I know some of us are in the same areas or may be planning to visit another part of the country that's home to many other ST'ers. Let's list our favorite local shops, with and without sites.
I live in the NYC area.
Western Boot World is in northern NJ on Route 17. They are very serious about boots. I love this store because it seems so out of place in NJ, but I'm glad they're there because they have an amazing selection of cowboy boots and other western items!
i travel a bit so here are some of my favorites from different cities:
Philly:
Skirt (i used to go there ALL the time)
Smith Bros. (Great Denim, and bought the boy Ben Sherman shirts there)
South Moon Under (always found jewelry, Juicy, and Swimsuits there)
Leehe Fai
Bias (I LOVE the owners there) in Manayunk
Beans Beauty (The BEST PRODUCTS, right before i left i stocked up and dropped $700 + in one sitting there )
I'm sure there's more I just can't think of any right now....
Saint Louis:
Melanie's in Clayton (Great Jewerly for CHEAP)
Alpine Shop (Best for Outdoor Gear)
Splash (it used to sell "hippy" stuff, now it sells great denim and stuff)
Chicago:
Red Head Boutique (the SA's Can be snotty at times though)
Jake
SheOne (The owner is ALWAYS nice)
Krista K (They call me way too much, but i appreciate it...great store)
Active Endeavors (i want my little sister to get a job there when she moves)
Lori's Shoes (I spend a TON of money there)
P45 (LOVE this store)
E Street Denim (I like this store, but kinda messy)
Out of the West (great denim, with a western theme, i saw on Jenerations.com that Jen's jewerly was sold here, so it MUST be a good store)
Sugar Magnolia (the SA's also a bit snotty if you're dressed in jeans and a tee, not "done" up)
i know there's more, but i'll let the other girls add some
Austin:
By Georges (I really loved the products here, but the lady told me they had a store near campus that was a little more affordable )
Amy's Ice Cream
i think that's it....
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"i tell you one lesson I learned
If you want to be something in life, You ain't gonna get it unless, You give a little bit of sacrifice, Oohh, sometimes before you smile you got to cry.." -The Roots
I LOVE that store!!! i used to go there all the time when my bf lived on oakdale (and then barry), everytime i came to visit my bf, i would go there cuz i wouldn't get lost when i walked there. i haven't been there since i moved to chicago. thanks for reminding me!!!
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"i tell you one lesson I learned
If you want to be something in life, You ain't gonna get it unless, You give a little bit of sacrifice, Oohh, sometimes before you smile you got to cry.." -The Roots
I live in Suburban Chain-Store Hell, but in case anyone ever visits North Phoenix, there is a great store called "Ten Thousand Villages" -- it's sponsored by Unicef and sells handmade crafts from villages around the world. It has the coolest little clutches and jewelry. It's completely out of character for this part of the city, so I hope it stays.
Also, if anyone goes to Scottsdale, check out 42 Saint or Mahsa...two places with gorgeous stuff I can't afford.
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"We live in an age where unnecessary things are our only necessities." --Oscar Wilde
I live in Suburban Chain-Store Hell, but in case anyone ever visits North Phoenix, there is a great store called "Ten Thousand Villages" -- it's sponsored by Unicef and sells handmade crafts from villages around the world. It has the coolest little clutches and jewelry. It's completely out of character for this part of the city, so I hope it stays. Also, if anyone goes to Scottsdale, check out 42 Saint or Mahsa...two places with gorgeous stuff I can't afford.
Oh, we have Ten Thousand Villages around here, too. They are great little stores! Sorry, halleybird, they're a chain, too. But they're a cool chain.
LF (Union St.)- very funky stuff, kinda pricey, my friend is a manager there and i was in a runway show there a few months ago!
ambiance is a local favorite- they have cute stuff (joe's jeans, free people, trina turk), but i hate the layout/organization of the store. they arrange everything by color and stuff the racks and it's so crowded and cluttered and i'm getting claustrophobic just thinking about it!
my roommate's closet- a boutique outlet! amazing stuff for 50% off.... loooove this place.
dish- on hayes street, super pricey, great jeans
brown eyed girl (although sometimes their stuff seems a little young)
flax- an amazing art supplies/crafty store
gimme shoes
dylan
jax- best store on haight street, but so expensive!
villian's vault- funky stuff, great jeans selection, funny tees
behind the post office- tiny store, but carefully selected merchandise
Aww, halleybird, don't feel bad. You just let me know about them! We have one in Atlanta and one is opening - end of this month - very close to my city. I will def. go check them out; I like the idea of supporting them. Yay!
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"Good taste shouldn't have to cost anything extra." - Mickey Drexler
halleybird - if it makes you feel better, we don't have one in Dallas!
Dallas & surrounding areas: Dressin Gaudy - plano but cute stuff & surprisingly cheap jewelry Legacy Trading Co in West Village - AHHH, this store has some of the coolest house stuff ever Maggies Vantage Shoe Warehouse - overstock shoes - lots from Newport News, very hit or miss Off Price shoes - also overstocks - all shoes $9.99 & they eventually mark them down to $4.99 - even more hit or miss but I've gotten some cute stuff here - even found it on a cross dresser site if that tells you anything. (But I love gaudy / obnoxious shoes) Lou Lou - shoe store my friend opened - more upscale nice shoes Elements - but I can't afford even a tank here Movida in Mockingbird Station - like Elements but not designer or as expensive Rich Hippie - LOVE Byzantine Off the Shoulder Me Crews
Whew - I guess I have been doing a lot of shopping in the past year since i've been here - but looking at my list - so many places I still haven't been!!!!
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Who do you have to probe around here to get a Chardonnay? - Roger the Alien from American Dad
this is so interesting! I just passed one of those Ten Thousand Treasures in my town!
When I lived in Brooklyn, I used to go to Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg alot on the weekends... mostly to browse after brunch. My two favorite shops there are Mini Mini Marketin the Williamsburg mall. The sell stuff animals, cute clothes from kitschy designers like Grey Antics and Built by Wendy plus stuff from local designers, stationary, and vintage jewelry. It's like a grown-up girl's Hello-Kitty store. However, it always smelled like patchouli in there... I don't miss that.
I also liked Spacial Etc. This is a great place to go buy a house-warming gift or something that your mom might like. They sell yarn and items from Brooklyn Handknit. They also have some fun items for home. I think I've bought like one thing here for myself but it's a great place to browse.
in my neighborhood there is the cutest boutique called tia's place. the sa's are really nice and they have a great selection of clothes at various price points. plus it's one of those places where you can buy the fixtures too, so the layout is very cozy.
find outlet (one of my fav. stores) just opened a location within walking distance of me. for those not in nyc (or la b/c they just opened one in la) it's a discount store -- in the same vein of marshall's/loehmann's, etc. but a lot of the stuff they sell is by designers that are harder to find (la rok, paul & joe, lauren moffat, etc.) the prices are awesome. and it's laid out like a boutique so you don't feel like you're digging through tons of crap.
hala vintage -- admittedly i've only gone there once, but i liked what i saw. plus there aren't a ton of stores in my neighborhood so i thought i'd ad it to the list.
I am sure there are more in Cincinnati and Cleveland but i am just discovering them since i travel through those areas all the time for work! Any Cincinnati or Cleveland people help me out! **RITZ that means you!!!***
OK, I thought of another one....we have Nordstrom Last Chance here. I am pretty sure it's the only one in the U.S. (even if it is technically part of a chain!)
Last Chance is where all the Nordstrom returns go. They sell all designer denim for $30. Juicy jackets are usually $10-15, designer bags/wallets are like $50-100. My sister got a pair of Marc Jacobs (not M by MJ) shoes for $70 once. The downside is that since Nord's takes ANYTHING back, some of the stuff is damaged/dirty/mismarked. And nothing is grouped -- you have to dig through racks and racks of stuff before you find anything good.
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"We live in an age where unnecessary things are our only necessities." --Oscar Wilde
OK, I thought of another one....we have Nordstrom Last Chance here. I am pretty sure it's the only one in the U.S. (even if it is technically part of a chain!) Last Chance is where all the Nordstrom returns go.
Awwwww hon I hate to bust your bubble but we have a Last Chance out here in LA...I've never been though. It's located right by the new Find Outlet honey mentioned.
Hmmm what do I like...
Shelter in Santa Monica (a furniture store, but when I went in it was totally my aesthetic...I thought I was gonna die of Lilykind-ness nirvana)
Zipper on 3rd st. (home furnishings...they have AWESOME customer service and I bought great presents for my friends' weddings there. So unique...there's another location in Brooklyn as well)
Joya on Melrose (local mini-chain of jewelry stores. Lots of stylists like to go there for cheap unique finds that celebs wear. Owners are really awesome)
London Boots on Melrose (I drove a hard bargainf or my Fryes here...I don't like the pushy salespeople but if you're an aggressive crazy cheap shopper like me, you can get stuff for way cheaper than you'd expect)
Dale Michele in Beverly Hills (Dale is very sweet and the clearance rack, especially the $20 one, has some killer finds.)
Yellow on Melrose and La Brea (The best store...they always have lovely Sass and Bide....mmmmmmmmm...and they SAs are awesome yet totally honest! I love it!)
In OHIO: Columbus: Principessa Twist Dr. Mojoe IndigoNation Leal Cincinnati: The Mustard Seed (vintage/consigment shop) Cleveland: Lush I am sure there are more in Cincinnati and Cleveland but i am just discovering them since i travel through those areas all the time for work! Any Cincinnati or Cleveland people help me out! **RITZ that means you!!!***
Hey Bex I'l be back in Cincinnati in a couple of weeks visiting my family........How about I show you around some different shops you haven't been to?