Good afternoon everyone! Welcome to today’s Twitterview of @ShopLen, with Kara Nesvig handling their Tweets. Lets begin!

Kara:    I’m here!

Super! To begin, where are your stores located currently?

Kara:    We’re at Southdale, Rosedale, MOA, Maplewood and City Center!

Any mens or womens only stores? Do you have an outlet anywhere as well?

Kara:    LEN stores sell both men’s&women’s merchandise @ 50% off the ticket. If they go on further sale, clearance store @ Southdale.

What is a “typical” shopper at Len like? Moms & Dads? 1st job outfit hunters? 20 or 30 somethings?

Kara:    It depends. Downtown: skyway workers. Southdale: Lotsa teens. MOA: Anyone & everyone! We carry many different styles.

Good to know! Variety is good. Tell us some of the history of the company. When did it start, why and where?

Kara:    Len Druskin (the man) opened his 1st store in ’70s in Edina. LEN stores began late 2000s, Southdale & DT were first.

It’s important not to mix up Len Druskin (Galleria/Gaviidae) and LEN! Same company, totally different stores! :)

For those not aware, what’s the difference between the 2 types of stores?

Kara:    Len Druskin sells full-price, brand name merch @ Galleria/DT (Len D Man, LD Len Druskin, LD Blues)

LEN stores = completely different buy, sold 50% off ticket. A “baby sister” store to Len Druskin. More fast fashion.

Nothing in a LEN store comes from Len Druskin.

Thanks for the explanation. So what are some “hot trends” at the store these days? What’s really moving of the racks?

Kara:    Women: Coated denim, infinity scarves, chambray shirts, “leather” jackets, fur vests, sheer blouses.

Men: Retro sports tees, office-to-”out” sweaters, straight leg jeans, wool peacoats

We get new merch almost daily so it’s always changing!

What is the general range of sizes that you have available in mens and womens clothing?

Kara:    Women: 0-12 or waist 24-30, S-XL, occasionally up to a size 15 jean. Men: 30-40, S-XXL. It depends on the vendors.

Good to know and make sure to ask of course. What are the store hours, and any #SpecialTips for shoppers?

Kara:    Probably easiest to direct you to our Facebook! http://facebook.com/shoplen  – All the stores have different hours!

#specialtips: Ask 4 help! Sales staff is trained to provide awesome service. Stop in frequently, merch changes often.

Good suggestions! Any special sales that people should come in for now or look out for soon?

Kara:    We’re always 50% off, but stay tuned for Black Friday! We’ll be doing something really fun!

Joel:    Ah, I see! :) Thank you very much Kara for talking about Len and what the store has to offer. Have a good weekend!

Kara:    For sure! Thank YOU!

[Interview was conducted on Friday Nov 2,2012]

Any mens or womens only stores? Do you have an outlet anywhere as well?

LEN stores sell both men’s&women’s merchandise @ 50% off the ticket. If they go on further sale, clearance store @ Southdale.

What is a “typical” shopper at Len like? Moms & Dads? 1st job outfit hunters? 20 or 30 somethings?

It depends. Downtown: skyway workers. Southdale: Lotsa teens. MOA: Anyone & everyone! We carry many different styles.

Good to know! Variety is good. Tell us some of the history of the company. When did it start, why and where?

Len Druskin (the man) opened his 1st store in ’70s in Edina. LEN stores began late 2000s, Southdale & DT were first.

It’s important not to mix up Len Druskin (Galleria/Gaviidae) and LEN! Same company, totally different stores! :)

For those not aware, what’s the difference between the 2 types of stores?

Len Druskin sells full-price, brand name merch @ Galleria/DT (Len D Man, LD Len Druskin, LD Blues)

LEN stores = completely different buy, sold 50% off ticket. A “baby sister” store to Len Druskin. More fast fashion.

Nothing in a LEN store comes from Len Druskin.

Thanks for the explanation. So what are some “hot trends” at the store these days? What’s really moving of the racks?

Women: Coated denim, infinity scarves, chambray shirts, “leather” jackets, fur vests, sheer blouses.

Men: Retro sports tees, office-to-”out” sweaters, straight leg jeans, wool peacoats

We get new merch almost daily so it’s always changing!

What is the general range of sizes that you have available in mens and womens clothing?

Women: 0-12 or waist 24-30, S-XL, occasionally up to a size 15 jean. Men: 30-40, S-XXL. It depends on the vendors.

Good to know and make sure to ask of course. What are the store hours, and any #SpecialTips for shoppers?

Probably easiest to direct you to our Facebook! http://facebook.com/shoplen  – All the stores have different hours!

#specialtips: Ask 4 help! Sales staff is trained to provide awesome service. Stop in frequently, merch changes often.

Good suggestions! Any special sales that people should come in for now or look out for soon?

We’re always 50% off, but stay tuned for Black Friday! We’ll be doing something really fun!

Ah, I see! :) Thank you very much Kara for talking about Len and what the store has to offer. Have a good weekend!

For sure! Thank YOU!

Welcome @SallyMcGraw and everyone following today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview! Lets learn about Sally and what she’s been up to.

Sally:    Delighted to be here!

Share with us a little bit about your background. Where you grew up, what kinds of things were you interested in?

Sally:    I grew up in Chicago suburbs. Back then I was very studious, but also a big performer: Singing, drama, band …

I loved writing from an early age. At 8, I had a teacher tell me I was talented. From then, pro writing was a goal.

So you new early on what you wanted to do. Where did you go to college and what did you major in? Good student?

Sally:    I went to @binghamtonu in upstate NY. Studied creative writing, which was a BLAST. Terrific program. I had a 3.9 GPA!

@binghamtonu I did learn that I suck at fiction. Ended up doing some journalism courses, which were more my speed.

Good for you! So when did you get into writing, and how did you choose to be a style & body-image writer?

Sally:    I worked as a copy editor and web producer right out of college. But I did some album reviews for http://Amazon.com

It wasn’t until I moved to MN that I wrote seriously. For local free papers. It was frustrating, tho, and I stopped

Around 2005 I kinda gave up. Then a friend suggested I blog about style in 2007, and I launched http://www.alreadypretty.com/

For me, style & body image are married. When I dress in ways that make me feel good, my body image soars. I love that.

And I wanted to share my ideas about the overlap with other women. Many of whom struggle with body image.

Share what you know or have experienced. Awesome! Who do you write for now, and any book news?

Sally:    I contribute fashion features to @StarTribune & posts to @TheFrisky, & continue my work on http://www.alreadypretty.com/

And yes! My first book is now available! Via Amazon: Book

It’s structured as a fun and accessible self-guided makeover. Non-judgmental, reader-friendly, and body-positive!

Is it new content, points from your blog or a combination of both? Were you overwhelmed by working on a book?

Sally:    I’d say that 10% is drawn from the blog, 15% from my work with individual style consult clients, & the rest original.

Working on the book while juggling writing, consulting, and various other work duties was overwhelming. But worth it!

I’ve wanted to publish a book since I was just a kid, and it’s amazing to have achieved that goal.

Oh! We’ll be having a launch party for the book @ArcValueVillage on August 17! More details on the blog soon.

Congratulations! Who would you say is the target audience for your book?

Sally:    Target audience for the book is anyone who feels excluded from traditional style guides.

Or hates being told that there are “right” and “wrong” ways to do style and fashion. The book is customizable.

I hope the book will help women see that they CAN be stylish in unique ways, and no matter their size/shape.

What are 2 simple tips you’d suggest women could apply to gain more confidence in their look?

Sally:    Find out if your body works better with skirts or pants. If you’ve been wearing one, try the other. See how you feel.

Some bodies work naturally with pants, others with skirts. Knowing which flatters your figure is key.

Tip #2 would be learn to accessorize. It takes time and practice, but it’s SO worth it! Accessories add polish.

Nearly all of my style consult clients omit accessories entirely. Until I show them how transformative they can be!

Good suggestions! To close, what can your blog readers expect from the next few posts?

Sally:    Later this week I’ll be talking about wardrobe multi-taskers – ways to use garments and accessories in unexpected ways.

And also the double-edged sword of non-conformism. Benefits to standing our and blending in, sartorially speaking.

Joel:    Good. Well thanks for your time and sharing your book release news! I hope that your launch party goes well.

Sally:    Thanks for a great Twitterview!

Welcome to today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview with Susie Peterson, the owner of @Suzetra on 50th & France. Lets get started!

Susie:    Sounds great Joel. I’m looking forward to it!

To start off with, share a little about yourself Susie. Where did you grow up and what did you like to do as a child?

Susie:    I grew up in West St. Paul, MN and although I enjoyed playing sports which included Soccer, Ringette (a girls form of hockey

we didn’t have girls hockey back then I mostly enjoyed shopping with my mom, Grandma and Aunt.They would take me to downtown St Paul

and we would take the bus downtown and I thought that was the coolest thing!

Sounds like fun! When did you first get really interested in clothes and retail?

Susie:    I was always interested in Clothing and dress up. Most kids outgrow dressing up in their moms clothes, but I never did. I was at

the Signal Hills Mall with my Mom at a store called the Stables and I was playing with the accessories and outfits-I was10 years old

I had 2 Great Aunts who were retail buyers at the time. One at Marshal Fields and the other in Duluth MN. My Mom explained to me

to me what it is that buyers do and she thought I was really good at it. So I asked my Grandma what her sister did as a buyer

and I asked my Aunt about the buying trips that she got to go on with my Great Aunt and from the ripe old age of 10 I was hooked!

Great story. When then did you start to get the feeling that you wanted to open up a boutique and decide on the name?

Susie:    Opening up a boutique was always a “Dream” of mine Something that I always strived for, but either it wasn’t the right time location

etc. So life went went about. Recently I was living in another state one that suffered terribly from the economic downturn and

and consequently I was laid off twice in 3 years. Opening a boutique was no longer a dream, but a reality There was no better time

than the present So I moved home and everything fell into place and I found a great location It’s great having support of friends

and family. I love cathching up with old friends when they stop in!

So how did you come up with the name, and what kind of style of clothes do you feature?

Susie:    Long Story short, but I got the nickname Suzetra in French class and thought that would be a perfect name for my boutique, Since I’m

ocated off of 50th and France the name fit perfectly! I have an assortment of cocktail wear to casual wear. I wanted to create

that was different than the rest in the sense of one boutique carries jeans, another one dresses. I wanted a boutique one stop shop.

What’s the price range of your clothes and what are your hours of operation?

Susie:    Suzetra’s hours are Monday- Saturday 10-6 and on Sunday from 12-5 I get a lot of feedback about my customers liking my price points

Many of the styles are priced below $100 with the exception of jackets, Holiday and premium denim. Shirts range from $28-$80 and

non premium denim starts at $80-$100.

Do you have any specials that you’re running right now?

Susie:    Yes I do. 50% off dresses!

Joel:    Thanks Susie very much for sharing your story today on #MNMOtv. All the best with your store in a great retail neighborhood.

Susie:    Thanks Joel!