We love Black Wagon for hip kids’ clothes (www.blackwagon.com). Clever Parents caught up with Sarah Shaoul, owner of Black Wagon to talk about clothes, lust at first sight, babies, celebrities and style.

A native of Kansas, Sarah Shaoul spent the summer before her college graduation in Portland, Oregon and fell in love with it… all except for its lack of shopping venues. So with English degree in tow, Sarah packed up and headed northwest to open a buy, sell, trade clothing store and ‘fill a much needed niche in Portland.’

Her store, Retread Threads was a very hip spot and quickly evolved from strictly a vintage and buy/sell/trade store to a destination for new items by local independent designers to the only place to buy Paul Frank, limited edition Vans and collections from small independent designers from around the world. Her boutique became a destination for trend setters and a regular stop for musicians on tour and actors, too. Most notable: The Red Stripes, Sonic Youth, Elliot Smith, The Dandy Warhols, Sleater Kinney, Winona Ryder and Benicio Del Toro. MTV even filmed an episode of Road Rules at Retread Threads.

The most important person Sarah met through Retread Threads (which grew into two stores) was her husband, Tim Cook, who came to the shop per the suggestion of his band leader (he was a key board player in a hip hop band at the time) so she could set him up with some proper attire for the stage. ‘It was truly lust at first site,’ says Sarah. ‘Love quickly followed.’

In May of 2004, Sarah gave birth to her son, Oliver. ‘As soon as I had my son I found that there was no one great place to find clothing for babies and children – especially boys – that reflects a new generation of savvy and hip parents and their children,’ says Sarah, 38. ‘I took Oliver (then 3 months old) to a trade show in Las Vegas and spent the entire time shopping for hip, cool and independent children’s collections.’

Shortly after Black Wagon came to be. Ready for a new adventure and looking for something that would allow more time to spend with her baby, Sarah launched Black Wagon from Retread Threads and last spring parted the store to put all her energies into Black Wagon and her son.

‘I really love running an on-line store and the freedom to spend more time with my family. It’s still a lot of work, but I learned so much with my first two stores that somehow it was easier. There is so much excitement and enthusiasm with new projects, too!’ As for new projects, Sarah is currently in the process of signing a lease on Black Wagon’s flagship store that she hopes to open sometime this spring. The building is being remodeled so it could be as early as April, as late as June.

When Sarah’s not busy running a business and raising a family, what does she like to do? ‘Going out to dinner with my husband, a glass of wine with my fabulous group of girlfriends and any outdoor activity, walking, biking, skiing.’ She adds (not surprisingly), ‘I do love to shop, too!’

Be sure to visit www.blackwagon.com for great children’s fashion finds.

If you live in the South (or have visited in the last 15 years), it’s likely you have heard of New South cuisine. If you’re a gourmet, you probably have heard of Donald Barickman, one of the South’s most prominent chefs, often credited with sparking the culinary revival of Charleston in 1990 with the establishment of Magnolias restaurant.We caught up with the famous chef and learned about his favorite foods, his inspirations for New South cuisine, how he balances work and family (he has twin sons, William and Stuart, 12), tips for Clever Parents when entertaining at home, and more. Plus – a great New Year’s Eve recipe from Barickman’s fabulous Magnolias Southern Cuisine cookbook.
Clever Parents: Have you always been interested in cooking and being a chef? What made you choose your profession?
Donald Barickman: I have always been interested in cooking. From cookies and brownies as a kid to pizzas, farm fresh produce and various meats in my teen years to the more classical dishes with involved preparations upon graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1985. I then moved to the South to focus on ingredients local to the area putting a modern spin on classic Southern dishes, focusing on simple cooking methods while striving to keep their indigenous lowcountry connotations.

CP: Tell us about your inspirations for New South cuisine.
DB: I have always been inspired by the cuisine of the South as we often traveled here for the majority of our family vacations. After learning so much from the CIA, I realized that there was a Southwest cuisine but no Southeast cuisine? It was obvious that every one thinks that all food is fried in this area and it needed some updating. I believe that my inspiration can best be explained through the accomplishments of Magnolias over the past 15 years. It has truly changed the way that menus are written these days. Collard greens, grits, and country ham and corn bread are elevated to a whole new level as a result of the birth of New South cuisine.

CP: It is getting to be fall and winter now. What are some of your favorite foods to cook with this season?
DB: I like to cook slower in the Fall. Barbecue shoulders and ribs, braised items and stews that warm the heart and soul as well as the belly. It is also a great time for oysters and clams whether steamed or raw.

CP: Being the father of twin boys has got to be challenging enough, how do you manage being a father when you’re also running three different restaurants? What are your favorite family activities?
DB: That’s a good question and I find myself answering it as I go along. It is important to have a balance. With more that two elements, it is hard to find that balance. At different times, certain things need more attention than others, being flexible is part of the solution. I try to make time for everything and everyone, including our pets. Some of our favorite family activities are fishing, hiking, biking, water sports, snow skiing and home cooking.

CP: When dining out (in Charleston or when you travel) where do you like to eat?
DB: Of course I know Charleston and its restaurants, I have my favorites. Having children also influences where and when you eat out. It’s great to see the children’s palate change as much as they do when they’re growing up. They have good taste which usually means expensive taste.

When traveling, I usually like to eat where the locals go or where they recommend. I also like to keep up with the newer places in various destinations when I travel. Usually I read about them in the trade magazines or hear about them through the “food and beverage pipeline.”

CP: Do you have tips for other Clever Parents for entertaining at home?
DB: If you are entertaining at home, I recommend cooking what you are comfortable with. When making your menu, choose items that can be done in advance and a few that you can complete that evening. This way you can heat and serve the prepped ones and focus on the main ingredient that may be grilled or sautéed and must be served right away. If you are trying something totally new, it’s best to experiment with it until you have figured it out. Practice makes perfect!

Want to learn more about Donald Barickman’s restaurants? Visit www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com where you can also order a signed copy of Donald Barickman’s cookbook Magnolias Southern Cuisine for $19.95 – buy the book here.

Also, looking for a fabulous recipe for New Year’s Eve? Try these delicious Crab and Yellow Corn Cakes with Tomato, Corn and Chive Butter from the Magnolias Southern Cuisine cookbook.

tobi wood designs produces hand made notebooks, notecards and magnets. Tobi currently has six collections: bulb, garden, leaf, petal, shape and holiday. Her designs have a modern, clean, fun feel. In an age of email, text messaging, and e-cards, Tobi’s work is the perfect solution for the “tactile” person…CP: To start off, tell us a little about tobi wood designs.
Tobi Wood: i have always made cards for friends and family, and on more than one occasion toyed with the idea of starting my own business. the line i was making previous to this one was way too labor intensive, making it difficult to keep up with orders. people loved them, but kept telling me i really should sell some of my graphic work. i love paper. always have. i am a very tactile person. and i guess with my print design background, the paper thing just came naturally. its what i know. (but i do have to confess, i am a fabric freak as well. i can’t even tell you how many swatches of material i have. one day i would love to be able to explore having my designs made in to linens, pillows etc.) anyway, i had just had a baby (last year) and resigned from my job to be a stay at home mom. i had numerous designs on file, so I brought out my best ones and thought, lets give it a shot and print these. so we did. i taught myself (and am still learning) how to make a web site and went from there. fortunately i come from a family where the creative juices run wild

CP: Did you major in art or graphic design?
TW: i did major in art.

CP: Have you always been creative?
TW: i worked in advertising for 12 years, as a graphic designer and art director. my design style is very simple. i like clean lines and i like color. and then i like a little
funkiness on the side.

CP: Wow, I’m jealous. I couldn’t trace my hand and get five fingers. How do you market your designs?
TW: oh you could, you just have to practice. :) everyone has SOME creativity. you just have to find it. as far as marketing goes, i am trying several things. i just sent out my first press release, word of mouth, advertising within the indie community and then trying to get in some retail stores. i would eventually like to go to the national stationery show in nyc. that’s big time! ;)

CP: When you say, advertising in the indie community, do you mean the Creative Loafing publications and that sort of thing?
TW: i guess i mean more through other indie sites more than anything. i did some advertising with a local company that sends out emails to subscribers in your city to let people know whats going on. and i am on trunkt.com. they have been great for me. now if i can just get on daily candy. :)

CP: What’s been the biggest surprise since starting your business?
TW: whats not a surprise? there have been so many things to learn. i certainly didnt go into this thinking i knew what i was doing, but after a year of doing this, i realize how far i have come and just how much i have learned. and still HAVE to learn.

CP: When you aren’t being a mommy and an artist/entrepreneur, what are your outside interests?
TW: oh i like to do lots of things. but if i am not being a mom, wife and a designer, then i like to be gardening. i love gardening. and cooking.

CP: Finish this sentence, my ideal date night is…
TW: ideal date night. hmm. order thai food and curl up on the couch with my hubby and watch a great movie, and listen to the hum of the sound machine in our daughters room thru the monitor. right now, i just dont need anything that fancy.

CP: That’s great, casual and low-key is a fun date night, I agree. I notice that you don’t like capitalizing words, is it intentional grammatical rebellion, or is the Shift key broken on your PC?
TW: funny! nope, its quicker for me not to. i am a terrible typist and if i tried to capitalize and puncutate correctly all the time, i would be here all day.

CP: given your many other talents tobi, we’ll let it slide….

Purchase stationery, notecards, and magnets at www.tobiwooddesigns.com. Tobi donates 75 cents of every purchase to the international waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (an extremely rare blood cancer) foundation. For more info, check out their site or look them up in our charities Charity section. www.iwmf.com

Spotlight on Monica Lee Studios: Monica Lee (www.monicaleestudios.com) is an illustrator and designer who primarily works in the children’s market (illustrating books) and the gift and licensing industries. Monica’s children’s work includes illustrating The Jumping Hat, by Marilyn Katz about a little boy named Harry and his quest to catch a straw hat that jumped away. In addition to children’s work and other graphic design, Monica designs stamps for Inky Antics (www.inkyantics.com). She is also the designer of the Clever Parents logo, which we hope will make her famous worldwide.
We picked Monica’s brain about starting your own business, balancing work and life, exercising your creative muscle…

Clever Parents: What made you want to start your own business?
ML: I have always wanted to work for myself, even in college. When I was just out of high school, I stumbled into a job decorating a large department store. I realized I was self motivated and I liked the creative challenge.

Monica runs her business out of her home which has its plusses and minuses. The best part? “Not having to drive to work on snowy days!” The worst? “Having work spill over into the weekends.”

Which leads to the question of balance: If you never have to commute to get to work, work is always with you. We asked Monica is she had any tips for other Clever Parents about balancing work and family.

Her advice: invest some time in yourself and don’t feel guilty about it, “It really helps that my family takes what I do seriously even though I have a home office. It took me a while to take myself seriously but I keep regular office hours and have developed an after school routine that lets me get work done even when my son is home. If you are planning a new venture and don’t want to take time away from your small children set up even a few work hours in the week or on the weekend when someone else can watch your children. Don’t run errands, don’t feel guilty. It is ok to have time for your new venture, allow yourself to do it, guilt free. In a couple of years, when your children are grown you will be thankful for investing some time in yourself.”

Working out your creative muscle…
Clever Parents: Have you always been creative?
ML: “You would have to ask my mom, but I do think she really encouraged me in this area. I was shy and quiet and I decided in the third grade that I wanted to be the best artist in my class (maybe I was a bit competitive too).”

Clever Parents: For those of us who aren’t artistically-inclined, how can we inspire creativity in kids?
ML: The first thing you can do is to stop believing you aren’t artistically inclined! You BECOME what you believe. Start telling your kids that creativity applies to every area of their lives, cooking, playtime, gift giving, how you celebrate holidays. Creativity is about HOW YOU THINK, and it is a muscle that can be exercised every day. Tell them you want self-portraits for gifts on your birthday; get them to hand make birthday cards. Take them to craft stores, especially scrap booking stores, have them pick out a few embellishments and then create collages with them and old catalogs. Grandparents love anything homemade. We decorate cookies at Christmas; we all sat down one afternoon and created a portrait of our new puppy. Ask them for specific things if they are a bit lost, but if you have lots of supplies, kids will create! Keep your supplies handy and available so set-up and clean up is not a chore.

Clever Parents: How can we inspire creativity in ourselves?
ML: Frequent places that inspire creativity, whether it is online, in bookstore, fabric stores, cooking stores or craft stores. Just hanging around or being exposed to things that your find different or inspiring helps get your mind going. Get used to thinking that creativity is an asset to every area of your life, your work life and your family life. What ever creative pool you dip your toes into, don’t expect perfection. Have a light heart, a good laugh and a good time.

- Monica Lee lives in New England with her biggest supporters, her son Luke, stepson Connor, and husband Tom.

Promom Couture offers a selection of fun, stylish and chic messages on t-shirts, tanks and thermals. Messages include ‘Happy Mom,’ ‘peacelovemom,’ ‘Knock-Out Mom,’ and ‘Carpool Candy.’ Next up, according to CEO and Mom Vicki Stern-Brown, “I see us taking the brand and creating a lifestyle of Promom Couture. A lot of new lines we’re going to roll out in 06.” The company is finalizing plans for different kinds of t-shirts, tank tops and yoga pants, an intimates line and possibly a move into active wear.You can find Promom Couture online or in retail stores. Check out their website for a list of retailers.
Vicki’s Business Tips:

• Be Relentless in Sales
  Their first big account, Olive and Bette’s in New York, bought 100 peacelovemom shirts and instead of selling them, gave them to all of their best mothers as mother’s day gifts. Olive and Bette’s now sells promom couture t’s online at www.oliveandbettes.com. How did she nab space at such a prime retailer? Vicki says she got the account by being a ‘relentless mom.’
• Find Inspiration Everywhere, Everyday
  The most popular shirt, peacelovemom, came to Vicki during a spinning class. Vicki feels that it is the most popular because ‘it goes across the board because it applies to everyone.’Seek Out Advice
• Vicki strongly recommends having a board of advisors with knowledge in your business area. Especially if you do not have a background in the field, as was the case with the Promom Couture. None of the company’s founders had backgrounds in fashion, so they solicited help from veterans. ‘You hear so much about back-biting, but we have encountered nothing but the most gracious women and men.’

- Vicki Stern-Brown

Is motherhood stylish? Would wearing a shirt letting the world know that you are a ‘Happy Mom,’ a ‘Knock-Out Mom,’ or ‘Carpool Candy’ make you feel good? A group of moms in Atlanta is betting on it.‘Parenting, motherhood, fatherhood – it’s in, it’s hip – some days you do feel unbalanced, but it’s about thinking of when you had your child and celebrating parenthood – wearing a ‘Happy Mom’ shirt – it can change your emotion,’ says Vicki Stern-Brown, CEO of Promom Couture and mom of a son, 10, and daughter, 7.

After working more than 5 years as a litigation attorney, Vicki had her first child and went back to work. But the long hours required as a litigation attorney no longer appealed to her so she left law and turned pro. “Promom,” that is.

Applying the energy she formally focused on law, Vicki originally planned on writing a book to celebrate her new found love of parenting. But literary fame faded (for now) and stylish moms everywhere are the better for it. As the writing stalled, the fashion stars aligned and Vicki met Lori Poyner while sitting on the sidelines at their sons’ baseball games.

They saw in each other a kindred spirit: both previously worked in the corporate world (Vicki as a litigation attorney, Lori as a foreign currency advisor) and both left the corporate fast-track for the even faster-paced world of the professional mom.

‘I didn’t set out to start a business, it kind of just evolved that way,’ says Vicki. ‘It was a natural evolution. It’s a passion.’ So with an initial investment of $5,000 each, Vicki and Lori created Promom Couture. The plan was to get a graphic artist, make t-shirts, then make sales. ‘The artist was brilliant,’ says Vicki ‘but we couldn’t afford her so we made her a partner.’ (That made Karen Gold partner number three.) As they started to progress and sales were taking off (think Nordstrom and well-known boutiques), they took a fourth and last partner – Suzanne Simkin – who came in and ‘buttoned it all up.’

‘We all come from very different places,’ says Vicki. But one common thread is the belief that moms are vital, healthy, beautiful, balanced, together women who feel comfortable with the choices in life that they make whatever these may be.

How is Vicki a ‘Balanced Mom?’ ‘I stay up very late at night. I get up early in the morning. I want to have that quality time with my kids. Sometimes the kids say, ‘You’re working on Promom, but we want you to come over here.’ It’s important to listen to that and get that. I make an effort to contain my work to school hours. I drive carpool. I go on field trips.’

When Vicki’s not running a business and raising a family, she loves to run. ‘This whole thing started with us running around Chastain (Park, in Atlanta).’ Also, she and her husband love movies – Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Ferris Beuller’s Day Off are favorites.

Is Promom Couture a fashion trendsetter? Yes. ‘In my mind, motherhood has always been stylish, but we’re taking it, turning it on its side,’ says Vicki. ‘We are fashion forward and setting a trend because it has never been done before.’

Vicki’s favorite designer? Anything she can wear with Promom shirts… throw on her Lucky jeans on a regular day… or don a taffeta skirt for a black tie event (hey, if Sharon Stone can do it, why can’t I?) and she’s off and running.

Buy Promom Couture shirts at your nearest retailer or online at www.promomcouture.com.

1. What made you want to start your own business? I was tired of the corporate world and my fiancé and I knew we wanted to start a family as soon as we were married. I felt strongly about being home with my child for the first five years. I have always believed those are the critical years for developing who they will be as adults. Also financially we didn’t want our lifestyles to drastically change.2. What got you interested in photography? My grandfather, who was a submarine captain and a photographer by hobby, did hand-tinting to black and white portraits when he was in the Navy. I loved the old photographs and always seemed to have the bug. You never caught me without my camera. But the bug really set in when I took a photo safari to Africa. That was it!

3. Tell us about Diane McKinney Photography. I started the business about 3 1/2 years ago. At first I ran the gamut of photography: corporate, family and children, weddings, you name it! However, since the birth of my daughter I’ve chosen to do only weddings. In the first six months of starting my business I bought equipment, built a marketing plan and created a website among other things. I launched my advertising six months later and within three months I had 17 weddings booked. Fortunately for me, I have a sales background from my corporate days. This combined with a good portfolio set me ahead of the pack. I have two photographers that work with me now who are fabulous. One who is branching off to start her own business and two part-time employees who assemble wedding albums.
4. Where are you located? In Raleigh, North Carolina. I work out of my home. That was the point to be home with my daughter. But I am currently looking for some small studio space to do consults and possibly some minor shooting.

5. What is the best part about having your own business? Being home with my daughter!!! And not dealing with corporate politics!

6. What is the hardest part about having your own business? I work ALL the time. I work when Katie naps, I work when my husband comes home and takes over watching Katie and any stolen moments in between… The days of sitting by the TV at night and enjoying a show are pretty much over. But I still wouldn’t have it any other way….

7. What advice do you have for other would-be entrepreneurs? CONTROL YOUR COSTS! There will always be something they can make your job easier, faster or better but if you don’t NEED it, don’t buy it!

8. How do you balance work and family? Any tips for other Clever Parents? I am still working on this one. Katie gets plenty of time as I only work when she is napping in the daytime, but my husband and I don’t get enough US time. My new rule is to quit at 8pm at least three nights a week. We’ll see! So far I have broken my rule twice. : (
9. What are your current hiring needs? I am looking for two more photographers. They don’t need a lot of experience but they most be able to seriously multitask and learn quickly. Weddings are crazy. You have to manage a lot at one time. You basically end up being photographer and wedding coordinator. (Assuming they don’t have one.) And you have to problem-solve on the fly. There are no cookie cutter answers. You must have a great personality and a lot of patience. Weddings can be stressful and you need to make it a fun experience for the bride and family. I am happy to train new possible photographers but I don’t pay for training. If you really want to do it, look at it as a free education. I do let you use my camera so you don’t have to make an investment until we really know if you have what it takes… Also, I recommend some classes that can be very helpful. They aren’t too expensive. Roughly $70-$100 per class. The timing really depends on the person but you will need least 3 months of consistent shooting experience.
10. Interested in joining Diane McKinney Photography? Email diane@dianemckinney.com.