Category Archives: Shopping

Baby Clothes on the Cheap

Posted on by
Reply

It’s pretty obvious why moms out there shouldn’t be spending top dollar on togs for their tots.

It shouldn’t cost your first born to clothe your first born.

Sure that adorable pint-size North Face jacket is irresistibly cute but dropping a hundred bucks on something they’re going to wear for a few months is just plain dumb.  Yep, I said it.  Besides how quickly our kiddies grow, there’s really three simple reasons to buy baby clothes on the cheap:

  1. Pee
  2. Poop
  3. Spit Up

LogoI have yet to meet a kid that hasn’t destroyed 68% of his/her wardrobe from one of the above offenders.  When you’re tossing away that onesie, it’s a bit easier knowing you didn’t pay full price. Far from it actually if you shop at Peek-A-Boo Baby Boutique on Hertel Avenue.

Baby consignment shops like Peek-A-Boo are pure genius.  Gently-used clothes for newborns to toddlers being sold at a fraction of their original price.  How’s it work?  Moms bring in bags of clothes their kids have outgrown (sans the stains) and Peek-A-Boo turns around and sells them to frugal moms like me. In fact, I stopped in to their 50% off sale earlier this month and walked away with 13 items for only $27 (3 of them even had their original tags on them!).

Baby3 (2)

Follow along on their Facebook page and Peek-A-Boo’s owner, Stacey, will regularly post grab-bag deals and snapshots of what she has in stock.  Oh and it’s not just clothes, you can find shoes, toys, bouncers and other previously-loved nursery accessories at a killer discount.

I realize that only 6 weeks of motherhood doesn’t necessarily give me “mom cred” just yet but whether it’s 6 weeks or 60 years, mom always knows best.

Baby5

Fire the Kiln to Cone Five

Posted on by
6

Circa 1998,
Manhattan, New York City

Three hundred and seventy three miles away from home, wandering about the trendy SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan; amidst the buildings that are higher, streets that are wider, and steaks that are thicker; amidst all this commotion; a young man discovers his passion for creation; his passion for pottery.

January 2014,
Hertel Avenue, Buffalo

7Sixteen years later, it is in this Little Italy of ours, in a newly expanded space, flanked by beautiful red and black awnings, adorned by art from over sixty different fine craft artists; that I meet Greg Link, Ceramic Artist and Owner of Cone Five Pottery.

When asked about his formal training, his answer is “almost none”. A six week class was enough to tell him that he was a natural at pottery. But being natural was not enough for this perfectionist artist, so he shut himself in his studio on Rhode Island St. for almost three years, his only companions being several books on the subject and a potter’s wheel. In his own words “I would end up smashing pretty much everything I made”. The laborious efforts paid off, and soon Greg saw himself moving from his old studio to a work studio-cum-gallery space on Allen followed by Elmwood, and eventually finding its current home on Hertel.

3

His attention to detail and finesse is demonstrated as soon as he brings out a ceramic cone to explain the meaning of his gallery’s name (the temperature of the kiln is determined by these ceramic cones. When the fourth cone is completely bent and the fifth cone starts to slump, the temperature of the kiln has reached 2120 degrees F, perfect temperature the kiln is fired to).

13While being a business owner, creating and selling your art might be enough for most, Greg did not stop here. After establishing himself as a master craftsman, he decided it was time to give back to his community. So he went out of his way to support as many local artists as he could, by providing a home to their art, be it ceramics, glass, wood, metal or jewelry, in his gallery. Another aspect of his work is the embodiment of Frank Llyod Wright’s mantra of “Form Follows Function”. This artist wants people to incorporate his art, his pottery in their daily life activities. Enter very clean and tastefully done bowls, vases, sconces, platters and what not.

So here it is, another gem in our lovely neighborhood.  And if pottery does not happen to be your thing, how does the idea of owning something that is one-of-a-kind, lovingly, thoughtfully, painstakingly and proudly made in Buffalo sound to you?

Worth a shot, isn’t it?

4

10

Small Business Saturday

Posted on by
3

It’s that time of year again, when shopping becomes the lone, daunting task on everyone’s mind. The time when people voluntarily skip Thanksgiving dessert and desert their loved ones to stand in long, possibly cold, outdoor lines with crowds of sleep deprived people who are all unhappy about shopping at a time you’re not supposed to shop.

Sounds like a blast. (heavy sarcasm)

Folks, your shopping experience can be so much more rewarding, for you and your local community!

Enter Small Business Saturday. It’s a national campaign that draws a contrast to big-box “Black Friday” and is based simply on shopping local. Last year I vowed to do my part in Buffalo and had a great day split between the shops in the Elmwood Village and on Hertel Avenue.

Small Business Saturday

Blue Monk Christmas AngelAs I walked from store to store, I was energized by the hustle and bustle taking place miles away from the malls. I was greeted by friendly and appreciative shop owners and I found truly unique gifts. It felt great to be supporting the folks that really are the lifeblood of our community (and that wasn’t just the “Christmas Angel” beer I had with lunch at Blue Monk talking).

So this year, use the Black Friday ads to stoke the fire beneath your roasting chestnuts, relax and rest up for Small Business Saturday!

Oh, and while you’re out and about, you might as well hang around for the North Park Tree Lighting taking place at 6 pm near Room.

Room


My feet are ready for Movember.

Posted on by
2

Yea, that’s right. Movember. They’re also ready to cycle around town, propel themselves into flight and even enter into a ninja style battle.

What the hell am I talking about you may think?

Simple. Kick ass socks. Have a look at these bad boys:

Who says girls are the only ones who get to creatively accessorize? As a colorful marketing guy who works for a bank (somewhat of an oxymoron if you ask me), I have few ways to express my creativity at work outside of a funky tie or Tasmanian Devil coffee mug. But off-the-wall socks can do the trick without getting me fired.

So needless to say, these socks have been added to my wardrobe and are providing a little shock and awe in my office.

Too intense for you? Here’s some slightly less crazy, but just as awesome options for you:

Get to Blue Collar Buffalo so your feet can look as cool as mine.

Elephants are a Girl’s Best Friend

Posted on by
2

Yep, that’s right.  Elephants.

I feel like Dumbo would be a quality best bud. Since he’s 10 times the size of any of your other friends, you’d obviously feel safe with him by your side. He’d never have a problem lending an ear when you need to vent. And let’s be honest, you’d always feel skinny standing next to him. Solid friend.

But alas, the pachyderm I speak of today isn’t one found in the wild, but rather around your neck.

Elephants

Sure diamonds are always a first choice accessory but not every outfit can be dripping with bling. Sometimes the perfect necklace is as simple as three gold elephants. Three gold elephants found right on Hertel Avenue.

Accessories complete a look. They pull together your outfit to give it that finished touch. Finishing a “look” was never really my strong suit. I never really knew the art of pairing jewelry with clothes. I’m not saying I’ve got it 100% nailed down at this point either but what I do know is where to find some unique, affordable and fashionable pieces. Those pieces that cause your friends to take notice, proclaim their love and ask what we all secretly yearn to hear, “Where did you get that?”.

The answer: Modern Nostalgia.

Maybe it’s the way Bre displays the jewelry, maybe it’s her eye for style, maybe it’s the way she pairs the perfect necklace with a button-down and cardigan or maybe it’s just that as soon as I walk in the door I fall into a trance and think, PRETTTTTTY. Whatever it is, everything that Modern Nostalgia has in stock to adorn your neck, wrist or finger should be considered a must-have.

Do your outfit a solid.  Give it some neck candy.

Modern Nos 3  Modern Nos 2