CityGirl Shops is a blog dedicated to bringing you the best of boutique shopping from city to city. Launched in January 2009, it is written and edited by Ashley Reardon, who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her husband and new baby boy Charlie. Ashley is an avid shopper who delights in finding the perfect gifts and one-of-a-kind goodies. She loves the uniqueness of boutiques and the notion that she’s experiencing a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. She needed an outlet for her shopping habit, er, hobby - one that didn’t cost any money - and hence, this blog was born.
A wise person (thanks Guenevere!), told me that with any project, it’s good to state your intentions. Putting your intentions out in the universe makes it more likely for you to achieve those intentions. So, here are the intentions for this blog (in no particular order):
- To shop: I love to shop. However, in this economy and with a new baby, I have to be careful about how I spend my money. But why should I deprive myself of the joy of discovering beautiful things? Now I have a purpose to shop that doesn’t require me to spend money.
- To get exercise: Unlike many other blogs that gain content from surfing the web or from emails sent to them, I plan to hit the streets and provide a first-hand look at the boutiques, their products, and their owners. One net outcome? Plenty of steps logged on the pedometer.
- To be open to whatever wealth comes my way: Let’s face it. Blogs are the big thing nowadays. Some people do them for fun, some people do them for money. It seems the most successful blogs are those that do it for fun, but manage to make money at the same time. So, I’m going to start doing this for fun, but I’m open to wherever this blog takes me. Want to help me move forward? Contact me about advertising on this blog!
- To spend time with my baby boy while enriching myself: It’s not difficult to shop with a baby…especially one who loves to sleep in the stroller.
- To get to know places: I want to discover the underbelly of my city and other cities I travel to.
- To meet people: Shop owners, designers, random people…what’s the point of working from home if you never get to meet anyone? Getting out to the boutiques has already brought many great conversations.
- To build friendships: It’s fun to shop with friends. And having friends around will lend varied opinions to the blog.
- To grow in new ways: I’ve never been big on writing, but I acknowledge it as an endlessly useful skill. And I love beautiful photography, but I am not a photographer. These are at least two skills I hope to improve through this blog. But I’m sure more will emerge.
Contact:
Got any tips on great boutiques we should check out? Shoot me an e-mail at ashleyreardon at citygirlshops.com.
Editorial Policy:
As an independent weblog, no one is paying me to publish content on citygirlshops.com. I post what I like when I want to. I happily accept product submissions and boutique announcements for review but I make no assurances to inclusion on this site. I try to respond to all of your emailed requests but if you do not receive a response, please don’t take it personally. I get tons of emails everyday and keep a day job that pays the bills. Between that and all the million other things I need to do everyday, it’s amazing that this hobby still keeps me going. It’s because I love it!
Technical Information:
CityGirlShops is powered by WordPress and hosted by BlueHost.
