New summer wardrobe.

Third month and although our coastal BC summer weather is not what it should be, we’re still having a great time…meeting all the locals, welcoming the tourists  and constantly bringing in new and fashionable, WEARABLE clothes. I even picked up a few sweater vests while on my latest shopping trip in Vancouver. They are beautiful but NOT what I want to be wearing!

I’m finding folks are still just now discovering us and being so happy there’s new and exciting shopping here in our quaint little town. I often hear “no more going to the mall in Nanaimo.”! That’s music to our ears.

We’re finding our niche and the items that people are really excited about. Of course, our handmade items are always a hit. Lots of local and Canadian designers as well as the items that we create. We also carry lines that are edgy and beautiful and really well priced. Our bandeaus are a super popular item…come check them out. You’ll never want to wear a bra again!

The little summer dresses are truly the backbone of our store. There are pieces for every body….. and age (as you can see by our models!) Here in Parksville, we have such a wide demographic and we’re really trying to cater as much as possible to all fashion-conscious women, regardless of age.

One of the big trends is of course the maxi dress. I will do another photo shoot soon showing all we have to offer in this category because I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by the diverse body type that looks fantastic in this all-the-way-down statement dress.

If you haven’t already or haven’t for a while, come on down….we often have silk road tea available to sample and for the brave soul, just ask and we’ll make you a latte….

We’re always happy to help you find a special something new to wear or perhaps a whole new summer wardrobe.

All the photos above are the latest pieces we brought in just today…hurry down. They go fast and usually there’s only ever one in each size.

Two Weeks in, So Far, So Rad!

We opened our doors over 2 weeks ago and have been too swamped to blog ever since. A whirlwind of orders, parties, workshops and sales to keep us hopping at our new location at 144 W. Island Highway. If you haven’t come in to see and say hello please do so soon.

Opening night was a blast, with so many of our friends and neighbours come to wish us the best of luck on Saturday night. It was a great party, and a great night at the till as well. We had to scramble to order more dresses, jewellery and body products to fill the racks and shelves that were depleted during the first 3 hours of our opening.

Our store is bright and cheery

Over the past two weeks we’ve added more products and product lines, including paper and cards from Cartolina, candles from OCD (Coombs, BC), our own obi belts and of course lots more beautiful and super popular clothing from Elroy (Vancouver). Our Silk Road Teas (Victoria) have been a big hit, as have been the unique pieces by Morena Clothing, also from Victoria.

We’ve also begun to produce more of our own items for the store, including sweet t-shirt dresses, silk-screened in-house at a great price point of $28.00 each, unique feather earrings, and new today, yoga pants designed and made right here in our Parksville store.

The girls and their creations

We held our first workshop, a crafty birthday party for a 13 year old girl and 3 of her friends. The girls had a great time, creating their own unique shirts and scarves to take away. They got to use the sewing machines, sergers and silk-screen machines and by all accounts really enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and hands-on, a unique experience for those special events.

Wilde and Sparrow Modern Style Boutique - Now Open

We’ve been getting actively involved in our online and local community. We attended the joint PQB Chambers of Commerce dinner with a showcase table, held at the Parksville Community Centre last week. We’re very active on Facebook and Twitter and we’re urging people to check in on Foursquare, a location-based social media app for your smart phone. Checking in entitles you to discounts, tips and specials available only to those of you who use the app. We’re also listed with Yelp, another online resource, and are encouraging shoppers to submit their reviews.

With Victoria Day weekend coming fast we’ll be expanding our hours to take advantage of the many tourists set to arrive on our sunny shores. Starting this Sunday we’ll be opening our doors 7 days a week, from 10-5 every day. …

Home Stretch to Opening Day

Wilde and Sparrow logo

We’re in the home-stretch towards opening day, still scheduled for Saturday April 30th, barely six days away and ticking. We’re having a cleaning party today with all hands on deck, removing the clutter and tools and debris and giving the space a good scrub to get it ready for our many lovely things to come.

It’s impossible to describe all the varied tasks we’ve completed to renovate this space that had been a jewelry store for the past 26 years. You’re going to have to come visit to truly appreciate all the time we’ve spent and all the changes we’ve made. Photos don’t do it justice either, and we don’t want to spoil the surprise, so we’ll post a full gallery after the unveilng.

This is a good time to thank our many generous volunteers, including Briana, Kelley, Kelly, Dave, Scott, Matt, Anne, Dan, Shallon, Ida. We couldn’t have done it without you.  And especially we thank Neal, who has spent many, many dozens, maybe even hundreds of hours demolishing, framing, drywalling, plumbing, installing, tiling, driving, painting, wiring, grouting and more. You’ve earned a lifetime staff discount.

Grand Opening Party Poster

We’ve had a lot of fun shopping this past month, and by that we mean A LOT of fun shopping. Who wouldn’t be excited about spending thousands of dollars on her favourite items from the coolest designers around Vancouver Island, Canada and the West Coast, with the purpose of sharing those items with her best friends and neighbours.  We’ve actually had a few deliveries that are sadly sitting in storage, while we take care of these other pesky details, but once the store’s finally clean and stripped bare will come the most pleasurable part of this whole process, arranging and staging all these fantastic items.

If you haven’t already RSVP’d for our opening night bash, please do so at the Facebook event page. It’s being catered by our neighbours at Bread and Honey Food Company and it’s also a dressup party, so come down, have a glass of wine and enjoy.

Make It Show Vancouver, April 15-27

Elroy Apparel

We’ll be in Vancouver for the Make It Show this weekend, April 15-17 @ the Croatian Cultural Centre, and, joy of joys, we’ll be bringing some of the lines we’ll be retailing at our new store, still set to open April 30th. Besides the handmade and original designs you’ve come to expect from Little Yellow Basket Design and Super Craft Star, we’ll be selling clothing from Elroy, scents from Soulful Sister, magnets from Shining Sun Gardenworks and more.

The Make It Show is billed as “a Mullet Craft Show, business in the front, party in the rear.” They have wine for shoppers and crafters, with djs spinning and grooving in the back and a hundred or so independent crafters, designers and artisans out front, shilling their wares. It’s a lot of fun, and we hope to see you there.

Introducing Wilde and Sparrow

Wilde and Sparrow's Parksville Location

Within a week of its inception as a fleeting and fledgling idea, Wilde And Sparrow is busy securing stock and fixtures and madly renovating at 144 West Island Highway for our proposed opening day set for May 1st 2011

The location is outrageous, at the apex of the most recognizable triangle in town, the old Parksville Jewellers building (that’s right, the one with the pink awnings.) The store has a beach view along the whole Island Highway side, while ample parking is available along our other street frontage along Morrison St. We demolished the old tiki motif that made the room seem small and are imagining the aesthetics of this high-ceilinged, 1000 square foot 100 year old building.

Real Food is just Across Morrison St., as is the Home Hardware Store, Yorky’s Fish & Chips, Cranky Dog Records and Saigon Garden. Other close neighbours include Mad Bee Cafe, D’s Aboriginal Gifts, Major and Monk, Kit and Kaboodle and a barber and stylist, making the area a bit of a funky and creative hub. Rob, the previous owner of 26 years has moved his jewellery repair shop next door and has been an absolute sweetheart and completely supportive of our vision.

Wilde And Sparrow logo

We will be carrying clothing and accessories from some of the finest and funkiest Canadian and West Coast designers, including, Track and Field, Possum Umbrella, Vic and Abie, Rad Juli, It’s Your Life, Cheryl Sarah, Ripe, Morena Clothing, Fait Avec and more.

We are planning a series of regular craft workshops, with themes that will include screenprinting, t-shirt deconstruction, sewing and serging classes. We have two workshops booked already.

The business is a new partenership between Alexis Jennings of  Little Yellow Basket Designs and Shirra Wall from Super Craft Star. They share a taste and style that is modern, current, hip and funky and will offer a departure from what has dominated Parksville’s traditional sense of fashion.

Ecochic Fashion by SuperCraftStar

We look forward to working with our neighbours in the Parksville Downtown to help add vitality to the street, neighbourhood and district in general, hopefully attracting visitors and residents to another side of the Parksville Experience. We expect to be a must-see destination in Mid-Vancouver Island whether heading north to Mt. Washington, West to Tofino or South to Nanaimo.

Please join our Facebook site to keep track of news, discussions, photos and updates.