You can imagine my excitement when I was invited to visit the company's headquarters for a TOMS Moms event.
It wasn't long ago when I discovered the headquarters are just a stone's throw from our place in Santa Monica. What are the chances, really?
For whatever reason, I assumed the event was going to be a mid-day gathering with a bunch of mom bloggers and their kiddos, hanging out. The invite had pics of kids in TOMS and said to RSVP for the kidlets. When Em and I arrived, though, I learned that it was going to be a much more intimate event than I had imagined, and Em was going to be the only kid there. Doh!
The TOMS folks were ready for us, however, with loads of craft supplies, coloring pages and crayons. Em was delighted.
We were joined by bloggers Heather from The Spohrs Are Multiplying, Jennifer from Perfectly Dishelved and Rebecca from Girls Gone Child, as well as TOMS marketing gal and PR team. Shortly after we arrived, we toured the offices, which are open and rustic.
There are shoes on the walls and thank-you notes from kids who've received shoes from TOMS One to One Program.
We saw the e-commerce department, the design team, and my personal favorite -- the giving department, which works with charities in 23 countries to help distribute TOMS shoes. I almost sat right down and stayed there. "Hi, I'm Nanette. Please hire me to help distribute your awesome shoes to awesome organizations in need. Kthx."
We headed back to the conference room, which is themed to match the barn where the company's shoes were launched. This is where we were given a pair of plain, light canvas TOMS to design and decorate ourselves, similar to the Style Your Sole events described here.
After lamenting about how non-crafty we all were, we got into the spirit of gussying up the shoes.
Em, of course, didn't want to be anywhere but on my lap, so my pair ended up being the least decorated. I was scared of doing anything permanent to the shoes while wiggly Em noshed on croissants and fruit.
Here's what I accomplished while we were there:
TOMS founder and "chief shoe giver" Blake Mycoskie joined our group while the rest of the gals finished painting their shoes.
He told us more about TOMS roots, including some fun anecdote, like TOMS is short for "tomorrow's shoes." Folks are sometimes disappointed that Blake isn't, in fact, named Tom.
The company doesn't just give one pair of shoes to a child and then disappears. As kids grow out of shoes every 6 months on average, they try to give as often as possible.
Blake also spoke about an upcoming event they're promoting. Next Tuesday, April 5, is One Day Without Shoes to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child's life by taking off our own. TOMS is asking people to do *something* -- ANYTHING without their shoes, and think about what the millions of children who group up without shoes are risking -- injury, diseases, sometimes the inability to go to school.
TOMS employees are going to walk barefoot along Venice. I've pledged to go for a walk without my shoes. You can join the initiative here.
I loved the behind-the-scenes look. Apparently Em did, too. I've never seen her so calm and quiet. She held my hand and stayed close as we toured the offices, and she sat on my lap contently the rest of the time. She only got chatty when Blake entered the room, which is unusual because she typically clams up around boys over the age of 6. His calm vibe must have resonated with her.
Oh! TOMS warehouse sent over the wrong color of Tiny TOMS for Em instead of the plain ones for her to decorate. It worked out great, though, because seriously, how cute are THESE bad boys? She LOVES them, and I love that they fit all the podiatrist-recommended criteria for toddler shoes.
I, um, may have also bought these pink sparkle Tiny TOMS after the event for Em, too. I just couldn't resist!
Lastly, I couldn't get past the feeling that my decorated TOMS needed something more, so I picked up some fabric paint and updated them while Em was safely nestled in her crib for the night. No wiggle worm to stifle my TOMS creativity!
I loved the behind-the-scenes look. Apparently Em did, too. I've never seen her so calm and quiet. She held my hand and stayed close as we toured the offices, and she sat on my lap contently the rest of the time. She only got chatty when Blake entered the room, which is unusual because she typically clams up around boys over the age of 6. His calm vibe must have resonated with her.
Oh! TOMS warehouse sent over the wrong color of Tiny TOMS for Em instead of the plain ones for her to decorate. It worked out great, though, because seriously, how cute are THESE bad boys? She LOVES them, and I love that they fit all the podiatrist-recommended criteria for toddler shoes.
I, um, may have also bought these pink sparkle Tiny TOMS after the event for Em, too. I just couldn't resist!
Lastly, I couldn't get past the feeling that my decorated TOMS needed something more, so I picked up some fabric paint and updated them while Em was safely nestled in her crib for the night. No wiggle worm to stifle my TOMS creativity!
