Parker James

06/14/2026

Last night I had a BBQ with all of my best people and I said to myself that I should remember to take some pictures and I only ended up with these three because I was busy thinking about how much fun Summer can be when you hang out with 2-8 year olds who like to make up water games on the fly, create entire worlds out of a backyard and get all the adults involved in a wicked game of 'Mother May I'.

Sometimes I think we treat Summer like something else to manage instead of something we can choose to enjoy. We save the outfits because we don't want to get wet or spill the ice cream, we cancel a plan because of a short storm, or we tell ourselves we can have fun but 'we just have to get through this next week and then things slow down.'

I think I need to remember that Summer is supposed to be popsicles on the porch, staying out late, many mosquito bites, feet touching grass, baseball games and hot dogs, fresh flowers and FARMER'S MARKETS!!

In the wise of words of our close personal friend Kyle Cooke: SUMMER SHOULD BE FUN and that's what we're going to focus on for the next 100 Days Of Summer!

Both stores open 10am - 2pm today.

06/13/2026

I'm going to be SO honest right now—I rarely use the "h" word, but something I've truly come to hate as a business owner is having to decide to close because of things completely out of my control.

This week alone we've had torrential downpours, power issues, a water-damaged ceiling that looks like an egg before it's cooked, and an odor seeping through the walls that I'm pretty sure should qualify as a bio-hazard.

One of the best skills I've learned over the years is how to pivot. Small business owners become very good at Plan B, C, D, and occasionally "everyone just pretend this was the plan all along."

But what people don't always see is that when we close, we're not sitting at home in soft pants watching Bravo- we're sitting on the porcelain whirlpool bath feeling sick, wondering how much this day is going to cost us...

And we're texting employees, emailing customers, moving events, reprinting flyers that somehow cost the same as a single semester of college, and trying to figure out if we can set up our own cage match against Mother Nature herself.

The weirdest part is... even when it's a flood, a power outage, a street closure, construction, parking issues or the building deciding to become haunted (PINK SLIP IS ABSOLUTELY HAUNTED IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING), it still feels personal- and trust me, I know that's ridiculous.

I know that the rain is not specifically targeting Parker James. I understand the ceiling did not wake up and choose violence because of me. I believe the mysterious smell was not part of a coordinated attack.

But when your business is what you live for, it always feels personal.

The funny thing is that our customers are almost always the rational ones- they send messages that say, "Stay safe!" and "We'll come back next week!" Meanwhile, I'm over here trying to personally apologize for the atmosphere.

So just know the next time we have to post that the pink palaces are closed, the decision was not made lightly and I'm probably going to have a bout of TMJ over it.

We love you and we're excited to see you this weekend (barring any other natural disasters, of course!)

06/12/2026

How is everyone post-storm? Did you lose power? Is everything you own in tact? We made it through but we know a lot of you have some clean up to do today- at lease the weather is going to cooperate today!

The Lemonade Crawl in Frankfort was moved to next Thursday. Make sure to update your calendars. We pumped enough new arrivals in to the shop this week to make it worth your while to take a trip to either location- we'd love to see you!

FF + LG: 10am - 5pm

06/12/2026

If you’re in or around Frankfort keep your eyes peeled! If you have any information contact the Frankfort police. Let’s bring him home today 🩷

🚨Missing Child in Frankfort

Best and final update- Joey has been found and is safe. We will put out a press release and information soon!

Update #2: We now have volunteer search groups deployed throughout the community. We ask residence to please check their homes, garages sheds, etc. to help assist with the search.

Update #1: We have a large number of individuals volunteering to assist. At this time, we need volunteers to stay in their vehicles so the K9's can do their job. We ask any volunteers to meet at the Grand Prairie School Parking Lot, please do not go to the post office.Thank you for your help!

The Frankfort Police Department is searching for an eleven year child with special needs who went missing from his residence on foot.

Joey was last seen in the 10400 Blk of Brookridge Creek Drive and is wearing a tie dye shirt. Anyone with information on Joey’s location should call 911 immediately or 815-485-2500.

06/10/2026

Business as (not so) usual. The La Grange ceiling saga continues. The good news is- we'll be open today and everything (including our new arrivals) will be available and shoppable. The bad news is we're going to have to look at this eyesore for a few more days.
If you've ever owned a business you know how detrimental it is to be closed for multiple days so we're doing everything we can to swing those doors wide open so you can come see us!
Thanks for being understanding while we continue to do our best to make improvements to our spaces for you!

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

When I was younger my body hurt all the time. It was painful and unfounded- for no reason- just pain, everywhere, all the time. Doctor after doctor and nothing- no answers, no results, no pain management- and that's really confusing when you're 12.

One thing I could count on though was my mom always having a little present for me - something that would lift my spirits after these appointments. Believe me, I know that gifts aren't the answer to life's problems- but I also know how much better I felt when I had something new and shiny to focus on. A new outfit, a CD (omg i'm old) I wanted, or just something little that took my mind off of how I was feeling - because no matter how much my body hurt, the mental anguish of wondering what was wrong all the time took away so much of my childhood. But those little presents made each visit a little better and my day a little lighter.

We get all types of people who walk through our stores and one of the things that I really try to remember is that we have no idea what those people are going through. Maybe they're celebrating, maybe they're grieving, maybe they're overwhelmed, or
maybe they just had a really hard doctor's appointment.

So I've always hoped that when you come into our stores, it feels a little like stopping by a friend's house. I hope you find something that makes you feel happy, or excited, or simply distracted from whatever you're carrying for a little while.

🩷Lauren

06/08/2026

I just had the sudden urge to say 'get out your palm pilots and save the date' because I thought it was funny that I remembered what a palm pilot is... but I'm living in the NOW and I'm telling you to get out your ical, google cal or whatever you're using to SAVE THE DATE for this THURSDAY in FRANKFORT: The Lemonade Crawl -starts at 5pm and ends at 8pm. We'll be serving up drinks and snacks and open late.

This is always a great event- we love seeing everyone come out on a good Summer night. Most all of the other shops in Downtown Frankfort will be open so you can stroll the town. I would also suggest a trip to Trail's Edge because they've been going off lately with their menu!

Blackberry forever.

06/07/2026

Nothin' like a Farmer's Market Sunday!
Look at this cute teaching staff that matched their PJ tees at their school! Shout out to the Taft teachers - thanks for ALL you do!

06/06/2026

I'm not wishing the summer away by any means but I thought I'd share that there are 16 weeks left until Spooky Season for all the other fall girlies out there that are waiting for their moment!

Frankfort + La Grange: 10am - 4pm 👻