Katie of A Little Beacon Blog to Speak at Ladies Night for The Chocolate Studio

Let's meet!

If you know me, you'll know I do many digital things online - social media and blogging being one of them. I also work with and celebrate small businesses via this blog, and my other venture, Tin Shingle.  This Thursday, I get to be part of the delicious Ladies Night at The Chocolate Studio, formerly Gourmetables, that shop down by the falls that smells of melting butter and caramel corn when you walk by in the summer.

I'll be the entertainment (crazy!) talking about why social media is your friend if you run a business or if you're nurturing a passion project. I'll talk about how you can easily and enjoyably make this part of your day to reach people in this community and other communities, but most importantly, why using social media is imperative to your business - no matter if you're a retail store, a service provider, or a regular person who loves making things.

There will be chocolate bliss and other chocolate treats and coffee. So come! It's from 6-8pm at The Chocolate Studio - 494 Main Street Beacon NY.

Beacon NY's Black Friday Shopping Weekend - 2011

Thanksgiving weekend, you're going to need to strategically plot out where you're going to be shopping on Main Street, and where you're going to break for lunch. Several of the shops are having Black Friday Sales (Friday, November 26), and some of the restaurants too! If you know you're hitting up a store that is not listed here, please include it in the comments below and add it to the list! There is also a Beacon Shopping Facebook page, from which this info came, that you can "like" and get ongoing updates from Beacon shops as to when they are having events, etc. Huge props to Karen at Echo and Ms. Vickey who put that page together with this latest Black Friday info.


GIFTS & SHOPPING

BOUTIQUES
Echo Women's Boutique and Toystore is offering 20% off ALL items in store except the new lingerie section between the hours of 11-3
470 Main, Beacon, NY
845.440.0047
Mon– Sat: 10:00 am–7:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm

Jacqueline is also offering 20% off all items from 11-3

Lauren and Riley will be offering 10% off all weekend
462 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
(845)831-3862 phone
(845)831-3808 fax
kimking@laurenrileyco.com

Clay Wood and Cotton will be starting their

extended holiday hours on Black Friday,

Open till 8pm Fridays and Saturdays for the season

149 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508

(845) 481-0149

FUN & SPECIALTY STORES 

Dream in Plastic will be open 12-7pm

and offering 30% off selected items

177 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508

(845) 632-3383

Notions-N-Potions will be open from 12-7pm

And offering a 10% discount

175 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508-2705

(845) 765-2410

Paper Presence will be offering

20% off all items

between the hours of 10-2 on both Fri and Sat

30% off all items

Between the hours of 6-9 on both Fri and Sat

133 Main St.

Beacon, NY 12508-3201

ACTIVE & OUTFITTER SHOPS

Mountain Tops is having a 20% off sale,

and buy 3 get 1 free socks

144 Main Street

Beacon

(845) 831-1997

Peoples Bicycle
In spirit of Small Business Saturday, spend $25 at Peoples Bicycle and get a free t-shirt! Valid all weekend, starting Friday. Our $25 Roller Tuneup will get you ready to ride, as well as a free t-shirt!
8 S. Chestnut Street, Beacon NY 12508


SALONS

Moxie Salon & Beauty Hub is having 50% off our Clip-In Animal Print Hair Extensions!!! 10am-8pm

544 Main Street #1
Beacon, NY 12508

845.440.6653

CHRISTMAS SHOPS
Kringles Christmas Shop will be open from 10am - 9pm
and offering 20% off everything
163 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508-2705
(845) 849-3030



ARTISAN SHOPS
Hudson Beach Glass will be starting their
"make your own ornaments"
162 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508
(845) 440-0068

RiverWinds Gallery is offering a book signing Sunday, from 2-4, by Marika Blossfeldt, of her new cookbook. Based on recipes developed on her Estonian farm, Marika will be discussing how to cook delicious healthy meals.

172 Main St, Beacon 845-838-2880



FOOD

Poppy's Burgers and Fries deal of the day...

Buy 2 burgers, and get fries 1/2 price

184 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508

(845) 765-2121

Homespun Foods will be open

From 11-4pm and offering 10% all

their imported and local cheeses

232 Main St  Beacon, NY 12508-2764

(845) 831-5096

Artisan Wine Shop will be hosting

A wine tasting from 4-7pm

180 Main Street  Beacon, NY 12508-2726

(845) 440-6923

Katie James to Vendor at Beacon Barks Parade!

So just a little ps...I have a few businesses going on. I'm somewhat of a business-a-holic, or an entrepreneurista. The first businesses I officially created was Katie James, Inc. I design accessories and currently get them stitched in Alabama (and am on the lookout for someone to help me develop patterns for some new products). I jumped into an open vendor slot for the Beacon Barks Parade, and even if I don't sell a thing, I'm really looking forward to it. Ever since moving to Beacon from Manhattan, and having my lovely baby, I've been a little out of my old scene. So if you see a table with bright fabric accessories on it, that's me! Jewelry pouches, sexy sleep masks for travel, dog treat bags, coffee cozis, and makeup rolls.

My next business was to create a "digital division" of this design business, so that I could quit my day job. My day job was as a manager of a national nonprofit website. Very fun, and taught me everything I know about SEO (search engine optimization). I opened for business to design websites for people, help them think out the structure of their sites, and strategically guide their SEO (or implement it, which is the most fun). I've been doing that for 5 years now, and I'm finally giving it its own name: Studio Pixelated. Portfolio website is being created right now, but you get the idea. I've challenged myself to build the whole thing on a blogger blog, to see how bare bones I can go, since so many people need to do that these days.

Then, I co-created a membership organization for entrepreneurs called Collective-E, that helped entrepreneurs promote their brands using benefits we developed around PR, online presence, and business development. We're rebranding it and it's very exciting. We're making the website more organized, featuring members in different ways, and other big things.

And this blog is the newest project!! So fun to channel my love for our new home of Beacon into an outlet like this.

So you might see all of this at my table. If I have time to make any take-away sheets, but otherwise, it will be great to see you!

Local Business Women's Seminar & Networking Session

Book your babysitters again ladies (or you baby Daddy's)! There is a local business networking event happening at the Cup & Saucer Tea Room tonight from 6-8pm. Sorry about the short notice, but I forgot about it (eeps), and a mom who is in the dance profession asked me if I was going during a playgroup on Tuesday, so I thought I'd better hop to it!

I've been out of the networking scene since the birth of my little Ruby Ray, and I miss most events that our entrepreneurial members at Collective-E host in Manhattan, CT, LA, etc, so this is most welcome.

Topics covered include easy access loans for start-ups and established small businesses, strategies for increasing your market share, and how to gain financial control over your business. The hosts are Chantelle Carver, a Management Consultant and Business Coach, and Kim Jacobs, of Community Capital Resources.

Printmaking Classes for Etching in Garrison

When I lived in Charleston, SC, I hung with a printmaking studio and learned there in exchange for holding down the fort for one day a week. So fun. A very special technique that you can check out in these classes in Garrison.

Hudson Valley Fitness Bootcamp Schedule of Classes

While having a harmless cup of hot cocoa from The Coffee Shoppe with my friend Charlotte from Gatehouse Realty, little did I know I'd be convinced to take a Monday morning bootcamp, and that Charlotte was this month's champ! Being a new mom who has fallen off the jogging wagon, my body feels like it's falling apart one ache at a time. That's why I let Charlotte convince me to take a class. She promised I'd feel great after I did it, and let me tell you, I did. I felt like I was back at basketball camp. But the basketball was a medicine ball, and instead of suicides, we did this run/crawl thing, WITH a 20lb weight. That's actually more like swimming with a brick in life guard class, but more awkward.

So here's their bootcamp schedule. Straight from my iPhone to your screen. Click here for the schedule on the website, and Beacon Bootcamp details.

Preschool Program at Common Ground Farm

Another activity fir you and your 2-4 year old: Winter on the Farm at Common Ground Farm on the grounds of Stony Kill Environmental Center in Wappingers Falls on Route 9D just North of Beacon NY.
The program is for 2-4 year olds (but maybe I'll sneak in with my 9 month year old?). There are 4 classes where kids and their care provider will explore the farm, barn animals, the fields and the trees.
Here's the class info:

TIME: 10-11am, or 1:30-2:30pm
PRICE: $7/child, or $25 for all 4 sessions

JANUARY 28: Meet the Pigs!
FEBRUARY 18: Chickens and Eggs
MARCH 18: Wild Animals on the Farm
APRIL 29: Spring Into Spring

To register or for questions, email education@commongroundfarm.org