Klepto

It’s the season for giving, people, so go and clean out your closets to donate your gently used clothing to The Pink Hanger’s Project Give & Take, a clothing drive for the Crisis Assistance Ministry. As an incentive (but surely you don’t need one of those, do you?), for every item you donate, you can take 20 percent off the purchase of an item in the store.

More incentive: Tomorrow night TPH will be hosting a launch party for the drive. Sip on wine and champagne and enjoy baked goodies from The Sweetie Pie Bakery. AND for every donation at the launch party, you can take an additional 5 percent off the purcase of a new item … that’s 25 percent off for giving to charity tomorrow night. You can also enter a raffle to win a $50 gift card to TPH, a pair of Bishop Jeans, a free mat class from Pilates With a Twist, a mani/pedi from Ballantyne Nail Spa, and more.

The clothing drive goes through Saturday, Nov. 21. For more information, click here.

2935 Providence Road, Suite 103
704-366-7272

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Local makeup artist Jami Svay, as featured in the Charlotte Observer, Blu Magazine, and today on waxMaMa.com, has made it big (and I don’t say that just because we’re mentioning her here on Klepto). Her line of lip balm, Tastee Cosmetics, was recently the star of the show on QVC. Check out the video.

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Sneakerheads, if you’ve got plans tonight, I highly recommend you cancel them. A shoe that collectors have been anticipating release for years is finally coming, and it’s coming to your locally owned Black Sheep. The Nike SB Dunk High Premium “RESN/ Gucci” (Deep Forest/ Paprika) will be released tomorrow.

From the good folks at Black Sheep:

This particular shoe has a long (and legendary) history and it is finally seeing the light of day with an official release. Originally a part of the famous Nike SB Team Manager Series, the Girl Skateboards team manager Sam Smyth created this Gucci-inspired colorway, but it was shelved in favor of the Diamond “Tiffany” Dunk Low. Collectors have been literally anticipating this shoe for years ever since a few samples surfaced fetching prices in the thousands among private collectors.

We originally planned to release these on Black Friday, but the phone has been ringing off the hook all week, so they will be available here on Saturday, November 14th at 11:00 am.

Did you catch that, folks? 11 a.m. on Saturday! For more information, read a list of FAQ owner Josh has on the site. This is sure to be a big deal.

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Jordanos is ready and roaring in their new space at The Village at Robinson Farm (8440 Rea Road, Suite 100), and will be hosting a trunk show Nov. 12 (tomorrow!) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Collection previews from Ben Sherman Accessories, Genetic Denim, Be Seduced, and local designer Narada. Bonus: Any pre-orders during the trunk show will receive 20 percent off!

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Ha. Say that headline five times fast.

So next week, poole shop, located at 6815 Phillips Place, will play host to a new pop-up shop, featuring eco-friendly luxury boutique Organica Deluxe. The Charlotte-based business offers products along the lines of home decor, accessories, aby items, Veriflora flowers and organic food and wine. Prices range from $10-$650.

The pop-up show will give Organica Deluxe co-founders Jane Hunter and Wendy James the opportunity to showcase their products in person along with the convenience of in-store pickup for those who order online.

Bonus: On opening day, Nov. 12, you can take 30 percent off select products, as well as enjoy tasty samples, door prizes, gift and clothing consultations and more.

Just check it out, will ya? The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, not to mention the pop-up shop will only be around until Dec. 24. Click here for more information, and happy shopping!

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Ahh, the holidays are around the corner. Don’t you just love the season for work parties, charity events and the like?

Well, recessionista alert: Instead of buying a bunch of different dresses to wear to the various parties you’ve got to attend during the holidays, perhaps you should consider RENTING your dress.

Hmm.

Rent The Runway is a New York based company that allows you to choose from a list of designer dresses to rent. They even throw in a backup size, and voila! You’re all set with a fresh look for another holiday party with the same old folks.

According to Springwise.com, rental costs are around 10 percent of a garment’s retail price, and range from $50 to $200. Customers can rent for four or eight days, after which they return the dress in the USPS return envelope that RTR provides. The extra size—which RTR provides at no extra cost—must be returned unworn.

During these economic times, this is a great way to freshen up your look for those fancy holiday parties you’ve got to make an appearance at, without having to come out of pocket for a dress that you’ll probably only wear once or twice.

The only problem I see? When I tried to sign up on their Web site, I got this message:

Hmmm….

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According to an article on MSNBC.com, retailers are taking a “business as usual” approach to the upcoming holiday shopping season. People, wise up. Money is tight, jobs have been lost, and it’s definitely not going to be “business as usual” unless you plan accordingly. And when I say plan accordingly, I don’t mean put everything on sale so you don’t make any profit. By all means, do what you have to do to make your money, but be ingenious about how you’re going to get people in the door and offer products that are “must-have.”

At a time when even people who do have money are hesitant to spend it, many retailers and product manufacturers also have been unable or unwilling to risk developing a new and exciting product that could become a big breakthrough — or a huge flop.

Instead many stores seem to be focusing on safe bets and traditional gifts like scarves or board games, Cohen said. That raises the concern that there will be another season with few if any “must-have” items that leave consumers clamoring at store windows and pushing frantically through the aisles.

“They’ve basically bored customers to death,” Cohen said. “Going into this holiday season, what does the consumer have to have? Nothing.”

If struggling retailers — and the companies that make their merchandise — can’t find a way to appeal to consumers, that could have a ripple effect on the U.S. economy, which is heavily reliant on consumer spending and also is struggling to regain its footing.

Read the full article here.

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Barcode … as in the sticker that’s often stuck to the bottom of just about anything you purchase nowadays. Today marks its 57th anniversary of the first patent.

To commemorate the occasion, Google has switched out its logo to barcode language:

Hats off to the creators of the barcode, an essential, ever silent player in shopping game of life.

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Everyone’s heard of the Simmons company, whether you realize it or not. Remember those commercials with the bowling ball being dropped onto the mattress? (If not, see below).

It’s a shame when a 135-year-old brand files for bankruptcy. Oh wait. The owners are still raking in the dough. What the?

Simmons says it will soon file for bankruptcy protection, as part of an agreement by its current owners to sell the company — the seventh time it has been sold in a little more than two decades — all after being owned for short periods by a parade of different investment groups, known as private equity firms, which try to buy undervalued companies, mostly with borrowed money.

For many of the company’s investors, the sale will be a disaster. Its bondholders alone stand to lose more than $575 million. The company’s downfall has also devastated employees like Noble Rogers, who worked for 22 years at Simmons, most of that time at a factory outside Atlanta. He is one of 1,000 employees — more than one-quarter of the work force — laid off last year.

But Thomas H. Lee Partners of Boston has not only escaped unscathed, it has made a profit. The investment firm, which bought Simmons in 2003, has pocketed around $77 million in profit, even as the company’s fortunes have declined. THL collected hundreds of millions of dollars from the company in the form of special dividends. It also paid itself millions more in fees, first for buying the company, then for helping run it. Last year, the firm even gave itself a small raise.

Read more here.

Simmons Beautyrest. It’s a classic.

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Gah. Why didn’t they have cool toys like they do now when I was a kid? Here I thought my Barbie and her red convertible — which I had to push around the floor myself — were cool. Now you’ve got electronic gadgets coming out of the ying yang. I bet now Barbie drives her red convertible on her own … while texting.

Toys ‘R’ Us — which is still surprisingly around despite the corporate giant Wal-Mart and its lower priced toy aisles — recently released its 2009 Hot Toy List. You can read the expansive list here.

What I’m more interested is the Fabulous 15 picks — the retailer’s top picks for best new toys of the holiday season. See below (listed in alphabetical order). (Via ShoppingBlog.com)

• Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia Maxus Helios 7 in 1 from Spin Master
• ChixOs Pink Design-A-Luxury Loft from Spin Master
• Color Me a Song from Crayola Beginnings
• Disney Netpal from ASUS
• Disney-Pixar Toy Story Interactive Buddies Talking Action Figures (Buzz and Woody) from Thinkway
• Disney Princess: Just One Kiss Princess Tiana Doll from Mattel
• Fast Lane JLX Over Drive Radio Control All Terrain Vehicle from Toys “R” Us
• Laugh & Learn Learning Farm from Fisher-Price
• Little Mommy Baby Ah-Choo from Fisher-Price
• Mindflex from Mattel (pictured above)
• NERF N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 from Hasbro
• Star Wars Fan’s Choice Anniversary Edition Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser from LEGO
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Construction Devastator from Hasbro
• Wii Sports Resort from Nintendo
• Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster from Cepia

Check out this video of a guy testing out Mattel’s Mindflex, a very 21st century gadget that reads your brain waves in order to move a ball through a hoop. Mad cool. (video via GadgetReview.com)

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