The first time I set foot into LillyLu must’ve been in April 2000 when I took our then 4-month old twins on my first solo excursion with them into town. I most certainly recall trying to squeeze the double-wide stroller through the door of each store along Main Street and all the oohing and aahing that one gets with newborn twin babies…
In August 2001, I dropped off a few exquisitely framed hand-printed baby and childrens portraits at LillyLu for Sheryl to consider for display. I remember the enthusiasm in her words over the phone shortly thereafter…”oh Susann, your work is so ‘LillyLu’” and so the relationship between Susann Saarel Photography and LillyLu began…
The following summer I held my first major child portraiture exhibit at LillyLu titled “Our Precious Little Ones” which included an artist’s reception in conjunction with Bozeman Art Walk. Come Fall and Winter, I’d put up an entirely new exhibit to compliment the clothing and LillyLu’s seasonal display. And so it went for years…
From the Bozeman Chronincle, Friday, September 13, 2002:
In December 2002, I also began photographing children with Santa at LillyLu which came to be known as the annual “Susann & Santa” session. Over the years, children and families came from as far as Butte, Helena and Billings to see Santa at LillyLu. I believe this is the very first invitation for that event:
The years just seem to have flown by from the time I purchased Sam & Larissa’s 1st Birthday hats at LillyLu to the day a few years ago when Larissa and I had a “girls day” which started with a shopping spree at LillyLu where Larissa walked out wearing a completely new pink and denim urban cowgirl ensemble, sprinkled with rhinestones and flower appliques. Check out my happy little girl (photographed with a throw-away camera):
I have saved every single outfit we ever purchased for the twins at LillyLu, among them all of Larissa’s beautiful holiday dresses. I mean, just look how PERFECT these two look in their LillyLu winter outfits from 2005…
In 2006, I celebrated 5 years as the exclusive children’s photographer exhibiting at LillyLu with a retrospective and endless champagne and hors d’oeurves to follow at PLONK:
The retrospective was followed by Santa’s final appearance at LillyLu after a 5 year gig…and by now, most everyone knew that “the one and only Santa Claus” was also “my one and only husband”, Doug. Oh, how much fun it was working with Santa and seeing the children return year after year. And as always, “Santa” and I and the ladies of LillyLu would hold our breath as our nanny would bring our own Sam & Larissa in at the end of the day to sit (unbenownst to them) on their own daddy’s lap and share with him their wishes for Christmas…
Like my own children, who share the same birthday with LillyLu each December, LillyLu has been a part of my life for nearly 10 years. I was truly saddened to think that memories and memorabilia were all we had left. And so, I was uplifted today upon reading the headline news online in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that “LillyLu vows to rebuild”!!!
If I know Sheryl, the new LillyLu will be better than ever! Can’t wait to make new memories…
by Susann
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