Qué está pasando?

Wow, la última vez que escribí una actualización fue cuando tuve que decidir cerrar mi tienda. Mucho ha pasado desde entonces. Lo bueno es que somos buenos y Dios nunca nos ha dejado ni nos ha desamparado. He sido guía de belleza para Limelife by Alcone desde 2016 y estoy agradecida por todo lo que este trabajo paralelo me ha permitido lograr. Estoy trabajando en otras cosas que espero compartir pronto y también quiero continuar enfocándome en mis damas hispanas, así que de ahora en adelante verás mis publicaciones en inglés y español. Les agradezco por acompañarme en este viaje y espero mantenerlos actualizados. No olviden sintonizar aisle transmissions en vivo en mi pàgina de Facebook Maquillaje y Motivación.

Bendiciones…

What’s on my mind?

Wow, the last time I wrote an update was when I had to decide to close my store. Alot has happened since. The good thing is we are good and God has never left us nor forsaken us. I have been a Beauty Guide for Limelife by Alcone since 2016 and grateful for all this side gig has allowed me to accomplish. I’m working on some other things that I hope to share soon and I’m also wanting to continue to focus on my Hispanic ladies so from now on you’ll see my posts in English and Spanish. I thank you for joining me on this journey and hoping to keep you updated.

Stay blessed…

NEW SEASON….

It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing that we will be making changes in the way we do business.  As you know the change in our economy  has affected all of us in one way or another which is why we have decided to close down our store front at Memorial Hwy.

Though it makes me sad to close the physical location where I first birthed my dream and had the opportunity and pleasure to meet so many great people  and supply their shoe needs; I do look forward to what is to come for Big and Elegant, after all, we still need our wide, comfortable and fashionable shoes! It’s not the end but a beginning of better things to come…

We will continue to operate and meet your shoe needs however it will be via special ordering, the web (which we are still working on) and for our local customers on an appointment basis only at a location we have secured for these purposes.

Due to these changes for the next two weeks we will be liquidating our inventory with a “MOVE OUT SALE” with all regular priced items on sale at 50% off.  We will be open on Monday September 4th (Labor Day) from 10 am to 4 pm.   Fridays we’re open by appointment only and Saturdays we have our regular hours from 10 am – 4 pm.  You can contact us at (813)928-8609 for more information.

Thank you for your patronage,  I look forward to seeing you soon!

What’s On Amy’s Mind…

I am reflecting on the events of this past year and the first thing that comes to mind is how grateful I am for being able to write and reflect on the past year.   Many trials and hurdles to overcome but I can say once again I survived and as a result I am a better, stronger and wiser person.  Its’s definitely not what you go through but how you go through and what you take out of your experiences.  I am thankful that I have my health with all its limitations I can walk, see and even run if I choose to.  I have a wonderful family, great friends, a job I enjoy and a business that has a lot of potential and has managed to survive yet another year despite the difficult times we are facing as well as a patient landlord.  Life is good and I am a blessed woman.

As this year comes to an end I encourage you to do an inventory not only of the negative or not so good experiences you’ve endured, but reflect on the good things that happened and the lessons learned.  Remember joy and happiness come from within and when you locate those feelings within you only then will they manifest in your everyday life regardless of what you are going through.

Thanks to all who have touched my life in one way or another and to all who have given me the pleasure to touch their lives.  I look forward to an exhilarating 2011 with lots of promises coming to pass. 

 The best is not behind us but ahead of us!

With love,

Amy “Your Shoe Lady”

WHAT’S ON AMY’S MIND…

I want to thank the Tampa Trib and their reporter Cloe Cabrera for the great article written in the 4You section on Saturday, September 18th  regarding the difficulty women with larger feet are having to find comfortable and fashionable shoes.  We had a huge response and know that this is the beginning of many great things to come.  Specializing in wide shoes brings its challenges when it comes time to get the word out but it’s articles and exposure like this that help, so feel free to share it with the women you know.

To find out how to contact us, go to the Contact Us page for more information and thank you for looking us up.  I look forward to meeting you soon!

Amy “Your Shoe Lady”

BETWEEN YOU AND I

I just thought I’d share some of the things going on with Big and Elegant…

A while back we had an interview with Lisette Campos from ABC Action News and her community segment where I represented the Hispanic business owners that have benefited from the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund (HBIF).  If you didn’t catch the interview, feel free to check it out on ABCactionnews.com/community and look for the HBIF segment.

Last week Cloe Cabrera from the Tampa Trib did an interview at Big and Elegant regarding the difficulty women with larger shoe sizes have finding shoes.  The link to that segment is http://www2.tbo.com/video/2010/sep/09/stylish-shoes-for-the-ample-footed-woman-31651/.  The print portion of that interview will run this Saturday 9/18/2010 in the Tampa Trib.

I’m excited with all this exposure; it’s time all my wonderful women know that we are here and ready to serve there needs for wide shoes. 

As I’ve told many others, I will continue to fight for my dream and do all I can to continue to serve my customers and provide options for them.  I know the store schedule may not be convenient for all of you, but keep in mind we do offer private viewings by appointment only so if the Saturday 10 – 4 pm doesn’t work for you, give me a call and we can set something up.

Till next time, I wish you the best and hope you can come by and visit Big and Elegant where Fashion and Comfort come together at Affordable Pricing.

New Level

I’m so excited and full of anticipation for what’s to come.  Today I had the chance of participating in a mini interview done by Lissette Campos from ABC Action News on HBIF and the services they render which gave me the chance to talk about my baby “Big and Elegant”.  I’m thankful for all the support of my customer’s, family and friends that have encouraged me to continue pressing through these tough times.  Determination, Faith, Relentlessness and Persistance are definitely key when you are pursuing your dream.  No matter what, DON’T GIVE UP!  Press on and press through and you’ll see the pay off.

Seasons

It’s funny how we go through different seasons in our lives. I’m very grateful for this season in my life.  It’s been the worst of times and the best of times.  For a minute there we thought we were stuck in a place we knew was not the place of utmost living, but we are coming out and I must say we are doing better than ever.  Our family is stronger than ever and as we as individuals are also stronger & wiser than ever.

Earlier this year we were told that everything that could be shaken would be shaken in our lives and that only that which belonged to us would remain and boy have we felt that shaking.  The great thing is that as I look at what we’re left with, I can happily say, it was worth it.  The things we lost are only things, the people who left weren’t meant to be with us at this time and most importantly our faith has grown by leaps and bounds as well as the appreciation for what is truly important.  We learned valuable lessons that will help us be better people as we move into our destiny and take those experiences to help others.  We survived and we are moving forward! 

Take courage, whatever you are going through, it will pass and you will survive, just don’t give up!

Shoe Drive for Haiti

Thanks to all who supported our Shoe Drive for our Haitian brothers and sisters.  We managed to collect what seems to me like 100 pairs of shoes which means Big and Elegant will be donating 10 new pairs of shoes that will go to the victims.  I pray God bless you all for your heart of compassion and remember that no good deed goes unnoticed.

The donations collected will be taken to Pinellas Christian Center located at 1315 9th Ave N St. Pete Fl 33709.  For more information on what the urgent needs are and how you can help, please call (727)898-2389.

Remember, we can all do something whether big or small.

Amy “Your Shoe Lady”

We are blessed to be a blessing!

We may not have all we want but when we take a look of what others are enduring we realize we have more than enough.  I was hearing a radio talk host today talk about the donations that some affluent people are making to the relief efforts in Haiti.  He said that though he was empathetic towards the situation in Haiti he felt the money should go towards fixing the problems we have here in the US.  It truly saddened me to think that someone could say they are empathetic and yet not want to help.  I realize we have a big mess on our hands when it comes to our economy, however, I believe our Haitian brothers and sisters are suffering much more now and we can make a difference in their lives.  If we were the ones enduring such distress, would we like to hear that other countries won’t help us because they have to fix their mess first, I don’t think so.

We cannot let opportunities like this pass us by.  It’s an opportunity to sow a seed in someone else’s life.  We are blessed to be a blessing.  We may not all be in a position to give money, but I’m sure there’s something we all can do; whether it be donating canned goods, clothing or even your time to the charities that will need help to box and ship the goods. 

I urge you to take some time to count your blessings and then find a way to help those less fortunate.  I assure you when you give out of a heart of love and compassion, it will come back to you in blessings.

Amy “Your Shoe Lady”