I am a sook!

Lovely 'last day' blooms from Picturesque Hair xx

It’s been a funny time since we closed our little store in Mona Vale… I never realized how much I would miss it. But, it has been a part of me, part of our family really, for such a long time, it was never going to be a simple transition.

I thought, on the last day, that we would be fairly quiet. Most of our regulars had already been in throughout the month, and I had my two wonderful staff members Aerlie and Vivienne in to help with the ‘packing up’. I also thought that there would definitely be some tears.

In fact though, it was the opposite! 

We had one of the busiest days ever! 

So many regular customers, friends and locals visited us. It was quite overwhelming. Such a great way to end an era of Plie in Mona Vale, we closed on such a high! And I didn’t shed a single tear... I was too busy for that.

Last day celebrations!

The next morning felt a little different though. Heading back to our mostly empty store to pack it all up and take away what little ‘Plie-ness’ was left.

I sat on the floor packing shoes and thought about all the memories created in that one little space. It sounds so soppy and nostalgic, but it’s really true. Creating the store, waiting for the first lot of customers, our first and slightly clueless ‘back to dance’, dealing with morning sickness through unpacking boxes upon boxes of stock. Our kids playing in the store room, renovations, late nights, and lots and lots of laughs.

It was then I shed quite a few tears.

We made plenty of mistakes along the way… ordered too much, didn’t order enough etc etc But, then we got into the swing of things and enjoyed the rewards from creating such a great little store.

I am grateful for all our relationships we have formed with customers, with dance teachers, with stockists, and other local business. All of which will hopefully continue in the future with our online store.

Relaxing with the kids after a massive closing weekend

But, what I am most grateful for is the whole experience, starting something from nothing, ending up with something great, something I am so proud of, and doing it all (well most of it) with my two beautiful Sisters. 

For now, I am enjoying my break and some extra time with my kids. But, stay tuned. You cant get rid of me that easily… Our online store will be opening next month. And I am really excited about it, its looking GREAT! 

And, just so you know. It's been a few weeks now, but I still cant drive past the empty store, without a little lump forming in my throat. What a sook! xx

Looking Forward

It’s here, our last week in Mona Vale. It conjures up all sorts of emotions. Happy, sad, nostalgic, excited, anxious. I guess all the normal emotions one feels when there is a big change in their life. 

I have felt extremely proud these past few weeks, and very grateful, for the amount of customers who have been in to see us to tell us they are 'shocked that we're leaving', 'disappointed', 'sad', 'where will we go now?'. (and grabbed some amazing bargains too of course). But, I imagined how it would've felt for me to have decided to close and for no one to care! I do feel very lucky. 

Work on our new online store has commenced, and we are thrilled at the amount of support we have had from our Mona Vale customers. It’s tempting to just ride the wave of support and get the online store up and running straight away. But, hopefully our customers will wait for us. The whole point of closing Mona Vale was to give myself a break, so our online store will launch in September/October, complete with a new Summer range.

Sneak Peek of work on our online store

Some customers have come in very concerned that we have had to close because of some funny reasons 'didn't you get enough customers?', 'is it because of the carbon tax?', 'rents are so high these days', 'is it because of online stores? There will be no shops left soon'. Thankfully for Plie, it is none of the above. 

But it got me thinking about small local businesses and how much we need to support them. Its a lot of hard work, and a big commitment. And I know not all of them are as fortunate as we have been. It doesn't take much, just a small purchase, once a week or month. We all like to have great little shops and cafes in our area, it makes our little villages what they are. But we need to support them. We are always sad when they close, and then we realise that we only went in there a couple of times, and it was easier to 'get it when we were at the mall' or 'it was $2 cheaper' somewhere else... we all need to stop doing that. Or there really will be no one left… especially now there is a carbon tax : ) he he he

Closing the shop has been a lot of work! Nearly as much as opening 8 years ago I think... maybe it just feels that way. But, the amount of hard work these past couple of weeks has really cemented my decision and made me really look forward to the next few months as a ‘stay at home Mum’. And with kids as cute as mine, who wouldn’t look forward to that! : ) 

Plie is taking a little break...

Yep, that’s right. After 8 wonderful years in Mona Vale. Plie will close its doors at the end of July for the last time. 

Of course its been a very emotional decision. And we know there will be a lot of speculation as to why, how, who, what. So, what better place to tell the real story than on our blog.

As the die hard Plie fans will know, the business was started over 8 years ago by my two sisters, Alanna and Courtney. Fresh out of school, they took a massive risk and created a business from scratch that has now become a well known and, we’d like to think, much loved business on the Peninsula.

I joined the business 7 years ago, and we created another Plie in Mosman.

Both Alanna and I became Parents during that time, and babies and two stores was just too much. Mona Vale was the most prosperous, and convenient to our Northern Beaches homes, so Mona Vale stayed and Mosman was sold.

Early days at Plie Mosman. We actually hate this photo, but in all these years its the only one of the three of us! 

I have been running the business for the last couple of years on my own. Using the time I had left, after having another baby, transformed Plie into what it is today. A gorgeous haven for all things girly, and pretty, and I have LOVED it. 

But, even though I have loved the challenge. Having the store on my own has literally consumed my life. Having a small business is definitely not your ordinary 9 – 5 affair and combining that with a young (and hopefully ‘growing’) family, something had to give.

My Mum always says “your kids are only little for such a short amount of time” and I want to spend that time with them. And hopefully add another one to the brood too : )

We would like to thank you all for your continued support over the past 8 years and more. We have some really loyal and lovely customers, and obviously Plie wouldn’t be what it is today without you. Please make sure you stay in touch with us via our facebook page, blog and instagram @plieboutique.

Also a BIG BIG Thank you to the wonderful staff at Plie – Aerlie, Sabrina and Vivienne. The best staff members that anyone could wish for. It would never have been possible without the three of you.

We have created a great brand with Plie that we are very, very proud of.  When you have created something from the beginning, it’s hard to see it go to someone else. We wanted the intellectual property to remain ours, and that is why we decided not to sell the business.

This wont be the end for Plie, of that we are certain. Perhaps an online store, or a new location in the future. So please stay tuned.

Lots of love, Holly x

Social Media Madness

As I am sure you're aware there are many facets to running a small business, some exciting, some interesting, and some challenging. And on a whole, mostly rewarding.


The last couple of weeks, my challenge has been 'Social Media'. 


Having worked in Advertising for years as an Account Manager, leaving only to run Plie, I thought I still had some idea how the media world kind of worked.... 8 years out of the picture and wow how things have changed! 


'Back in my advertising days, no one 'pinned' anything, there was no 'tweeting' or 'poking' no 'following', no 'liking', 'posting', or 'sharing', no 'walls' and no 'timelines'. I think I had a personal myspace page, and that was about it! Of course I have facebooked, instagrammed, and pinned etc etc but until now, I have not really used it on a business level.


I know, I know, It's about time Plie and I got up to date! 


What a great medium it is for small business!  Customers 'choosing' to interact with you, at their leisure, at a time that suits them. We can personally contact our customers, and create a much more personal relationship with our customers. Its definitely not all about sales. It's so much more about building relationships and contacts.

The average Facebook user spends 20 minutes on his or her account during each visit * - thats alot of time for a customer to interact with you - and even better, all their friends follow the interaction too. There is really no other medium like it. 


And it works both ways. I have found some great products and suppliers for the store, just by using social media. Learnt new ways of merchandising, found window display inspiration and even a few awesome cupcakes for my kids parties. 


And most of all, its FUN! And just slightly addictive... 

Our first 'Social Media' promotion. To get involved,  visit us on facebook.com/pliedancewear or follow us on Instagram @plieboutique or, you can even just good old fashioned email us - enquiries@pliedancewear.com


*Experian - 2011 Social Media Consumer Report

'Eisteddfod Season'

Well, we are certainly in the midst of Dance Eisteddfod season at the moment. Of course we see so many beautiful dancers at Plie, all ready to do their best each week, and especially at the Eisteddfods.

Every year we’re impressed by how much young talent there is in our local dance schools. But even more impressive is the enthusiasm of all the young dancers and the commitment to their dance and their schools.

And, we’re not just talking about the dancers who win the competitions and blitz their exams, but also the dancers who just LOVE going every week to class. Who dance ALL the time. Who come into Plie and want every kind of dance accessory available to them, just cause they LOVE dance. Their passion is admirable. 

Just like my Niece Olivia. On the weekend, Olivia put on a dance performance for us. At home, she dressed up in her leotard, had her cousins ‘introduce’ her to her eager audience of Aunties and Uncles and cousins, and she danced her little heart out.

It was adorable.

Olivia reminded me on the weekend, how much I used to LOVE dance too. Although, unlike Olivia, I was no star, never blitzed any exam. But, I loved it all the same.

My Daughter Amalia watched her big Cousin like it was the most amazing performance ever. And has been playing ‘Dance Classes’ ever since.

Dance can get a little serious sometimes, and at Plie, we are witness to it all. So thanks Olivia, for reminding us what dance is really all about.

Olivia dances at Dynamite Performing Arts on Sydney's Northern Beaches. For any enquiries go to their website www.dynamitepa.com.au or give them a call on  02 9979 1277

Gotta love your Mum!

Even though I run a small business – first and foremost I am a Mum. I have two beautiful children - Amalia and Chase, who, along with my husband - Craig, are the light of my life.

A lot of the local and on line businesses that we love, are also run, just like ours, by Mums. We've come to hear a lot about this new term that’s been floating around – ‘Mumtrepeneurs’.

Did you know, that according to the Australian Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry that at least 700,000 Australian small businesses are run by women. And that ‘Mumtrepreneurs’ form one of the country's fastest-growing sectors.

Go Mums!

Just a few of our Northern Beaches Favourites are:

Little Paper Lane

Palm Beach Collection

Northern Beaches Kids Guide

Cornflower Blue

Little Pearl Designs

Little Feet Dance School

And of course many more…

While we’re on the subject of ‘Mums’, I have to make a special mention about mine. Without doubt the most supportive, amazing Mum/ Nonna/ Friend. I definitely wouldn’t be able to run Plie the way I do, without her help. Or do much else for that matter : ) Love you Mum.

Who is your favourite ‘Mumtrepreneur’ business? We would love to check them out. 

Inspirational 'Repetto'

At Plie our window displays are important to us, and we find inspiration from everywhere to create our themes and designs. We take pride in our window. Its a window to our store, what we stock, who we are, and how we would like to be viewed. In our search for ideas, there has been no one more inspiring than 'Repetto' Paris. It is truly an amazing store, and we just wanted to share some images with you.

You don't have to do dance, or even like Ballet to appreciate how amazing this store is. Imagine having a real life window mannequin. Or making bird cages look this amazing! We hope to create beautiful windows, but we can only dream of creating something this magical!