Fashion: Chic shopping is in the bag
May 27, 2010
By Jahna Peloquin

Jeanne Beatrice’s La Vie Frances Rouge, $49, “Chic shopping is in the bag”
The French have used market baskets for decades to tote their groceries home. So when Minnetonka resident Laura Benson visited provincial France in 2006 and took home one of the baskets, she fell in love with their style and functionality. The entrepreneur soon began importing baskets from Morocco and selling them under the Jeanne Beatrice brand. This week, Benson launches her latest 12-piece line, on the heels of a high-profile mention in InStyle’s June issue — and perfectly timed with the recent basket-as-purse trend. Visit jeannebeatrice.com for more info. $18-$79.

A customer named Debra G. emailed me recently asking if there was a way to darken the leather on her new La Vie Large basket. I told her that the leather darkens naturally over time, and that I didn’t really know of a way to speed up the process. Here’s what she wrote back a little while later:

“Hi Laura - I thought I would pass this on. I finally tried ~ baby oil! Worked like a charm! Just in case anyone ever wants to know. This is just the basket I wanted! Now I cannot wait for the Farmer’s Market open so I can shop! Thanks so much,
Deb.”

I didn’t know it would darken the leather, but the baby oil should also further protect the leather from exposure to the elements. Thanks, Deb!

It has been a week since my new shipment arrived and it has been crazy-busy!  I’ve been taking lots of product photos, uploading them to the website, responding to inquiries, processing orders, and preparing for the Mill City Farmers Market opening day on May 8.   Now the dust is starting to settle and I thought I’d post a couple pics.  This one is of my container right after it arrived at the warehouse (I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight):

The truck essentially backs up to the warehouse and leaves the container at one of the many loading docks.    From there, we unload, sort, and store baskets so that they are easy to find when someone orders one.   I was really relieved that only about five baskets were ruined during the intensive customs exam.  Here is my daugter Ella helping me take pictures of new baskets for the website:

More soon!

We will need a couple days to get the new shipment processed into our systems, and then pre-orders will ship asap.  I also hope to take pics of all the new styles and get them uploaded to the website by the end of the week.  I just invested in a much better camera in hopes that I can take higher quality photos for the website.  Based on feedback, I also plan to add a feature to the website in the next month or so that allows me to upload multiple photos of the same basket (from different angles, etc. . .).

The container is changing railways in Chicago en route to Minneapolis and is out of customs, so there are no more foreseeable hangups . . . It won’t move over the weekend, but I bet it will be here next week. Woohoo!

Good news and bad news. The good news: My container is on the railway in Virginia waiting for the next train, and then will be en route to Chicago. Current ETA has been moved from May 19 to May 9.

 The bad news: The bill for the “intensive examination” by customs is now up to $2,996.38. This includes costs for moving the container from the port to the intensive exam station and back (about $300), delay fees of $100 per day charged by Hanjin Shipping (the company who owns the container), a container xray fee of $258, the manual intensive examination itelf, and $400 to pay for the removal of some straw that was used as a packing material to help hold the baskets’ shape during shipping. There are many other small and large fees.

The “cross your fingers it doesn’t happen” news: Once the container gets to Chicago, it gets transferred to another railway to get from Chicago to Minneapolis. Once in Minneapolis, the container must once again clear customs (!)  Customs agents can do another intensive examination if they choose to (they can pretty much do whatever they want). Which, of course, would mean more delays and more fees. I know it is not Customs’  job to be concerned about the wellfare of small business owners, but I can’t imagine why this would be a good use of their time or money, so I’m really hoping it clears without a problem.  Once it clears, the container will be loaded on a truck to get from the Minneapolis Railway to our warehouse.   There are so many variables involved, which is why the ETA is a constantly moving target.   Stay tuned . . .

My custom’s broker (who helps get my shipment cleared through U.S. Customs) told me today that my shipment was randomly flagged in a Virginia port by customs for a “detailed inspection” that could take two weeks. I’ve never been through this before, but apparently this means that customs agents will open my container and the contents will be thoroughly inspected by the agents, the FDA, subjected to container x-rays, etc. . . Who knew Customs would take such a fancy to a bunch of market baskets?   I guess these random detailed inspections are becoming more and more common after 9/11.  Which I get, but it’s a real bummer for a small business owner who is depending on a shipment arriving on time. I also will get the privilege of paying for the inspection, which will cost well over $1,000.  Anyway, the new ETA is around May 19, 2010. I am sorry for the delay!

I posted before that ETA is April 11, but just got word that our new shipment from Morocco will arrive in port on April 11 and is scheduled to arrive at our warehouse in Minneapolis on April 29.  I’m actually crossing my fingers that it arrives earlier than April 29 because it usually doesn’t take that long to clear customs and travel on rail between the port and the warehouse.  Not sure why the shipper’s ETA allows for so many days between port and warehouse this time . . .