The Pink Paddock's hot pink storefront will be moving down the street in December, a sign outside the shop says.

At the boutique's future new home at 358 Broadway in the Granite Palace, Lilly Pulitzer fanatics shoppers will find more fitting rooms and about three times the space.

Employee Emily Carnevale tells me the move will enable the store to become a Lilly Pulitzer Via Shop, meaning it will stock a bigger variety of the brightly hued designer dresses, skorts and tees branded by the New York socialite who popularized the "preppy" look in the 50s and 60s.

Currently, the store offers select clothing and accessories for women and children. It opened at 380 Broadway in 2005 and is owned by Kimberly Burton and Steve Snyder.

For more information, call the store at 587-4344.

Bettie’s Cakes opened Sunday in the Downstreet Marketplace on Broadway with owners Lorraine and John at the helm.

Cupcakes, hot drinks, soft-serve ice cream and ice cream floats are on the menu in the 1950s style shop.

The “cupcakery café” takes the place of Spa City Cupcakes, which closed last month.

Look for more about Bettie’s later this week in The Saratogian and at www.saratogian.com.

Lori Flynn doesn’t take chances when it comes to babysitters for her two children, ages 8 and 3.

It was with that concern for safety and security that Flynn, a New York City transplant, recently opened the Capital Region franchise of SeekingSitters, a national babysitting service with its own in-house private investigation company geared toward giving parents peace of mind.

“As a parent, it’s so important to know that who you’re leaving your children with is a safe person,” Flynn said. “That’s why I wanted to bring it to this area. I just thought it was a service that was definitely needed.”

SeekingSitters has a couple hundred franchise locations in more than a dozen states. Potential sitters and families who need a babysitter can use the extensive Web site to either apply for a job or join as a member. Both sitters and families are screened, and sitters are guaranteed to have CPR and first aid training, Flynn said. Her franchise serves families throughout the Albany and Saratoga region.

“We have a very small sitting team now, with about eight to 10 sitters. As the need grows every day, we bring on a new sitter,” said Flynn, who runs the business out of her home in Delmar.

Services start at $12.95 per hour for one child, plus a $39.99 sign-up fee.

For more information, call Flynn at 763-7335, or go to her franchise site.

Haute Mama, the Church Street boutique known for its chic maternity clothing, has closed because the recession has hit home, its owner says.

Sarah Otto, a stay-at-home mom who opened Haute Mama in the summer of 2007, officially ended the store’s nearly 2-1/2 year run on Friday so she can step into the role of family breadwinner after a company buy-out recently cost her husband his job.

“It’s not really the direction I was planning on going,” Otto said last week. “I want to let people know that this wasn’t a reflection of the business, but it was for my family.”

Otto, who lives in Glens Falls with her husband and 5-year-old daughter, said her store was sustaining itself but she hadn’t been drawing a profit during the last year.

Now both Otto and her husband are looking for jobs.

“The part that is hardest is leaving and not being involved with the Saratoga business community,” Otto said. “I feel very sad that I won’t be a part of that (any longer). I thank everybody for all the support that they’ve given me.”

A note on the store’s Web site directs customers with outstanding gift certificates to leave a message at 691-0395.

From The Broadway Salon, 445 Broadway:

Heather Savage, 29, was the winner of a free makeover hosted by The Broadway Salon on Halloween. See "before" and "after" photos of Savage below.


She was chosen "Today Show" style off the street last weekend and treated to a manicure, pedicure, makeup and hair cut by a beauty team at the Salon and then she enjoyed a mini shopping trip at Lifestyles. She'll also be dining at Cantina as part of the tri-business promotion The Broadway Salon initiated this year.

Savage is a former Saratoga Springs High School graduate and a sports enthusiast. She loves riding her motorcycle, hiking, biking and spending time with her family and her boyfriend, Jeff.

If you're anywhere south of Exit 9 Tuesday evening, consider checking out the new Wheatfields Bistro & Wine Bar in Clifton Park (The Crossing Plaza, 54 Crossing Blvd.)

The brand new eatery opening tomorrow is sister restaurant to Colleen and Tim Holmes' Wheatfields Restaurant and Bar on Broadway.

The Bistro opens at 4 p.m. for dinner.

For reservations, call 383-4444.

Check out photos of Wheatfields II (my name for it) at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32flavorspr/sets/72157621531672753/
and comment here to tell me how that delicious-looking food tastes!

An area events Web site, www.thesaratogalife.com, which launched locally four years ago, has undergone a complete redesign this fall, and advocates say it’s drawing more business their way.

TheSaratogaLife.com is a “comprehensive guide to all things shop-dine-stay and play in Saratoga,” according to local directors Annemarie Bradt and George Ehinger. The colorful, user-friendly Web site caters to advertisers, consumers and community causes.

Most significantly, it offers a guide for both locals and tourists of what to do around town by allowing businesses to create a profile including a summary, links to their Web sites, upcoming events, photos and customer reviews.

This service is $800 per year, Ehinger said, with options for shorter membership available too.

Currently, more than 60 local businesses have signed on, Ehinger said.

Another aspect of the site is Community Causes, where nonprofits can post their events and fundraisers for free. Saratoga Reads, The Children’s Museum and Double H Ranch are among the community groups signed on to promote their causes. Individual users can also join for free and post blog entries, business and restaurant reviews and information about sales or community events.

The Web site is run by The Local Life LLC, a company that operates nationally with similar locale-oriented online guides scattered throughout the Northeast.

In addition to Saratoga, The Local Life targets Providence, Rhode Island, New Haven, Conn., Arlington, Va., and Bethesda, Md.

For more information, contact Ehinger at george@thelocallife.com or Annemarie Bradt at 320-2537 or annemarie@thelocallife.com.

Community causes can contact community@thelocallife.com for more information.