blah blah blah-g: Online shopping

80/20 Mindset: Shopping Big & Small

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with their loved ones and are feeling the holiday spirit. As the final autumn leaves fall and we enter the thick of the holiday season, shopping for the perfect gifts is at the top of everyone’s to-do list. And it can feel oh-so-easy to open Amazon and purchase with the single click of a button. Hello, timesaver. With a million other hectic things to prepare for this time of year, the ease of buying gifts from corporate giants is tempting. Because as much as we’d all love to spend 100% of our budget on shopping local, sometimes it simply is not feasible.

But that doesn’t mean you should exclusively shop at giant retailers, either! In moderation, you can find a balance. Use the 80/20 guideline: 80% corporate, 20% local.

It’s an easy mantra to apply going into your holiday season, and it helps make a big impact on the local community. Here are just a few benefits of dedicating a small portion of your gift-giving budget to local vendors:

You are boosting the economy around you.

Visualize the money that you spend at a local business staying local — you are literally investing in the betterment of your hometown.

Your gifts will be one-of-a-kind.

When you purchase from a local artist, maker, or small business, you get to give presents that can’t be found anywhere else. Nothing beats that kind of satisfaction.

You are making an eco-friendly decision.

Buying gifts from a smaller-scale business rather than a giant corporation means that you’ve chosen to reduce any additional pollutants.

You know exactly who you are buying from.

Have you ever felt guilty about not knowing where and how your gifts were sourced and assembled? There’s more peace of mind when you buy directly from a local maker.

You are supporting the dreams of a business owner in your hometown.

And you have the chance to directly impact the livelihood of that artist, craftsman, or maker in your own community.

The reality is that it’s not always easy to shop local - but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. With Small Business Saturday approaching on Saturday, November 27th, remember the 80/20 rule as you scroll through your gift-giving guide. That small push to add a few local gifts to your shopping cart will leave a big impact! So thank you for choosing us to be a part of your list. Anything big or small really means the world to us and we are thankful for you ❤️

Happy Holidays!

xoxo go play, Jill & crew

meet the hello ruby crew!

come kick back at HQ with the hello ruby gals! we're entering the holiday szn (yay!), and we figured you'd want to meet the faces behind all the clothes, packages, and events that you won't want to miss this year! we love the little "family" that hello ruby has cultivated and we get so excited when everyone is in the office, it's so fun!

introducing, jewelry flights™, from hello ruby!

we've seen beer flights, wine flights, and the coffee flights from our friends at Zen Coffee Company have been all the rage as of late! we couldn't resist the fun and have decided to put our hello ruby twist on things. 

our jewelry flights ™ are flying in to deliver you a whole new accessory look! not only will you get a new necklace, bracelet, earrings, and hair clips, but also the cutest wood paddle & glasses that will be the perfect decoration in any part of your home. everything included is valued over $135 but with our exclusive jewelry flight you get it all for $75 with FREE shipping! get your on board now, quantities are limited, & we'll sell out fast!

jewelry flight 

what's included:

• your very own flight (including wood paddle and 4 glasses) to keep and use on whatever your heart desires -- retails at $39.99
• one gold plated fight or flight front clasp necklace -- retails at $28
• one gold plated in the pearl clasp bracelet -- retails at $20
• one set of gold plated always yours smiley earrings -- retails at $24
• one set of our mini babe clips -- retails at $8
• shipping directly to you -- $16

we've always loved collaboration and we are having the flight collaboration of your (& our) dreams! Zen Coffee Company is also launching their Toast Flight series! we've taste-tested the line-up and you guys are going to be O B S E S S E D 🙌  i could literally eat the caprese toast every. single. day.

if you're a flight fanatic like us, get your hands on our drop of ‘catch flights, not feelings’ crewneck in collaboration with Zen! there is no coincidence that the jewelry in our flights are the perfect accessories and also gives you extra room to fill up on toast & coffee- we're professionals don't forget it.

shop with us online at shophelloruby.com to lock in your flight and get a taste of Zen's flight selections at their two locations, 2504 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68131 & 2505 S 133rd Plaza, Omaha, NE 68144.

happy wednesday all! it's been awhile but we're back on the blog with some exciting news!

we're collaborating with local Omaha based boutiques and are coming to ya with multiple HUGE sticker sales for up to 90% off your favorite items! how is the possible may you ask? here's the DL.

it all started when my friend Katie, owner of Little Mango a kids boutique, and I decided to do a blowout sale to make room for new inventory in our boutiques. we rented out an old Hallmark off 120th & dodge to create a make-shift store front (dressing rooms made of old card holders to boot) and have been doing the same thing ever since.

we search for spaces to all over the omaha area to rent for a weekend and sell everything from sweaters, jackets, graphic tees, jeans, dresses, and more for as little as $5-$25!! (literally up to 90% off you guys, that's insane.)

events like this even sparked a new venture for Katie and I called A Local Collective. through this we've gotten to team up so many new small businesses across the state by hosting online shopping events to connect each other to new opportunity. 

come shop this huge boutique warehouse sale & say hello to me, Katie, & our other local friends!

Boutique Warehouse Sale | West

633 N 114th St, Omaha, NE 68154

Thursday, Jan. 28 / 11-5
Friday, Jan. 29 / 11-5
Saturday, Jan. 30 / 10-4

Boutique Warehouse Sale | Midtown

3201 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68131

Thursday, Feb. 4 / 11-5
Friday, Feb 5 / 11-5
Saturday, Feb 6 / 10-4

Boutique Warehouse Sale | Online

shophelloruby.com || alocalcollectivene.com

Starts: Monday, Feb. 15 / 8am CST
Ends: Friday, Feb. 20 / 11:59pm CST

Maybe you’ve heard?l But maybe you haven’t. We started with in person popups and here’s where we are going....

A Local Collective Nebraska Hosts Small Shop Online Virtual Market

Omaha – In an effort to support small businesses in Nebraska, A Local Collective will be hosting an online virtual market on Friday, April 24 – Sunday, April 26, 2020. The goal of A Local Collective is to create a one-stop shopping platform that focuses on bringing a variety of online small Nebraska-based businesses together in one place, while also making it easy for customers to shop the online market with one universal discount code valid this weekend only.

Due to the recent global situation due to Covid-19, many small businesses have been significantly impacted and have experienced a loss in sales. As a result, A Local Collective realized a need to move quickly and think creatively about how to market small businesses in Nebraska. This is where the idea of the Online Virtual Market came from.

By creating this online space, each individual business will be able to direct their customers to the website to shop their sale while also introducing their customers to other small shops in Nebraska. Small businesses are the core of our communities and it is vital we continue to support these brands and keep our shopping dollars local when possible.

A Local Collective’s online virtual market features clothing and accessory boutiques for men, women and children, dog accessories, hair products, artisan bags, jewelry, gift items and paper goods.

A Local Collective was established in 2018 by Katie Manganaro, owner of Little Mango Children’s Boutique and Jill Dudzinski, owner of Hello Ruby Women’s Boutique. Both women saw a need to collaborate with other local, small businesses to help promote each other and learn best business practices and new ideas. A Local Collective’s first event was a Small Shop Holiday Market located inside Westroads Mall in November & December 2018.

For more information, please visit https://alocalcollectivene.com