Growing Through Arts® Retailer: The Dancer's Bag

As a former kindergarten teacher, Leslie Boley loves finding a good children’s book. So when she first saw the Ballet Series of books from Growing Through Arts®, she knew she had to carry them in her store.

“I guess it was my educator background that made me want the books,” says Boley, owner of The Dancer’s Bag in Boerne, TX, adding that she likes the morals and values questions at the bottom of each page that parents can ask their children as they read ― something rarely found in other books.

Boley was introduced to the Growing Through Arts® line of books and toys at this year’s Atlantic Dance Show in Grapevine, TX, her first dancewear retail store since opening The Dancer’s Bag in October.

Although her town has a population of only 10,000, Boley knew her community ― which supports four dance studios, two high schools with dance programs, and several local dance teams and cheerleading squads ― was in desperate need of a dancewear retail store. Before The Dancer’s Bag opened, parents had to drive more than 30 miles to the nearest dancewear store in San Antonio.

So far, business has been good, and she says young, elementary school-age dancers are a large part of her clientele.

That’s part of the reason Boley placed an order for the entire Ballet Series of Nutcracker, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty storybooks, Practice & Play books, Stage Scene Play Sets and Ballet Series Alphabet Set at the Atlantic Dance Show.

The books arrived the first week of February, and already she has them displayed at the front of the store for customers to see as soon as they walk in.

“On the checkout counter, I have the [Alphabet Set] just open so the kids can just play with it,” she says.

She even took a photo of the Growing Through Arts® books and put them on her store’s Facebook page, advertising them as a great idea for a Valentine’s Day gift.

In the future, Boley also hopes to host Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty-themed birthday parties in her store and plans to incorporate the matching Stage Scene Play Sets into the events.

Already, her 6-year-old daughter has become a fan, reading all of the books and playing with the Stage Scene Play Set. If her daughter is any indication, the Growing Through Arts® books and toys will do very well in Boerne.