dandelion KIDS was invited to participate in the ‘Making Magic Fund’ by Suzanne of Green Planet Parties and Mommy Foot Print.

What is it? It’s a collaboration of  many small businesses who want to give back. We are  joining together with The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Adopt a school to help children. Between December 5-11th if you shop at these stores online – proceeds will be donated to help schools, which help children, helps families and helps our future.

The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund launched a special fundraising project called Adopt-a-School. This project identifies schools and their specific needs throughout Metro Vancouver. The site tells you the individual needs within each school so everyone can  identify something to donate (sports equipment, winter coats in particular sizes, mitten, socks, etc.) The most needed item identified by all the schools of course is money so they can assess and fix their most outstanding needs. The amazing thing about donating the money via Adopt-a-School is they will match all donations so the money is being doubled, hence why we are all donating 10% of our  online sales.  Let the giving begin!

Here is the list of Stores participating:

Apricot Culotte:  an e-boutique specialized in previously loved baby clothes that we bring in from France. We also carry end of season brand new designer baby clothes including some very nice French organic brands.

Bamboobino: is an adorable line of children’s clothes and accessories made from soft, eco-friendly bamboo.

Bumblebee Toys: offers a unique collection of natural toys, crafts and playthings to inspire the imagination and nourish the senses.

dandelion KIDS: modern kids shop that stocks hip baby clothes, stylish duds for boys and girls plus cool, unique gifts for the next baby shower or kids birthday party.

Fill Your Own: offers an array of carbon-neutral, non-toxic and reusable products ideal for both kids and adults.

Giving Gifts – fair trade, eco friendly and fun gifts for babies, kids, adults and pets.

Green Planet Parties: where it’s possible to shop for eco-friendly party supplies in one place! Supporting locally manufactured decorations & goodies!

Kippo Kids: proud to offer you a quality mix of products that include a good selection of eco-friendly, handmade, organic, and Made in Canada items.

Maxwell Designs: leading Canadian designer of beautiful purses, the best diaper bags in Canada, and many accessories.

My Little Green Shop: is a hip e-boutique that provides a wide range of safe, non-toxic products for babies, children and mamas. We are careful that the products we carry meet our standards of what’s safe and eco-friendly.

Onyx Containers: food storage containers that are of the highest quality, manufactured in responsible conditions and available at affordable prices.

Puddlegear: toddler and baby raingear- children can play outside feeling warm, unrestricted and dry in their PVC and Phthalate free rainwear – certified by oko – tex.

Today I Ate A Rainbow: passionate about creating tools to help parents and caregivers raise healthy kids!

We love this brand and were so excited when they launched infant and toddler lines last winter. We are thrilled to be carrying this incredibly well-designed, high quality line in our shops and had nothing but positive feedback from the kids and parents who stayed warm and dry in The North Face last winter.

Now we are pleased to announce that The North Face was honoured with a Sustainability Award by Apparel Magazine. Presented by Apparel magazine, the awards honour businesses that have demonstrated specific steps to make a difference for people and planet and a dedication to continuing their efforts.

Apparel magazine recognized The North Face in its 2011 Sustainability All-Stars program as one of five businesses determined to make a difference for people and planet. The award, announced in the June 2011 print issue, honors companies that have demonstrated specific steps to make their businesses more sustainable and a dedication to continuing their efforts.

Check out the article and learn more about what The North Face is up to.

We know its still sunny and hot out side and it’s hard to think about snow and rain.  Its best to shop early for the best selection! Gloves will be arriving shortly.

http://shop.dandelionkids.ca/index.php?search=north%20face

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Last week VancouverIsAwesome profiled us in their Home Grown section, a feature which celebrates their favourite local companies. We were ecstatic when we heard that they wanted to feature us, seeing as VancouverIsAwesome is one of our favourite websites. Their ultra-positive attitude is a breath of fresh air.

Here’s what they said about us:

Dandelion KIDS is one of my favourite kids’ stores in Vancouver. They’re eco-minded – from the products they choose to stock, like a great selection of colourful organic clothing right down to their biodegradable bags – they’ve got a personable, multi-lingual staff, their store is easy to navigate, they constantly are giving back to the community, they have amazing window displays but honestly what I love the most about them is that they just have a lot of really cool products for kids. Their taste in and selection of products is second to none.

Our youngest contributor, Arlo, originally turned me onto Dandelion KIDS when he bought a pair of Kid Ear Muffs there to protect his hearing when he goes to shows (click HERE to get a look at them in his Said The Whale review) and he told me that he’s super excited that we’re highlighting them in a Home Grown feature… and of course I agree!

If you don’t believe Arlo and I, simply ask everybody else; they were just voted the Favourite Kids Clothing Store on the Eastside in the 2010 Vancouver Courier Stars of Vancouver award!

You can see the full story and short interview with us on the VancouverIsAwesome site.

We were ecstatic to find out we would be showcased in the latest edition of the eat.shop Vancouver guide.

We were even happier with what they said. We think the last line is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about us.  Thank you eat.shop!

Here’s what they had to say about us:

I think it is a form of discrimination that us non-parent types have no one to dress up in the adorable children’s clothes sold at Dandelion Kids. I felt a twinge of envy as I watched parents and grandparents sort through the vast choices here that will help make their youngsters positively fetching. But when I look at a tiny pair of Vans, I think to myself, I could hang those from my rear view mirror, or use them to serve bridge mix. I know that these ideas seem downright desperate, so I’ll just accept that I can buy great gifts here. Parents, please know how lucky you are to have Dandelion Kids.

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click for larger preview

This is a great gift for the person who has “everything”.  They are available in both our shops and soon to be online, with each purchase of the book, you will receive 20% off the rest of your purchases that day!  Phone orders are welcome.

If you can’t find the eat.shop Vancouver guide at a local store, you can find it online at both Chapters/Indigo as well as Amazon Canada.

A mention in the 2008 Canadian Vacation Guide, distributed to a Japanese audience.

Tammy Everts wrote a fantastic review of DandelionKIDS on the ohdeedoh blog, and we thought we’d share it with you. In her post, she also lists a few of her favourite products that we carry – a great list indeed!

Here’s what Tammy had to say:

We’ve been regular visitors to Dandelion Kids ever since they opened their bricks-and-mortar store three years ago, but we only recently realized that the shop has an excellent website that offers pretty much everything from their broad but carefully edited selection of organic clothing and fair-trade toys and baby gear.

Best of all (if you’re Canadian) is that this Vancouver-based company ships internationally! No longer will you get three-quarters of the way through the ordering process, only to be denied at checkout. (If this has ever happened to you, you know how frustrating it is.)

Check below the jump for a roundup of some of our favorite items.

Dandelion Kids carries an excellent balance of local designs and international imports, with a focus on products that are ethically manufactured. It’s where we were introduced to great toymakers like Vilac and Plan Toys, and where we saw (and immediately bought) our first Bilibo. (Ah… so many misty memories.)

As for local products, the store does a booming trade in organic cotton baby clothes from Fig Organic, sustainably manufactured slings from Baby Buddha, and books from award-winning publisher Simply Read Books.

With frequent sales and high product turnover, the store’s inventory is always fresh and interesting. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite items, old and new:

• Every time we go into the bricks-and-mortar location, our preschooler can’t stay away from the Ride-On Tractor from Vilac. Woe betide us if there’s another like-minded kid present.

• We love Flensted’s mobiles, and this new owlish version is no exception.

• We really love the Animal Cutlery Set from WMF. The set includes a fork, knife, French fry pick (!) and two sizes of spoons (classy!).

• For the banner lovers amongst you, here’s a set of sweet cotton banners we think you’ll like.

• This Sub Adventure duvet set is made to Öko-tex environmental standards. Öko-Tex is “a European certification process which ensures that certified textiles do not contain chemicals harmful to human health.”

• Saffy is a new title from the abovementioned Simply Read Books. We’re big fans of this publisher’s leaning toward strong colors and simple but compelling artwork.

• From our “Hey, so long as we’re dreaming!” list comes this fantastical mushroom table and chairs set that looks as if it were lifted straight out of Alice in Wonderland.

For us, what really separates Dandelion Kids from the rest of the pack is the exceptional level of truly personal — and genuinely friendly — customer service. If an item appears out of stock on the website, you’re encouraged to call or email, and staff will even search the store’s shelves for you.

Thanks very much for your great review Tammy.

We got a mention in the May 2008 issue of Where Magazine.

“Dandelion Kids – Friendly children’s boutique offers a diverse range of products from local and international designers. Find high-quality European wooden toys and Bugaboo strollers. 1206 Commercial Drive. 604.676.1862. www.dandelionkids.ca”

Website: where.ca

A mention in Air Canada’s enRoute Magazine…

Actress Jennifer Beals’ Commercial Drive

Jennifer Beals was propelled to fame as a welder in the 1983 film Flashdance. Now she’s better known as workaholic Bettie Porter in The L Word. Entering it’s fifth season, the TV drama is set in West Hollywood but filmed in Vancouver, where Beals shares a home with her husband and two-year-old daughter.

“Dandelion Kids – They have fun toys and clothes and carry a lot of wooden items and things you won’t find anywhere else, like unusual puzzles and mobiles.”

Vancouver’s ‘Urban Rush’ hosts Fiona Forbes and Darrin Maharaj, with guest Susie Wall (style writer for The Province newspaper) talk about some of the latest products we carry. Originally aired October 2006.

CityTV came by our Commercial Drive location to do a segment on the shop. We had only been open for a few months when this story was done. Originally aired July 2005.