Parental Update, Urbanite, Sephora, Like.com

Hi all. Thought I'd forewarn you that today's post is going to be a hodgepodge of information. But I will be organized about it, and you will gain new insights and information that you will be able to use for yourself, and then against me somehow later on.

1. You'll be happy to know, as I was, that my parents did not disown me over yesterdays' blog. However, I left out a most important point on how they saved their money that allowed them to dress like fancy pants all these years, and also send me to a great out-of-state college: THEY ONLY HAD ONE KID (thanks to jay eff for that reminder!). The pictured rose is my peace offering to them.

2. Urbanite - Those brainiacs at The New York Times beat me to it with this new daily publication, which provides readers with what to see, eat, do and wear in New York City. It is a free e-mail newsletter sent Monday through Friday where you can find out about New York's newest restaurants, cultural events, latest styles, the best places to shop and more. There's also a weekend guide sent each Friday to help you plan your weekend. I have emailed the editor Melena Ryzik about Guerilla Shopper, but surprisingly have not heard back. She must be tremendously jealous. Let's hope she gets pregnant and goes on permanent maternity leave and then I can take over for her. I will accept an offer as a contributor in the meantime.

3. Sephora is opening a new store on Friday, November 17 at 711 Lexington Avenue @57th St. It's the most beautiful place on earth - they said so! Kidding aside, I love makeup they way I loved markers and crayons as a kid, so this place is fun for a girl and a boy (depending on what kind of boy we're talking about).

4. Like.com - Have you heard about this new shopping site? I've checked it out a bit, haven't acutally used it, but it sounded intriguing in The New York Times article that another G.S. friend passed along:
Like.com offers a shortcut for the budget-minded wannabe. The site, rolled out last week, relies on artificial intelligence technology to search images on the Web, and serve up goods for sale that visually match items on a shopper’s wish list.
Visitors to the site search for products in one of two ways. First, they may type in “red strappy shoes” or silver earrings and receive pages filled with images that match the description, along with prices and links to the product pages of the Web sites where the items are sold. Or users may browse through selected items in the wardrobes of about a dozen celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Simpson and choose, say, a pair of the dangling silver earrings Ms. Johansson wore to the premiere of “Scoop.” The site then searches for similar earrings, returning more than 8,000 pairs ranging in price from $40 to $8,000.

Parental Shopping Influence

OK, so here they are - albeit 38 years ago - the parents who have instilled in me a fervent dedication to beating retail wherever and whenever possible. Dashing pair, aren't they? No, they aren't really old enough to be true products of the depression, but boy you coulda fooled me! Today, I affectionately refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Magoo.

Anyway, they did, and still do, have a unified approach to getting good stuff for less by spending as little of their own money as possible. For example, there is no way that either of them paid retail for what they are wearing in this photo. In fact, I'm pretty sure my dad bought my mom this dress on one of his excursions. I will have to get the story and update this blog after they return from A/C this weekend (and no, they aren't paying for the hotel room at the Borgata either). Part of the strategy is holding on to what little money you have for dear life. How does one do this for decades? Some tips and tricks include:

• PAY CASH for EVERYTHING - I'm pretty sure that store owners all over the tri-state area think they are in the mob. Purchases of furniture, TVs, reupholstery...whatever...all in CASH. This means you never owe anybody anything, especially credit card companies with insane interest rates. While we have major credit cards, we have never not paid our entire credit card bills IN FULL, every month, ever. This means you can never buy something unless you know you have the cash in the bank to cover it. A crazy notion for most people, I know. I thank my parents for this unAmerican approach to finances.
• Get a job that provides a company car - My parents bought two cars between 1971 and 1993. No, that is not a typo. TWO CARS in 22 years. My dad bought my mom a 1971 white Plymouth Duster for like $1,500 with AM radio, no air conditioning, vinyl interior and seat belts that snaked along the window frame and were completely unusable. She had this car until 1987 or '88, at which point she was able to buy her own car - a 1983 black Buick Riviera with grey velvet interior. That car was badass. Otherwise, my dad was given whatever middle management mobile his company got the best deal on every 2-3 years. He didn't even have to pay for gas.
• Take the family to annual corporate conventions and call it "vacation" - Almost every summer my mom and I went with my dad to his annual company convention in various North American cities - Atlanta, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit (woo hoo), Chicago, Boston, Hawaii, San Diego, Reno, etc. Most of the time we drove (refer to point above, this means we got there for free), but I finally put my foot down when my dad thought it would be a good idea for us to drive from NJ to LAS VEGAS. These conventions were held at posh hotels, which we also got to stay in for free, since my dad was working the entire time. Funny, but I always managed to return from these trips with more money than I brought - I guess I was an eager young Jedi.
• Bring your own liquor - A continuation on the vacation tip -- we all know how exorbitant mini bar prices are in hotel rooms. How do you avoid this? Bring your own Dewars and Absolute fifths from home.
• Make friends with rich, generous people - I probably don't have any idea of how many social events - dinners, shows, parties, drinks - that my parents got for free from their wealthy, generous friends, but I do know that one particular couple bought me my first bike, my second bike, Colecovision and a color TV. So this particular strategy directly served me well.
• If it ain't broke, don't buy a new one - Keep furniture, dishware, even clothing until they literally break or fall apart. It's only fairly recent that my parents started buying furniture. During my whole life the house was furnished with items that they had from before they were married. They still eat off of the same and only dishes they ever had (a wedding present)!
• Buy a "how to prepare chicken in 125 different ways" cookbook - My mother has prepared chicken, the lowest-priced meat product, in more ways than even Rachael Ray could concoct.
• Don't go to the movies - EVER - I mean, you can't get out of there for less than $22 per couple, so why not just wait 5 years for it to come out on TV? Don't bother renting videos or DVDs either, just be patient! They'll show it on TV...eventually. The last movie my mom saw in the theater? Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985.
• Save supermarket bags - and use them as garbage bags. I myself have about 18,000 D'agastino's plastic bags in my coat closet.
• Wait until your kids move out of the house before you install central airconditioning - self explanatory.

If you follow these steps, you will have more of your own money than you should with which to purchase fancy clothes at outlets, discount stores and sample sales that will make you appear as though you have more money than you do.

My dad, for example, is literally a Democrat in Republican's clothing. Ha ha suckaas...we're infiltrating the GOP in our fancy pants and then BLAM! How do you think the House and Senate so easily went D this year? That's right...SYMS!

NYC: Fun with Fashion(?) I

So, the Metal 80s are back [below], or perhaps in this guy's case, they never left? Spandex pants AND high-top Chucks? I love New Jersey (I'm guessing on that one, but I'll make a wager if I have to)!







Question: Why would you buy and then wear a black backless shirt with a big ol' white tank top underneath [above, right]?

Todaro Brothers: My Hero

I love roast beef heroes. They must be on long hero rolls with tomato, salt and pepper, and mayonaise (yes, I am a white girl and love the mayo). I first came upon this kind of fine cuisine at the German deli "downtown" where I grew up. I put "downtown" in quotes because it features about 7 stores total.

Anyway, I have had hits and misses in my efforts to replace the lost hero...and as such, I have determined that Todaro Brothers on Second Ave. fills a gaping meat void. Adorned in bloody white butcher lab coats, the guys at Todaro Bros. are old-school - eager to fulfill your every half pound desire, be it meat, cheese, fish, pickles, or a beautiful combination of the aforementioned on bread, also known lovingly as sandwich.

Cheers!

Hello...KITTY! Rraahr...

Since the early 80s I have loved the intricate doo-dads imported to us from Japan by the good people of Sanrio. The obsession with pencils, pens, smelly erasers, stickers and the like pretty much overwhelmed me. Hello Kitty? LITTLE TWIN STARS??!! Oh how you slay me.

So call it an adult indulgence: the Sanrio store on W. 42nd St. This place is almost like walking into some kind of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie set (note to self: write a Hello Kitty movie script). It's just so rewarding that as a grown-up, I can finally afford to buy anything I want in here, as opposed to having to budget the $2.75 that I begged my mother for in 1982.

How glorious would it be to have a luggage set that matched the microwave that matched the towels that matched the chewing gum...all in shades of pink and adorned with cartoon logos of somewhat familiar animal-like critters? Somebody is smoking something here, and I hope they're exhaling in turquoise and lavender with a strawberry-like fragrance.

Barbara Feinman Millinery Gives Good Hat

Great hats, jewelry and accessories dot the boutique known as Barbara Feinman Millinery on 66 E. 7th St. Although the prices in here are not exactly of the discounted kind, the quality and service makes up for the difference.

Last year I purchased the partially pictured hat/scarf combination, which has served me tremendously well. Listen up, as this is coming from a known hat-0-phobe. The colors, the soft materials and the design have won me over and I think that I am on a road to recovery. I am willing to accept hat head in exchange for a stylish dome. In fact, I am thinking about returning to the boutique to peruse other hat options.

Additionally, the good people at BFM custom-made me a shrug made from an interesting metallic lace material to wear in my friend's non-traditional wedding. Their recommendations and attention to detail and service were impressive and made me feel good about my purchase. This is key in the retail/fashioin business, and yet, so often overlooked!

Sexxy Mexx-y

Mexx is Club Monaco's unkempt (German) cousin. I like Mexx well enough, and you can get good deals by signing up for the store credit card (be careful with store credit cards though, read my post from October!). Additionally, they offer many sale items upstairs in their midtown-Fifth Ave. location. But I find it odd that they are located along the same strip as St. John, Versace and Gucci. I was going to suggest that they relocate downtown on Broadway because I feel like their demographic is more trendy college/post-college, but then I checked and they DO have a location downtown on Broadway (between Spring and Broome). So while I'm late to the party, my savvy strategic shopping mind is on point.

My other issue is that some of their clothes are generally disposable, meaning that I feel they are too trendy and I don't find that they are very well-made. The colors fade, garments tend to lose their shape, materials lack "staying power." However, to be fair and balanced, I do own several Mexx pieces and have also purchased very well-priced Mexx items at Loehmann's - a black dress, pants and skirt - and they have served me pretty well.

I guess my feelings about Mexx are as schizophrenic as I feel their clothes are. It must be some kind of German plot to confuse us.

Delman Sample Sale, Nov. 7 - 9

Today, tomorrow and the next day is the Delman (shoes) sample sale at 730 Fifth Avenue @57th St. (8th Floor). They take cash and credit cards.

It is insane in there.

For the uninitiated, Delman shoes have mostly classic designs, are decent quality and VERY expensive. So while they are cheaper than usual, I still couldn't get excited about spending $99 - $150 for one pair of flats, especially since there are hundreds of women knocking each other over all over the floor, lunging for shoes in stacks of boxes. They also make you check your bag and coat at the door, grrrr....

HOWEVER! If you are feeling like an ultimate guerilla (especially if you are a size 6.5 or 9 - there is a special section of $60 samples), my suggestion is to go there without a bag or a coat (it's warm today!) - not during lunchtime - put your head down, and dive in. And make sure you are in a really good mood too.

Furniture Part IV: ABC Carpet is Dreamy

I am going to crack open my anti-retail armor for you and admit how much I love ABC Carpet & Home: I love it infinity.

If I had countless dollars and no financial conscience, I would probably adorn my whole apartment with goods from this festival of furniture on Broadway near Union Square. Have you been? GO! The first floor is a wonderland of lamps, chandeliers, jewelry, pillows...as if you stumbled upon some Sultan's palace. It continues to awe and inspire for several more floors. You have to see it to believe it.

Over the years I have managed to purchase the mini-tiffany lamp pictured above, two carpets (my dad bought one), and bedding, which I somehow inherited from my parents as well. So in fact I haven't really managed to purchase much on my own. But I digress...

Back when I was seeking a new couch, I visited the Broadway location and spied the most beautifully outrageous piece of sittery that I have ever laid my eyes on. It was too good for even Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. Perhaps if it had been motorized, enabling me to cruise it around town, I might have considered it, but a $10,000 couch that merely remains stationary just didn't provide enough of a selling point for me to cash in my entire life's savings.

NOTE: There are two nearby outlets: one in the Bronx and the other in Hackensack, NJ. I have been to neither, but my parents have. I suspect this is where my bedding came from. The cushion falls not far from the chair.

AAHHH! Lord & Taylor to Leave NYC??

As some of you may have read here a couple of weeks ago, I am a BIG Lord & Taylor fan.
I just spotted this tragic article in Crain's this morning about the store leaving the city altogether. President Richard Baker claims they "want to be where people live, not where they work..." Did anyone tell him there are 8 million+ people in NYC? Sigh...well, in my view, it's really their ineffective marketing that is causing this drastic step to be considered. But it's that same ineffective marketing that made me like shopping there so much -- nobody knew where they were or what they were selling, so Guerillas could go in and feast on the treasures without hassle or bother! Alas...
. . . . .
CRAIN'S New York Business
Lord & Taylor may abandon Manhattan
Suburban gains revive famous chain; smaller NY location possible
By: Elisabeth Butler
Published: November 5, 2006 - 6:59 am

Lord & Taylor's new owner may abandon New York City and turn the venerable retail chain's Fifth Avenue flagship into condominiums or office space.Private-equity firm NRDC Equity Partners, which bought the 180-year-old department store chain last month, had spoken publicly about reducing the flagship's retail space, but President Richard Baker now says he is considering more drastic plans. Purchase, N.Y.-based NRDC may move the store — a landmark on Fifth Avenue and West 39th Street for 92 years — to another Manhattan location. Or it could leave town altogether, moving its flagship to the suburbs."It's nice having a Manhattan store, but I wouldn't call it key," Mr. Baker says. "We want to be where people live, not where they work." He gave no timetable for making a decision.Although the idea of sacrificing their Manhattan foothold would give many retailers nightmares, Lord & Taylor's leaders have lost little sleep over the possibility. Chief Executive Jane Elfers spent the past six years remaking the once-dowdy department store chain into a popular shopping destination for middle-aged women living in smaller cities and suburban areas. Cleanup womanSince landing the top spot in 2000, when the chain was owned by May Department Stores, Ms. Elfers has closed underperforming locations, replaced 80% of the product offerings to bring in higher-quality merchandise and improved customer service. She managed these tasks even as May prepared to merge with Federated Department Stores, which then sold the Lord & Taylor chain to NRDC for $1.2 billion. "We were never trying to imitate Neiman Marcus or Saks," Ms. Elfers says. "I'm looking for a different customer."As a result of the upgrades, Lord & Taylor's 38 stores are wowing soccer moms throughout the Northeast. The average customer is 41 and has $100,000 in household income, in sharp contrast to the norm six years ago, when the store's average shopper was over 50 with just $60,000 in income, Ms. Elfers says. In addition, sales have increased: In stores open at least a year, sales grew by about 8% in August and September, and about 5% in October. Lord & Taylor generated revenues of $1.6 billion in 2004, the most recent year for which data are available.Candace Cortlett, a principal of consulting firm WSL Strategic Retail, liked what she saw during a recent visit to the New York City store."They had a great mix of urban trendy and suburban classic," Ms. Cortlett says. "I was really impressed and look forward to going back."Even so, the flagship continues to falter. The Fifth Avenue giant generates just 9% of the chain's sales. By comparison, the flagship for Saks Fifth Avenue generates 20% of that retailer's revenues.The 600,000-square-foot Lord & Taylor would need a serious makeover to compete with New York's plethora of high-style retailers. NRDC Equity Partners, a joint venture between National Realty & Development Corp. and Apollo Real Estate Advisors, may still decide to simply trim the store to a more manageable 200,000 square feet and build condos above it. Other possibilities include relocating the flagship to a smaller site in the city, opening a smaller store here and moving the flagship to a suburban spot such as Scarsdale, and leaving New York City altogether. If Lord & Taylor were to leave Fifth Avenue, few New Yorkers would miss it. The location is already out of the way for many residents, and tourists rarely shop in the neighborhood. Though locals who haven't been to the store in a while might like the changes — the reduction in clutter, the fresh brands and better service — they're more likely to shop at Macy's or Bergdorf Goodman. "Most New Yorkers don't even know Lord & Taylor's exact cross streets," says Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at trend-tracking firm NPD Group Inc.Clamoring for spaceNRDC could make a lot of money by redeveloping the Fifth Avenue site and setting aside retail space for lease. Scads of retailers are begging to pay sky-high rents to gain a foothold in Manhattan. Top Shop, a U.K.-based department store, and Neiman Marcus are both rumored to be looking for space in the city. Regardless of what happens to the Lord & Taylor flagship, estimated to be worth at least $300 million, NRDC plans to spend a lot of money marketing the chain, expanding into new locations and sprucing up existing stores. "We bought the company because we're big supporters of the brand," Mr. Baker says. "We're very excited about the future." Comments? EButler@crain.com