Catching Up

Shopping has taken a back seat to family obligations, work and school lately. But that's not to say that I haven't strolled into a few boutiques as stress relief. And oh, more is to come. We're heading to another city filled with great outlets this weekend and plan to do some major catching up.

This past weekend, we were in Memphis, where we hit the Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma outlets - two favorites. But we didn't have any major luck at them. If I'd had more time, I probably could have done some damage buying kitchen staples at the WS outlet. But I need time to think during that kind of endeavor, and that's difficult with parents and a husband who want to vacate as soon as possible. Maybe next time.

I did, however, stumble upon a new Memphis obsession: The Vera Bradley store at Saddlecreek Shops. I'd never been in a store that was solely dedicated to Vera. I was in heaven.

After discussing my VB passion with a friend, I agreed with her conclusion that it tends to be an SEC trend. Never have I seen a piece of Vera outside the dirty south. But oh, how I adore it.

My love affair with Vera Bradley didn't exactly begin happily. I received a piece in 1999 for my high school graduation and knew nothing about it. I was like, "Wow, a printed duffel bag." It came from family members who had two daughters at a snooty southern state university, and they promised it was all the rage.

I toted it to my non-Fayetteville SEC alma mater and was the only girl in my dorm who'd even heard the name Vera Bradley. You couldn't buy it anywhere in our trendy college town, and when I looked for a matching piece in a nearby major southern city, none was to be found there, either.

But I started to love this bag because I could stuff a ridiculous amount of crap in it. I mean, tons of dirty laundry, all my books and folders, a pillow, my make-up bag, a variety of hair dryers and straighteners, plus clothes and jewelry for the weekend. That meant only one trip down four flights of dorm stairs was required for any trip back home. Perfection.

Two summers later, Vera was in every boutique and Hallmark store I entered. This is my long way of telling you I pride myself on being ahead of the Vera Bradley curve.

I now have six Vera patterns, four of which have been retired. I get a piece for every major holiday or milestone from my family, and I'm always excited to see which pattern and bag I'll be adding to my collection. If you're not the type who loves frou-frou bags and luggage, do keep Vera Bradley in mind simply because it's incredibly durable and the bigger pieces can hold EVERYTHING!

In Little Rock, you can find the best Vera selections at the Crown store at Park Plaza and the one near Wild Oats. If you're in Memphis, be sure to drop in the Vera store there. It's kind of breath-taking.

I bought this great travel brush holder, with six very nice make-up brushes for $35. The pattern is Yellowbird:

In other news, we ate at a restaurant in Memphis that is slated to open a branch at Shackleford Crossings, Yia-Yia's Euro Bistro. This will be a welcome addition to The Rock. Yia-Yia's pizzas rivaled Za-Za's in the Heights (go figure). They also served generous portions of delicious entrees. The menu included gnocchi, risotto, inventive burgers and a flavorful baked chicken with peppers. The atmosphere and appointments were similar to PF Chang's -- very metropolitan. We were pleased with the experience. Hopefully the Little Rock branch will be similar.

More Sales Reports

This a great time of year for finding discounted merchandise. A lot of the sale stuff these days can double for fall. If you're not familiar with Forsythe's & Kristen Todd, this would be a good weekend to check them out. (They're one store -- Kristen Todd is the front half and is all accessories, Forsythe's is the back and is jeans and clothes -- located just down from Belk at Pleasant Ridge Town Center). They're offering 75 percent off but all sales are final and you have to pay in cash.

Also, Barbara Graves on Rodney Parham is offering 40 percent off swimwear, sundress and spring/summer lingerie. This is my favorite lingerie shop in Little Rock and they have by far the best selection of nice bathing suits. Also noticed: half off at Beyond Cotton (Pleasant Ridge Town Center) and 50-75 percent off at Companions (an expensive-ish boutique on Highway 10 in the same strip mall as Entree' Vous). A good weekend to indulge is on the way!

Starbucks Speculation

Speculation about which Starbucks locations will be powering down their espresso machines is rampant. One of my favorite blogs, savvysugar.com, has a well-organized Google map showing some of the rumored closures, including the one that went in last year in North Little Rock on McCain. It's in that little strip mall behind Hooters. There's no official confirmation from the coffee nazis in Seattle yet, but the tip came via the Seattle Times, so maybe it's true.

This location was one I'd imagined would be on the chopping block. It makes no financial sense for Starbucks to close the locations where they bought the land and recently constructed new facilities. But it does figure to close the shops they just threw into rented strip malls.

A global communications VP for Starbucks spoke just two weeks ago to a professional group in Arkansas (just two work days before the 600-store closings announcement). She mentioned that the company would be making more big changes aimed at moving their holdings from 80 percent U.S. stores to dominantly overseas locations. You'll see no more music or DVDs there that can be purchased elsewhere, she added. And I'm more than thrilled that they've switched from the T-Mobile pay-by-the-day Internet access to free AT&T wireless for people with registered Starbucks cards. Our household already has two.

Reluctant Shop Boy and I have contemplated asking our baristas if they know any buzz about the future of our local Starbucks. But we figured that's akin to asking if you know whether you're going to be fired. Our fingers are crossed that our favorite Starbucks location keeps its green sign lit for many ventis to come. Even in a shaky economy, a girl's gotta have her occasional iced vanilla latte.

Bad Hair Day

I have a love-hate relationship with hair dryers. They are essential for me to look remotely acceptable for work. Yet I've had two nice ones break since January. It happened again on Saturday, so I trudged to Target and was unimpressed with the selection. Most of them were the same brand that had just disappointed me: Revlon. I settled on a $20 Conair with a small diffuser, but wasn't happy with the purchase.

Then on Sunday I made a quick stop at Drug Emporium (corner of Reservoir and Rodney Parham), and realized that's where I should have headed for my new hair dryer. Drug Emporium has a full aisle of them -- every brand, type and heat-setting you can fathom. Mostly for the same prices as Target, but definitely a better selection. There's a bunch of nice curling irons and straighteners and curler sets, too. 

I've been buying my shampoo at Drug Emporium for at least a year. They sell all the designer salon brands (Aveda, Bumble & Bumble, Bed Head, etc.) for a couple bucks less than you'll pay elsewhere. And the selection is pretty incredible. They sell the typical drug store brand hair products, too. On these, there's at least double the amount you'll find at most of the local big box stores.

Be warned that Drug Emporium doesn't take credit cards, though. Since they don't have to pay the credit card fees back to the companies, they pass the savings back to customers by making everything a tad cheaper. Feel free to use your debit card there, though. 

If only we liked to cook ...

For a couple that doesn't especially enjoy cooking, we love kitchen gadgets. This may be because we like to play with gadgets of any type. But we always fawn over fun pointless devices meant for fancy chefs. For this reason, we had a ball during our recent visit to Eggshells, the store that replaced Sauce Co. when it joined all the other Heights shops in the West Little Rock Mass Exodus of 08. (Several boutique have moseyed over to Pleasant Ridge Town Center on Highway 10). Eggshells is on Kavanaugh kind of across the street from Mary Healey's.


Eggshells doesn't offer a spread of dips and noshing fare like its predecessor. But it does offer everything from frilly kitchen rugs and coordinating oven mitts to stainless steel measurement converter magnets and high-quality zesters. You can waste a lot of time browsing and find things you've never seen elsewhere.

Case in point:


This is a new-age ice cream scoop. You plunge it into a container of ice cream, twist the top and pull it out of the carton, then push it to deposit the ice cream in a bowl. The ice cream comes it out neat little round stacks (think cylinder-shaped building blocks with flat tops and bottoms), rather than a squishy ball of dessert. This would make ice cream a novelty at dinner parties. Obviously from the picture, they cost $15.

Another neat offering -- and great gift for a foodie who prides herself on a well-decorated kitchen -- is a hand-painted pepper grinder. There's a large selection, starting around $35 and going above $50.


For moms who are introducing their young 'uns to the kitchen, there's a cute Racheal Ray kid's cooking set for about $30. Other interesting items include some beaker-style olive oil dispensers (perfect for, say, your sister who is persuing a PhD in microbiology ;) ) and a ergonomically-shaped corn-on-the-cob butterer.

We have yet to check out the new Sauce Co. location in West Little Rock, but look forward to dropping in soon. For now, Eggshells is definitely filling their shoes in the Heights. Though we do wonder whether there's enough room for both Williams-Sonoma and a fun little kitchen toy store on this side of town.

Cocoa Belle Review

We headed to the River Market for lunch on Saturday and stumbled across Cocoa Belle, the new confectioner in Ottenheimer Hall. The metropolitan stand, which features artisan truffles, held its grand opening on Saturday. We had to wade through a crowd of women lusting over the chocolates to place an order at the counter.

When we made it there, we ordered nine truffles so we could sample several selections and the cash register rang up at a steep $19.50 with tax. I think that level of pricing is going to be hard to sustain for this little shop once its newness and novelty wears off. But who knows. Tourists in Little Rock definitely spend more money on less worthy treats.



Now on to the chocolates themselves. We definitely don't have anyone in Little Rock who is making creations like these. We've long wished for a full-fledged Godiva store here, especially since the chocolatier at River City Coffee and Tea moved on. Cocoa Belle fills a void in Little Rock.

The confections are purely scrumptious. We have four left in our little box and are continuing to savor them. Cocoa Belle's truffles are inventive. We've so far tried a raspberry truffle that had real berries (including a couple of seeds) in them -- it was a lovely marriage of tart and sweet, but didn't leave us feeling overwhelmed.



The milky truffle is a classic -- plain jane but yummy. My favorite is the Key Lime truffle -- white chocolate, graham cracker crust, cream and a little lime zest. I ordered three of these and am saving the remaining two for an after-work indulgence this week. My husband gives his endorsement to the Grand Mariner-stuffed truffle. Why? "I don't know," he said. "It just tasted really good."

Cocoa Belle's owner, Carmen Portillo, told me that this week she'll begin stocking homemade pralines, which include hazelnuts and almonds. I prefer pralines to truffles, so I'll definitely be stopping back by, though Cocoa Belle will have to be a rare treat in our household. Our palates loved these confections, but at $2 a pop, our wallets can't support the craving.

Retail Therapy

Nothing like a little window shopping at the Container Store to restore balance and order. After a long month and a full-force bad mood, Reluctant Shop Boy made a suggestion that we drop in after dinner on Thursday. I came out feeling a high -- even though I left sans shopping bags. The Container Store makes me want to give gifts to everyone I know just so I can wrap them. The gift wrap is a bit high ($5ish for a small roll, $4 for bags, $2 for four gift tags), but oh-so-adorable:

Riverside's Rockin' Some Deals

A friend who's been furniture shopping mentions that there's a big 40 percent off sale going on at Riverside Furniture Factory Outlet in North Little Rock. Love this place! I have three pieces of their furniture, and it's all sturdy, good-looking stuff. If you're not familiar, Riverside is off JFK next to the new Saver's, formerly where Big Lots used to be.

On a regular day this store has scads of beautiful pieces at cheap prices. The idea of a sale there blows my mind. Needless to say, I'll be hitting the other side of the river soon.

By the way, I do realize there's been a dearth of good photos here lately. What can I say? My cell phone camera blows. But I'm eyeing one of those 3G iPhones so maybe you'll get better visuals soon!

Bridal Bonanza

Looks like the Wal-Mart of Wedding Dresses is going to open up shop in North Little Rock. Yuppers, David's Bridal has taken out a permit for a location on McCain. (I reserve the right to make fun of David's, having strutted down the aisle in deeply discounted David's original. Yes, that was after the initial trip to Low's.)

It only makes sense that David's would go in to NLR. With Bridal Row on JFK doing so much of the matrimonial merchandising in this area now, it's probably a competitive move. The new location will be at 4188 E. McCain. GoogleMaps puts the new store in the area of Jason's Deli.

We hear things ...

A couple of dear friends who also serve as loyal correspondents have provided some juicy shopping details.

One found a gorgeous black leather Hobo bag at Poor Little Rich Girl for $50 on Saturday. It matches a wallet she already has. A serendipitous find that reinforces my view on this little Hillcrest boutique. If you keep going back you're going to come across The Find. Same friend plucked up a pair of perfectly fitting Prada sandals there last fall.

Another friend followed the advice listed here and hit JT Designs this weekend. She reports that they're hosting an event next weekend (June 27 -28) complete with sales on merchandise, contests, food and the like. A good time to get acquainted with one of The Rock's little gems!

Chenal Web site is Up

The Web site for the Chenal Promenade is up this morning, we learned from an intrepid correspondent. It's pretty, pretty, but it doesn't offer a whole lot in the way of new information. We'll see a J. Crew, a bebe, a DSW -- all of these have been reported locally. Maggie Moo's will open June 26. The pictures show there will be an outdoor fireplace and water feature. Posh! You can browse the site at your leisure at www.chenalshopping.com. (You can become a VIP to get more Chenal updates!)

Hitting a Low's Point

I collected wedding magazines years before meeting Mr. Right. As a mature, reasonably pulled-together woman, this is something I should find shameful. But I wear my wedding-obsessed badge (veil?) with pride. Weddings are practically a hobby for me.

I wasn't even 20 years old when I first read about Low's Bridal in my mother's copy of Southern Living. I wasn't even living in Arkansas, for that matter. It sounded like my bliss. Affordable wedding gowns downstairs and designer dream frocks on the top story? I was obsessed with the mere notion. So when I was happily in love and called to move to Arkansas three years later, I was thrilled that I might soon have the chance to shop at Low's.

When Reluctant Shop Boy proposed, I booked an appointment to browse dresses at Low's on New Year's Eve. My mother and sister flew out to go with me. And it was a nightmare.

The saleswoman was rude. The store made me change in the middle of aisles rather than in a dressing room even though there was only one other bride there. The sale prices weren't very reasonable.

Three years later, a good friend is on the search for her own Holy Grail of purchases. We've had fun perusing stores around here, looking for a dress that is perfectly her. When she said she wanted to try Low's, I asked if I could join her. I wanted to give the warehouse of confections another chance. Surely this experience would be different.

It wasn't. This time the saleswoman acted like she would have rather been watching soap operas than helping my friend with the most emotional purchase of her life. And the store had pulled the tags from one of her favorite dresses so she wouldn't know who designed it. So she couldn't price compare.

I mean, would you buy a car if the dealer wouldn't tell you whether it was a Nissan or a Pontiac? Of course not. So why is it ethical to apply the same principles to bridal apparel?

Two trips to Brinkley. Two bad experiences. Two girls perfectly happy to take their business somewhere else. Anywhere else. Even eBay!

Design on a Dime

Every time I drop in JT Designs, I'm the only person there. And I don't know why. It's a fantastic little store. Some of it's vintage, some of it's new, all of it's affordable and adorable.


My guess is that it's in a location that's easy to miss, though, and this puts it at a disadvantage. JTD is on the little triangle corner between the Capitol View hill and the Blind School on Markham. If you were heading west from downtown, you'd probably miss it, unless you knew it was there. (It would be on your right just a couple blocks up from the Italian Couple. Address is 2233 W. Markham St.). So now you know and you are tasked with dropping in.

At JTD, you'll find some pretty neat things -- some of them pieces that will remind you of grandmothers or great aunts or those other really chic women in your life whose closets you wish you'd had the opportunity to raid before they chucked all the really cool stuff. Other pieces at JTD are just little quirky things that will make your home more fun.

Case in point, my new Puppy Tail dog leash holder. Easily Excitable Shop Pup never had such a cool place to hang his guide after a long walk. He's already sitting in front of it, begging for a stroll in the evenings.One thing about JTD that is interesting: A lot of their new merchandise comes from stores we don't have here -- probably stuff they bought at warehouse sales or on e-Bay. We spied some paper lanterns labeled Cost Plus World Market and noticed the aforementioned Puppy Tail had a little IKEA insignia on it.

You'll also find some great vintage jewelry, neat antiques (some might need a little sandpaper or reupholstering) and an extensive array of retro china and silver.

I really don't want this place to go out of business. The owners are exceptionally nice without being pushy, and they seem to really enjoy running the shop. Go check it out while they're running a big 25 percent off sale. Also noted: they're willing to bargain on lots of their merchandise.

Back in the Game

Apologies for not posting much in the last week. Our Internet was down. We spent several days going back and forth with Comcast before they finally strung a new cable line, providing us with consistent Internet access for the first time in six months. We'll try to step it up this week ...

From the 'As Seen on TV' Files ...

The Magic Bullet blender, the battery-operated closet light bulb and now the Ped Egg. All have come home with us from local stores that have started hawking products previously only sold through dialing 1-800 numbers. For years, we would sit mesmerized during the lengthy commercials touting these devices. The only thing that kept us from buying them was the fact that we'd have to read someone in China our credit card number over the phone.

For a solid year, Reluctant Shop Boy would spend at least an hour every Saturday morning watching the Magic Bullet ad and then pestering me to order it. So when it showed up in Belk last summer, it came home with us. He made me smoothies for a week, and has since only touched it when I beg him to dice onions.

I've also been on a life-long quest for soft feet. I've used everything from Origins to Keihl's to Fresh, only to always end up with scratchy heels. Enter Walgreens. Driving past it last week, I noticed a sign advertising the Ped Egg for $9.99. This As Seen on TV product has gotten a lot of press lately. I'd been reading about it for a while on some of my favorite beauty sites. Lots of reviewers said it rocked, so I made an impulse turn into the drugstore parking lot to pick one up.


So far, I'm disappointed. I'd imagined the Ped Egg experience to be like having the guy at the nail salon use the little razor to scrape the dead skin off my feet. That's my favorite part of a pedicure. Using a Ped Egg is nothing like that. It's more like using one of those sweater shavers on your tootsies, except it doesn't work all that well. The skin doesn't all end up in the little egg as promised, so you need to pull a trash can over while using it. My feet improved a bit after using it. Still, it's not the miracle foot filer it's been called.

Our drawer stuffed with As Seen on TV castaways continues to get fuller. So why am I having a hard time resisting that counter vegetable chopper with the press-down handle?

Red Door

Target's new front door is now accessible! Maybe this means the full WLR store expansion will be ready before long. The inside is still exactly the same, but at least we're not strolling into that rather ghetto construction entrance anymore. A new customer services counter greets you as you walk in. Much better than the tiny rigged up Service Merchandise-esque hole they've been operating from over the last few months. We kind of dig the concrete sitting ball at the front door, as well. Are we the only ones thinking this construction has been going on FOREVER ?

A Prelude to Summer

With a three-day weekend on the horizon and the initial AC switch-on days past, we've been craving summer. For some folks, this means dips in the pool and fresh tomatoes dusted with salt. But for us it means snapping up adorable summer goods.

So if you're refraining from the typical Riverfest flustercuck this weekend, check out these cute pieces in WLR, which are certain to be less crowded than President Clinton Avenue.

First stop? Hobby Lobby, which has a nice supply of our latest obsessions: outdoor rugs. Yes, they're ridiculously non-functional, but hot damn they're cute! These ring up at $30 through Saturday:


We're also partial to damask prints (oh, you hadn't noticed?). So we thought it would be plenty of fun to dish up grilled corn-on-the cob on these pretty plates ($3):


Same design scheme, different scene -- namely, the yard. We don't love gardening. But wouldn't we feel a little luxurious pulling weeds in this cute yard apron ($6)?


We then headed over to Pier 1. Lots to love, including $3 citronella candles, cute $5 shell-shaped acrylic plates and these great tea light lanterns for $8:


These coral-like napkin rings make us think about a tropical vacation, regardless of gas and stupid airline bag check prices ($3 for ring and $3 for napkin, eh ... $150 for gas and bag check?):


Not so outdoorsish, but this might go home with us soon. Birds are big right now:


Finally, a quick jaunt through Garden Ridge revealed that Adirondack rockers are a reasonable $60 right now. We've seen them in the $200 range elsewhere.

Discount Discovery: RK

RK Collections (at Green Mountain and Rainwood) and Splurge (at Midtowne) are offering 20 percent off all merchandise through the evening of Memorial Day. They'll even give it to you on already discounted stuff. While some of their fashions are a bit outside my taste, they have a fun jewelry and sunglasses selection. Go make good on the bargains.

Super Fabulous Super Center

We don't particularly enjoy trips to Wal-Mart. We grew up in a small town with a mother who refused to venture there. The claustrophobia-inducing aisles, the shrieking kids, the cheap and frequently rude laborers -- all equal a recipe for a raging bad mood. One time a friend asked Mama where she got necessities like toiletries. She replied, "If Wal-Mart's the only place to get it, I don't need it." This has been our motto since moving to Arkansas.

But we recently heard about a new SuperCenter store prototype Wal-Mart is testing in Maumelle. One of our good friends gave a rave review, but we were still skeptical. "It's supposed to compete with Super Target," she whispered. She had us hooked. We loooooove Super Target. Heck, we looooove regular Target. So we swallowed our pride and ambled down 430 for a look-see. Twice. We're glad we did.

The grocery section is what sets this Wal-Mart apart. It's actually kind of lovely (did we really just say that?). The bakery selections were gorgeous:

The sushi counter featured an attractive array of maki and nigiri:

The freezer section had real Jello pudding pops (one of those childhood treats we're never able to find). And while looking for pomegranate juice, we found eight possible selections!

Other features set this store apart, as well. It's organized. The aisles have more than enough room for three carts to fit down them at once. There aren't massive pallets of crap at the end of each one. The checkout lanes offer the longest automated conveyor belts we've ever seen:

We also were captivated by the motion-activated lights in the freezer and refrigerator sections. They save energy by switching off after so many minutes have passed without a customer passing by. Notice the difference between the lighted cabinets on the left and the ones that are dim on the right:

The non-grocery section is still, well, Wal-Mart. But it's kind of like Wal-Mart all dressed up for the prom. It's tidy, attractively accessorized and a little bit giddy at the prospect of being so grown-up.

But can we expect this type of Wal-Mart store to become the standard? Probably not. Some cursory research shows the big box behemoth expects to adopt this "clean store" model in about 20 new locations throughout the United States. We'd love to see it in more places. We also hope that the renovations currently underway at the Chenal Target bring it more in line with this standard. Because we can barely cope with the idea abandoning our beloved Target. And we certainly can't tell Mama we've been shopping at Wal-Mart.

New Kitch on the Block

Also noted at the Pleasant Ridge Town Center Third Thursday event:
Much speculation about the new restaurant
going into the old Imagine location.

A couple of folks in the know confirmed that two established Little Rock eateries are negotiating to lease the space. Sounds like we soon could be lunching at a new location for either Trio's or Cafe Bossa Nova.

Either would be a welcome addition, with few great lunch options currently at PR. Fingers crossed!

Re-thinking Third Thursday

Pleasant Ridge Town Center couldn't settle for just stealing some of the best Heights/Hillcrest shops. It also had to copy their Shop 'n Sip event. But the new Little Rock shopping behemoth doesn't quite have the shtick down yet.

Pleasant Ridge has been advertising its new Third Thursdays event for some time. The blueprint is to get you into its shops and boozed enough to feel comfortable with paying $175 for a cotton Tracey Reese top like one you could easily find for $30 at Stein Mart. It's the same concept that's in place for Second Friday Art Nights downtown and First Thursdays in Hillcrest. A nice respite from a long work week and free wine? Sign us up.

We definitely enjoyed ourselves. We browsed a couple of shops we'd never noticed before that have dynamic selections: Nia-Ja's (home to several Hobo clutches and Denim of Virtue jeans, recently featured in In-Style and US Weekly) and Frock-Sole (lovely designer threads – a whole wall of them on discount.)

We also hit three stores that have moved from other locations to Pleasant Ridge: Solemates, Forsythe's/Kristen Todd and Understatement. We adore the offerings at all three, like these lovely Nicole flats at the punny shoe store:


This too chic metal and leather arm cuff at Forsythe's/Kristen Todd ($75):



And at Understatement, these PJs, which may be the most adorable thing we've seen in weeks. Yup, those are mini sushis. The sight of raw fish has never been so appealing ($58):


From the perspective of a late 20-something with just a hint of discretionary income, Solemates was the favorite stop of the night. There's both luxury and savings to be found here, but the best part was the schmoozy staff. They refilled our pinot with a smile and offered to order a special size in a favorite comfy brand for Shop Girl's absurdly small feet (to which we attribute her lack of grace.)


But Pleasant Ridge has some work to do. Only a handful of shoppers milled about the stores, and most of them checked the "Over 50" box on their credit card app. While merchandise at PR's boutiques is higher end, it's definitely marketed to those of us who were more recently inducted into our companies' 401K plans. PR needs to find a better way to reach Little Rock's younger spenders.

They also need to consider attractions besides live music for these events. It was painful to see the rather loud band playing to an audience of one mid-40s dad waiting on his wife.

Shop Girl's suggestions? How about handing out free canvas shopping bags, staging a short fashion show featuring local models and samples of the food from Fresh Market, Bonefish, Crew and the new restaurant that's going in. Ohhhhhh, and Panera when it opens! The Hills Set, afterall, lusts after free food and fashion.

Other's People's Stuff

We love estate sales and second-hand shops. Some of our favorite home furnishings fell under the "someone else's trash" category before we unearthed 'em like canary diamonds at Murfreesboro. So we were pumped when a friend invited us to pick through finds at a residential sale recently. We were promised posh furniture at reasonable prices. And there were plenty of cute pieces -- leather chairs, a gorgeous antique pie chest, locally-designed art and a sizablearmoire among the pickins.

But there was one difference between the estate sales we're used to hitting up and this one: The owner was alive and kicking. And offering commentary on every piece as we perused. She was selling everything in her home before she and her husband purchased their next not-so-humble abode because she wanted to "start over." I. Can. Not. Imagine. She certainly had done a lovely job decorating this property, but to sell everything you owned, just to buy new stuff? We were shocked.

We attach a lot of memories and emotion to even the smallest material possessions. Even pieces we don't really like, we often hang on to. Maybe it was something we bought the day we got our first job offers or it was a gift we know our mothers-in-law will want to see in our homes when they visit.

We admired this homemaker because we know it must have been liberating to watch someone else carry some memories out her front door. Getting out from under the past in such a tangible way seems like a relief. But it also seems like letting go of a part of yourself.

We couldn't justify taking a part of her away from that house with us. So we walked out empty-handed.

And, really, who wants to pay $500 for used furniture from Dillard's, anyway?

Seriously?

We've seen these in more than one boutique around town in the last week:


Oh, those aren't fugly earrings, sweets. They're good old shoe clips.

Shop Girl rocked shoe clips on one occasion: a particularly disastrous regional fair pageant in the fall of 1994. They spiffed up a pair of black patent flats paired with a taffeta/lace/sequined aqua monster prom dress we got hand-me-downed from a neighbor girl. And calling them shoe clips might have been generous. In most circles they would have been called "Mom's clip-on earrings." Whatevs.

Anyway shoe clips apparently will soon be featured in all the fashion mags this fall. If you want to get ahead of the trend, check out Box Turtle, where you can find the selection above for $25.

Practically free

One of our biggest obsessions is stationery. Cards, note pads, letter paper, stickers, envelopes – we heart it all. The brighter the colors and cuter the designs, the better. If you can put our initials on it, score another point! The only thing we love half as much is adorable tableware. So imagine our total elation upon finding the Inviting Company warehouse sale today.

This adventure starts off seedy – like all good shopping trips – and ends with a high. We’ve been known to go deep into the Memphis ghettos and high into Chinatown for sought-after merchandise. So a little trek into Prothro Junction didn’t seem unreasonable. This may have been our most profitable shop run yet.

Inviting Company – which is stocked in most local stationery retailers including the Crown Hallmark Stores – hawks its overstocked goods every few months at their warehouse on Bethany Road. We made quite the haul and are contemplating a sequel visit.

We got:
• 30 packages of designer napkins and plates for various upcoming parties, showers and cookouts
• 20 pages of initial bi-fold cards to give to friends as gifts
• a stack of scrapbooking papers, also for gifts
• various witty cards to mark graduations, new home purchases and birthdays.


We paid:
$10.25 . For all of it. Seriously.

We were lightheaded just shopping. It was practically like getting a buzz on your lunch hour. Fantastic shopping releases major endorphins.

So get your trunk to Prothro Junction this weekend. Sale runs Friday 10-4 and Saturday 9-3 a.m. There are boxes and boxes of fantastic goods for sale. Napkins and plates are 25 cents per package or $2.50 per box of more than 10. Card stock, scrap materials and stationery are $2 a pound.



Tip: Bring Your own big bag and plan in advance. Lines are long and they only accept cash and check. And you'll definitely be dodging lots of stay-at-home moms with strollers in tow.

Ghost Town

We used to browse the River Market quite a bit, grabbing lunch, drinks after work and trinkets at the cute shops. Since moving to another part of town, we’ve slacked off. And apparently, so has the River Market’s Ottenheimer Hall. The strip right inside the front door is deserted these days. Community Bakery is gone, as is Scapetto’s Deli and the little pizza place. Three stores. All in a row. So now, it looks like this:


We were crestfallen when Jody Hardin decided to leave the River Market because we loved indulging in his fresh strawberry shortcake cups and dishing up our own salad creations. (We’re pumped about his involvement in North Little Rock’s Certified Arkansas Farmer’s Market and for his new shop in Argenta.) But it looks like he picked up on the clues earlier than anyone else.

The number of food court style vendors is dwindling in the main area, and filling the open spaces with additional seating is not the answer. Maybe rent is too high in Ottenheimer Hall or maybe the boom in restaurants downtown has pulled diners to other River Market locations. Whatever the issue, the staff need to remedy it ASAP. Just think about how this ghost town will look to tourists stopping in during summer conferences …

Open for Business

Face it: Shopping in Little Rock no longer sucks. Shop Girl recalls the day she moved to Arkansas, apprehensive about being 300 miles from a Crate & Barrel. She still is, but with the Capitol City now sporting a Container Store, Pottery Barn and soon-to-open J. Crew, life is a little sunnier. Shop Girl is finally able to throw out her five remaining Prozac pills and rely on the anti-depressant that is retail therapy. She knows you’ve been indulging, as well.

With an abundance of opportunities to drop cash on luxury goods in Little Rock, Arkies need a tour guide. Shop Girl and her comrades hope to save you valuable time scouring the racks at Heights and Hillcrest boutiques, let you in on which stores are vending the hottest magazine and talk show finds and maybe even whisper a few trade secrets to score you savings.

So haul out your trendy, reusable shopping bags, peeps. It’s time to rock the shops.