Debbie of Cozy Cottage Gifts & Decor has assembled a nice collection of "cozy" gifts for our viewing pleasure : ) What a great way to spend a little time with a hot cup of tea and start making your list.

We also have an ad running through QFlea for the Holidays at:
QFlea Holidays

Have a lovely Day,
Vic

September Feature

2008-09-01T11:28:00.003-06:00

Good Morning and Happy Labor Day, I am back!!! August was a wonderful buzz of new activity at the Heart Shoppe. Kudos to our brilliant webmaster (also my husband of 19 years) for keeping pace with our growing community : ) I can't believe it is already September!

Take a minute to visit our featured site, Merry Treasure Shopper, for some beautiful new treasures:
Featured Site

I could just wrap myself up in these exquisite featured items!

We also have an old friend with a new shop to welcome back. Patricia of Tuscan Country brings us her brand new site, Pink Hugs Sweet Shoppe, on both First and Fifth Avenues. Those faux pastries look good enough to eat : )
First Avenue

My dear friend Cindy from Victorian Scrapworks rejoins us on Third Avenue:
Third Avenue
I personally use her Victorian Scraps to decorate my own gift box sets.

We will be working on the Contest page over the next couple days and will have it up by the end of the week.

Have a great holiday,
Vic

August Features

2008-07-31T10:28:00.003-06:00

Be sure and check out "Cottage Violets" during the month of August. See image above!

A note from Laura at Pet Scribbles:
Hi everyone,
I have been designing pet-themed Victorian-style greeting cards for the past few years, and recently began receiving requests from stores for non-pet-themed cards in the same style. I'm pleased to announce my new card line called "Purrtea by Pet Scribbles" -- card designs featuring vintage images of flowers, teacups, and all things purrtea! I sell Purrtea cards wholesale, just the same as my Pet Scribbles line.

Thanks so much for your consideration! This is a fantastic group of people that Vic has brought together!!

Sincerely,
Laura Kuhlmann, Owner
Pet Scribbles LLC
Little Egg Harbor, NJ

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-03T08:20:00.003-06:00

Good Morning and welcome July! Our featured page is courtesy of Karen from Sweet Necessi-teas:
July Feature

She has designed an adorable new tea cozy in the shape of a Victorian Tea Dress. It is a must see : )

If you took a peek at Second Avenue yesterday, not only did you see Grandma Betty's, you saw the new layout for our 2nd-5th Avenues. I really like it and hope all of you will too!
Second Avenue

Now we have room for more!

Happy July 4th,
Vic

Something Right!

2008-06-28T10:56:00.001-06:00

Must be doin' something right, 'cuz our Alexa Traffic Rankings have skyrocketed in the past three months:
Alexa Traffic Rankings for June '08

June is Tea for Two month!

2008-06-01T07:36:00.003-06:00

Stop by our featured site at the Victorian Heart Shoppe this month and you can share in the excitement of the 2008 World Tea Expo! Gail from The Tea House Times and Tea Bureau will be bringing us updates and stories all month long. Tea anyone?
June's Featured Site

Victorian Scraps

2008-05-24T10:30:00.001-06:00

Dear Vic,

Do you particularly know of any business selling Victorian Paper Scraps - specifically tea related? I have a customer who needs some. Do you ever send out announcements to your list to try to make connections like this? Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Gail
info@theteahousetimes.com

May Day

2008-05-01T11:28:00.003-06:00

Happy May 1st,
Our featured merchant for May, Linda of Charmed Victorian, has a brand new website! Her new seasonal fairy charms are adorable. Take a look at the all new and improved 'Charmed Victorian':
May's Featured Website

Our expansion project is almost complete as we welcome to our mall, Gail of 'Tea Bureau' and an afternoon tea publication, 'The Tea House Times'.
Fourth Avenue
Fifh Avenue
Gail's network has had such an impact on me that I have completely revamped our site map page to include "Tea Time" as a new category.

Life is good!
Vic

Visit Qflea's Vendor Spotlight

2008-04-19T12:13:00.002-06:00

More good news today! We are the featured "Vendor Spotlight" in the most recent edition of The Qflea Shopping News:

Check us out!

April's Featured Website

2008-04-06T14:40:00.002-06:00

We would like to start by announcing the featured page for April:
April's Featured Site

Take a look at the beautiful treasures offered by Roses and Teacups. Also, take a second to look at our brand new format for the links to past editions. We took a lesson from Victoriana Magazine and are featuring image links to past months. This format will continue throughout this year until we have an entire year in review with our image links. What this means is that you are actually purchasing a featured spot for a year instead of just one month.

Drum Roll Please...Victoriana Magazine

2008-03-27T09:25:00.003-06:00

What a wonderful way to welcome Spring. Here is an e-mail I received on Tuesday:

Hello Victoria,

The March issue of Victoriana Magazine is online with your wonderful photos and your article about the Victorian Heart Shoppe. It was a pleasure working with you; your article is a fabulous addition to this month's magazine.

http://www.victorianamagazine.com/March 2008/

You will find your article featured on page 1.

Thank you for your help and I hope this proves to be a successful experience for your business. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Thanks again.

Joanne Haug
Executive Editor: Victoriana Magazine
Web site: www.victorianamagazine.com

Open House Month

2008-03-17T09:56:00.003-06:00

Good Morning Everyone, We have officially declared March as "Open House Month" at the Victorian Heart Shoppe. We will be changing our featured page out hopefully before the end of next week with a big surprise for everyone. Look for our e-mail : )

Meanwhile, we have several newcomers to welcome to our mall:

Meet Ed and Maria of "Carriage House Gifts" who have joined us on Second Avenue:
Second Avenue Shops

Meet Debbie of "Cozy Cottage Gifts & Decor" who has joined us on Fourth Avenue:
Fourth Avenue Shops
Debbie was referred by her friend Sharon from C'est Chouette. A big thank you to Sharon for the recommendation : )

Meet Francie of "The Scented Cottage" who has joined us on Third Avenue:
Third Avenue Shops
Francie was referred to us by her friend Debbie from Cozy Cottage. A big thank you to Debbie for her faith : ) We won't let you down!

We have also added some photos to our "about us" page and believe we have the most attractive merchants in town. It's OK for us to believe that and you will agree when you take a look at our gallery:
About Us

We are sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to hear from Victoriana Magazine. When we hear, you will as well. Thanks for your patience and encouragement. Anything we can do for you, please let us know!

Top of the mornin' to ya,
Vic

Car Door Magnets

2008-02-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone, We just ordered some car door magnets from Vista Print for an amazingly good deal! If you do not already have an account with them just go to:

www.vistaprint.com

You will see many free products on the list of marketing materials. The car door magnets are new and you can upload a logo or image free of charge. We used their template and added our own logo and text. We ordered the large size which are comparable to two sheets of paper side by side. The price was $14.49 for two plus shipping. What a great deal. We have been considering car door magnets for a few months and again it is Vista Print to the rescue. (If this deal does not come up for you, we may have to send you a link so let us know.)

Have a great day,
Vic

P.S. Heard from Victoriana Magazine this week and it looks like we are a "go" for March! We have a waiting list of new merchants ready to grab any open windows on March 1st. Wow! This is great fun : )

February's Featured Website

2008-02-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Our February feature page is brought to us by Laura from Pet Scribbles or was that Lulu, Chief Feline Officer? Take a look at the darling Valentines:
http://www.victorianheartshoppe.com/featured.html

Our feature in Victoriana Magazine will be worked on this month and should be ready for the March issue : ) This is a very exciting time for us at the Heart Shoppe and we look forward to a wonderful year of new visitors and lots of publicity.

Let us know what we can do for you,
Vic

Spring Cleaning

2008-01-25T11:47:00.001-07:00

Good Morning everyone, We have all of our images and captions mailed to Victoriana Magazine and our model release forms in snail mail. We believe that our feature article will go into the March edition since the January/February issue deadline has passed. We will not see the finished product until it is published, so it will be a pleasant surprise to see their selections.

We are also sprucing up our mall for the impending visitors. If you would like to change any of your images, please do so. We are booking the feature page now for the first 6 months of this year. If you would like to purchase a month, the cost is still very miniscule. Drop us a note : ) Also, if you would like to look into the "Package Deal" which includes a First Avenue window, please make us aware of that since we may have some openings soon.

Thanks,
Vic

January 10, 2008 Good News

2008-01-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone! It looks like we are starting the year off right at the Heart Shoppe. I want to share with you a portion of the e-mail I received on Tuesday:

Dear Victoria, Thank you for sending us information about the Victorian Heart Shoppe. We would love to include your press release in Victoriana Magazine but we would need some photos to accompany the article.
...

Joanne Haug
Executive Editor
Victoriana Magazine
www.victorianamagazine.com

I feel we have a great opportunity here to get our feet wet and get the attention of the offline presses as well. I am so excited!!!

Thanks for your participation,
Vic

2007-12-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

December 15th,

I received this e-mail from a crafter who would like to sell her items:
Dear Victoria, I live in Winter Garden, Florida...I sell my tatting, smocked dresses and smocked bonnets. Contact Donna

If anyone is interested e-mail me for her address.

Merry Christmas to All,
Vic

Hi!

2007-12-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about this new forum. We can keep abreast of all current affairs.
Vic