Archive for November, 2009

Tis’ the Season for haircuts that care! Pigtails & Crewcuts at Blakeney

November 30th, 2009 categories: Charlotte Real Estate & More

Hailey Arthur is a busy woman. Busy with three young children (twins included), a hubby and a new business ~ yet Hailey makes time to give back (even) from her fledgling business and on top of that to support Ellie Potvin’s heroic cancer fight by having her staff wear Ellie Buttons (read the story here)!

That’s how I came to know Hailey – she ordered some photo buttons (from my side project Buttons of Hope) to support a young girl she has never met. I’m always curious as to how people use my buttons so I stopped in Pigtails and Crewcuts in the Blakeney South shopping center – I wanted to meet Hailey. (OK…plus her shop is next to the new SAS Gourmet Cupcake Shop)

Pigtails & Crewcuts is a pretty cool place – especially if you’re a Mom (or Dad) looking for a kid-friendly, upbeat place to get a (tearless) haircut….but there’s more to Pigtails & Crewcuts than fun haircuts. Hailey Arthur is on a mission – she shared with me that her son Shep suffers from cerebral palsy and as so often happens necessity was the mother of invention – I’ll let her tell the story…

We have been trying to spread the word in the special needs community to let parent’s know to bring their kids to see us at Pigtails and Crewcuts Blakeney.  We understand that a haircut for a child with sensory processing disorder can be and horrifying experience.  I know this personally from my experience with Shep.  Our stylists are trained in working with kids, even kids with sensory issues.  We also do all we can to calm Mom and Dad to let them know that they are not alone and it will get better with time.

This is a lot of the reason we opened the store. Getting Shep’s haircut was always such a horrible experience.  He HATED having his head touch due to his sensory processing disorder and we would dread when he needed a cut.  We found a WONDERFUL stylist that was awesome with Shep and we stuck with her.  When we opened out store, we hired her.  So, she now works for us at Pigtails and Crewcuts Blakeney.

note: For the Grand Opening Oct. 13- Nov 30th,  Pigtails and Crewcuts Blakeney donated $1 from every haircut to the Easter Seals United Cerebral Palsy Children’s Center in Charlotte.  Shep graduated from their earlier this year.  An amazing place for children of all abilities!

So even while starting up a fledgling business smack dab in the worst economy ever Hailey Arthur finds a way to give back and then makes the time to wear buttons in support of a beautiful little girl! I’m going to bet Hailey Arthur is going to be cutting hair and giving back for a long time to come!

If you know of anyone who has a special needs child please let them know about what Hailey is doing at Pigtails and Crewcuts Blakeney – I think it’s an awesome idea and there are probably a lot of people in the Blakeney /Ballantyne area who have been waiting for this!

I like to help people who like to help – so here’s the thing…. if you’ve got kids, then you’ve got holiday haircuts coming up -  why not support a local business and a really cool person – stop by Pigtails and Crewcuts Blakeney for your holiDO! and then for an amazing treat stop by SAS for a gourmet cupcake! Tell ‘em TalkCharlotte sent ya!

Spoken by Mike Gibbons | Discussion: 1 Comment »

Friday Fun: Do I remind you of the eTrade baby?

November 20th, 2009 categories: Friday Fun, Michael Gibbons

OK today’s Friday Fun is about to get real serious! I have decided to try my hand at video – as many of you know I am an internet/social media superstar (I checked you can in fact self proclaim yourself a superstar) Kidding aside if you’re going to be a social media star – you have to do video so I’m in the process of testing out my (what I assumed was) an innate talent for online video. Hoping to entertain, inform and maybe inspire millions.

Well thanks to my wonderfully candid and no nonsense wife Rhonda – I may have to pull back a bit on my video adventure. Let’s just say the early reviews are….mixed. There’s some good news – Rhonda says (on video) I look like someone famous the bad news Rhonda says (on video) I look like someone famous! I’ll leave it you my readers to decide – what do you think do I remind you of the eTrade baby? (love to hear your comments on this one!)

as compared to my buddy

Spoken by Mike Gibbons | Discussion: No Comments »

Please Remember to Tip Your Realtors!

November 18th, 2009 categories: Charlotte Real Estate & More, Rhonda Gibbons

OK it’s a bit of a play on words – but the truth is…a good Realtor can be (as my daughter Emily would say) your BFF (best friend forever) as we are charged** with a serious fiduciary responsibility to be your 100% advocate (the BFF part is just icing). I’ve known the members of our TalkCharlotte team Betsy, Donna, Jackie, Blake and of course my favorite Rhonda for years and I can say without hesitation – I have never encountered a situation where one of us put our interest above those of our clients – not once! Do we make mistakes -YES, do we miss things – YES, do our personalities not always mesh perfectly with clients – YES  | but we never put our interests above those of our clients, period. (oh and while we don’t accept tips – gratitude and adulation are welcomed and encouraged – haha)

Our TalkCharlotte team does not only think different, we act different and that is invaluable in a market as crazy and fluid as is today’s Charlotte real estate market! Find a good Realtor, listen to them and share with them your needs, wants and wishes (those matter too).

Rhonda one of the good ones – had an interesting week – on Monday she was crestfallen as a client she had worked with for over a year was outbid on a short sale – sadly what had been a wonderful client relationship and friendship devolved as the client blamed Rhonda (on her Birthday no less) for their low ball bid falling short. But then today this (a more familiar response)…a warm letter of thanks for Rhonda’s exceptional service and extra-personal attention in helping another family relocate to Charlotte. As you read this note think to yourself when was the last time I received a handwritten note like this? It’s no surprise to me or anyone on our team – we’re just glad someone took the time to reflect the true Rhonda – we’re all so proud of her patience, professionalism and what she contributes to our team, the Charlotte community and to the many clients she has helped call Charlotte home!

This from Rhonda’s clients and BFFs…

**Here’s a general overview of just a few of the key principles REALTORS® willingly agree to under the Code: (for more information)

· REALTORS® avoid practices, which may harm the public.

· REALTORS® do not exaggerate, misrepresent or conceal facts related to property or transactions.

· REALTORS® protect and promote their clients’ interests and treat all parties fairly.

· REALTORS® represent themselves truthfully in advertising and other public forums.

· REALTORS® receive compensation from only one party, except where they make full disclosure and receive informed consent from their client.

· REALTORS® respect the exclusive, professional relationship that other Realtors® have with their clients.

· REALTORS® give equal professional service to all clients and customers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, disability, family status or national origin

. · REALTORS® willingly participate in ethics investigations and enforcement actions.

Spoken by Mike Gibbons | Discussion: No Comments »

GOOG 411 Easy-Peasy Free Charlotte Info and Phone Numbers

November 4th, 2009 categories: Good stuff we find

OK so maybe you know about Google’s free and easy 411 information service (it’s been around a while). Simply dial 1-800-466-4411 and voila (I like that word) you’ll get the phone number, address and even a follow up text message for any Charlotte business. Try it!

The great thing about GOOG 411 is it’s free, free, free….and while it may not always be perfect – hey if they give you the wrong number it’s not like you just wasted $1+ using the boneheaded phone company 411! Watch the GOOG 411 video here and if you’re feeling really geeky check out all the amazing and not so amazing (hey Google’s big but it’s not perfect) apps in the Google Product website…and if you’re wearing your tin foil hat check out Google Labs while you wait for word from the mother ship!

Spoken by Mike Gibbons | Discussion: No Comments »