a brand new bag & a brand new me

a new year, a new home -- in downtown jersey city -- but i needed some new stuff. can't remember the last time i bought anything new (thanks sis for the lovely hand me downs). my only pair of jeans looks threadbare and feels uncomfortable. lucky for me, i moved right around the corner from life, a hip, out of the ordinary boutique stocked with clothes and accessories from local jersey city designers, such as billykirk (whose bag/wallet collection is made by a group of amish leather workers in PA), as well as other collections by rag & bone, mike & chris, joe's jeans & more.

i walked into life, having read about the store in NEW guide/magazine, eager to find something to perk up my lame closet of clothes. life, set in a beautiful brownstone building at quaint 112 morris street in paulus hook, just steps from the light rail, doesn't overwhelm, instead you feel invited in, comfortable browsing and touching the materials. soon enough i met cliff, the owner of life, who chatted with me in a familiar, casual way (unlike the many city boutiques i've shopped at which have a tendency to either make you feel pressure to buy or too uncool), then he magically picked up a few items to show me after i said, help i need a wardrobe boost (but i want usa/locally made items). cliff carefully described each designer's style, and how that item could best solve my clothing ills. everything he presented (billykirk bag, mike & chris grey jacket, jeans, black pants, grey james perse shirt) completely matched my style & fit almost perfectly (life handles alterations). cliff's knack for finding exactly what i craved doesn't feel forced or sales-person-y. with an air of genuine friendliness and expertise with all the designers he carries in the store, he treats each and every customer personally, listening to what the shopper seeks, yet not pushing the purchase or leading one astray.

so now, comforted in my new jeans in the new neighborhood, i praise life, the urban boutique i couldn't seem to find in hoboken, nyc, san francisco or paris ... where i go to shop, browse, pick up the latest NEW guide or visit with cliff to talk about jersey city happenings.

buyolympia gets out the VOTE!

buyolympia does it again ... by popular demand ... more free VOTE posters are available as well as bumper stickers, limited edition silk-screened wood print VOTE signs and t-shirts for sale. request 'em and pass 'em out for FREE!

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when can you get something for free??? buyolympia, a collection of independent artists and designers selling their wares online, is offering free VOTE posters to spread the word and their cause...

from today's promotional email: "... an exciting project we've worked on with Nikki McClure. It's a poster featuring her VOTE paper-cut with space on the side for you to include your own message. The best part? We're giving them away free to anyone who asks.We've printed 10,000 posters and we're giving (and mailing) them to anyone who asks. So tell your friends and let your voice be heard."

i've already put in my order... and while you are there, shop online. i've bought nikki mcclure calendars, cards and baby books, as well as jill bliss cards, journals, and pouches. also, my current favorite, sarah utter's stuff -- reading is sexy -- including mugs made of corn!

art n' fashion -- jersey style

fall is here! time for the annual jersey city artists tour ... my personal favorite stop will be found object art at van vorst park to see the interaction of art and nature in deborah pohl's traffic cone #3: for the birds, see photo above.

note that for both days of the studio tour, the jersey city museum (gallery hours 12pm-5pm saturday and 12pm-8pm sunday) will offer free admission to all visitors.

fall is also the time to break out last year's gear (like i always do) or buy something new ... at rubee's closet ... run there this weekend for 15% off all sweaters and jackets!

hoboken's new spots -- d a m e s & s w e e t

update: sweet is now open for business! cupcakes and mini cupcakes, cookies, brownies, red velvet cake, ganache cake and more... as well as many hot/cold coffee drinks. sweet has a warm, friendly vibe & enjoyable "mom's kitchen" decor. there are some tables to sit at and enjoy your fresh from the oven treats.

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oh also another new local goodie on the horizon, sweet, a bakery opening on garden and 4th streets (in the old rue de jardin spot)... we spoke to the owner, angela. her staff bakes everything on the premises.


at last, my prayers answered... just when my green tea habit really set in... no more running to joe the art of coffee on the weekend or missing the old mola vibe...

dames coffee espresso bar set up shop early in july on first (the street with no chain stores) near clinton street. finally had a chance to try their drinks. dames did not disappoint. we tried a frozen mocha and a vanilla latte (with simple yet elegant latte art). yum. better than joe since the baristas are not as rushed. i've had a few mediocre drinks and because of a crowd one time some dude swiped my drink from the bar.

dames has a serious, new & shiny la marzocco espresso machine. the decor is minimalist, black & white, with some small works of art on the brick walls, and a fancy chandelier adds a fancy touch. some limited counter space to sit and drink. too bad the space is not bigger for a few tables. dames serves counter culture fair trade, organic coffee. hopefully dames can counter the spread of starbucks in hoboken.

read more about dames on the road to epiphany and check out temp tamp!

hoboken still has a soul... help support these local businesses!

a bright vision for the future-- essential reading

from symposia books in providence, RI (a wonderful bookstore we discovered a few years ago), a book i want to get... i briefly knew chris carlsson (friend of a friend) when i lived in san francisco in the mid 90s, he started the critical mass bike ride phemon, every friday in the city...

Chris Carlsson, the author, will be at symposia on monday may 19th for an in-store reading...

Nowtopia: How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-lot Gardeners are inventing the Future Today!

"Chris Carlsson is one of our most original and compelling voices of radical social change in America. Nowtopia opens a window onto today's vibrant subcultures of technical experimentation and cooperative work, in everything from biofuels to bicycling, gardening to the webworld. More than tinkerers and bohemians, these renegade innovators are pioneers of new ways of living beyond the market and ordinary jobs. Carlsson moves effortlessly from tales of personal liberation to a trenchant analysis of the reconfiguration of class. Nowtopia is a ringing appeal for the liberation of human creativity from the noose of wagework--before it's too late."

-Richard Walker, Prof. of Geography, University of California, Berkeley, Author of The Capitalist Imperative

another one bites the dust...

ok my favorite cafe mola aka emack & bolio's is gone (converting to a eco-yogurt store?! huh?! and no more coffee), and guess what i see on washington street the other day???!!!!!!! another starbucks... but of course, now there are 3 in the mile square corporate city, along with a plethora of banks, nail salons and other lovely soulless chains. i'm so desperate i found myself thinking, hmm, maybe i can go to panera for a cafe feel... the soul of hoboken dies a little more... the days of independent stores rapidly decline.

CELEBRATE MAY DAY!

loved this so much, had to share, especially her creative new word concept at the end of the letter. from my favorite comix store in the northwest (portland, oregon), reading frenzy:

Dear Readers,

Happy May Day! Radical historic significance aside, May Day is one of my favorite lesser-recognized holidays. When I was a wee lass we would weave paper ribbons through plastic strawberry baskets, fill them with flowers, leave them on neighbors' doorsteps, knock and run. Did you know you're supposed to get a kiss if you're caught? Pick your neighbors carefully, I guess! In later years this was the day that I moved my bedroom to a roomy second floor balcony and slept al fresco through the end of September. Although the official first day of spring has come and gone, it doesn't really get started for me until the 1st of May.

Two years ago today, I was traipsing around Rochester in Kent, England with dear friends, taking in my first castle, trying not to tread on ancient graves, and enjoying the annual Sweeps Festival. This was my most touristy request - attending a traditional May Day celebration. The rest of the trip was spent exploring relatively obscure roadside attractions, dusty bookshops, fancy chocolatiers, outdoor markets, and oddball museums.

This year, May Day happens to fall on the 1st Thursday of the month, so we have even more to celebrate than usual! We're proud to present an exhibit of recent work by Portland denizen and international animal hero, Nicole J. Georges, entitled I Like To Be Alive. In addition to the art show, we are also celebrating the recent release of the second collected volume of her enchanting and beloved zine, Invincible Summer (Microcosm, 2008). We've been showing Nicole's work for years and it's been a pleasure to watch her evolve as an artist. Even in the early days, she demonstrated a remarkable knack for capturing expression and spirit in her animal portraits, but this show, and in particular the wolves and rabbit pieces, reveal quite a leap in technique. It's going to be hard for me to restrain myself from snapping them up, so you'd better come quick!

So, after all this reminiscing, how about we start a new May Day tradition? Let's all do something fancy for someone else's benefit, for no other purpose than to brighten their day. You could have one intended recipient or perform an act of public fabotage* to benefit any random passersby.

Send in your reports to for a future update. Bonus points for photos and anonymity in your fancy attack!

Your Faithful Proprietress,
Chloe
Reading Frenzy
Portland, OR

*Fabotage is a word that I coined last year to describe a deliberate action aimed at changing something for the better through various methods of improvement and embellishment. While a subversive and possibly illegal act, it should not obstruct, disrupt or destroy its target.

nyc and new jersey local shopping cures a bad day!

on a recent visit to my favorite store in the west village, greenwich letterpress, to pick up birthday cards and mother's day cards, i indulged and bought a beautiful crafty necklace... it was a bad work week and i needed a pick me up... (see my friend sus shopping in this pix at greenwich.)after asking greenwich letterpress owner beth salvini about the necklace's creator, rebecca purcell, i checked out her bio and discovered that she makes clothes and has written books about "modern nostalgia" and "interior alchemy."

here are some necklace pix (mine is similar to this style).

and in light of recent independent store closings in hoboken (good kleen fun, wee beasties, mola, rue du jardin), more than ever we need to support local artists, designers, entrepreneurs and shop owners.

so take a stroll down christopher street to greenwich letterpress, tell beth i sent ya, and find your own local treasure. a sure remedy for any kind of bad day!

bring your own bag

thanks to my ma for this news...

whole foods market is getting rid of the plastic bag option!!!!! hurrah!!!!!! whole foods wants customers to bring their own bags to shop... and you get a 5 cent discount for each bag you bring...

although it's pricey to shop there, whole foods is leading the way... nice move.

this is marianne...

i just picked up my framed gimme gimme gimme from local art dealer and framer pablo godoy at right angle framing. it's glorious, praise jesus! pablo picked a gothic-inspired frame to evoke the feeling of the inside of a cathedral, it perfectly complements the tone and feel of celeste's painting. once the art is on my wall, (my apartment is too small for the largess of the piece), i will post a snapshot... thanks pablo! and thanks celeste! as i start to explore more art, i thought about one of my longtime favorites -- the german photographer loretta lux and her series of wacky, other worldly children. take a peek at her other surreal children...

"marianne" 2004 by loretta lux

STICKER SHOCK

and now, a break from politics... a green tip to start your day from ideal bite:

how about those little stickers on the fruit & veggies we buy?

The little stickers on fruits and veggies have digits that let you know whether they're conventionally grown or organic, and if they're genetically modified (GM).

GM foods have been in stores only since the 1990s, so we don't know the long-term health risks, and in a 1998 EPA sampling, 29% of the foods tested contained detectable pesticides. Scientists are concerned that GMOs will reduce biodiversity.

Look for the labels stuck on your fruits and veggies:

A four-digit number means it's conventionally grown.

A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic.

A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM.

jersey city's cookie party

...c is for cookie...

sarah silverman and her sis laura have their own cookie party obsession. now i have one, right here in jersey city.

feed your soul (store and cafe) opened in 2005 on 520 jersey avenue (grove street PATH) and though i walked by it several times, i never tried the goodies. but in november i started to pick up some (chocolate-chip graham) at my local shop, empire coffee & tea company. hooked at first bite! chewy, fresh, with a strong taste of graham to complement the chocolate. soon, i was stopping by empire every evening after work to buy my fix. the last time i remember loving a cookie so much was in the early 90s when the city bakery had its first, cozy, small and less mass produced store near union square.

feed your soul "was founded on the belief that anything is possible." their mission is "to provide a quality product that embraces a concept, one which generates an appreciation for life, for living every day, for doing the simple things that truly feed your soul."

according to a recent article, quick bite, in the new york times, owner mya jacobson started in 2004 by baking and selling among 20 types of cookies from her hoboken apartment. now she sells wholesale and online. you can buy all kinds of collections, gift tins, student care packages and within each tin is a card with a inspirational quote or line of poetry. feed your soul also donates one percent of profits from your purchase when you choose a charity from their list.

i have yet to try the s'mores or peanut butter marshmallow or chocolate chip mint... time to visit mya's cafe for my own cookie party.

NEW--the other side of the hudson

if you live on the other side of the river in 'boken or jersey city, maybe you've seen NEW, a sorta magazine/guide to hudson county filled with arts news, local issues, shopping, eats, etc. the editions are free, helpful, and visually pleasing, get your copy here.

as described on their site, "NEW is published twice per year in the spring and the fall. The guide is integrated with the website and together they act as a definitive resource for contemporary living in New Jersey. We focus only on positive change and growth and always encourage creative and honest problem solving."

recently on their blog, NEW posted about maxwell's, the music venue that brings much needed hipness and clout to our mile square city. recently spotted at maxwell's? i read on nj.com's blog that catherine keener visited our town to hear rain phoenix's band, the papercranes...

Hoboken History: Maxwell's Style:

The Hoboken Historical Museum hosts an unusual-for-a-historical-museum program focused on one of Hudson County's treasures: Maxwell's. Former owner/booker Steve Fallon and current co-owner/booker Todd Abramson "will talk about what has made Maxwell's one of the coolest area clubs since long before Brooklyn was hip." Here's hoping they delve into the idea of a rock club as catalyst for urban renewal and arts-scene building.

see the post here.

Hoboken Historical Museum

1301 Hudson St. (201)656-22404

$5 (Museum members get in free)

Texas' Feminist Bookstore Faced with Closure

It seems like only yesterday that I brought news of another woman owned business closing up shop in Austin, Texas. Sadly, I have more news. Texas’ only feminist bookstore is being forced to close up shop if it can’t raise $50,000 by mid-December – that’s just around the corner, kids.

I have such great memories of BookWoman. I remember when I was young and my mother returned from a trip to Austin sporting a new shirt she got from the local women’s bookstore (the pic on the left was what was on the shirt). I was in awe. I didn’t know there was such a thing. I had never even thought about feminism much less the need for a space for women’s work. When I moved to Austin a few years later for school, BookWoman became one of my favorite places. I bought some of my first feminist theory books there, perused the music section and attended many organizing events.

Needless to say, I’m certain that BookWoman is important to many, many other Texans – young, old, male, female, most importantly feminists. Do what you can to help them find a more affordable space and keep their doors open. Learn more about their struggle and donate a little scratch.

GREEN YOUR TURKEY

(from flickr)

we won't be having the usual t-giving feast this year but we plan on keeping it local. here are some tips to keep your day green from the huffington post.

and from the ideal bite, reasons to think local:

The Benefits
*Lower emissions. An Iowa State University study found that people who switched to buying 10% of their produce from local sources produced 5-17 times less CO2 overall than if they'd bought nonlocal.
*Community connections. Sociologists estimate that people who skip the supermarket in favor of farmers markets have about 10 times the number of conversations while shopping...that's 10 more chances to get lucky.
*Supporting family farms. Most conventional foods travel an average of 1,500 mi before ending up on your plate. Buying in your own backyard saves a lotta energy.
*Triumphing in the face of adversity. Amid supermarket aisles full of canned stuffing made in China, a 100-mi Thanksgiving can take some creativity, but that makes it all the more satisfying...and tasty.

*Personally Speaking

Show us whatcha got: Post your local Thanksgiving menus in the blog - the first 25 Biters to do so will win a copy of Paul Hawken's latest book, Blessed Unrest.

*Wanna Try?
100 Mile Diet - read other peoples' stories, and learn how to get started.
Local Harvest - find local farms and farmers markets.

experience the artisan life in hoboken

as i continue my quest to find the best in hoboken for local shopping and anti-mass consumer flavor, i have discovered a lovely store at 211 bloomfield street, samper artisans, that offers much more than yarns and knitting supplies. step inside this homey brick building to meet owner and artisan mercedes colyer, a hoboken native and pattern maker for the nyc fashion industry for many years. once inside, you will discover many unique treasures and gift ideas -- vintage clothes, jewelry, hand knit items -- while feeling that you stepped into someone's happy home. mercedes keeps her workspace in the center of the store so we chatted casually as i looked around.

she opened artisans years ago after working in the fashion world. mercedes is a master creator. i watched her work on several dresses, one of a kind retro-inspired clothes created in her in-store workplace. she explained that her love of crafts (needlecraft/knitting) converged with her love of vintage clothing, bags, shoes and collectibles. you can find cozy 100% woolen hand knit sweaters, hats, blankets and pillows.

mercedes recently expanded to producing one of a kind clothes, tailored to your size and liking, as well as selling fabrics, accessories and needles for sewing.

visit samper artisans and be cured of the mall, mass produced and online shopping habit forever!!

...meet hoboken's karen marsh & her mackeyblue store of treasures...

we all have stuff we love to collect and treasures we adore from the past (for me it's vintage belts or ashtrays)... but hobokenite karen marsh has a distinct gift for finding the lovely among flea markets and antique sales. her store, mackeyblue, is a perfectly designed and visually pleasing shrine to her flea market finds. karen opened her store (on 12th between washington and bloomfield streets in hoboken) in december 2006 while working full time as an internet java developer. the origin of mackeyblue is a combination of a scottish surname (mackey, and her great grandmother's maiden name) and the color blue to which karen is drawn.

the store is open on Saturdays, 10:00 am - 7:00 pm; Sundays, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm; Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm & Fridays, 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

on my recent shopping trips, i discovered an old powder blue book of golf rules and etiquette (for my dad), a cute little, mustard colored mini-crock pot, and a handmade millinery brooch by sew nancy, an amazing local crafter (see left photo). the store is a visual delight-- there is so much to see yet the store does not feel cluttered or disorganized. karen's displays (such as the vintage cameras, jewelry, clocks & more) look natural and not forced as they transport you in pure nostalgia (i felt a pleasing wave of the past when looking at old baseball cards, pez dispensers, star wars glasses and other kitsch). i just love the way color is incorporated in her displays (karen designs by instinct, she's not trained in it, to my surprise) -- shades of one color grouped together or calming, peaceful colors that seem to elevate one's mood.




recently i asked karen a few questions about her passion for collecting:
SG: you're in the internet world for your career... so how did mackeyblue happen?


KM: Well it's sort of a long and windy road that got me there. I grew up always going to garage sales/estate sales and flea markets with my Mom and sister Julie. One day I was talking to a friend on the phone and she said she was refinishing a trunk she bought at an auction. I said auction? Where/when? Am I allowed to go? So that started the auction addiction. I pretty much started attending weekly. I only bought small things and started furnishing my house and then I'd buy gifts. Then friends started asking me to find them things. I love hunting and finding something that is a perfect fit for someone else (and a good deal to boot). As I would find things I would race home to look them up on the internet to try to find out what they were; did I find some hidden treasure; is it worth alot of money?!? This lead me to start selling on ebay as I found that some items were actually worth a little bit and I could actually make money. After awhile I accumulated quite a bit of left over items (often you buy box lots where you only want one thing, but you have to bid on the entire box of items or I would buy something that wasn't exactly right). I couldn't throw these items out. Throwing things away is not my nature. So I started having Gate Sales in Hoboken. People loved them. So I started a mailing list and holding them at least once a month.

SG: what is your best find?

KM: An old dental cabinet. It was gorgeous and had been painted over in that old green/blue paint. I sold it my first month at MackeyBlue, to Larry, a regular customer. Another great find was a portfolio of fashion sketches from the 30s - 50s. I love fashion (at one point I thought I would try fashion instead of IT and took a class at FIT in the city). But fashion is more fun to wear than create for me. Anyway, I found this portfolio and I had to pay quite a bit for it and I really didn't know what I was doing. But by taking a chance and going with my gut, I found that old fashion sketches and watercolors are very desirable, not to mention I really like them a lot. That's the crux of it right there, going with my gut. I see something and I can feel that it's a good thing. Most of the time I'm right. Also I listen to friends and customers and they share their creative ideas with me and I get exposed to lots of other ideas or new ways to view items which helps me in my shopping.

SG: tell me about your customers.

KM: Lots of regulars. I have customers who stop in every week to see what's new. We add new items every week and sometimes items only last a few hours on the shelf before they're snapped up. You need to come in often to see everything and even then it's probably impossible to see it all. Two of our large window pieces have lasted under a week: a retro china cabinet went in 5 days and just this week an empire oak side board lasted only 48 hours. That's the great thing about MackeyBlue... the ever changing inventory. You never know what you might find! I have lots of new customers too. Lots of people are just stumbling upon MackeyBlue for the first time and they often tell me how happy they are that they found my shop and how glad that this store is in Hoboken as all the little shops like mine unfortunately came and went.

SG: your favorite item to shop for?

KM: I am drawn to green things and blue things. Sometimes I have to ask myself if this item were orange or red instead of green would you still buy it. It's the aesthetic of the item, the shape, the color, the look, the detail about it that draws my eye. I also keep in mind the customers. I remember what they are searching for and I try to pick those items up. Often times what one person likes, lots of people like. For example, a friend of mine collects old cameras. So I started buying lots of them and holding them aside for her when she'd come visit. She'd go through them all and buy some and then I would sell the remainder at a Gate Sale. But then I started collecting them too. The old camera faces have such great appeal. Lots of them are very art deco/art nouveau. And I like the black and silver color combination.

SG: thanks for sharing your story and passion for finding treasures. you bring a new, creative spirit to hoboken!

What might you find today?

Karen Marsh, MackeyBlue

1200 Washington Street, Store #E

On 12th btwn Washington and Bloomfield, Hoboken, NJ 07030 (201) 469 - 6947

got green?

well the early to mid october weather in jersey is still in the 80s, so i guess global warming is at play here, right?

so here's 2 green tips to keep us recycling more and trashing less.

1. plaque attack: according to ideal bite, in the United States, 50 million lbs of toothbrushes end up in landfills each year. keep yours out by getting a cool recycled one from radius or preserve (made from recycled yogurt cups).

2. be kind to your skin: try eco-friendly (less packaging) and fair trade beauty products. i just discovered the globally conscious brands at b-glowing and spoke with founder lisa james about some of her fair trade products that "allow people in a given region to humanely support themselves and their communities." her recommendation: adara organic virgin coconut oil for "dry skin, bath, massage, dry hair, split ends, baby and oh so much more! adara believes in ethical trade. It provides fair wages for its workers and builds clinics and schools for its communities."

and some food for thought: i've been thinking about whether whole foods market is a wonderful green grocery chain or just another corporate takeover of local shopping. i looked at the list of stores in development and got dizzy. they are popping up everywhere. is it good because it forces us to think "green" living while we spend lots of cash there or what? i used to shop there regularly but i found that the cost outweighed the feel good aspect for me. i discovered two wonderful local, small organic markets here in hoboken (basic food on washington and 2nd, and sobsey's on bloomfield and newark streets) and i'm loyal to them now. garden of eden, the nyc gourmet grocery store, opened this past spring right near basic foods but i rarely shop there. even a nearby whole foods couldn't tempt me anymore. our local markets provide a range of organic products and fresh fruits/vegetables at very reasonable prices. plus we know the owners well, we feel welcome and appreciated as customers. enough said. but how do others feel, those who might not have stores like sobsey's within walking distance? a recent article from the san francisco chronicle says it's ok to love whole foods. but what about their labor issues?

...green is good...

today i wandered around the hoboken art and music festival, dodging the fried-dough eating people and avoiding the crowds at the sand art booths while searching for the hob'art booth and the "green street" on newark and washington streets, a tiny oasis of environmental consciousness in the sea of consumption. (actually, i can't resist buying a little something: femi ford's poppies notecards & notebook and a reusableable hemp bag to benefit the quality of life coalition in hoboken.)

so, to support the coalition & raise more green awareness (hoboken sure needs it!), here are some help the environment tips for the week:

• stop that extra sucking -- buy the gaiam smart power strip and conserve energy & money. even if your electronic devices are turned off, they continue to suck power from the socket plug, but the gaiman strip cuts power to everything!



• no more virgins -- instead of buying virgin fiber paper towels, napkins or tissues, try 100% recycled ones & save tons o' trees. or better still, just stop buying paper products (like viva towels) to mop up messes and use regular washable towels & cloths.



• be sappy -- buy 100% recycled (veggie ink too) sappycards to show you care.



• love the locals -- find a farmers market near you and shop for local produce.
  

have a green tip? share it with us!

try a little bit of LUXE

first street in hoboken is fast becoming a welcome alternative to the busy, chain store clogged washington street. on first you will find a mix of small, locally owned businesses on a quaint tree lined street. and the street's newest addition , at #158, just opened this week to my delight, luxe face and body, a makeup and skin care boutique. well, i'm not a makeup wearer, but this boutique has something for everyone who needs to improve his/her skin care regimen or just wants to pick up a sweet smelling gift.

i spoke with owner megan who gave me alot of advice on products while sharing her story about luxe. she encouraged me to try products (providing free samples) without the pressure of buying. the price points are very reasonable. megan is extremely knowledgeable & well trained on all the product lines. the boutique space is airy with lots of natural light and room to browse.

my favorite purchase of the day:

Crazylibellule and The Poppies (what a name-- libellule is french for dragonfly) -- shanghaijava collection -- 7 fragrances in a solid stick twist-up tube.