I was a cheerleader in middle school. Like many other eighth grade girls, I did it mostly for the outfits, but also because I don’t have much athletic ability, and if I didn’t pick a sport, I had to do P.E. instead of study hall.
Now this was the late 1900’s (as the kids say), and the current brand of seriously athletic cheerleading had not yet made it to
...Last week we started our usual Monday morning meeting by asking our summer interns for their thoughts on our trip to Dallas for The Boutique Summit now that we’d all had time to let the Diet Coke leave our systems.
Intern Ollie remarked that the most notable moment from our trip was during the closing party when Abby and I tag-teamed a conversation with an important contact. We hadn’t expected this encounter and we hadn’t prepared at all; so when we executed a perfectly timed, super sharp elevator pitch it looked (and felt) like we were telepathically communicating.
It was fun to hear that the moment made such an impression, because when it was happening, it really did feel like Abb...
We just got back from The Boutique Summit in Dallas. Technically, I’m not home yet since I’m writing this on the plane next to a lovely child whose name appears to be “Thunder." Kids these days, amiright?!
Reentry is always a little tough when we come home from Boutique Hub events because our brains have been working overtime absorbing everything we’ve just learned like:
💥 Pinterest is really powerful for search rankings, and you can hook up your Shopify store directly if you have one .
🚛 Even if you arrive in Dallas thinking the trucker hat trend is ridiculous and you’d never wear one, you may very well be heading home with no
...✨ Welcome to a four part series we’re calling “What makes Pedal so unique and effective in the retail real estate industry.” Otherwise known as “Why we need our own TV show pronto.” ✨
Today we’re discussing point #3:
We will not start touring spaces with Pedal Retailers until they can actually transact.
Fact: Touring potential spaces is the most fun part of the entire leasing process. Hands down. No question. 100%.
I know that may come as a surprise to some of you thinking, “oh no, Sheila, certainly it’s when you sign an LOI!” Nope. You’ve lost that loving feeling by then.
“What about when you actually sign the lease? That’s got to feel good." Yes, it does, but mostly
...✨ Welcome to a four part series we’re calling “What makes Pedal so unique and effective in the retail real estate industry.” Otherwise known as “Why we need our own TV show pronto.” ✨
Today we’re discussing point #1:
Our business model is not reliant on lease commissions or equity in our clients’ businesses.
Have you ever spent 23 minutes trying to get the attention of a bartender on a busy Saturday night at a nightclub? Have you stood on your tip toes and tried waving cash? Have you wondered if maybe they don’t see you because you’re only five feet tall, or because you’ve never been able to dress cool like you’re at a club in your 20s even when you’re clearly at a club in your 20s
...We’re going to try something different. Most weeks, we write about retailing, real estate concepts, processes, clients and cardinal rules…and I don’t think we’ve ever really made Pedal the center of the story.
Today and for the next few weeks, we’re taking center stage. Which, you may not be surprised to hear, is a perfectly happy place for us seeing as Abby honed her stage skills over many summers at theater camp, and Sheila won the top prize for her persuasive senior speech in 1999. Netflix! Call us!
Anyhow, here’s why we’re going to talk about us.
Pedal is the only commercial real estate brokerage that focuses on independent and start-up retailers. Seriously, Google it, ...
When’s the last time you went to a tailor?
I went two weeks ago. I go to IBO’s Tailor Shop in downtown Norfolk, because this guy is an absolute magician. For those of us who are “non-standard” height (in my head I’m 5’ 9”, but my doctor and the DMV say I’m 5’ 0”), having one’s clothes tailored is the key to looking like an actual respectable adult. That is, if you care about things like that, which I do.
Most recently I had Ibo fix a pair of white jeans, which I had previously (foolishly) taken for “alterations” at my local (also beloved) dry cleaner. Turns out that someone who is capable of hemming is not necessarily capable of a more complex “taking in” of a waist. Before this, I...
I’m endlessly amused by the list of symptoms at the end of prescription drug commercials. Watching gracefully aging actors skipping blithely through a meadow with a 🦋 butterfly net, or 🎨 oil painting in a sun-streaked garage studio juxtaposed with the voiceover listing (as quickly as physics and the law allow) the list of dire and bizarre side effects always makes me chuckle. I’m not alone - Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader memorably spoofed these commercials on SNL in 2014… which was four lifetimes ago, yet the joke still works.
I’ve wondered why these commercials exist at all when, most of the time, the side effects get more airtime than the benefits of the drug. You’d think that ⚠️ warning...
