Cross-Country Ski Basics Class Feb. 4!

Join Us for Classic X-Country Ski Basics on

Saturday, February 4^th from 10 a.m.-11 a.m.

At Odana Hills Golf Course

Cross-country skis gathering a little dust these days? Wondering

how to take your stride to the next level? Never fear,

Heather Higgins is here!

Yes, that’s right…store owner Heather Higgins** is a former

high school state champion and Junior Nationals cross-country

skiing competitor, and she’s ready to share her

knowledge and love of the sport with you!

This beginner-to-intermediate class will focus on the classic

technique, plus how to dress for the sport and its conditions.

RSVP to 608.255.1925. Limit 15 participants. Please rent or bring

own equipment. Rent skis at Odana Hills where you can also purchase a daily trail pass.

**Heather has been cross-country skiing all her life and learned

her technique from Dan Clausen at Minocqua Winter Park. She

currently teaches ski lessons to fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Our Annual Winter Sale Starts Saturday, January 7th!

Our FAMOUS Winter Sale is On!

January 7-15, 2012

That’s right. It’s time to consolidate all your holiday cash flow, gift cards to A Stone’s Throw and spare change from behind the seat cushions (you know it’s lurking!) and head on over to the BIGGEST and coolest sale event of the season: the annual A Stone’s Throw Winter Sale.

From Saturday, January 7th until Sunday, January 15th, you’ll find amazing deals on all your favorite brands–from Patagonia to Horny Toad to Lolë–and styles–from hats to parkas to boots!

Doors open at 10 a.m., and we recommend arriving early for the best selection (yes, people line up outside before we open…the sale is THAT good!). All of our merchandise is 20%-60% off* (some exclusions apply) and the goods get snapped up fast…but we’ll be ready with extra staff, extra dressing rooms, and our signature extraordinary customer service.

FYI: A Stone’s Throw will be closed on Friday, January 6th to prepare for the sale.  Our sale begins 10 a.m. Saturday!  Regular store hours are 10-7 Monday-Saturday, and Sunday 11-5.

Have fun, Happy 2012…and Happy Deals from A Stone’s Throw!

Dear Santa…All I Want for Christmas is a New Lolë Jacket, and a Pistil Hat, and a Patagonia Fleece, and a Horny Toad Dress and…

When you work at A Stone’s Throw, it’s always an exercise in restraint. If we all had unlimited pocketbooks, oh, the fun we would have!

But alas, we’ll settle for selecting that ONE very special somethin’-somethin’ that will make its way to the top of our Holiday Wish List (and while we’re on the subject, be sure to create one for yourself in-store!). Here’s our Staff Picks for this season:

Karen: Stewart + Brown Juno Gathered Wrap Dress (shown above). I love it– the print is subtle yet fun and the organic hemp jersey fabric is luxuriously soft.

Heather: The Nau Down Vest. Chic, warm, and it rolls up to fit in your purse!

Annie: Icebreaker Real Fleece Cascade Full Zip Jacket. It’s perfect for all of my winter sporting activities from skate-skiing to ice-skating.

Stacey: Ibex Shak Full Zip Updated. The Shak looks fabulous on all sizes, all ages, takes you from a casual Mad-town coffee break to travel abroad in style. It’s super-easy-care machine washable merino, and even better: it’s made right here in the USA!

Kirsten: Ibex Loose Tight II in Black, with the Patagonia Merino Sweater Coat in Bordeaux. Warm and fuzzy, comfortable and professional. Who could ask for anything more?

Chloe: Chiri Neli Cable Vest. Amazing! Peruvian hand-knit from baby alpaca– think “baby’s first haircut”– this fabulous vest is signed by the woman who knits it for a fair trade wage.

What’s Your New Thang?

Maybe you’ve been a runner…for years. A cyclist. A rock climber. An avid dog walker. A pilates devotee. Maybe you’re on your 1000th Body Pump class. Maybe you’re comfortable. But are you psyched?

What better way to get out of your fitness rut than to try something new? Even just one time. Tease your body out of its same ol’, same ol’ with a sweet diversion. Psyche yourself up to either try something new and stick to it, or simply shake up that old routine with a sampling of new activities. ‘Round these parts, we like to offer active and motivational events that keep it fresh.

Take for instance our Disco Yoga last week, led by Inner Fire Yoga instructor Karen Erstad. Is yoga new? Nah, it’s been around the block a few times (er, thousands of years)…but we thought by altering up our usual playlist of MC Yogi and Enya we’d add a new twist and inspire some of you to shake your groove thangs.

And we did.

Karen Erstad prepares the group for a vigorous flow of yoga postures.

Reverse warrior to the Bee Gees!

So keep a lookout on Facebook (search: ShopAStonesThrow) and our website for upcoming in-store events that will help you find a new thang. You might just get hooked!

Monroe Street Christmas Walk–This Sunday, Dec. 4

 

The Annual Monroe Street Christmas Walk will be held in the 1700-1900 blocks of Monroe Street on Sunday, December 4 from 12:00-4:00. The Monroe Street Carolers sing songs of the season in each of the participating shops. Many of the Monroe Street stores and restaurants in this three block area will be providing holiday refreshments, entertainment, demonstrations or other special activities.

Join us at A Stone’s Throw–your favorite store for every active female on your list (and we have “holiday for him” guy stuff too–a well-edited selection of Icebreaker, Horny Toad and more)!

 

Join Us for FREE Disco Yoga Dec. 3rd!

Free DISCO YOGA at A Stone’s Throw on Saturday, December 3rd at 9 a.m.

Holiday music starting to grate on your nerves a bit? Stressed out–already–about your gift list? Never fear, DISCO YOGA is here!

Join us at A Stone’s Throw on Saturday, December 3 at 9 a.m. and wakeup to a glorious, hour-long, disco-inspired mix of yoga flow postures led by talented yogi Karen Erstad.

Downward dog, eagle, warrior pose…they’ll all get a groovy boost as we “get down, get down” with a disco vibe. Be prepared to sweat!

This event is FREE. We encourage you to sign up ahead of time to reserve a spot. Call 608.255.1925. Bring your own mat, please.

We’re in Seventh Heaven for Our 7th Birthday!

Seven years have quickly passed since the first day we opened our doors at 1925 Monroe Street, and A Stone’s Throw has been in seventh heaven ever since, thanks to you!

In celebration, we’re having a birthday party this upcoming weekend (actually starting NOW), November 17-20, 2011. Did somebody say, “Cupcakes!”? You know it! FREE cupcakes Saturday & Sunday, plus…

Check out our Facebook Page at ShopAStonesThrow for updates, but we’ll give you the lowdown here:

Receive 15% Off Your Entire Purchase, Now Thru November 20, 2011**

Enter to Win a Fabulous Birthday Giveaway–a 66 Degrees North mitten/hat* set valued over $100! (Plus, gift cards too!)

The awesome Sarah, our store manager, models our super Birthday Giveaway set.

And did we already mention FREE CUPCAKES on Saturday and Sunday? (Maybe, but it’s worth repeating.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! Thanks for helping us celebrate!

 

*Subject to availability.

**Not valid in The Upstairs Closet. Not valid on prior purchases.

Curating Events That Support Your Community

The Specialty Retail Collective works to bring together retail owners, managers, buyers and merchandisers to share insights on creating the best possible retail experience.  On August 16th, 2011 the Specialty Retail Collective posted the following:

One of the most valuable qualities a brick and mortar specialty retailer offers is care and concern for their own community. After all, by deciding to open and operate a store, the specialty retailer invites a neighborhood exchange. While the store offers a place to shop that supports the values and economy of a community, the community must also support the shop by shopping there. When the exchange is successful, locally owned businesses make great contributions by helping to create vibrant and engaged events that reflect their community’s interests and personality.

“In our town, people are motivated and inspired by good and we do our best to lead by example, all the while having fun. The focus of our events is on the culture and brand of the store while keeping a local focus and making sure there is some sort of give-back,” states Heather Higgins, founder and owner of A Stone’s Throw in Madison, WI.

Some successful and memorable A Stone’s Throw events that bringing the community together and tie-in local like-minded consumers –

Ride for Pie
A Stone’s Throw organized a short, casual group bike ride that ended with FREE scrumptious pie! The ride meets at the store with the destination of a local bakery about 8 miles away. A nominal donation is requested and the fun benefits Dream Bikes, a local not-for-profit/used bicycle store strategically placed in low-income troubled communities with a mission to change the world, one kid and one bike at a time.

Paddle for the Polar Bears
Paddleboarding has become all the rage, especially in the Madison community where there are plenty of lakes. A Stone’s Throw capitalized on this and partnered up with a local paddle retailer, Paddleboard Specialists  to paddle for local good while having fun. Hour-long paddle boarding clinics were set up to introduce the sport.  The event was called, Paddle for the Polar Bears. The mission was to raise funds for Madison, Wisconsin’s Henry Vilas Zoo. Fifty percent of all proceeds are donated toward building The Arctic Passage, a state-of-the-art new home for polar bears and seals. The Zoo is a free and highly educational resource for the Madison community.

Cooking Class with Chef Rob of Brasserie V
A Stone’s Throw is located in a sweet little shopping district with lots of locally owned and operated independent stores and restaurants. They teamed up with one of their neighbors, Brasserie V and invited Chef Rob Grisham to teach their consumers about local produce.  As well, he demonstrated how to prepare a gorgeous duck confit salad and delicious vinaigrette. (And there were crafts and snacks for the kids too.) It was a simple, fun and unique event. Heck, we all love good food! Everyone had a blast learning about the bounty of local produce available in Madison as well as cooking advice and insights from Chef Rob.

These A Stone’s Throw events are great examples ways to support your local community and store’s brand image and personality while creating a very loyal following of consumers that identify with the lifestyle.  “There is a lot of competition out there online and in our town, so my job is to create a community with our consumers. A brick and mortar specialty store is about curating a selection of products that the consumer will love and offering them experiences that matter. These organized events relay what our brand is about while giving back to the community,” comments Heather Higgins.

Stone’s Throw, #1 Women’s Clothing Boutique voted by Madison Isthmus reader’s

Brand Spotlight: Synergy

Synergy specializes in making clothing with graphic details such as hand-stitched applique work and water-based screen prints that take inspiration from both natural and urban landscapes. Launched in 1995 by Kate Fisher, Synergy’s goal is to combine modern yet timeless textile design with sustainability. Their clothing is hand made in Nepal according to fair trade practices and predominantly consists of G.O.T.S. certified organic cotton as well as low impact dyes.

Our Annual Summer Sale July 22 – July 31

                  You heard right!  Our annual, totally awesome Summer Sale is here…and you are in FOR THE SALE OF YOUR LIFE!

If you love a good deal (and who doesn’t) then you should head on over to 1925 Monroe Street anytime betweern Friday, July 22nd through Sunday, July 31st and indulge in the best prices of the season on all the gear, clothes and accessories you love from brands like Lolë, Patagonia, Horny Toad, Three Dots, Icebreaker, Simple, SmartWool, Ibex, Stewart + Brown and so much more.