Klepto

Slate.com has an interesting story for you shoppers who want to support worthy causes by buying cool products.

The writer focuses on two specific ways of buying charitable gifts: buying regular products for which a percentage of the proceeds go to charity; or buying products from companies or nonprofits that have figured out how to use commerce to further the greater good, whether that be by empowering women artisans, like Nest, or providing needy kids with shoes, like TOMS Shoes.

For example: “Nest is a nonprofit that provides microcredit loans to women artists and designers in the developing world to help them create their own businesses. Nest then sells the clothing, accessories, and home furnishings on its Web site and plows the proceeds back into microcredit loans to other businesswomen.”

See? Shopping IS good for the soul.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

OK, I’ll admit it. I ended up buying the blue shoes. Sue me.

These flats are from Naughty Monkey, and the funky designs definitely help play up an outfit. Business casual from the top, party-hardy from the bottom. AND … the inside sole is GREEN.

This particular shoe was found at Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in the Galleria Shopping Center. With tax, I paid about $70.

1848 Galleria Blvd.
704-844-8358
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 10-9, Sun 11-7.

More Naughty Monkey shoes are available at Zappos.com.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

If you’re a shopaholic, you must love this time of year. Stores start to clear out their winter items to make room for new inventory, and you get to indulge in clearance sales!!

Last night while waiting for a friend to show up for a movie, I walked around Phillips Place, peering through the windows of all the little boutiques. Here’s some advice for shop owners: Put signs of sales up near windows. You never know when someone’s looking in. Take a look at what I found just from a casual stroll down the sidewalks of and near Phillips Place:

• Our Place, a women’s clothing boutique, is having a sale at 50 percent to 75 percent off fall and winter apparel. 6700 Fairview Road, Ste 104. 704-554-7748

• Magic Windows, a children’s clothing and accessories store, is having a holiday sale 60 percent to 70 percent off. 6800 Phillips Place Court, Ste. H. 704-643-7040

• Paper Source, seller of fine, handmade papers from around the world, is having its 50-percent-off winter clearance sale. 6800 Phillips Place Court, Ste. AB. 704-552-2220

• Montaldos Furs is having an Inauguration Sale. What that means, I don’t know, as that’s pretty much all the sign said — from what I could see, anyway. 6809 Phillips Place Court, Ste AA. 704-552-4955

• Sunglass Charlotte, the Q.C.’s only independent sunglass emporium, has Blinde sunglasses 50 percent off.

A couple of shops were still open while I made my rounds, so I was able to milk a little more info on their clearance sales.

• Civilian, a clothing boutique, is having a great dot sale:

Tops- 10 percent off
Bottoms/Jeans- 10 percent off
Tunic Dresses- 10 percent off
Holiday Dresses- 20 percent off
Winter Coats- 30 percent off
Hats/Scarves- 40 percent off

Also, all men’s stuff is 75 percent off. And gentlemen, they’ve got some really fly shirts you need to check out. 6908 Phillips Place Court, Ste. C. 704-554-1908

• K-La, a trendy men’s and women’s boutique with brands like True Religion and Seven Jeans, has 30 percent to 70 percent off about 3/4 of the store. More importantly, the men’s section pictured is 50 percent off. 6815 Phillips Place Court, Ste. B. 704-643-7800

Bookmark It

Hide Sites