March News 2017

So many amazing things coming up this month!  Without further ado, here you go:

• March 12 Daylight Saving Start!  (Longer days are here my friend!)
• March 13 Floorset (All new spring inventory)*
• March 18 Community Feature (Mary Wallin, Yoga Instructor) $10 to swap 2-4pm
• March 19 Stylist Event (Heads up, this is our 2nd to last one for the season)

*March 11 we are hosting an exclusive event for a local group of women that are in need of free clothing, they get to come in and take anything they need to help them find success in life!

winter hours are over!

4 New Trends February 10th

Itching for spring like every other person in Madison?  Yeah, yeah...us, too!  The tricky thing about seeing more sunshine and noticing the days getting a little longer is that Mother Nature still has some chilly weather up her sleeve.  This is the perfect time of year to freshen up your trends to put a little spring in your step to get you through until actual Spring hits (apparently according to a little shit of a groundhog that's like 6 more weeks away).

Anyway, here are 4 trends that will hold you over until you can go spring shopping (psssst, you could also swap instead of shop because we will be bringing in our spring inventory on March 12th).

Bohemian at its best, but still cozy and warm!

Washed out whites, both winter-y and spring-y at the same time!

Edgy but classic all at once.  It's all about layers this time of year!

Classic mixed with sexy for a night out.  Drink your way through to spring!

Important Message Regarding Our Inventory

Just as a recap we carry women's clothing sizes 0-16 in today's trendiest styles and we are a swap shop where customers come in with a bag of gently used items to swap up for a whole new wardrobe! We've been doing this for almost 5 years and are so incredibly proud of our diverse customer base, and as the owner I spend a ton of time trying to get to know our customers so I can offer the best of the best to everyone who walks through the door of our little shop!*

My staff has been trained since we first opened our doors to greet our customer by saying, "Welcome to Upshift, have you shopped here before?  We offer women's clothing, but also have men that shop here as well as anyone that prefers women's silhouettes.  Please look around and let me know if you have questions."  They are required to greet every customer this way so that everyone feels welcome.

It was recently brought to my attention that we have not carried that same sentiment over to our social media and online platform. We have men that shop our store as well as customers that prefer women's styles and of course women and youngsters.  Everyone is always welcome and just because we identify as a women's clothing shop doesn't mean we are exclusive to that clientele.  In all honesty, I'm so naive I just assumed that most if not all stores are open to this same type of sentiment and thought it was apparent by how we operate.  I'm glad I have a platform to clarify.

If you're curious about our vibe the best way to find out is to come on in, you'll find super fun staff surrounded by music and most often a bunch of positive people drinking wine!

*We are very aware that we need to offer sizes 0-24, however due to our limited space of 450 square feet we had to limit our offering until we move to a bigger location.  We've heard it loud and proud from our customer and hope to make it happen soon!

Peace, love, and all the grooviness!

Lindsay Leno

Announcing Winter Hours

Friday Video Blog - Thanksgiving 2016

Check out this video for all that is happening at Upshift; Stylist Event, Thanksgiving, Small Biz Saturday, and awesome trends!

Sunday, November 20th 2-4pm $10 swap with complimentary wine

Support local by checking out our awesome neighborhood

 

Six Amazing Outfits for Thanksgiving

Edgy for a perfect "Fakesgiving" with Friends

Sweet as pie for grandmas house

Festively colorful for a dinner out

Nutty professor for a chill Thanksgiving

Completely casual and cozy for a night in

Cool, casual vibe but still dressed up for din-din

4 Fall Outfits October 2016

This fall has been absolutely gorgeous and with that tricky combo of warm weather during the fall months can make it tricky to know what to wear.  When it's crisp and cool it's pretty easy to layer up your perfect fall items but when it's still hitting temps near 70 it can be puzzling trying to find the perfect combo.

Look no further, here are 4 winning outfits for your 2016 fall:

1. It's all about layers so you can add or take off throughout the day depending on the temp.

Chiffon top with printed skinnies and a knit jacket

2. Another chiffon top (light and airy) with a bunch of layers!

Super casual jeans with a chunky sweater and a scarf with adorable little mary janes

3. ANOTHER chiffon top with more layers!

Printed flowy pants with a coverup and cute chunky heals....and a scarf!

4. Yet ANOTHER chiffon top (see the pattern of layering light and airy with layers)

Animal print is perfect for fall paired with crop dress pants and a blazer, add gold accessories

3 Year Anniversary

We turn 3 this week!  Stop on in to swap and grab some champagne and cookies!

Friday Fashion Blog

Our merchandiser is also our in-house style photographer and shoots our Top 10 each day as well as our collective looks.  Below are this week's overall trends:

To view our Top 10 you can "like" us on Facebook and see our top ten daily.

Fur vest with light denim = fresh, fall ready!

Take your fur game to a whole new level - feminine fall!

Pattern mixing is a hot trend this fall - add heel boots for a sleek look!

Casual and cozy all in one - it's all about layers and layers this fall!

Fall Shoes 2016

Must-have shoes for Fall 2016.  Here's your top ten styles available now!

Check out the video for top styles, or scroll down to see images of top 10!

1. wicker flats

2. cuff boots

3. Open-tow stacked heels

4. Rocker boots

5. Suede western boot

6. Fur- lined boot

7. Bright teal flat

8. Chunky heel dress shoe

9. Lace up heel

10. Maryjane heel

What's Shakin at Upshift

Here's your answer:

Friday Video Blog Sept 23rd

Lots of new stuff happening here!  Check it out:

Friday Video Blog - 4 New Trends

In this video I outline all the super exciting things happening in the next few days as well as 4 key trends to wear this fall!

Enjoy!

Link for voting for us and all your Madison Faves can be found here!
Upshift is found under CONSIGNMENT

Madison Magazine Best of Madison Poll

Madison Magazine announced this week it's "Best of Madison" poll and we're included on the list!  Voting begins September 15th and runs through October 31st. Vote now!

Couple of things to keep in mind:

First, we are so honored to be a part of this and hope we are voted as best-of in our selected category!  That means we have to get out and vote (this is a positive election campaign, yay!) and it also means you should share on social media so people know you feel passionately about what we do at Upshift!

Secondly, as outlined by Madison Magazine you must vote for at least 25% of the categories (so you're not just voting for the category we're pushing).  Honestly, we are so proud to be Madisonians that we believe in all the businesses that make Madison awesome so get out the vote for your favorites.  We're all just a bunch of small businesses trying our best in the best town evaaa!  So, vote for the categories that resonate with you, just make sure it's 1/4 of the categories.

Lastly, you can vote once per day with one email as outlined by their rules.

Now get out and vote!  Share on social media!  

Thank you from our entire Upshift family; owners, staff, volunteers, customers and community!

Lindsay

Chloe + Isabel Pop Up Shop Hits Upshift

We are so EXCITED to feature a pop up shop at Upshift on Sunday, July 24th from 2-4pm and we're offering a half price discount on our swap fee at this time.  Chloe + Isabel collection will be set up for you to peruse while you swap at the store.  Nicole Fuller is a Chloe + Isabel Merchandiser and will be on hand to showcase their summer collection, which will be available for you to buy!

Sunday, July 24th 2-4pm
$10 off swap fee
Complimentary wine
836 East Johnson Street

View and purchase Chloe + Isabel jewelry!


When we decided to feature them as a pop up shop it was apparent we NEEDED to feature them based on their company philosophy, which is so very similar to ours! They have a friendship policy, I'll repeat that...a friendship policy! 


"The idea of best friends with different personalities and styles, united by their passion for fashion and self expression."  That seems so familiar it's uncanny.  They also are founded with the principal of being dedicated to empowering the next generation of women entrepreneurs.  This also hits home as a female business owner that works at transcending certain stereotypes regarding this very topic. The very first sentence written by the owner, Chantel Waterbury, says, "I conceived of Chloe + Isabel as a place where smart, creative and confident women could play a significant role in creating an innovative new business model where they were at the center."  This very sentence perfectly expresses why I do what I do and reminds me of all the confident women that shop at Upshift.  To learn more about the Chloe + Isabel philosophy check out their webpage.

Beyond their amazing culture and philosophy as a company their jewelry is to die for!  It's unique, beautiful, and amazingly crafted.  I've seen it first hand and can say I am so pumped for us to feature it at Upshift.  Here's a sneak peek of their amazing summer collection:

Their pieces are also featured in major magazines and worn by celebs!  The jewelry looks very high end but is totally affordable for any gal!

Upshift Video News

Here's a quick video that will keep you up to speed on all that is Upshift!  Bonus at the end of the video; top ten garments for the day and top ten accessories for the day.

Check it out: