OBSESSION CONTINUED... SHARPIE ME!

If you have not read some of my previous posts, you may not be familiar with my obsession with personalization. If I can buy this, that or the other thing with an initial, a monogram or date on it... I will! I blame this obsession of mine on growing up with a unique name that never seem to appear on the personalized pencil rack or personalized ruled stand at the card store when I was in middle school. If I had a more common name like Jane or Kim, maybe I would be less compelled to purchase every item I see with the option to print my name, initial or monogram on it... you should have seen my wedding!

To add to my collection of necklaces, bracelets, picture frames, napkins, towel hooks, duvet covers, photo albums, totes, handbags, stationary, mugs, pint glasses, framed art, throw pillows, coasters, toiletry and cosmetic bags, t-shirts... I mean really???? Now there is the PERSONALIZED SHARPIE!!!! I am not sure about you, but I carry a Sharpie with me mostly everywhere I go. I am not sure why exactly, but it comes in handy at the most unusual times. Maybe I have a certain Terrell Owens thing going on, but I carry a Sharpie. So behold the personalized Sharpie! Pick a color- pick a font- pick an icon if you so desire- and then pick your message! Put your name, your initials... or "THIS SHARPIE BELONGS TO...". The going price is $11.99 for 6 personalized Sharpies. You can order more if you would like and there are 8 color options. Come on now... what other kind of marker do you use and why not make it your own? It is back to school season and all!

Betsey Johnson is currently sponsoring a Sharpie booth under the tents at 2010 Fashion Week here in NYC this week as well! You get a cute tote and t-shirt to Sharpie all over with your own designs and maybe ever bump shoulders with Betsey herself! Not for nothing... there is also a retractable Sharpie on the market... who would have thought?

So who wants my John Hancock? or my TO?

IT'S OK TO TAKE A NIGHT OUT!

Ok, so I have been M.I.A. for most of the summer, but honestly I have been searching for something... anything worthy of noting and there has been little that has impressed me in the past few weeks. So, here we are... BACK TO SCHOOL and the FALL 2009 season is upon us. Additionally, if you have not heard... Spring 2010 Fashion Week begins this week as well. With the arrival of SP2010 something BIG is upon us. HUGE one might say!

Ladies and Lads... this Thursday night is the first ever FASHION NIGHT OUT 2009!!!!! Let me explain what it is and then what it means for all of you in and out of the great city of New York. This is actually a global celebration of monumental proportions! More directly it is a "global initiative to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion, U.S. and international editions of Vogue are coordinating evening extravaganzas in their respective world fashion capitals" as described by the dedicated website itself. In my world, who really needs another excuse to go shopping??? But this is really great! I have always promoted the concept of supporting the local economy since the rebuilding of lower Manhattan after September 11th, 2001. This is really the essence of support that we need right now, more than ever!

With that being said... let the shopping begin! So here in the city the shopping events are plenty and endless. We will be able to shop until 11pm at most boutiques and department stores with plenty of discounts, cocktails and specials guests! The FNO website can provide details and a handy itinerary tool to plan your evening according to your own liking.

So if you are not in the city this Thursday night, I am sorry you are going to miss this tremendous event. I would however encourage you to make plans with your favorite shopping buddy and head out to your local mall and/or boutique to support your local economy... and tell them I sent you!

What would and event like this be without a t-shirt and a good cause? There are FNO09 T-shirts available for purchase at some of the participating stores and maybe available at some of those online stores as well. Proceeds from the t-shirt sales go to National September 11 Memorial & Museum. This weekend there is also going to be a clothing drive to support the NYC AIDS Fund that will distribute the collections to over 17 different AIDS charities around NYC. There was such an overwhelming response to the volunteer request, that they don't seem to need my help. I will however be able to donate... and so can you!

So go shopping wherever you are! This is a long time passion of mine and now for so many great causes!

Because we do need a little Christmas...

And we need it right this very minute! Or so the retailers are going to tell us this week. Per this article... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31967206/ns/business-retail/ regarding Christmas in July!

So I have been absent from my blog for a bit of time because it is the second half of the year when sales are at the height of their game. From an apparel and accessories arena, spring and summer clearance is upon us and it is never a pretty time of year to be shopping. I often grapple with purchases during this time of year in particular. More so than post (true) holiday season for some reason. Shopping the summer sales always raise the question of "do I really need this just because it is a good deal?" Far too often I look into my closet and find that I have tank dresses, shorts, t-shirts and the like still with tags on them. I can always say what a great deal, but then what? So the concept of buying just because it's on sale has always been a struggle for me. I mean... I have always heard or seen the word SALE and my spirits are immediately lifted! Who does not love a deal? Especially in today's world?

So here we are... 160 shopping days from the big kahuna of holidays and just 5 days from the summer version. Retailers are going to try and get us shopping anyway they can. Before we even discuss the back to school deals, we are going to be seeing more of the 'Christmas in July' promotions. Clever! Kind of... I mean I never need a reason to go shopping, but I am concerned that this may turn some customers off. Consider everything people have going on in their lives and when they have to begin thinking about the holiday season six months out and spending money this early... who knows how this will play out. I am eager to see who will try this concept and how it will effect effect their businesses... if at all.

Take some time this week to deck the halls and consider some holiday shopping in an effort to get a head start on your gift giving, score some deals and bring a little cheer to an otherwise normal week of summer!

To West Helm... and Back FOLLOW UP- and back AGAIN!

So here we are.... June 2nd, 2009. So the schedule should goes we are slotted to have the "storage drawers" for our "storage bed" from West Helm this month. Much to my surprise, on Monday, May 18th I received a phone call from West helm that the storage drawers had become available if I wanted to come into the store and purchase them or call them to order them over the phone. So on Tuesday, May 19th I called the store to place the order (while waiting at home for another tragic customer service issue to be resolved for another piece of furniture... too many details to provide on that story) and here's how this went down...

My new friend at West Helm is  now Mike (not sure where Mary is). Mike was able to order the drawers for me, as I needed two sets BUT would not be able to use the $100.00 gift card they sent me because I would need to be present to redeem this gift card in the store at the time of purchase. What? You sent me the gift card in the mail. It has a number. Redeem it over the phone. No? Anyway, Mike then asked if I was going to need to schedule the installation of these drawers to which I had confirmed that I was told this would cost $35.00 and that we were interested in scheduling this once we picked the drawers up. Mike then informed me that there was an additional $120.00 to the $35.00 for blah! blah! blah! I declined the installation. Ok then he tells me that the drawers are no longer listed at the sale price that we were quoted when we bought the bed. I calmly told him that my previous friend, Mary at his lovely store had promised us the sale price given the circumstances. He decided this sounded familiar and that he would give me the sale price. Ok, fine. Transaction completed. They would call me on Friday, May 22nd when the drawers came to let us know when we could pick them up. 

Cut to 10 minutes later. The phone rings with the caller ID reading West Helm's name. It's my friend Mike. Mike tells me they will not have a truck on Friday, May 22nd due to the Holiday and the next shipment will not be until the following Tuesday, May 26th. Ok, fine. Speak to you next week.

Cut to Thursday, May 21st. The phone rings again... West Helm, Mike, no trucks making deliveries on Tuesday, May 26th. "His Bad!" The next truck will be Thursday, May 28th. Ok, sounds good. Call me when they come in! 

Cut to Thursday, May 28th. Voicemail from West Helm that my drawers are in! Yeah! Great Success! Really? Not so much.

Cut to Friday, May 29th. Voicemail from my friend Mike at West Helm telling me that "His Bad" again. He only ordered one set of the drawers and that he is very sorry for the delay, but he will get the other set of drawers to us by Tuesday, June 2nd... today. There was another voicemail when we got home tonight from a new friend at West Helm, but I did not catch his name. My patience and energy is wearing thin on this place. 

My husband and I picked up the first set of drawers last Saturday morning since we were going to have to make two trips to the store anyway, but still... I mean, really? First of all what happen to the intense commitment I had gotten from my first friend Mary? She seemed pretty hell bent on helping us out and I have not heard from her since the middle of April. Ok, whatever, now I have my friend Mike and now he is not even reputable. I just can't believe stores like this continue to stay in business. I remained extremely calm, cool and collected throughout this entire process (which is rare for me in cases that involve such extreme customer service issues), but this is really unparalleled. For the love of God I hope we have no quality issues with this bed. I will be beside myself if I have to deal with all of these new friends of mine again. 

Not to mention... I now have two $100 gift cards to use at West Helm... I barely want to say the store's name these days. let alone go shopping in the place. 

So to West Helm... and back... and back again!!! There has to be a better June shopping experience coming my way!

My Eye's Are Burning... And Not from Allergies!

Last Friday the weather in NYC was amazing! It was sunny with

 a gentle breeze and it was a day off for me. I took the subway into Soho to do some "competitive" shopping. By competitive I mean 

I compare what I like and don't like as it relates to not only my own personal style, but what the world of fashion has to offer the variety of consumers in this find world we live in. 

My first stop was a store on Lafayette Street between Prince and Spring that is new to me and a must remember going forward called INVENTORY. This store carries mens and womens clothing and accessories all year round at sample sale prices. 

They basically take the leftover 'inventory' from small designers and showcase them in this 3500 square foot warehouse space in 

a boutique setting. The store is very hip and very easy to shop. 

Great store if you are on a budget and need/want something new and fashionable. I would say they are more heavily weighted towards clothing than accessories... which is good! There is a small vintage area in the back that is a delight to sift through as well... if you have ever tried to sift through a poorfly organized vintage area!

My next stop made my eyes burn and bleed and not because it was full of pollen and ragweed. The much anticipated opening of TopShop, the iconic British fashion store for both men and women made its delayed debut last month. I figured I had waited long enough for the excitement to settle down and today was my day to visit one of my favorite British stores on my own turf! Understand that when I shop at the TopShop's in London and Dublin, I leave with no less than 2 shopping bags full of fashion excitement to bring home with me. Make no mistake about the US version of the TopShop... it is just short of tragic! I walked in the front door and the wind in my sail was just taken from me when I saw the front and center merchandising of gross clothing. My friend Jen described the store perfectly when she said it was like H&M on speed. There is so much product in the store and it is so ugly. There is no other way to describe it. Not to mention expensive for what it is. A basic solid color knit dress (I think it was a dress) with a small zipper detail for $70.00? Why? There was a combination of things going on here that was something right out of fashion horror movie for me. It was a Forever 21, American Eagle, Deb (do people know what that is?) American Apparel, H&M stew... and the store was packed! There are 3 floors of this tragedy for the females and one floor for the men. I could not go to the men's floor... it was just too much for me. This is an ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK store. I would save your money. There are SO many better shopping experiences in NYC. Some people do say they have great shoes... again... I am at a loss for words on that section as well.

So I went to Madewell, Uniqlo and then Urban Outfitter. Madewell is such an interesting brand to me. It is owned by J.Crew and as I understood it was suppose to be a watered down version of the J.Crew girl and label in terms of product and price. Not so much I would say. They have the same priced v-neck tees and cardigans. The fit might be a little different and their assortment might have a few more boheiman styles. I do like it though and found a few additions to my summer wardrobe. 

Uniqlo was a bit overwhelming for me by this point in the day but I tried on a pair of long shorts in two different colors... one fit perfectly and the other was so unfortunate looking on me that it was perplexing. Oh well... I saved $30.00. Cute basic short which is what Uniqlo is perfect for. Affordable basics for all aspects of your life, from work to play for you and yours!

I could barely walk through Urban Outfitters, but I gave it a once over and then went home. There was really nothing that jumped out at me there this time around. What a day! My visit to TopShop really stuck with me though. I could not get over how truly disappointing it was on so many levels. I was perplexed that a bunch of creatives could sit in a design studio and hang these assortments up in agreement that this was what TopShop USA should look like. I still sit here and shake my head. I will have to revisit the store again in the coming months to see if maybe it was allergies. 

Note that all of these stores are on the east side of Broadway in Soho. I will have to do take another Friday and devote it to the other side of the street! 

Blog Me? Blog You!

It may be a little like the blind leading the blind in some weird way, but when a blogger blogs about another blogger... that's nice! At least for me! 

This past weekend was the sample sale at my current freelance job, designer Shelly Steffee in the ever popular Meat Packing District of NYC. I helped work the sale Friday and Saturday and met a handful of great people. One of which is an amazing women that is a shopping marathoner! Without disclosing her real identity (for which we have a true bond), she is the sole shopper and blogger behind SampleSally.com. "Sally" shops each and every sample sale in Manhattan and blogs about it. She has a full time career and does this on the side... for fun. She must work full time! It's a lot of shopping sister! Her website is a great source for setting up your own personal sample sale shopping schedule if you are going to be visiting from out of town (or even if you live here) and want to know where and when to hit the sales. Sally provides snap shots from all of her sample sale events and is very informative about the available merchandise, the prices and the overall feeling of sale from location to ambiance. Sally is my new favorite New Yorker and bound to be yours too! She is totally unassuming and as elegant a women as they come. 

True to her blog, Sally reviewed the Shelly Steffee sample sale on her website over the weekend. Additionally, mentioning me and my blog in her review! Yep, there, we did it... we blogged about each other.

Bookmark her website:

www.samplesally.com

Visit Shelly Steffee while your at it... her collections are trully works of art and are designed for real women with real bodies:

www.shellysteffee.com

To West Helm... and Back

One would think that if an item is advertised as a 'Storage Bed' and you go to purchase said item... it would come with all of the parts needed for the 'storage' aspect of the bed. Not so much. 

After a valiant study and research effort to find a bed frame that both my husband and I could agree on appearance and function... we set out to West Elm this past weekend to purchase their Storage Bed. Apparently a very popular item this bed has become since being introduced over a year ago. We were interested in purchasing the king size storage bed. The bed and the headboard were both on sale! Of course they are, everything is. We thought that we were winning already. Mary, our lovely sales rep came back to us after about 10 mins to tell us that she had some good news and some bad news. This was interesting. So, what? They had the bed and not the headboard? Nope. They had the headboard- check, the bed- check, BUT NO DRAWERS FOR THE BED! WHAT? Mary, in her calm, lovely voice proceeded to tell us that she was calling the other stores in the area to find the drawers for the bed and then disappeared. We, mainly me, remained calm... but I mean really? Where are the drawer? If you have the bed, where are the drawers? It's a storage bed, that's how it comes? In my world, that's like selling a belted dress and not having the belt to go with the dress. So where did the drawers go? You have 3 king size storage beds and headboards in stock and no drawers? Ok. What now?

Scene #2: We are now walking around West Elm (we have not reached the real depth of disappointment yet) for about 45 mins waiting for the lovely Mary to find us the drawers... that don't exist. We go to the checkout counter where she is on the phone and has the store manager with her to find out what the hold up is. Bottom line is there are no drawers in the tri-state area and we will have to wait until June 15th for the drawers to come it. Now, they did find the drawers in Florida if we would like to pay to have them shipped to us. So, we are at a flagship store, where we are picking up the bed in our own car so that we don't pay the $125+ in shipping cost to bring our items 3 blocks. We are getting ready to spend a significant amount of money in this store and we are supposedly in a 'recession'. I asked if they would be able to do an in store transfer of the drawers to save us the $400 on shipping so that we would be able to pick up the drawers at their store... the store manger (whose name I will leave out, because she is not worthy) launched into a 5 min dissertation about freight forwarders and suppliers, and how shipping works within warehouses, blah, blah, blah. Awesome. I looked her in the eye and calmly told her that I was leaving my name and my phone # with them and when she decided what the right thing to do was to make this purchase easy for my husband and I, to call me with her best offer. I thanked her and we left... with no storage of anything. (PS- my husband is standing over my shoulder shouting at them that we are just going to go Pottery Barn! Nice, since they are owned by the same company... thanks husband).

We received a phone call about 15 mins later, to no avail, they did not solve any of the issues regarding the drawers. The lovely Mary said that she would continue to do her best in trying to find these items for us, but will not be able to wave the shipping fee for us and would understand if we would like to take our business elsewhere. I further explained my disappointment with the company policies given our long and extensive search for the 'perfect bed' and explained that we would still be purchasing the bed and headboard and that she should deduct the price of the drawers from the purchase, yet honor the sale price once the drawers become available in June and document this all in writing.. and thank you!

So, my feeling about West Elm... To (West) Helm and I have to go back... in June! I am really perplexed about where the drawers could have gone though. Am I alone in this? It is advertised as a Storage Bed, so why would there be no drawers to go with all of these frames? (As I sit here and shake my head)

PS- the bed frame chipped when we pulled it out of the box... we super glued the chip back into place.