Urban Outfitters Store on Tour Visiting Tallahassee Oct. 17 - Oct. 20, 2011

Here's some fab news, Urban Outfitters will be setting up a nomadic shop in Tallahassee. Appropriately called "Urban Outfitters Store on Tour," the mobile boutique will be open Monday, Oct. 17 through Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, between noon and 8 p.m. at the corner of East College Avenue and South Duval Street.

Shoppers will find typical Urban Outfitters apparel from the Fall 2011 collection for men and women along with accessories, bags, electronics and home items. I'm told there will be a something special for those Seminoles fans.

What I think is very cool about the Store on Tour is it's made from two, 20’ x 8’ used shipping containers. And, Tallahassee is the third city of a four-city tour this October. Of course, the fact Tallahassee is getting a taste of Urban Outfitters is pretty dang awesome. It has a Bohemian, trendy, edgy and chic vibe. If you've never shopped one, chances are once you do, you're a customer for life.


But wait, there's more than groovy Urban Outfitters apparel and accessories coming along!

DRY Soda, an all-natural, less sweet, four ingredient soda, and Tortoise & Blonde, a family owned eyewear company are joining the Urban Outfitters Store on Tour caravan. DRY Soda will be sampling and selling bottles of their all-natural soda. I'm not sure which flavors they'll be bringing but flavors they produce include cucumber, juniper berry and lavender (Yum!). Tortoise & Blonde is bringing along their collection of glasses for shoppers to try and purchase.

Dockers® has also joined the Store on Tour with a mobile art gallery featuring art made using Dockers® new 'Alpha' Khaki material.

Urban Outfitters Store on Tour
Corner of East College Avenue & South Duval Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301.
Monday, Oct. 17 - Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011
Operating hours: Noon to 8:00 p.m.

Visit the Urban Outfitters Blog for additional information and follow them on Twitter (@UOtour) for real time updates.

Image Source: Urban Outfitters Store on Tour

Don't Miss Railroad Square's 7th Annual Bizarre Bazaar

Unfortunately I'll be missing what promises to be a funky and quirky community-wide garage sale at Railroad Square this Saturday (July 25, 2008). Mother Nature rained out the originally scheduled sale in April but I'm sure lots of folks will be doing anti-rain dances Friday night to keep the rain away.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., shoppers can browse the bizarre bargains for must-have nic nacs, treasures, furniture, art and who knows what else. But I'm sure there's SOMETHING you can't live without waiting for you. While at Railroad Square, be sure to browse the galleries and shops.

Need more info? Check out the Railroad Square Web site or call (850) 224-6666.

Say It's Not So, Word Traffic Books is Closing

Although I don't live in Tallahassee anymore, I still want the community to grow, especially the little guys. I was sad to receive an email from Word Traffic Books stating the independent book store will be closing at the end of July.

Very sad.

It has a great vibe for customers and big supporter of local authors by promoting their works and hosting readings, book signings and workshops.

There is a glimmer of hope Word Traffic Books will relocate to a new location in a couple of months. Keep the fingers crossed that happens.

But for you book hounds, head over to Word Traffic for discounted books. According to the email, as the month progresses, the deeper the discounts.

Good luck to Chelsea, Van, Sebastian and Reese.

Pink Shoes! And Other Cool Things at the Tallahassee Mall

When I left the apartment early this afternoon to run errands, I was anticipating to be gone a couple of hours. I spent the entire afternoon at the Tallahassee Mall doing what I loathe doing - shopping.

Yes, it's true. I'm not a shopper but am one out to find the deals. I heard this week's Sunday paper would be full of super coupons so I began at the Dollar Tree on N. Monroe (the Sunday paper's only a $1 plus tax, I save a whole 25 cents).

Next it was the Hallmark where Valentine's Day exploded all over the store. I needed a birthday card and know I can rely on Hallmark's "Fresh Ink" collection. You know, those square cards sometimes with whimsical or quirky or modern phrases. [Pictured is one a friend sent last year.]

To my dismay, the "Fresh Ink" line wasn't there! In order to make room for Valentine's Day (there must be a lotta love in Tallahassee because that's largest display of Valentine's Day cards I've ever seen) and the musical cards. *sigh* Ended up finding an okay card in large print, which I'm sure Grandma will appreciate.

I noticed the "Store Closing" sign at Dillard's so wandered in. Basically things are marked down anywhere from 40% to 75% and even more if you can figure out what 75% of 50% of 40% is. Anyway, good deals. Slacks and skirts for $9.95 and dresses for $14.95. The downside was the lack of available dressing rooms. I waited about 30 minutes to try on a dozen garments only to return them to the rack.

I lucked out in the shoe department, scoring three pairs of fab shoes with the biggest find being a shiny pink pair for under five bucks (note, that's less than $5 for the pair, not per shoe). Not sure where I'm going to wear them but I love them!

Next was Bath and Body Works. Had a coupon for a free product with purchase of anything. Since they were having a major sale, I picked up a few goodies for less than five bucks. (Can use them for the secret pal thing we have going on at work.)

Heading back to the car, the survey people asked if I wanted to take a survey. YES! Now, if you see these clipboard-toting people in the Tallahassee Mall, don't be afraid of them. If you get taken into the research office, you're going to be financially compensated. Being 4 p.m., I was the last classification type they were looking for: 35+ woman with no kids. Made $2 and returned to the Dollar Tree for a treat, Luigi's Italian Ice (only a buck!).

Had planned on venturing out to the rest of Tallahassee but just didn't make it. Maybe next weekend.

Tallahassee Holiday Gift Guide

Is your holiday shopping done? If not, you may find my Tallahassee Holiday Gift Guide useful (in no particular order):

Give the gift of laughter with a gift certificate to the Tallahassee Comedy Zone. Laugh often and much in 2008.

My favorite Tallahassee gift to give family and friends who live out of the area is a little piece of Tallahassee sweetness from Barb's Brittles. The cute little shop is at Lake Ella and samples, for brittle and yummy ice cream, are happily given. You'll most likely see Barb herself there and if you're overwhelmed with the all the sweet treats, she'll help you. I took some with me to Italy last month for my friend Saverio who gave me an insider's guide to Rome. (By the way, it's okay to get a bag of Barb's Brittles for yourself.)

Bookworms will love a good read. There's Historic Photos of Tallahassee for the history buff, a must-have in the library of anyone who loves North Florida history (read my review about Historic Photos of Tallahassee here). Or, are you looking for books by Tallahassee and local authors? Tallahassee's Anne Holt will be signing books this weekend at the Book Shelf in Thomasville, Ga. on Friday, Dec. 14, 6:30 - 10 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 15, Holt will be at Word Traffic Books, 1 - 3 p.m. She'll be telling stories for children and signing her books at Word Traffic. Holt writes Western novels, you can check out her titles on her Web site.

Word Traffic is also a great resource for books by other Tallahassee and local authors along with gently used books and other goodies. They also have gift cards available, too. (Read my article about the grand opening of Word Traffic Books).

Can't forget the tree huggers on your Christmas list. Give 'em a good paddle with a kayaking trip with the Wilderness Way. They offer kayaking trips for beginners and experienced paddlers. I took a trip with them earlier this fall and had a fabulous time.

Or, give a gift that gives all year round, an Annual Pass for the Florida State Parks. There are many state parks in the Tallahassee area to make this pass worthwhile. Or, it may encourage the receiver to get out and explore other areas of the state. I already have mine for 2008!

Don't forget the Seven Days of Opening Nights in February. Tickets are still available for some events. I requested a ticket to Salman Rushdie's talk on Friday, February 22, 2008. Suppose I need to go read a book of his!

Finally, can't forget Tallahassee's Native Big Brother 8 Houseguest Zach. If you missed my interview with Zach about his new edgy surfwear line called Dolphin Crash, read the article called, "Big Brother 8's Zach Talks About Dolphin Crash" here. (Part 1 of the interview called, "Interview with Tallahassee's Big Brother 8 Houseguest Zach: Part 1.")

The guy's put his heart, soul, livelihood and all his money into making Dolphin Crash successful. The guy has determination and I really hope his venture succeeds. Grab a tank top, pair of shorts or some swim wear for your favorite water bunny. With global warming, everyone will need more of this type of clothing! :)

Suppose I could go on and on with the list of Christmas gift ideas here in Tallahassee, but I won't. I do want to remind you about December 15 being Buy Local Day. Head over to the Locally Owned Tallahassee site for a list of locally-owned businesses and do a bit of shopping with them on Saturday.