Hey Calgary! Check out our friends at Blame Betty!

We love to find out what our Sourpuss retailers are up to, so we recently caught up with the dynamic duo of Cori and Kati to chat about their AMAZING shop in Calgary, AB- Blame Betty. Be sure to check them out and read on for a glimpse into the world of this hilarious pair and their awesome crew! Name/ Title: Cori: Owner/Super Model/Mascot Kati: Owner/That Lady from Blame Betty  SP: What is your role at Blame Betty? Kati: Currently my 'official' titles would be head buyer, webmaster, social media ninja, artistic director, fire putter outer, technical wizard and all things ecomm. Organizer of many things. Dependent on many. Lover of coffee. Cori: See above, supermodel/mascot. (and at least 9 million other things.) Where is your store located & how long have you been in business? Kati: Our brick & mortar boutique is located in Calgary, AB, in the heart of the independent shopping district downtown, 17th Ave. We're in a 120 year old character house.. it’s amazing. We have 2 of the last houses existing in the shopping area. I opened Blame Betty in early 2005, so that puts us close to 9 years now. We opened our sister shop Dick & Jane (www.facebook.com/DickandJaneStore ) in 2009, next door. What did you do before opening Blame Betty? Kati: I worked retail, other small independent boutiques. I also worked nights waitressing in a local live music bar for quite awhile at the same time. There was overlap with all 3 when the shop first opened.. I stopped sleeping in 2003. Cori: My background is in high end design, and landscape architecture. We noticed that you have an Art Gallery board on Pinterest. Whose art are you loving right now? Kati: That reminds me to fix that pin board! :/ (don’t link to it! Ha.) But have you seen 666 Photography out of Texas? I right effing love them. We were both vending at a tattoo show a few weeks ago and I barely stopped myself from buying everything. So creative and rad. Rad people. Cori: There are so many talented artists emerging in the industry every day, that its hard to keep up. Truthfully, I find that most of the new artists that I love are not yet published or highly recognized. I could spends days getting lost on Tumblr fashion and photography blogs. The standard amazing- new works from Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, and Elizabeth McGrath in 2013 are very exciting as well. What are you listening to in the store right now? Cori: Holiday music. That is not a very nice question at all…I eat sleep and breathe Holiday music at the moment. Lets look at this question a little differently…What would I rather be listening to right now… White Lighter – the new album from Typhoon. If you haven’t listened this amazing album yet, please do, its amazing. What's your musical guilty pleasure? Cori: Obviously Robin Thicke…Not only do his lyrics express how I truly feel about absolutely everything…he also has the voice of an angel sent from the heavens straight into my heart and the hearts of women everywhere. Kati: I have a playlist my brother in law sent me to keep me awake when I had been working 20 hour days for weeks on end.. and I now listen to it All. The. Time. No guilt when it comes to late 90’s/early 00’s gay bar dance parties. None whatsoever. My poor office mates. :/ Our current photoshoot playlist is filled with JT and Grimes. Me and our photographer Patricia Rose have a special dancing rug to be used only when Brittany Spears is on. Not a stitch of guilt. Do you have a celebrity crush & what is it about them that you love? Cori: Tilda Swinton…and what I love about her could fill several books. Talent, ambition, heart, and ethics will always be admirable and attractive qualities. Tilda Swinton not only has all of those attributes, but lives them everyday. I have a celebrity crush on Tilda due to my strong admiration of who she is and how she lives her life. Kati: This is possibly the most boring and true answer of all time – Ryan Reynolds. Hey Girl… Srsly. Other than that: after Cori showed me this acceptance speech, Jennifer Lawrence has a special place in my heart always now…:) What's the craziest thing that's ever happened in the store? Cori: The answer to this question may not be suitable to share with the general public due to my love of tools and weapons. There have been several times when shoplifters were chased out of the store by me running at them with a shotgun (a vintage Red Ryder pellet gun of course…not deadly…but shocking non the less)…or an axe…or whatever weapon i can get her hands on (staple guns are a favorite and a staple in every arsenal) In general, the craziest things to ever happen in our stores start and end with whatever weapon I’m fond of that day. Kati: Cori is also fond of staple gunning paperwork to anything and everything, lighting things on fire, and is the sole creator of ‘Fetish Fridays’ here at work. :/ What one item does a girl need in her wardrobe to achieve the perfect pinup look? Cori: A black Pencil Skirt. This is a staple in every wardrobe in my opinion. They’re not only a classic piece, but also incredibly versatile. There isn’t a woman in the world that doesn’t look incredible in a perfect fit black pencil skirt. Kati: You can’t make me pick one. My top 3 are: a really well fitting black pencil skirt, pair it with everything. Back seam stockings – Cuban heeled. A great red lipstick. Wait – one more – one amazing foundation garment. It is the difference between feeling amazing and AMAZING in any dress you put on, regardless of your dress size. Never leave the house without: Cori: Red Lipstick…or, if you’re me, a hatchet. Kati: iPhone/charger. Powder. Raisins, and a mini emergency bag filled with crayons, paper and dinosaur stickers. Amazing what those things have gotten me out of even without the kids around. What's one thing that visitors to Calgary should check out? (other than your shop-obviously!) Cori: The street that we work on is home to some of the most incredible small businesses and restaurants in our city. Every space on the street reflects the creativity of the small business owners that operate them. From Tubby Dog (the worlds best hot dogs) to Leo Boutique (beautiful denim that everyone needs) this area has something for absolutely everyone. Kati: The zoo! We had a horrible flood here in July and our zoo along with so much else was devastated. They’ve just re-opened and need support. If you don't have kids on your trip- the Ship & Anchor pub, a mainstay in Calgary down the street from us. Or Broken City for bands. Also- The Coup on 17th . Veggie and Vegan food – best coconut chai, in the world. Anything we forgot to ask that you're dying to tell us? Nope.. just that we love you folks. Cant wait to see you all in February!! I demand a dinner date. Xo