Our Beloved Candy Man

              With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, I’d like to share a story about a very inspirational man; a man of integrity, compassion, generosity, strength and honor.  

               Two years ago, Jack won his way into all of our hearts here at Mac & Madi.  He shows up every morning (without fail) at opening to carry out our Mac & Madi “sandwich board” sign – he says, “I can’t have you lovely ladies pulling a muscle carrying this sign out. I’ll do it for you.” A few hours later he pops his head in and says, “Just making sure you’re still here!” and a few hours after that, he comes in with a HUGE smile on his face and a little white bag. In that bag are chocolates he gets from Schmitt’s up the street (an incredible chocolate store, if you haven’t been yet, you NEED to – your waist line won’t be thanking you, but your stomach certainly will be). He pulls out the chocolates and says, “I’ve got to take care of my chicks!”

                As we all get to know our dear friend, Jack, we learn of his wife’s passing two years ago – the exact time he began showing up to take care of us. He explains, “I need a reason to keep going, and you girls are one of the reasons I can. Seeing your faces every day makes me so happy.” Our hearts melt, of course, and we all have such admiration for what a strong man he is after losing his wife.  

                For two years now, we see Jack about three times a day (except the days he volunteers at an animal shelter to walk dogs and when he takes a couple out to lunch once a week and the Sunday Farmer’s Market that he helps a vendor with setting up and breaking down).

                Jack just celebrated his 80^th birthday and still puts everyone (including animals) before himself, so writing this blog about what an incredible man he is, is just a tribute to how much we care for him and appreciate his company and presence.  

                If you happen to be at the store when Jack is here, say hello – hopefully he can touch your heart the way he has touched all of ours.

XO. Dana

Who Says Dad’s Can’t Have Fun Shopping with Their Daughters?!

… well of course with a little help from the staff at Mac & Madi, a dad can truly enjoy a pleasant shopping experience with his THREE daughters. If you’ve read the book “Olivia” by Ian Falconer you know girls are more SPICE then they are SUGAR. Yesterday was my personal witness to three very lovely little ”Olivia’s” (3yrs old, 4yrs old and 6yrs old). Most dad’s would steer clear of a store filled with pink and ruffles and dolls and hair bows and tutus, but NOT this dad – he was a BRAVE man.

Their first stop – The Shoe Room (that’s right, if you haven’t been to Mac & Madi yet, we have an ENTIRE room dedicated to shoes). Luckily we just received our first shipment of Havaianas for the summer and the girls all “needed” a pair of course. As I sized them and found their favorite color, the dad sat back and occasional said, “What do you say?” and all the girls promptly said, “Thank You!” All three girls found their favorite color in their perfect size.

Next stop – THE CLOTHES. First the dad says, “Just sandals today, girls” and they all reply “AW MAN!” The oldest of the three runs over to a rack and says, “Dad, I absolutely NEED this shirt! It’s perfect!” As I helped her find her size, defeated, the dad says, “OK, you can each get ONE shirt, and then we have to go.” They all quickly say, “YESSSS!” The 4 year old finds a shirt that she’s happy with and says, “DAD! Look how cute this skirt looks with this shirt!!” He adamantly says, “Just sandals and a shirt today, girls!” and they all reply “AW MAN!” The oldest finds a skirt that she said would look “fabulous” with her skirt – defeated again, the dad says, “OK, you can each get ONE skirt to match your shirt, and then we have to go.” Smiling, they says, “YESSSS!” Much to my surprise this was the end of the shopping spree with his three, very lovely little “Olivia’s.”

As I’m ringing up the clothes, they quickly grab them, run to the fitting room and change into their new outfits. Head-to-toe Mac & Madi merchandise.

So, I put the myth to rest – dad’s DO have fun shopping with their daughters. Yesterday was proof of that. Though it requires a lot of patience, their happy little faces make the experience worth it!

Dad’s – don’t be intimidated coming into a store filled with tutus and hair bows, embrace it and make lasting memories with your beautiful little girl!

XO. Dana

Guess Who Stopped by Mac & Madi?!

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Imagine a typical a day at Mac & Madi, the crowds flowing in and out, buying birthday gifts for the weekend and along strolls in a family (a mom, a dad, and a grandpa). They browse as usual, occasionally asking a question or two. The grandpa walks through the book room, picks up a few different titles and stops suddenly and says, “I am so flattered you carry my book here!” I was caught off guard, of course and said, “What book?” He pulls down the newest edition of The Napping House Lap Book and says, “THIS one.” A little starstruck because this was one of my personal favorite books growing up, I said, “No way?!” and he quickly replied in a very sarcastic manner, “Would you like to see my ID?” At first I’d was tempted to say “yes” but I knew he was just joking around with me. Mr. Don Wood the illustrator of The Napping House was at OUR store! He was so incredibly pleasant and started talking about his dear friend David Shannon (another children’s book author and another one of my favorites).  Mr. Wood put the three copies of The Napping House that we had in stock down on the counter and said, “Would you like me sign these for you?” I promptly replied, “YES, PLEASE!” What an incredibly humble and gracious man! While he was signing his book, I explained, “You just missed Corey, the owner, and her daughter, Madi. Madi would have LOVED to meet you – this is her FAVORITE BOOK, she is going to be so bummed she didn’t get to meet you.” Minutes after he left with his family, in walks Corey and Madi. Good thing I got photographic evidence to show them. As of today, we have THREE very rare and very special signed copies of The Napping House Lap Book! So, hurry in and get your copy before they are all gone!!

XO. Dana

Chats We Love

There are so many issues to talk about but first and foremost we are thrilled to finally have our web store up and LIVE!  It is not just about having a “store” available to our online community but also a way to talk to our Mac & Madi customers about issues and concerns we all have as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends.

The most memorable days working the store in San Clemente are those in which one of you drops in and our quick chat turns into a deep hour-long conversation. We love getting to know you and hearing your thoughts on everything from potty training to the best teachers to where your oldest is applying to college to how thrilled you are because you had your first grandchild last night!

Our chats have produced some of the best products available at our store.  We have stay-at-home moms that have started businesses, featured their products at Mac & Madi and are now off and running with a complete line of children’s products! We have classic books and kid-tested toys all of which were direct recommendations from a loyal customer. We pass on your recommendations and comments directly to some of our featured manufacturers and they have taken those suggestions and made changes to their products.  Because of our talks, we have made friends of a large majority of you!

So the point to this first “blog” is really just to tell you we love the open line of communication we have with all of you.  If you have anything you want to say, recommend or questions you want to put out to the Mac & Madi customer population, please let us know.  We want this blog to be a forum in which everyone can chat!

Finally, thank you for your continued support of Mac & Madi, Unique Children’s Boutique ~ we truly have the utmost appreciation for all of you.