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The Bio
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Stacey Blume spent a lot of time at her father’s uniform manufacturing company as a young girl. She quickly learned the industry jargon of emblems and patches watching the seamstresses sew at a record pace. While most people wouldn’t consider a bus driver’s uniform to be the sexiest of items to inspire a fashion line, that’s all Blume needed to envision stylish lingerie that women would love.

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The Review
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It was a calm, wintry-type day when we received a package of goodies from BlumeGirl.com. From inside came tanks and underwear galore. Then chaos ensued. It was each girl for herself as we tried to claim each tank and under garment for our own.

Lucky me - I got my personal fave: the tie ups. :) And let me tell ya - they look darn hot on me. Just ask my hubby. (Or the cute waiter I had for lunch. *wink *wink. OK - so he only got to glimpse the pretty striped ribbon hanging saucily from my hip - but he still thought I looked hot. I'm sure of it!)

Tif preferred the industrial boyshorts. Attracted to the "Quality Control" patch on the front, she thinks it would be great to surprise her boyfriend with his name personalized on the front of her next pair. If she had a boyfriend that is....

Cute, sexy, and cheeky, (never cheesey!!) BlumeGirl offers up a great sense of style. But as much as we appreciate style (and we do - we really do!) - when it comes to underwear - we don't really give a rat's a#@ what they style is if it feels like we have a rat crawling up our a#$@ while wearing it. Lucky for us, BlumeGirl goods have us looking good and feeling good! All comfort, all the time!

Oh heck - don't just listen to me. Get some of your own!! ;)

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The Gallery
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The Interview
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The Basic Lowdown:

Girlposse.com: Who are you?
Stacey Blume: My name is Stacey Blume and I launched Blume, a unique division of my family’s uniform company. Authentic industrial workmen’s patches inspired trend setting, fun and fashionable items for women to wear rather than police men and bus drivers that they were originally intended for.

Girlposse.com: Where are you located?
Stacey Blume: My studio/ apartment is located in NYC and the uniform manufacturing company is located across the river in Jersey City, NJ.

Girlposse.com: What is your creation / business?
Stacey Blume: Blume is the originator of the “boyfriend” trend, personalized clothing that lets that someone special know you are keeping em close at all times. Although I have expanded to create new styles, my hottest seller is still the personalized collections that feature the authentic workmen’s name patches on underwear, tanks, thermals, hats, and even baby and dog clothing.

Girlposse.com: Where can people buy your stuff?
Stacey Blume: www.blumegirl.com, www.shopintuition.com , and boutiques around the country like Kitson in Los Angeles.

Girlposse.com: Tell us something about yourself - your personality:
Stacey Blume: I think clothing should be just as comfortable as it is fun. It never hurts to bare a little personality with your wardrobe.

The Nitty Gritty:

Girlposse.com: How long have you been doing this?
Stacey Blume: I always hesitate on that question… the company was officially launched 2 yrs ago but I was working it on the side for 2 years before that.

Girlposse.com: Beginning a business is a big step. How did this become a "business" vs. just a "hobby""?
Stacey Blume: My brother, Brad, came on board as an investor and partner to get the business off the ground in a more official professional way.

Girlposse.com: Did you have previous business experience - or was the business end new to you?
Stacey Blume: The business end was completely new to me and luckily I have relied on my brother to handle a lot in that aspect of our company. I have also educated myself with books like “Girls Guide to starting your own Business” and “Small Businesses for Dummies” which have been really helpful.

My background is in completely different fields. I have an under grad degree in Psychology, a Masters Degree in Social Work, and studied acting for a couple of years.

Girlposse.com: What was (is) your biggest obstacle in selling what you create?
Stacey Blume: I would like to participate in every trade show in every city to get more of the word out there! But being a new company, it is tough to have the resources and man power to do everything you would like to.

Girlposse.com: Do you find it difficult coming up with original ideas?
Stacey Blume: I don’t try too hard to come up with new ideas. I let them just come to me.

The idea for the “Tie Me Ups” collection was ignited while I was in a store pitching my personalized underwear collection. The boutique liked it but felt their shoppers style was more feminine so I stood there for a second, looked around at a lot of clothing with frilly bows, and started to describe another collection of underwear that had ribbons that tied on the side. The buyer said- “That sounds great!” and I thought to myself- “yeah it does… better go out and actually make them!”.

Other collections have been inspired by walking around the garment district in NY and just seeing what fabrics and trims hit me. Then I go back to the factory and work with the seamstresses to see what styles actually work.

Girlposse.com: Are there any plans to expand your product line?
Stacey Blume: Yes, of course. Customers and stores are always looking for the next new thing so in order to keep things fresh and exciting I do hope to continue to expand.

Girlposse.com: What keeps you going on a bad day?
Stacey Blume: I remind myself that I work for myself which is a dream come true. There is a lot of stress and pressure attached to being your own boss but it also allows a ton of freedom and flexibility.

Girlposse.com: Where are some of your favorite places to shop?
Stacey Blume: I live in the West Village of NYC and love shopping at all the great boutiques along Bleecker Street.

Girlposse.com: What was the best piece of advice you've been given?
Stacey Blume: In an entrepreneurial environment, power is not given, it is taken.

Girlposse.com: What advice would you give to a future Crafty Diva?
Stacey Blume: Nothing is more important than thinking positively! Whatever you can dream, you can make happen. Believe in yourself!

Girlposse.com: Are they any other Crafty Divas or Entrepreneurial Empresses we should know about?
Stacey Blume: Diane from www.justkittyng.com

She is really fun with a great attitude. She has a really interesting business of upscale ladies novelty and grooming items. Make sure to check out her website to see how crafty this diva is!

~February 2005

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Your Chance to Win!
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This month Stacey Blume is giving you the chance to Choose Your Prize!!

That's right! Stacey is gong to let you browse around BlumeGirl.com, and choose the prize you would like to win if your entry is drawn as the winner!!

Visit our Contests area for details and to enter. Good luck!

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Are you a Crafty Diva and Entrepreneurial Empress? Or do you know one that should be featured in a future Girlposse.com issue? If so, visit our Crafty Diva Info Page for the details.
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