It's all about Closet Space

Chatting with my customers about their Bonanno sandals, conversation often comes back to "closet space". There's never enough.

1) How big

2) How organized is it?

3) Are sandals and handbags boxed and labeled?

4) Are boxes tossed and sandals and handbags spread out on the floor?

5) What are their tricks to keeping their personal closet space looking, well, ... organized.

I'm hoping you'll find it fun to share your personal space . There's no judgement and it doesn't matter if it's a total disaster or Imelda(ish) with too many shoes to count. It's all about the closet space.

___________________________________________

So, my disclaimer is that this is the closet inside a 500 sq ft apt. Thankfully, I am quite the logistics expert, as my husband likes to say. And the answers to the questions are as follows:

1 - How big? The word "big" won't even fit thru our front door!
2 - How organized? Within and inch of it's life!
3 - Are sandals and handbags boxed and labeled? They will be once i have a closet that you don't have to make like Gumby to get into!
4 - Are boxes tossed and shoes/handbags spread on the floor? Quelle horreuer!
5 - What are my tricks to keeping my closet organized? A severe case of OCD!
Best, Alice
aka Allie in G'town
http://summerisaverb.blogspot.com/-- Collars up!

Thank you Alice for sharing your personal space with us ...

First of all, I love, love, love the Bonanno pic.!!!
I am also very impressed with how organized, and how much you can fit into a small space. I am taking notes!
I also find it really cool that you decorate the inside of her closet with art. I've never considered it.
I'm going to borrow your basket idea. I have so many small things I toss here and there ... now I can collect them into a few organized baskets.
-- Vivian

It's all about "feet" in this family

My Niece Jamie is following in her Uncle's footsteps. Shoes!

She started her company "Strawberry Blonde Shoes" and spends her spare moments, making contacts, researching, sketching and constructing proto-types for her uncle Stevie to examine. When she first told me she wanted to design shoes I thought, cool! ... and left it at that ... until she e-mailed me her sketches.
We were all blown away by her attention to detail and refreshing ideas.

Unfortunately I'm not allowed to show off her sketches, but I can tell you this, they are not flat sandals. She has come up with 4 beautiful high heel designs that would make Manolo Blahnik stand up and take notice.

She went to her first shoe show in January with her uncle and realized she has a lot of learning, growing and exploring to do if she's going to make an impact in this business.

I've encouraged her to start her own blog http://strawberryblondeshoes.blogspot.com/search?q= sharing her shoe adventures. I hope you'll pop in now and then to follow what she's up to and maybe even share a comment or two.

Request for Quest Magazine

Late last year Quest Magazine contacted me and requested a photo of our sandals because they wanted to do something on us. They said they'd send a copy of the magazine once it went to press. That was January.

I can't find Quest Magazine anywhere in our little town of Stuart, so with lots of gentle prodding on our end, and lots of promises on their end, I still haven't received my copy ...

I'm so curious. Has anyone seen the January 2009 issue? If so, I want details!
What kind of placement?
Is our photo a stand alone or mixed with other photos?
What is the topic?
Did they include contact info? If so, what?

I'll take anything and everything you want to share.
Thank you!
Vivian

How to Organize a Woman's Closet

by Debra K. Melchior

First, remove the clothing from the rod and the stacks of merchandise strewed on the shelf and floor. Place these items into groups of similar objects.
Calculate how much room you'll need for each group, then measure the space available in the closet -- length, width, and depth. You will then have the numbers you need to formulate a tentative layout.
















This layout is much like working with a group of building blocks of assorted sizes. Give some thought to the items of a woman's wardrobe that must go in these "blocks" of space:
dresses, skirts, sweaters, blouses, high heels, handbags, sandals, and a range of other items.
The closet must have sufficient space to hang the dresses, as well as shelf space designed to fit high-heel shoes, knee-high boots, or wide-brimmed hats. After the hanging clothes have been positioned in the layout, play around with your remaining "blocks" of space, both horizontally and vertically, to fill in the gaps with your accessories.
As with any closet project, the route from a disorganized mess to a neat and orderly closet design starts with establishing a set of standard operational procedures, or handling instructions, for the clothes and accessories that will be stored in the closet. Do not deviate from these guidelines; without standard procedures, you cannot maintain control of your closet.
Remove accompanying belts from slacks, skirts, and dresses. Otherwise, the garments may be stretched out of shape. Belts belong on a belt rack.
When hanging slacks, match the inside seam to the outside seam at the bottom edge. Hold the slacks at the bottom, and the crease line is defined. Buttoning or zipping the slacks misaligns the crease. Simply follow the crease line to the waistband and gently mold the zipper and placket into a fold. Then fold the slacks near the middle of their length and insert them onto a hanger, keeping the fold in the center of the hanger.
You may prefer to hang your slacks by their full length, which calls for a type of hanger known as a clamp hanger. But be warned: These hangers might mar the cuffs of slacks or the waistbands of skirts by leaving pressure marks that are difficult to remove.
When hanging blouses and dresses, fasten the top button, perhaps the top two, or, best of all, every other button for the entire length of the garment. This eliminates wrinkles, cock-eyed collars, and twisted plackets. After putting the garment on the hanger, place the hanger on the rod so that all hangers face the same direction. Perhaps the worst habit you can get into is deliberately pulling a garment from its hanger. Instead, remove the hanger from the rod and then unbutton the garment from the hanger.
When handbags are placed on a shelf or in a cubbyhole, they should face the same direction and be in an upright position. Create divided compartments for handbags, with each compartment containing one color or a range of colors from light to dark. Closures should be properly buckled, snapped, or tied shut; if the straps or handles can be placed inside the handbag, do so. This stops the straps from getting tangled with other items in the closet.




















Each part of your closet can be designed in a variety of configurations. You must determine which aspects of the given designs are most productive and effective for your own circumstances.
For instance, what is in the drawers? Lingerie? Socks? Nightgowns? Jewelry? Would the drawers serve you better in the bedroom itself?
You must decide for yourself if it is a good idea to place dresser drawers in the closet.
If the drawers contain items that are worn repeatedly before they are washed -- such as sweatshirts, sweatpants, jeans, and other garments that you tend to throw on after work each day or for chores and/or leisure activities -- it's a waste of valuable space to stash them in a drawer unit.
You would be far better served by placing them on shelves (perhaps behind a cabinet door). The ideal way to handle these items, as well as robes and other nightwear, is to place a few small hooks in the accessible spaces along the side edges of the closet, or you could develop a system on the inside of the closet door.
Also consider the manner in which the boots are stored. These boots could be folded for storage, using less shelf space. It isn't true that your boots will suffer damage from this position. As you become more aware of your closet space and its various configurations, the problem of seasonal clothes may enter your mind.
It can be distressing to look at a wardrobe that contains items you know won't be worn until the fall or spring. On the other hand, it can be a real nuisance to try to find these items in storage when the weather changes quickly. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, and you must decide for yourself which works best for you.

Of course, the capacity of some closets simply cannot match your needs, despite all your refiguring and diagramming. But if you stick to the basic principles of organizing, your closet will at least provide as much storage space as possible. The most important thing to remember is to group things into categories. One simple rule could save you a lot of space and frustration.

It's all about the Closet

Chatting with my customers about their Bonanno sandals, conversation often comes back to "closet space".
There's never enough.

1) How big?
2) How organized is it?
3) Are sandals and handbags boxed and labeled?
4) Are boxes tossed and sandals and handbags spread out on the floor?
5) What are their tricks to keeping their personal closet space looking, well, ... organized.

















Photos by How Stuff Works
Fun Fact:
One of my customers built an extra bedroom onto her home and converted it into a master closet for her shoe and handbag collection. Everything is boxed and labeled with a small photograph and description of each item taped to the outside of each box.

I wish I was that organized!


















Care to Share?
I thought it would be fun to show photos of your closet and how you organize around your Bonanno's. If you dare. :)

It won't matter if your closet is a mess and disorganized ... truth is, it will probably make some of us feel a little better about ours.

If you want to play along, send a photo, include your first name and answers to the 5 questions above.

It'll be fun.
vivianb@stephenbonanno.com

March 23 1996

Domenick and I are celebrating 13 years of wedded bliss.

Yesterday (Sunday) we closed the store and enjoyed a day off.

We took my Mom and her husband out to breakfast, went shopping for a lawn mower, cleaned the back yard (months of neglect), went out to dinner to a very casual and fun restaurant in Stuart, then had desert in our back yard pool-side while Domenick smoked a cigar.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Tonight, the actual Anniversary, we will BBQ Swordfish on our grill, listening to Frank Sinatra, like we did 14 years ago when we first met.

Can't wait!

Good night everybody.

Closing the store for the day.

Vivian &

Domenick

What's New in the World of Bonanno's

Our next newsletter will be out very soon. If you haven't signed up for our 'Newsletter with Sole," this is the time. e-mail me at vivian@bonannofactory.com soonest, and I will put you on the list to start receiving them.

Coming up in the April Issue:
** New Colors
** New Styles
** The Flower Series
** Sandal of the Month
** The Scoop on a National Fashion Magazine & Bonanno's
** Breaking news! The Official Sandal of ...
** Signature Store Event: Who. What. Where. When.
** The 2009 "Holiday Sandal Ornament'. Signed and numbered by Designer Stephen Bonanno (limited edition)

Happy Birthday Dad

A post from my brother David

Dad and Stevie at the shop in W. Palm Beach. (check out the bottom right corner)

A lasting memory of my Dad:
If you've ever taken your shoes to a shoe repair shop you know their interpretation of time is quite different from your own. Tomorrow doesn't always mean, the very next day ...

April 1980, prior to my deployment to Korea, I left a pair of shoes for my Dad to fix with the understanding that he would mail them to Korea when the repair work was finished. Upon my return, a year and a half later, I asked my dad about my shoes. He looked around the shop and found them under a pile of leather, and with a sincere look on his face said," 5 minutes, they'll be ready in 5 minutes."

Dad was a practical man, who withheld judgment of others, and considered you a friend upon first introduction. He viewed life in terms that made complete sense to him. There was right or wrong, good or bad, black or white, with very little room for gray. Hard work was the order of the day, and feeling too sick to work was not entertained. He was a product of the Great Depression, and deeply rooted family values, which resulted in a personal constitution that pointed his moral compass in the right direction. I don't think Dad could ever have accurately predicted the success of his sandals.

Dad passed away in 1989, and is sorely missed.

Happy Birthday Dad.

David Bonanno

SHOP TIL YOU DROP

Our shopping cart on http://www.sbsandals.com/ was down for about a week while we were tweaking a few things. I'm happy to report that it is up and awaiting your spring/summer orders. :)

Happy Sandal Shopping!

Cobbler for a Day

The Adventures of Monkey

It all started April 13, 2008 in Winnipeg, when Canadian Blogger, Lisagh from Grosgrain Garage came up with a fun idea to send her sock monkey, "Monkey" around the United States of America to visit with fellow bloggers.

The rules are simple. Have fun, document, blog it and then send him along to the next host.
The idea was to bring us all closer together.

Monkey arrived almost a year later to Stephen Bonanno's in Stuart, FL on March 2, 2009. We put Monkey right to work making sandals with designer, Stephen Bonanno and the crew.

Here's Monkey's post to his Mom

Hi Mom,
What a wild ride it was to Stuart.
The Post Man must have tossed me around a half a dozen times, I thought I was going to fly out of the box. It was a blast! Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm fine.

I finally made it to the Stephen Bonanno Sandals Factory where they were so eager to show me around, but I told them first things first ... I've gotta meet Miss Vivian. Did you know the crew at the factory nick named her the "Dragon Lady." Seriously?

It must be an inside joke cuz she was super nice.
She let me hang in the window and watch all the pretty girls walk by ...

Later I got to meet "Rippy."
They call her their Scottish Terrorist ... gulp.

nice doggie ... what a big nose you have.

I later learned Rippy was disappointed she wasn't allowed to de-gut me. Grrrreat.

Hey, I think Rippy's starting to like the way I taste. Hello! Someone. Anyone!

The very next day:
We started our day with a cup of coffee, pool side.

... then off to the factory. I'm loving this Florida weather.

You're not going to believe this but ... I got to work closely with The Stephen Bonanno. He's a pretty cool dude.

He showed me how to stitch the soles of the sandals ... then let me give it a try. It was awesome!

I got to last some sandals ... this is harder than it looks.

I was told the "Clicker" machine was a bit too dangerous for my long limbs so I just watched as Rosario did all the work.

I got to work with Mr Domenick in the Monogram room. I tried to get him to tattoo my tail with the letter M ... but he wasn't going for it.

Instead he let me practice on a sample shoe.

... then off to the shipping dept. where everything gets packaged up and shipped out.

I got to monkey around with Stephen and Carmen. It was so much fun.

... and bury myself in bins of leather sandals.

... the one time I wish I was a girl. JUST KIDDING!
I'm pooped. Time to chill and get ready to be shipped out.

I'm gonna miss everyone at Stephen Bonanno Sandals,
but I'm looking forward to some R&R when I get to Kentwood LA.

Faux-nanno's! And we're not talkin' Jacks

I love the nick name our customer Stacey from Wellington gave them ... faux-nanno's!

Yep, there are actually "Bonanno" sandals out there that are not designed or made by Stephen Bonanno.

You see, Stephen and his wife were divorced this past December ... she is making her version of the sandals using the name "Bonanno." There has been some confusion because they look like ours and have the same last name as ours, but most assuredly they are not ours.

JUST THE FACTS
** The "Stephen Bonanno Sandals Factory" is in Stuart Fl.
** The one, the only Stephen Bonanno, designs in Stuart
** We have two Signature Stores:
Downtown Stuart and Vero Beach
** There are a host of other boutiques throughout the country who carry "Stephen Bonanno Sandals" and they are all posted on our website under STORE LOCATIONS

If you think your favorite store carries our sandals, but you don't see the boutique's name on our website. See STORE LOCATIONS there is a good chance they are faux-nanno's!

Don't be fooled by faux-nanno's ... If it doesn't say "Stephen Bonanno Palm Beach" on the sole, it isn't the original.








Sorry, not the best image.

Surprise Visit from Designer

Our newest Bonanno Fans, Mary Beth, Robin and Lynn purchased their 1st pair of Bonanno's Saturday at the Stuart Boutique and got an extra special surprise visit from designer Stephen Bonanno who popped in to say hello.

















"We're really excited about the sandals.
Will be sending you more pictures of our feet in your Bonanno sandals.
It was a pleasure to meet you!!! "
Love
Your Newest Fans
Mary Beth, Robin and Lynn

A New Bonanno Lover

Ali had a hard time wrestling away her sandals from her brother's bulldog, Bully.
Thank goodness all Bully wanted to do was "taste" them.
No damage done.
Final Score: Bonanno's 1, Bully 0

Click to enlarge. Ya gotta see her expression.
Priceless.

FLOWER POWER

The new flower sets have knotted centers. Too cute.

One Pair of sandals, a baggie full of flowers and you're set for vacation!

Flower Sandals $135.00

Comes with 2 sets of flowers (any color)

Additional flower sets: $15.00

Stimulate the economy by purchasing something today

I came across James Andrew's blog http://www.whatisjameswearing.com/
and found his post profound and very important to share.
I can't tell you how many times Domenick and I have had the same topic of conversation over dinner. How can we do our part? I understand these are scary and uncertain times, but I feel it is so important to keep the economy moving in the right direction by shopping a little or shopping a lot. Just so we don't stop shopping altogether.

Please take a moment and read Jame's post ...

Buy Something Today
Jan 28th, 2009
by lunarlander

A lot of people think they shouldn’t spend money now.

Even some friends I know with lots of cash have caught the financial fear bug and are not spending. Unfortunately this attitude is only further undermining consumer confidence, and promoting an already dismal scenario.

When people stop spending, decorating, shopping, etc. it affects so many people all along the line; from the woman working in a boutique who depends on her commissions, to truck drivers, to the artisans, artists, and designers who make all this beautiful stuff.

It is hard to wrap one’s mind around how many people are involved in the production of even the smallest item or service - everyone is impacted. It may be a little counter intuitive, and require some courage, but spending a bit more is actually the responsible (and dare I say altruistic?) thing to do right now.

It was just Chinese New Years this past weekend and you know what they do a lot of to celebrate? They burn money, well, mostly ritualistic money, but the idea is there - to let go and make offerings to the gods of good fortune. Its actually quite liberating. Why not go and burn a little money? (figuratively of course) Make some additions to your living situation, buy a nice pair of shoes or whatever, and feel good about the good you have done for so many!

I hope to encourage my blogger friends as well as visitors to What is James Wearing to help create some momentum with this idea. While there is no doubt that much of the current situation was touched off by poor lending and market oversight and regulation in our country, and it is harder to get a business loan now, our current paralysis has much more to do with our attitude and a subjective sense of insecurity than with a true lack of abundance. We can all do our part to stimulate the economy by purchasing something today. ( :

Elated that my shopping spree has helped so many people, with purchases from Gucci, Tom Ford, Etro, Cartier, and Ralph Lauren, I am wearing Tom Ford sunglasses, shearling coat by Gucci, yellow cashmere turtleneck sweater and brown tweed motorcycle pants by Gucci, brown wool scarf Paul Smith, and silver leather sneakers by Dior.

I want to give a special thank you to the extremely talented Lars Stephan for this brilliant photograph.

I Love ...

... when our customers tell me they follow my blog.
... when our customers call to tell me they just got their sandals and they LOVE them!
... when our customers make us a "must stop shop" when their family and friends are in town visiting ... and they too become Bonanno fans.
... when my fellow bloggers make it a point, when in Florida, to come by and say hello.

President's Day was a busy Monday with lots of shoppers, when in the middle of all the insanity a sweet and soft spoken woman came up to me and introduced herself as NED from the Peyton Place blog. How cool, I read her blog! She mentioned she was chatting with Lisagh from Grosgrain Garage and told her she was heading to Stuart for her Bonanno fix ... "Lisagh's going to be so jealous."

Lisagh's response to NED's post: WAHHHHHHHH!!!!




















Ned ordered the Palm Beach Classic with our newest leather, the "Brown Patent Croco" with Puma whipstitch. It's a deep rich brown and so beautiful.

Check out NED's blog:
http://thepeyt.blogspot.com/

Shopping Cart Down

We are currently updating our shopping cart ...
for all on-line orders please call our toll free number
866-313-FEET (3338)

thank you!

Bonanno's and Denim ...

... two American Classics come together to make the "Blue Jean" series.
The "Blue Jean" Denim Series comes in the Palm Beach Classic and the Emma Monogram style sandals.
Customizing available in Light Denim and Dark Denim and can be mixed with any color leather your heart desires. The Denim is backed with our soft supple kid-skin leather. Simply Fabulous!














"Palm Beach Blue Jean": $115.00
"Emma Blue Jean": $170.00

Available at Stephen Bonanno Signature Stores:
Stephen Bonanno Sandals, Stuart 772-219-8008
Stephen Bonanno Sandals, Vero Beach 772-234-8377
Stephen Bonanno On-Line Store 866-313-FEET (3338)

Leather Color Swatch Update

New Colors:
Black Patent Croco
Brown Patent Croco
Camel Ostrich
Silver Iguana
Platinum Iguana

For Bonanno fans with a color swatch set at home, please e-mail me at vivianb@stephenbonanno.com wth your name (under the name you ordered your swatch), and we will get the new colors out to you with your next sandal order.

Colors no longer available:
Please take the following colors off your ring:
Most of you will not have them on your ring, but if you do ... toss them, please.
Caramel
Brown Gator
Aqua
Angel Blue
Essex Blue
Parched Wheat
Barbazon

A Funny Post from PreppyMama

Why Bonanno's Make A Great Push Gift

Just Humor me please!
I am in the shower this morning and thinking about gifts (yes, selfish I know), not just for me for women everywhere. I know times are tough so I wanted to be sure that my gift or gift suggestion would be worth the money spent.

I have lots of jewelry and nick knacks. My body, oh my body....you get the idea. When I feel fat and gross...I think jewelry, handbags and shoes! You know, the things that are size-less. The wonderfulness of accessories!! It doesn't matter what size or shape you are, they always make us feel better.

So, I thought about what I can't wait to wear again since I really loathe the winter. Oh and so happy this baby is being born in the summer. I can't wait to wear my flip flops and sandals. SANDALS!!!! That's it! My most favorite summer time accessorie...my Bonanno's!

Oh how I covetetd them. Took hours, days even weeks to pick out the colors. They were a mother's day gift from my husband. The wait. Yes there was a wait. Hey, its takes time for these beauties. Oh I remember the day they came. Joy, as almost comparable to the birth of my son ;). I rememer slipping them on and oh...Like butter. Perfect fit.

So, back to my shower. Yes, I thought. I can't wait to wear my Bonanno's. I live in the north east, I have to wait until June and I only get a couple of months to enjoy my little beauties. Then, as I was scrubbing my feet (they are so dry these days) I thought about how they have not swollen yet. SWOLLEN FEET!!!! Foiled!

The one thing I was looking forward to was now foiled!! I remembered when I had my son my feel were so swollen before and after his birth that it was almost three months before I could even get back in to some of my shoes and I was one of those people who's foot "grew" half an inch so I had to replace all of my shoes. Oh God, please let my Bonanno's fit! Can you imagine my dissapointment?

I am tempted to call Vivian and ask her advice. Do you think Bonanno's has a registry?

So, what is boils down to my friends is I will most likely be needing a new pair. I was thinking of taking up a collection (read wonderful family and friends). I really don't need the cute little frames and stuffed animals. Oh, the baby really doesn't need new clothes, I'm having a boy afterall. Just Kidding. (kind of)

Oh, if I was writing an essay here is the part where I tell you that Bonanno's make a really great gift for anyone, especially a mommy!


Dear PreppyMama,
I've heard from so many women who say their shoe size changed after having babies.
The good news is ... if the tops of your sandals are still in good shape, we can "resole" your old Bonanno's to a bigger size if need be. This way you can hold on to all your favorites.
-- Vivian