Monday, March 30, 2015

Meet Chelsea!

This gal is amazing!  She started out as our #1 customer back in the "basement" days and would show up to swap with her mom along with her bubbly personality. Once we moved to our new location she offered to volunteer to help us out (our first ever volunteer, which lead to our amazing volunteer program). Chelsea became part-time staff a year ago this March and continues to be the hard-working, bubbly gal we love (as do our customers)!

Full Name: Chelsea Freeman
Reason for working at UpShift: I love clothes and having a variety of options in my closet.  Working at UpShift allows me to fuel my passion for clothes while being cost effective.

Favorite thing about UpShift: Unlike most stores UpShift appeals to such a wide customer base because we carry all styles.  I also like how customers and myself can try different styles "risk free" with almost no cost.  UpShift encourages trying new things in your life and we start the trend with clothes.

Favorite memory at UpShift: The first time I went to UpShift it was during the "basement" days when it was located in Lindsay's basement.  My friend and I were like, "Umm, what is this place" as we approached the house.  Every time I work at the boutique now i look around and see how far it's come.  It's pretty cool to reflect back!

Favorite item from the store: There have been so many!  I love the purses I find, sweater dresses, and sheer shirts!

Personal style: my style reflects my life routine.  I've been known to have 3 outfit changes in one day.  Something really fun I've adopted is a "weekly theme" for my clothes.  Each week I pick a theme such as animal prints, sparkles, rosy posy pink and cozy sweaters, etc. All my work outfits reflect the theme.  My co-workers have enjoyed seeing all the UpShift inspired fashions I come up with.  I mainly dress for occasions and activities.  I can be found in anything from a dress to yoga pants, it truly depends on the adventures of my day.

Style icon: no one:)  I just do my own thing.  I enjoy looking at displays in the stores to get ideas.

Something the UpShift world doesn't know about you:  I hate being rushed.  I'm pretty particular on how I do things in my life, for example I only like soda from the fountain...it just tastes better.  I also like the apartment clean before leaving for a weekend.  I also love decorating my fireplace mantel for every holiday.

Favorite song or band: Anything country!

Drink of choice: Sweet tea lemonade, both as an Arnold Palmer or hard cider.

Ideal vacation: I dream of going on one of the those all inclusive trips where all my drinks and food is covered, the kind you see advertised on TV.  Do they exist??!!  But in reality anywhere with my boyfriend that has great food and allows us to unplug from our busy lives and phones!

Where else do you work:  I work at a public high school serving students with special needs and a fast food restaurant rocking the drive through window.

Favorite places to hang out in Madison: Downtown, restaurants, The Terrace, shops, garage sales, and in my neighborhood taking walks.

One piece of fashion advice: Have fun with clothes!  Lots of people are afraid of fashion style and clothes for a variety of reasons.  Every day is a chance to play "dress up" and if you don't completely love the look you can do something different the next day.  It's really hard not to get down on ourselves for our appearance and body or circumstances when everywhere we go we're being put down.  UpShift exists to lift our customers up and encourage everyone to embrace their unique style.  It's okay to love clothes, it's okay to want to redo your closet, it's okay to wear something a few times and swap it back.  The awesome part of UpShift is it allows the passion for fashion to be done in a cost and environmentally friendly manner.  Don't be afraid, jump in and find out how fun clothes and swapping can be!

2 for 1 - Next awesome event

First Thursday of each month,
Bring a friend and she shops for FREE!

Thursday, April 2nd 12-8pm

www.up-shift.webs.com


Sunday, March 29, 2015

Friday, March 27, 2015

Newest items 3.27

Preview of newest items:

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Spring Launch 2015

We took everything out of the store this past Sunday and refilled all the hangers with all new inventory for spring!  Literally, we have turned over the entire store to bring you all new items!

Available Friday, March 27th 12-8pm (we've never done a full day event, first time!)
$5 off swap fee
Complimentary wine as always!



Sneak peek:




Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Spring 2015 Store Revamp

Spring is finally here!  We revamped the entire store to bring in all new items for the new season. Literally, we emptied the store and brought in all new inventory!  Check out this video for a sneak peek of the process:




Meet Sonni!

We have the most amazing peeps working at UpShift, and we want you to get to know each and every one of them.  You've already met our merchandiser sporadically on our blog however we plan to get a more in-depth peek into the lives of our favorite staff.

Introducing Sonni (her name says it all)~

Full name: Sonni James Royal

Reason for working/volunteering at UpShift: My Fashion Internship, the free swap of clothes every week. I also just believe in Lindsay and her vision, she is kind and bright. She is a genuinely good person and good connection to have here in Madison.

Favorite thing about UpShift: I have a few: I love the laid back environment, the people I work with, the freelance collaboration concept of it all (Lindsay listens to our ideas). I also get to use my personal creativity when I'm working there (the more, the better).

Favorite memory of UpShift: It has happened twice, after we had closed I was in the middle of slipping something on or off (trying stuff on, not in the changing room, no shame) when hot guys were walking past, I wasn't paying attention. Lindsay and Carissa got to see the guys faces looking at me when they were walking by.... I didn't.

Favorite item from UpShift: My basic dark denim bullhead mini skirt, I wear it all the time. I can wear it anywhere and with anything; it is a staple in my wardrobe.

My personal style is: Romantic.

My style icon is: My favorite designer is Valentino and my celebrity style icon is probably Jessica Alba.

Something the UpShift world may not know about you? I'm a U.S. Army Veteran, I served four years and seven months in the military. I did a year tour in South Korea and a year deployment in Afghanistan while I was serving.

Your favorite song or band? Singer, PINK!

Drink of choice? Coffee in the morning, alcohol at night.

Ideal vacation or favorite place you've traveled? Mexico was fun.

Where else do you work or volunteer? MATC Veterans Club

Favorite places to hang out in Madison? I try to hit the gym at MATC five days a week after classes, does that count? But in the summer when I have time you will probably find me outdoor tanning next to a pool somewhere with my iPod in my ears.

If you could share one piece of fashion advice it would be: Your personal style should help you look good, but more importantly it should make you feel good and represent who you are. Wear what you want and be confident about it!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Secret Promo!

Help us empty our hangers this Sunday, March 22!  We need to hang our spring product, but we need empty hangers.  Show up and fill an empty bag with anything you want (no swap required)! In fact we'll up the ante....$5 off between 2-4pm!

Happy shopping!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Madison College Fashion Advisory

I'm an instructor at Madison College in the Fashion Marketing program.  We had an advisory meeting today to discuss the future of the program and it's ongoing evolution to create better opportunities for the students! There's so much happening in the fashion industry and our program is on the cutting edge to create future employees that are not only prepared but have the business protocol required.

It's my job as an instructor, fashion industry employee and employer to add insight, along with some of the industry's best, so that the program can best cater to the students and their future.  

As always, I put forth my best form of professionalism through fashion from UpShift:


Today's hot items in 1 minute

Top items from today, March 18th.  Check out the video:








Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Jo the Merchandiser

This is Jo:
Jo is more fashionable than anyone I know.  She innately knows how to dress in the trendiest styles and most eclectic combos all while making it look timely and dare I say...classic. She carries over this knowledge to the way she merchandises the store. It takes talent, patience, and an eye for detail to style second hand fashion.  Her talent is featured every single day at UpShift within the displays, on the mannequins, and within social media images she captures.

Here are Jo's top picks for this week:
Denim tier skirt
Spring dress

Accordion pleat skirt

Jaunty shirt

Railroad stripes

Chiffon dress

Tattered denim shorts

Cropsy lace

Long and lean necklace

UpShift UpDate - Mid March

Check out this video for all things important happening this week at UpShift.  Plus size is a feature with key items for spring.

This is what's shaking in our world:





Must haves for Spring 2015

Guest Stylist Sonni has her must-haves for Spring 2015.

Heads up - longer video, but worth the info!




Monday, March 16, 2015

March Guest Stylist 2015

Sonni was our guest stylist this past Sunday on March 15th.  We host a guest stylist that offers tips for key trend information.  She also was gracious enough to create a video for us outlining the top 5 styles for this spring season.

Check it out:




Thursday, March 12, 2015

New Spring Floorset 2015

Floorset [flawr-set]; noun; a word usually unknown by civilians that have not otherwise worked in a retail setting, but in a retail setting means a way for a clothing store to reset the space with all new trends.

In our case UpShift is unique in that it back stocks off-season items so that when a floorset happens ALL new items come out for swapping.  Literally, every single hanger will be filled with all new items and everything previously on them will be either put in backstock or thrifted to Agrace Hospice Care (local thrift store that keeps everything within our community).

We start the floorset process about a month ahead of the official launch, which takes place on March 27th between 12-8pm with a $5 off discount for the day.  We start by pulling trend sheets and sifting through them to decipher the most pertinent trends for the season.  Once pulled we sift through all the backstocked items (thee best part!!!) and hang it all for retrending.  It is all restyled by our merchandiser so that it's all ready for the launch on Friday, March 27th from 12-8pm.





















Trends for spring 2015:

1. Military with a tropic twist


2. Nautical stripes with florals




















3. Bright tribal/safari




















4. Bold candy stripes





















5. Soft pastel pinks






















Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Stylist Event (Clothing Swap and Wine!!!)

Stylist Event!
Third Sunday of every month
Sunday, March 15th 2-4pm

Swap, sip wine, socialize...get professional stylist advice!

UpShift Swap Shop Website www.up-shift.webs.com

836 East Johnson Street

Video not your thing?  That's ok, scroll down for more info on this event.





Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Sneak peek of Spring 2015

We dug in back and pulled out some preliminary spring items to get us through until our official launch on Friday, March 27th from 4-8pm ($5 off swap fee!).  We will have the store 100% redone with all new items from backstock!  Literally, not a repeat item in the house!

Until then enjoy our top 10 looks we have for spring 2015:
1. Crystal blue scarves

2. Floral and dip dye

3. White lace/crochet

4. Picnic dress

5. Circle skirt with pattern

6. Tribal tunic

7. Nautical stripes

8. Flounce skirt

9. Paisley crochet top
10. Preppy railroad stripe skirt