If you build it, they WILL come...

We have only been living in Brooklyn for a little over a year now and with the state of the economic world right now... there still continues to be a steady flow of residential and commercial construction. This past summer Brooklyn welcomed its first IKEA. A mecca for affordable furniture and housewares. This location opened in August 4.2 miles from my apartment. I waited 2 months to be sure everyone had gotten their maiden voyage out of the way before I made mine. People waited in line for several days waiting for the grand opening in order to be awarded one of the 400 free couches that were being given away to celebrate the arrival of this marvelous store. Located in a quiet area called Red Hook, with lovely views of the Jersey waterfront... this IKEA location is mint. It is a delightful shopping experience. If you do not have a car... there is a ferry from lower Manhattan and there are shuttle buses from the subway stops in the Brooklyn area. I drove. Since most people do not have cars, parking at this location was a dream. I parked by the front door! Unheard of at any other IKEA location if you are not there before the doors open. Inside... clean, organized and typical of any other IKEA... except that it was a Friday afternoon and there was no one there. 

The marketplace is by far one of my favorite shopping parades. You either go at this alone or go with someone who enjoys it just as much or more than you do. I got lucky this time. My neighbor is also a fan and was equally excited and content to meander the paths of the marketplace with no time constraints and with no irritated husband along side. SIDE NOTE: This is no place for husbands/boyfriends/partners/etc.... ever. This should be a women's only place and there should just be plenty of strong help around for the lifting should it be needed for the heavy stuff. 

So, what did I get? I am always wishing I had a few house gifts around for when we are going to visit people and I don't want to show up with a bottle of wine or empty handed. For 99 cents I stocked up on some great printed cocktail napkins. These are always great to give anyone. People like pretty napkins and they use them. IKEA has really stepped up there baby and kids section. For $2.99 I got 2 sets of 10 finger puppets. (Yes, I still owe baby gifts!). They have great bibs, stuffed animals, cups/bowls/cutlery, toys, etc. Really great prices too. I was impressed and will be going back for there for the kids stuff. 

I am cooking my first Thanksgiving this year, so I needed some trivets: 3 pack of cork trivets for $2.99! The turkey fork was $14.00... that's fine considering it's out first turkey. I needed a reading lamp for my side of the bed... $12.00. Seat cushions for the chairs at our dining room table were $5.00 each.

A trip to IKEA should occur once every few months I think. If I go anymore than that I could see myself coming home with things that are really unnecessary. I find myself "loving" everything and having no idea what I would be using it for. Everything is very clever, but not always what I need. I found a lot that I did need and that I was looking for. I came home with very little that was useless... so once every few months, I will allow myself to journey over to 'Southern Brooklyn'... and sashay through the aisles of Swedish creativity. Additionally, in an effort to 'Go Green', IKEA no longer offers plastic bags to package up your purchases in at the register. You either load your stuff into the car as is or BYOB! Bring your own Bag! You can, of course, purchase their familiar blue bags for 59 cents at the register... just remember to bring with you the next time you come... BYOBB!

You have to find it!

From a very young age accessories have always been a passion of mine. It was no surprise to anyone in my family or to any of my friends when I took a job that focused on both men's and women's accessories. When my husband and I bought our first pug, Gus... he, of course, had to outfitted with the perfect puppy accessories. Below I have listed a few of my most favorite dog accessory websites, however there is one that I must highlight. All be it a luxury item... these dog leashes are the perfect dog accessory in my book. They are what every accessory should be: timeless, classic, chic and the best part... functional. Go ahead and Google FOUND MY ANIMAL Leashes. Let me explain the the accessory and then the cause. These leashes are custom-made ropes with brass hardware trim designed to hitch, hand carry or wear the leash like a belt and be hands free while you take the pup for a walk. The leash comes with adjustable brass loops to hitch the pups to a tree or a fence or your waist. We hitch our pups up to a tree in the park and have picnics with them. So fun! They come in 4 sizes... see the website for more info on that. So fashion and function only go so far for some people. The leashes are not cheap, so here is the 'do good' part. Buy one and you are helping raise public awareness of the urgent need for animal adoption. Proceeds go directly to the Louis Animal Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to helping animals find homes. FOUND MY ANIMAL Leashes are the 'IT' accessory for the pups! 

www.foundmyanimal.com

Other great dog accessory websites:

www.wagwear.com

(we have the boys sweaters, vests, dogs beds and yes... the tent from this place!)

www.trixieandpeanut.com

(this place is trouble if you are a sucker for useless dog stuff... but cute!)

www.puppia.com

(the harnesses are a NYC dog fan favorite)

www.petedge.com

(this pet supply place has everything that we need for a fraction of the price you pay at the PetCo and PetSmart)

I'm not going to be the area

This chain of stores is a gold mine. Area Kids, Area Mom & Baby and Area Play are a Brooklyn based store and playground group that is raking it in... at least from my perspective. I was first introduced to Area Kids when my best friend had her twins almost 2 years ago in Park Slope. Yesterday I was in search of a birthday gift for my husbands 8 year old god daughter. Without going after the exact location, the shopping experience was a 6 at best... on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best. I was with my sister-in-law, who is a pretty experienced shopper and consumer herself. The sales girl was a friendly women with great potential upon our entrance into the shop... from there, all down hill. I was looking for girls size 6X in anything and she told me they carried that size but did not set me in the direction to find anything. My sister-in-law and I fished through the shelves and found 1 t-shirt for $36. Fine, not great. Then we found a charm bracelet section. Perfect. I asked how much the charm bracelets were... she told me $10. Then I asked how much the charms were... she told me $5. We spent about 10 minutes picking out charms. I am now paying for the t-shirt, the bracelet and the charms only to find out that the charms we chose do not fit on the bracelet that we chose. She was out of the bracelet. Now, we are the only customers in the 10x10 foot store, so anything that we say, you can hear... perfectly! If you notice that we are asking about the bracelets and the charms... it might seem as if we are pretty interested in buying these items. Chime in! Be a seller! Make a sale! Tell me you are out of the bracelet and guide me into another item or help me get the item from one of your other stores. Customer service people! We bought the t-shirt and she called another location in the area for us to pick up a bracelet for the charms. So she was nice and she found us a bracelet beyond that... there is not much else to say.

In today's economy I would be working a bit harder to make and close any sale. Always kill them with kindness. I recently had my bag stolen while out celebrating a friends birthday... in a bar of course. Clearly the person who took the bag did not want what was in it, but wanted the bag... my first Gucci... very sad. Anyhow, my personal Blackberry perished in the theft. I spent some quality time on the phone with AT&T in the days following the bag snatching episode. The customer service was really thorough at AT&T. I can't say enough about them. They were extremely accommodating and helpful in aspects of replacing my Blackberry, shipping confirmation, setup details, etc. I am thrilled with my decision to have switched from Sprint to Cingular the now AT&T. All be it almost 2 years ago, it has paid off to get out of the Spring contract. Customer service goes a long way. I can not stress that enough... ever.

Happy Little Trees!

Thank you Bob Ross, RIP. So if everyone is jumping on the 'Go Green' bandwagon, I am going to do my part to support the cause. Again, think ISH (information super highway)... with family and friends giving birth and the passing of some amazing people in my life, I have finally found the perfect contribution to the environment combined with celebrating or commemorating those in my life. Consider Trees Instead, Inc. In a word, Delightful. There are different purchase options Trees Instead offers, but my first purchase for $20, was one tree for a memorial. One tree to be planted in your choice of  1. a forest of my choice or 2. a forest that needs it the most. This purchase supplies the recipient with a certificate of the contribution from you with a small note that you can script on-line, as well as a 'tree #' so that you can follow the growth of the tree as well as stay informed about the forest where the tree is planted. I really love this gesture. I had the certificate sent to me first so that I could inspect the presentation before it was handed over to my friend for whom I bought the tree for in memory of her mother. It was really something to feel good about. Additionally, you can purchase a whole forest, one or more acres and you can purchase individual trees as wedding favors.

Growing up, my mother was a big tree giver. She purchased them from the local Hadassah (the local women's Zionist organization) whenever there was a birth or a death. These trees were purchased for roughly about $12 and these trees were planted in Israel. This was popular tradition. It still is and will continue to be. I always loved the idea and am happy to be able to find a ' go green', environmentally supported US version of this tradition. Make Bob Ross proud!

www.treesinstead.com 

Gag me with a spoon sister!

Let's talk information super highway. For those not in and around the rotten apple, there are fantastic websites for great shopping. A fan favorite of mine for may years now has been The Spoon Sisters. They are two sisters located here in New York City and, as far as I know, still operate their business out of one of their apartments on the upper east side. I know this because I have been there to see it. They carry everything that you do and do not need for yourself and everyone else... babies, moms, dads, sisters, brothers, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, sons, daughters, grads, you name it... and for all holidays. Good for gag gifts, hostess gifts, small house warming gifts, stocking stuffers, the 8 nights of any given Jewish holiday and so on. A winner in my book. They will have something for everyone!

www.spoonsisters.com

Now if you are not in a metro area, you should still subscribe to Daily Candy. It is the bible of the female species. DC, as it is sometimes shortened to, supplies you with the up to date latest and greatest on entertainment, fashion, food and fun. Not only do you get daily emails on the ins and outs, but you also get the discount updates (that include websites like The Spoon Sisters) and other fun shopping websites.

www.dailycandy.com

note: if you are not in one of the sellected cities, subscribe to the EVERYWHERE daily.

more e-commerce to come!

Muffle Man

Muffle: Man Duffle. With the gift giving season approaching we need not forget the men in our lives. If he goes to the gym, if he travels by plane/train/automobile or if he is planning an 'away game'... he needs a Muffle. History has proven that LeSportsac is one the most reliable accessory brands in the market. I can remember growing up that my paternal grandmother had one of their handbag styles in every color available. They came in a solid color rip-stop nylon with DTM (dyed-to-match) cotton twill piping. These bags could survive anything. Like my mother says, this brand "has been around a hundred years". Today I saw their men's line for the first time. There are a few silhouettes offered, however I think the Amplitude Duffle, or muffle... is perfect for every man. It is the perfect size, weight and durability. It is available in 4 masculine colors, no prints or patterns. I am not crazy about the price, so maybe it can be found at one of the outlet centers in last seasons colors (if they exisit). $198 seems steep for a muffle. There is another style for half the price, $108 that is comparable called the Stack Duffle. More of a Guffle: Guy Duffle, a bit more casual. 

Make your man a muffle man!

www.lesportsac.com