Fresh Produce Blog

Greetings! Secretsuny here, a brand new addition to the FP Team. As a fresh face here in this bright and colorful office, I’m excited to learn about everything Fresh and to contribute my skills as a marketing intern. I’m no stranger to Boulder, however. I’ve lived in this beautiful town for the last four years, attending the University of Colorado where I am currently finishing my last semester.

Yesterday was my first day at FP, and after a dizzying tour of the office, its warehouse and its many friendly faces, I was recruited to assist with an inaugural project – to make banners advertising a sale in our retail stores. We gathered around a conference table and proceeded to cut felt hearts and sew them onto the many banners, creating a colorful and adorable result. I admit that I was completely unprepared to participate in arts and crafts on the first day (I have no idea how to sew!), but I was impressed by FP’s whimsical spirit and its ability to connect to its customers. So keep an eye out for those exquisitely handmade and personalized banners at any one of our stores .

Happy Birthday ME! Mary Ellen’s birthday was on Wednesday, so we thought it only appropriate to wear some Fresh Produce or pieces from the Mary Ellen clothing line (in stores now!) Have a looksie…fresh-E

…and sometimes when you leap, you soar. Meet the ME Collection. A happy little exclamation point in the life of Fresh Produce.

Each ME piece is a little beach, a little chic - with the rosy outlook of designer and FP founder Mary Ellen Vernon stitched right in. It’s a handful of fabulous fabrics, delicious colors and prints, and cuts ranging from flirty to fashion-forward; yet each piece is bike-tested for blissful cruising. Happy trails!

Now available in these premium Fresh Produce locations.
Boulder / 1218 Pearl Street / 303.442.7507
Charleston / The Shops at Charleston Place / 843.724.5144
Coconut Point / 23161 Fashion Drive / 239.390.9696
Ft. Lauderdale / 912 E Las Olas / 954.463.8131
Gilbert / SanTan Village / 480.855.1035
La Jolla / 1147 Prospect / 858.456.8134
Naples / 691 Fifth Avenue South / 239.434.5654
Norcross / The Forum on Peachtree Parkway / 678.966.0056
Palm Desert / The Gardens on El Paseo / 760.568.5250
Sanibel Island / 2075 Periwinkle Way / 239.395.1839
West Palm Beach / The Palladium at City Place / 561.655.3944

Available to purchase online in May.
Patience is a virtue, right?

www.maryellenclothing.com

Have a peek at the launch party held in our Boulder store this week.
Enjoy fresh-E

Introducing the ME Collection!

A little happy exclamation point in the
life of Fresh Produce!

Mary Ellen, giving us the preview!

More great stuff…love those colors!!!

Some of the design crew.

Boulder FP girls…Jen and Gail wearing ME.

Mike and Shyla, sporting her new ME tie dress…so cute!

Hello everyone!
Last week, I was alerted to some “Do-Goodingness” back in the warehouse…It seems that Julia (fpHoneyB’s mom), had gotten together with some of her girlfriends and had created some AWESOME Christmas gift packets for the children at the Lovia School in Accra, Ghana. The preschool was funded with love by Carol Freund, mother of our own Customer Service Diva, Kathe. The school started with 10 kids in a garage and now lovingly supports 150 students! I can’t wait to see pics of the kids once they’ve received their lovingly created packages. Not only did Julia and her friends send 200 gift packets for the students and their siblings, but they also sent crayons, notebooks, fun pads, playdough, pencils, and hygiene packets for the children. What a great way to live the FP Life at the holidays!

By the way, all of us at Fresh Produce want to know how you’re living the FP Life too! Please send me (ehendley@fpcolor.com) some pics and stories so that I can post them on the blog and share them with everyone! Or, if you have a friend or family member you’d like to nominate for the way they are Living the FP Life, please write a profile on this person because like I said, I’d love to highlight some of your “Do-Goodingness”!

Have a great Turkey Day! ~fresh-E

Julia, with her lovingly crafted gifts

Toys galore, and look at the cute hand-stamped packages!

Hello there and Happy Monday!

Last week, I introduced you all to Teresa, who is one of the talented individuals behind our new stores and their design. In her employee profile, she didn’t feel like she gave us the full story behind where she finds her inspiration…so much so, that she gave me the full story behind how the new Fresh Produce stores are evolving.

Check it out! Pretty cool stuff…

Where do you find your inspiration?  for props - the ideas come from all kinds of crazy places.

Hello all of you FP Blog fans! I haven’t done an Employee Profile in awhile, so today I’d like to introduce you to Teresa, our uber creative & talented store designer. If you have visited a remodeled or brand new store, she’s one of the masterminds behind it. Besides being creative, she is also a do-gooder in one of the biggest senses of the word. Recently, Teresa designed, made, and donated pieces from her one-of-a-kind jewelry line which were auctioned off to benefit the Longmont Humane Society. What a creative way to Live the FP Life! Pics from the auction courtesy of Silver Lining Productions.

Catch up with her in a recent interview:

- Describe your job…I have the best job in the world, I get to make things pretty!
- How long have you worked at Fresh Produce? 2 1/2 years
- What is the best thing about your job?  the people that I work with and the freedom to be myself
- What is your favorite color (doesn’t have to be an “FP specific color”)  Neptune and semisweet
- Describe your typical day at work…all kinds of things… looking for inspiration and new ways of showing the fp life,  looking for new ideas in merchandise fixtures, putting together storyboards,  shopping for fun props, painting and modifying props - its all about props and color!
- Where do you find your inspiration?  in the craziest places….
- Who is your favorite artist? Nicole Seifert
- What is your favorite song? What’d I Say by Ray Charles
- What did you have for breakfast?  coffee and a bottle of water
- What do you want to be when you grow up?  Run a siberian husky rescue in the mountains- or let them run me…that is kind of the husky way 

Teresa and her “pack”

That’s right folks, she also fosters kitties!

A few of Teresa’s lovely designs to be auctioned

The Longmont Humane Society’s Auction

Such cute centerpieces!

I thought all of you readers out there might enjoy learning about what happens behind the scenes here at FP. The best way to do that, I figured, would be through a series of interviews with our employees. Our first interview is with Katie in Design, an incredibly talented and super sweet lady, who’s always upbeat and smiling…enjoy:)  fresh-E

- Describe your job…I create graphics for our T-shirt designs.

- How long have you worked at Fresh Produce? I worked in the Boulder retail store for 5 years during college. Then, I went out to work for Zinnia’s in Martha’s Vineyard, one of our Handpicked stores. And, I’ve been on the Design Team for 3 years. So, altogether, I’ve been working for Fresh Produce about 10 years.

- Do you have a favorite screenprint or pattern that you’ve designed?
I really like the Big Turtle for the Kids Ringer Tees that are new for Spring 2008. It’s fun and silly.

- What is your favorite color (doesn’t have to be an “FP specific color”)
I love turquoise. It always makes me feel calm when I wear it.

- Describe your typical day at work…I come in and chat with the Design girls for a few minutes, get some coffee and check my email. I usually try to start sketching as soon as I can and getting images into the computer to play with. Some days I get to paint with watercolors or do something weird like dipping flowers in paint and pressing them onto paper. I do have some boring paperwork to do, but I try get that out of the way so that I can be creative.

- Where do you find your inspiration? I get inspiration from thinking about a great vacation. The vibrant colors, sea animals, and plants that inhabit islands are great subjects. And fun stuff like surfing and building sand castles is what FP is all about.

- Who is your favorite artist? I could never say one! I love Paul Klee, Egon Schiele, and John Singer Sargent. But, the list goes on and on.

- What is your favorite song? Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” is a good one. I also like “Bring it On Home” by Sam Cooke

- What did you have for breakfast? Cereal… coffee, and more coffee

- What do you want to be when you grow up? A cowgirl.