Back Bay Apple Store Opens Tomorrow - 5/15

Over this past Christmas, I became an Apple customer. I got myself a new ipod nano and also an iphone. Now, while I'm in the process of needing to purchase a new laptop, and several of my friends are trying to convince me to get a Mac - which I'm iffy about but am willing to consider.

Things will become much easier to consider starting tomorrow, Thursday 5/15, when the new Back Bay Apple store opens. Normally, I'd have to drive over to Cambridgeside and pay $1.99 for my hour of parking just to check things out at the store. Now I'll be able to walk there to the Back Bay store and loiter as long as I want - much more convenient.

The much debated, highly anticipated, three-story glass facade building at 815 Boylston St. will open to the public on Thursday evening, making it Apple's largest retail venture in the United States. The Back Bay shop will feature oodles of gadgets, including 64 iPod music and video players, 104 Mac laptops and computers, and a third floor dedicated entirely to service that can accommodate 100 customers receiving one-on-one training at the same time.

Click (here) to read the Globe article.

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Brooks Brothers F&F 25% Off - Starts Today

For those of you that actually have to dress up for work everyday (thank goodness I work in an office alone most of the time when I'm not traveling) you might want to stock up on some shirts this weekend.

Brooks Brothers is doing their Friends and Family weekend starting today 5/8 through Monday 5/12. I swear, my old roommate used to pretty much own that entire store in his wardrobe.

He had a lot of good things to say, though, about those non-iron shirts that they have there. Which would be good for all you guys there that don't know how to work an iron. Or you could always do what I did and buy one of those garment steamers. Wayyyyyy easier to use than an iron.

Click (here) for a link to the coupon or use codes: Enter code friend51 at online checkout, or mention friend51 on phone orders.

This special shopping offer is available at all U.S. Retail, Factory, “346” Brooks Brothers, Brooks Brothers Country Club and Airport Stores.

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Kiehl's Opening In Burlington Mall - 5/10

I've been very impressed lately with the city of Burlington. I've only been there once or twice, but they've been in the "news" (or at least the stuff I read) fairly often lately. First off, it was all the new high end stores opening at the Burlington Mall. Then, the Pièce de résistance came when it was announced that H-Mart (the korean supermarket chain) was going to be opening a store there (here).

Well, here's just one more reason to give Burlington props. They second free-standing Kiehl's store is going to be opening at the Burlington Mall on May 10th.

For those of you that don't use Kiehl's, I recommend you check it out. They're pretty good about giving out free samples at the store if you are interested in trying something out. Personally, I'm a pretty big fan of their ultra facial moisturizer, their entire facial fuel line (it's got some sort of menthol or something in the cleanser so it really wakes you up in the morning), and their hair gel.

I get all my stuff from the original Kiehl's store on Newbury (since it's just down the street from my office). But for those of you in the 'burbs, you now won't have to drive into the city and deal with finding parking in order to get your fix.

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Marisa Miller at Natick Collection Tomorrow - 4/25

Do you guys remember back in January when Adriana Lima was at the Natick Collection? According to the comments that folks left, the place was a zoo (here).

Well, get ready for a repeat session. And I'm guessing it'll be even crazier this time since the weather has gotten nice and folks are going to be in the shopping mood.

To kick off the arrival of the new Swim 2008 collection in stores, Victoria’s Secret is celebrating Friday, April 25, with a day of supermodel sightings, free gifts, and beach beauty makeovers.

Meet supermodel Marisa Miller and get her autograph from 5-7 p.m. While you’re there, get free tips and demonstrations on how to look like a beach babe by Victoria’s Secret makeup artist Linda Hay.

The event is going to be taking place at the Victoria's Secret at the Natick Collection.

Sorry guys, according to wikipedia, she's already married (here).

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Filene's Basement Back in Downtown Crossing

I find this somewhat humorous. Everyone made such a big deal about Filene's basement leaving their famed Downtown Crossing site and now it looks like they're going to be coming back. A little more dressed up - but back in their original space.

Filene's Basement will move into One Franklin -- the redeveloped home of the original Filene's basement -- March 2009, confirmed John B. Hynes III, president and CEO of Gale International LLC, one of the owners and the developer of the building. The legendary mark-down retailer will occupy its original yet renovated three basement floors, said Hynes.

They're doing a pretty good job with the demolition right now. I can't wait to see how it turns out - especially since I'll be moving into the Downtown Crossing area soon. If you haven't ventured into the area lately, here's a rendition of what it's supposed to look like when it's done.

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1000 Words - Domain Furniture Auction

Domain Furniture Auction
3/28/08 - 3/30/08
Click (here) for details on Domain's Bankruptcy Issue



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Jordan's Furniture Red Sox Promo II

Do you remember all the commercials last year about how Jordan's ran a promotion where folks would get their furniture for free if the Red Sox won?

When the Boston Red Sox won the 2007 World Series, over 24,000 customers of Jordan's Furniture won free furniture in the company's "Monster Deal" promotion.

Well, Jordan's is doing it again. But this time with more constraints. This time, the Red Sox have to sweep the world series and win the first four games in order for you to get free furniture.
"If the Boston Red Sox sweep the 2008 World Series by winning the first 4 games, customers who make a purchase between March 25 and April 27, 2008 will receive sofas, sectionals, dining room tables, beds, mattresses, and rugs for free,"

If you're in the market for some new furniture and would be buying it anyway, may as well have the added benefit that if the Red Sox win, you get it for free. I wouldn't go buying furniture just because you think they'd win. Probably not a good idea.

Oh and if you're wondering, all those winners from last year did not have to pay tax on the free furniture that they "won." Click (here) for that article.

Or click (here) for the article on the new 2008 promo which starts today!

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Betsey Johnson Spring Fashion Show - 3/26

I can't believe it's only Tuesday. This week is going to be painfully long. Coming up tomorrow, Wednesday 3/26 - The Estate is hosting the Betsey Johnson 2008 Spring Fashion Show.

According to the flyer, if you reply by today, you get free admission. Otherwise tickets are $10. The show starts at 9pm.

Click (here) to go to the Estate website.

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1000 Words - Mix & Company

Jasmine Sola Reborn as Mix & Company
Newbury Street Location
More Information (here)

PS. That piece of white paper in taped to the window says that they're currently hiring if anyone is interested.




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Copley Mall Expansion

There seems to be nothing that Bostonians like more than shopping and luxury condos. As my girlfriend likes to say "Don't you know we're in a recession?" Is now really the time to be announcing another mall expansion and more luxury condos?

Simon Property Group announced yesterday that they're going to be undergoing a project to expand the Neiman Marcus store at the Copley Mall and also add three hundred condos. I think it's for all those baby boomers that want to leave the suburbs and live somewhere centrally located - like inside a shopping mall.

The expansion will include a complete renovation of the 115,000-square-foot Neiman Marcus store and an addition of 54,000 square feet. An additional 60,000 square feet of expansion will include new retail shops and restaurant space and a "public winter garden," which will replace the existing Stuart Street plaza.

No additional parking space is to be built.

Good job guys. Cause parking doesn't suck enough in downtown Boston. Click (here) to read the Globe article.

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Zara Newbury Grand Opening Tomorrow - 3/20

After an embarrassing exchange on John Keith's Blog (here), where I demonstrated my obliviousness to the fact that they're building an Apple store in Back Bay, I spent yesterday walking up and down Newbury and Boylston to check things out.

I found out two things:

1. The Mandarin Oriental doesn't look nearly as impressive as the concept picture they released all those years ago (here). But then again, they're not done yet, so maybe it'll come around.

2. You don't have to drive all the way to Natick anymore to go to Zara. The one on Newbury Street (in Emporio Armani's old space - Emporio Armani moved into the Copley Mall) has it's grand opening tomorrow, March 20th.

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Shecky's Girls Night Out Starts Today - 3/18

Maybe Bloggery readers of the female persuasion can enlighten me on what exactly this event is, but something called Shecky's Girls Night Out is touring the country and it's currently in Boston for the next 3 days. The best I can gather is that it's some sort of sample sale that involves drinking as well as shopping.

Shop up to 50 hot brands in our emerging fashion & accessories pavilion
Sip delicious cocktails & refreshments at our 5-hour complimentary bars
Sample fabulous products & services by our supreme sponsors
Score loads of goodies in Shecky's Deluxe Goodie Bag (now in a NEW tote!)

Tues-Thurs, March 18th-20th, 2008; 5pm-10pm
Boston Center for the Arts—Cyclorama
539 Tremont St. (Clarendon & Berkeley Sts.)
General Admission Tickets: $10
Deluxe Goodie Bag Tickets: $30 (Includes admission and Shecky’s Deluxe Goodie Bag)

Click (here) to get tickets. FYI, tickets for Thursday are sold out.

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Nordstrom Rack Coming This Fall

I'll start off by admitting that I loathe paying retail. I just won't do it unless it's absolutely necessary. A lot of what I do for work involves global sourcing in Asia - so I know what it costs to make a lot of the stuff we buy.

Those $300 earbuds that you bought - they cost about 3 dollars to manufacture. What makes it so expensive? The profit.

Nordstrom Inc. announced Tuesday it is opening its off-price retailing concept, Nordstrom Rack, at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, Mass., this fall.

Nordstrom Rack is like TJ Maxx for highe-end brands - they usually sell old stuff that originated from the regular Nordstrom stores at discount prices. There was one in Texas where I used to live. They did great business.

I'm pretty psyched for this because I'm going to need to redo my wardrobe sometime soon. The cutting down on carbs has been working quite well. I'm down about 6-8 lbs since I started. Click (here) to read more about that.

Otherwise, click (here) to read the blurb in the Boston Business Journal.

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Nordstrom Burlington Grand Opening Gala - 3/26

Seems like just yesterday that we got our first Nordstrom's at the Natick Mall. Apparently we're getting another one - this time in Burlington. For all you shopping fanatics out there. And also those of you that like to show up on the inside cover of Improper or Stuff@Night in those charity event pictures.....

Nordstrom Burlington will be having their Grand Opening Gala on March 26th from 6:30pm to 10pm and will feature a runway fashion show from 7:30-8:30.

You're invited to the party of the season - an unabashed fashion fete celebrating the opening of our newest Nordstrom store. Join us for a night of music, dancing, cocktails, and dinner , plus a runway show spotlighting American and European designer collections. Best of all, enjoy private shopping before our store officially opens on Friday, March 28th. Cocktail Attire.

And how much does such an event cost to attend? Tickets are $125 and proceeds go to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Junior League of Boston, and the Links, Inc.

Click (here) to purchase tickets online.

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Chanel Trunk Show Preview - 2/23

Happy Friday everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts this morning. I'm at home nursing what appears to be a really nasty cold. Hopefully I can sleep it off this weekend, just in time to go back to work Monday.....ugh.

Coming up tomorrow, Saturday 2/23, cath a preview of the Chanel Trunk Show during an informal modeling session. They will also have desserts inspired by the spring/summer line. What that means, I have no idea.

Reservations are required, so try to give them a call first thing tomorrow morning. Or perhaps there's a voicemail line that you can leave your name with. Call 617-598-5255 to make reservations.

When: Sat., 2 & 4 p.m.
Where: The Lounge at Taj Boston, 15 Arlington St., Back Bay

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Get Ben Mezrich's "Rigged" for 60 Cents

I've done this twice now (once a month for the last two months) so I think it's safe to say it works. Back in December, I joined one of those online survey companies that pays you to take surveys: e-rewards.com. For each survey you take, there is a designated 'dollar' value. Reach a certain amount of dollars and trade them in for actual rewards.

My reward of choice? Border's Rewards Cash. Each time I hit $15 in e-rewards money, I trade it in for $15 in Border's rewards cash. The cash is credited to your Border's account (you'll have to sign up for their rewards program - it's free though so it shouldn't be a problem) the month AFTER you actually make the request.

In addition, when you join the Borders rewards program, they send you coupons almost on a weekly basis. They usually range from 25%-30% off one book, but occasionally, they have a rare 40% off coupon code. That's usually when I strike.

So this afternoon during my lunch break, I walked over to the Border's on Newbury/Boylston and browsed for a book. Having been a big fan of his previous two books on the MIT blackjack team and also being supporter of everything local (Ben Mezrich and his wife Tonya live somewhere here in the Boston/Cambridge area) - I decided to pick up a copy of his new book "Rigged."

The book was $25.95. Minus the 40% off coupon = $15.57. Minus my $15 in Border's Cash = $0.57. And then they charged me tax on the 57 cents to bring it to a grand total of 60 cents.

There you have it. Yes, it takes a bit of time to get this done. But I've got it down to a system now where I pretty much accumulate $15 each month and trade it in for Border Cash, and have one new book to read each month. Yay for cheap books. Now if only the writer's would go back on strike, then i'd have more time to read books.........jk.

PS. For those of you who would just be happy with 40% off. Here's a link to the coupon. It's only good for two days and it expires today.

UPDATE: I don't know if it's always been there or if they just added it. But now E-rewards says you can only redeem once per calendar year. I can't be sure because I started doing this in December so since I've done it twice over Dec and Jan, that's technically 2 calendar years. BAH. I've been thwarted.

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Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to those of you out there that celebrate it. Personally, I don't. I will however be celebrating President's Day later this week. Two years ago, the gf and I celebrated President's Day in the Cayman Islands. That was by far one of the best vacations ever.

This year, I'm going to celebrate by doing lots and lots of sleeping. The gf is going to Daytona this weekend and I've been on business trips all week (Richmond and now Chicago) and am severely sleep deprived.

For those of you looking for flowers. Here's who Citysearch recommends.

Winston Flowers
131 Newbury St, Boston, MA
Elegance and personal attention are the hallmarks of this long-standing dowager of Boston's floral industry.

Boston City Florist
714 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA
European dish gardens, Holland flowers and long-stemmed roses in 16 colors. Free delivery in the Boston area.

Harry Quints Flower Bouquet
1189 Centre St, Newton Center, MA
Holland flowers, orchids, snapdragons and more; sells stuffed animals, balloons and gourmet baskets. Designs and installs wedding and funeral arrangements.

Box Exquisite Floral Design
53 Charles St, Boston, MA
Personalized service and lush, sophisticated floral design distinguish this one-of-a-kind boutique.

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Alpha Omega Liquidation

Ok folks, this is what you've all been waiting for. There is a full page ad in the Metro today announcing that a "Court Authorized Bankruptcy Liquidation of Alpha Omega" starts tomorrow, Thursday 2/6.

I wonder if this court announcement is actually just an advertisement in disguise. Obviously now that a series of financial companies own Alpha Omega, I'm sure they want to get rid of everything quickly and get their money back.

I'm not in the market for a Rolex or diamonds or anything, but maybe I'll swing by just to see what kind of pricing they have. For those of you that are interested, maybe you can go today, put what you what on hold and then buy it tomorrow when the sale begins.

By court order, all Alpha Omega and Alpha Omega Express stores must liquidate their entire inventory immediately. Every diamond, every jewel, every timepieces is available at liquidation prices!

UPDATE 3/7/08:
The Alpha Omega kiosk in the Prudential Center and the 400 sqft Express Store in the Burlington mall will be closed as of March 10th.

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Alpha Omega Sold

Just one more update on the Alpha Omega situation. It's been sold to Tiger Capital Group, The Gordon Company, and SB Capital Group. The three groups will undergo a liquidation sale of company assets as soon as they finish doing inventory to figure out what exactly they bought.

What does that mean for you and me? Hopefully a decently good sale on overpriced jewelry and Rolexes. I feel like this type of stuff rarely goes on sale, so a store closing/liquidation is a good chance to try to score a good deal.

I'm still kicking myself for not getting more stuff when Filene's Basement closed in Downtown Crossing. Yes, it's not nearly in the same league, but same concept.

Alpha Omega's entire multi-million dollar inventory of diamonds, fine jewelry and watches will be targeted for immediate sale at all Alpha Omega locations, which are in Cambridge, The Prudential Center, the Natick Collection and The Burlington Mall.

After the sale, Alpha Omega stores will be converted into Ross-Simons stores. Click (here) to read the article from the BBJ.

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Jasmine Sola Reborn as "Mix"

Here's the latest in the Jasmine Sola soap opera. If you haven't been keeping up, click (here) to read a synopsis. The founder of Jasmine Sola - Luciano Manganella - has picked up the leases for 5 of the former Jasmine Sola locations and will be reinventing them as "Mix and Company"

Mix will sell the brand names - including Splendid, Free People, and True Religion - that attracted Jasmine customers, , but carry significantly less denim. Mix also will feature departments for active wear, swimwear, and intimate apparel. New names will include Hanky Panky, Cosabella, Scanty, and Honeydew Intimates, said Manganella's wife, Stacey Manganella, who works as Mix's head merchandiser.

Keep an eye out folks. Mix stores will open up in March. The chain open at the former Harvard Square or Comm Ave locations. But Mix will take over shops in the Pru and on Newbury Street.

Click (here) to read the Globe article for yourself.

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