Greenwich On The Cheap » Shops

Lillian August New Years Day Sale and Free Brunch, Norwalk Store, Noon-6PM, Friday January 1st

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:59:27 +0000

It’s common knowledge that to get the best furniture deals, wait until the January sales. So, it’s no surprise that Lillian August, purveyor of fine home furnishings, is knocking down prices up to 60% with their storewide-everything-on-sale sale, taking place on New Years Day – January 1st – from Noon – 6PM. However, most furniture shops don’t dish out brunch on the house with their discounts, so this sale makes it worth the modest travel time to get to Norwalk. Click on here for directions.

Funky Byram? Old News

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:07:43 +0000

I wrote this post in late September 2009:

Trendy boutiques and New-York glam type salons – not to mention the restaurant of the MOMENT, Lolita Cocina (more on that in future posts) – are popping up all over formerly ramshackle, Byram. Combined with the splash that the Tarry Lodge (right down the street – but over the Byram River, placing it squarely in Port Chester, NY) created when it opened last year, this folksy, quiet section of Greenwich is quiet no more. One of the more notable and appealing newly-opened shops is Mill Street Home at 227 Mill St. (203) 813-3600. The three owners have very different tastes and work well together, so while one buys timeless classics, another purchases, say, “Tea Leaf Reading Kits,” ($12). Mill Street Home promotes the work of local artists - one exhibiting now whose work will be featured in the New Sex And The City Movie (selling at Nest in NYC for $1,000 per piece. Here, $850 and less on the artists website, which the store owners generously provide). There’s an Old English Alphabet 10′X8′ bamboo floor covering perfect for dorm rooms ($200) and lots of candles, soaps and funny greeting cards. “People come in just to read the cards and sit and laugh, “said owner, Christina. ”We’re kind of like a retail Cheers.”

And now, the Stamford Advocate has finally caught up. Read yet another of my odes to Byram here. This little niche is beginning to catch on – which thrills me as I grew up a “Byram” girl!

Focus on Glenville: Glenville Wine & Spirits

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:52:26 +0000

Paul Laveris, owner of Glenville Wine and Spirits, has great taste when it comes to specialty wines. Over the years, he’s forged relationships with the best small and medium-sized vineyards and wine purveyors – and loves to pass his knowledge on to his customers. ”I’m not out to compete with the BevMaxes,” Paul admits. ”Their cases of Budwiser alone won’t even fit in my 600 sq. foot store.”

Laveris is a specialty wine merchant and knows his market. He keeps a few crystal glasses on hand in order to maximize the “great wine” experience and will break open a bottle of his newest favorite to share with his best customers. ”Glenville Wine is rare in this regard, but I want my customers to taste what they will eventually purchase.”

Naturally, Laveris carries the well-known high-end vintages, but he’s got a slew of great bottles in the $10 range right now – lots of reds from Spain and Portugal for instance. I took home a Spanish Castano ’07 Monastrell for $11.99 – a deep full-bodied red – and was duly impressed.

Stop into Glenville Wine and Spirits, and you’ll walk out with a world of information about great wine.

Designer, Zahra Saeed, 271 Greenwich Ave. Summer Silk Dresses 75% Off

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:24:05 +0000

As I reported last week:

New kid on the block, Zahra Saeed is the second store for this talented young Pakistani designer (her first is in Rittenhouse Square, Philly). The space is ultra cool – black with blasts of hot pink – and salesman/manager Pasquale Spezzano is totally onboard with the OnTheCheap concept. Though Saeed’s price point for her Fall/Winter dresses is around $300 a pop, Pasquale just discounted the summer line to 75% off. This is a great bargain for an up-and-coming clothing designer.

Focus On Old Greenwich With Cook and Craft Free Knife Sharpening, and Other OG Merchants

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:15:14 +0000

An article in the Stamford Advocate last week alerted readers to the fact that the Old Greenwich Merchants Association has a new website; and then promptly left out the URL – the web address. So here it is.

One of my favorite cookware stores, Cook and Craft, is running a “free knife sharpening” promotion through the end of October, and now carry top-chef favorite, MAC knives: According to the Cook and Craft blog, “great chefs like thomas keller, eric ripert, and the late jean-louis palladin have used MACs and declare the knives worthy of their kitchens.” Knives are on sale – up to 20% off when you buy 4 or more, and up to two knives sharpened for free.

Old Greenwich – entry point to our slice-of-paradise, Tod’s Point (ok, I can NEVER get used to the newer, more generic Greenwich Point after so many years) is quaint and homey and all those adjectives used to describe unpretentiousness. It’s where monogram-expert and all things skateboard, ChillyBear chose to relocate after shutting down on lower Greenwich Ave. It’s where Feinsod Hardware has been helping the DIY homeowner for lo these many years. It’s home to Housewarmings – a store that sells my kind of unique furnishings (white cocoa-bead inlay cocktail 35″ cocktail table for $595, and a large tufted warm brown zebra striped ottoman for $795). It’s the exquisite foot-bridge and cherry-tree studded Binney Park and intimate Perrot Library; cosy, like a picture book.

Old Greenwich -quietly remarkable.

A Word About Diane’s Books on Grigg St. (Just Off Greenwich Ave.)

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:43:36 +0000

When my kids were little, we’d watch a certain set of Peter Rabbit videos together. The movies would always begin with an un-animated Beatrix Potter, carrying pallet and paints as she ran into her cozy cottage as it began to drizzle. There was a tea-pot on to boil and a fire in the fireplace and oh, how I wanted to crawl into my television to join her. I flashed back to that scene when I first stepped foot into Diane’s Books right off Greenwich Ave on Grigg Street (where the Popcorn party place used to be). Small, cozy and genuinely devoted to the written word, Diane’s is a warm cup of tea on a cold, rainy day. With its low ceiling and a heavy emphasis on children’s books, this independent bookshop could occupy junior bookworms for hours on end. I’ll be posting about upcoming author events, you can be sure.

“Horst On View” At Design Within Reach, 86 Greenwich Ave.: Free Reception Sunday, October 18th from Noon – 5PM

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:24:53 +0000

Horst’s fashion and portrait photography career spanned 60 years, and many of his black and white photographs are instantly recognizable. Design Within Reach hosts a showing of some of Horst’s greatest work from October 16 – November 6, with opening reception on Sunday October 18th from Noon – 5pm. While I wouldn’t say, exactly, that DWR is cheap, the store does appeal to lovers of modern and contemporary furniture design, with a comprehensive collection of the greats; and if/when anything goes on sale, I’ll be the first to write about it.

Upper Greenwich Ave: Hot Spots, Deals and Freshly New

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:30:52 +0000

I seemed to have come down hard on Greenwich Ave. in yesterday’s post. But this morning, The Avenue redeemed itself through unpretentious shopowners/keepers who seem to implicitly understand that 06830′s love a bargain, too.

1. This is no more apparent than at the wonderfully unnamed, unlinked, unphone-able, Old World Children’s Outlet, which simply says, “Children’s Outlet Sale” on the window of #16 Greenwich Ave. Jammed with European smocked dresses ($55 cotton, $95 silk), little cashmere sweaters ($65), European-designed cotton dresses for $20 and adorable embroidered pillowcases ($5, but going fast) for newborn-14 years, this place is Best & Co. without the high overhead (um, soaring ceiling?) . In fact, these clothes were showing at Best & Co. and other high-end children’s shops, so now, we can all afford them. Good job, OWCO!!

2. At the top of the Ave. right next door to the Outlet, at 8 Greenwich Ave. Second Time Around is a high-end consignment shop based in Boston that sells contemporary clothes and accessories at 25% of their original cost. True Religion and Seven Jeans cost $52 buck here.

3. New kid on the block, Zahra Saeed is the second store for this talented young Pakistani designer (her first is in Rittenhouse Square, Philly). The space is ultra cool – black with blasts of hot pink – and salesman/manager Pasquale Spezzano is totally onboard with the OnTheCheap concept. Though Saeed’s price point for her Fall/Winter dresses is around $300 a pop, Pasquale took me to the “Summer Sale” rack; 60% off all silk dresses, which brings some down to $25 bucks. Also, if you can replace a zipper or are not concerned about an imperceptible stain, you can take an in-season dress away for 75% off. (That’s $81 for a size 4 stretch lace gold dress, and $45 for a lace-hemmed skirt). Plus, if you mention you saw this in Greenwich On The Cheap, you get an extra 5% off – on full priced items only.

I’m starting to feel better about my turning-trendy-but-sensible (at least when it comes to $$), Greenwich Ave.

Let the deals begin!

Musings About “The Avenue” Then and Now

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:29:43 +0000

I came of age (read; my High School years) in the early 1970′s, when Greenwich Avenue was more of a teen hangout than it is now. It was also a very different place. Most stores – Woolworth’s, Army-Navy, Rogers, and Meads – were geared toward a certain frugal Yankee sensibility. It wasn’t the chain-glam-boutique-Rodeo Dr-East it has since turned into.

Today, I spent a few minutes on the lower avenue, walking into a few unfamiliar stores and cafes. One, a Belgium patisserie opened just a few days, Le Pain Quotidien, was thrumming with friends meeting over croissants, muffins ($2.60) and filled baguettes. Mouthwatering-looking crispy artisanal breads leaned in baskets behind the counter (3ft or so baguettes a very reasonable $3.25).

The die-hard Richards (oh, how many tons of kelly green and neon pink apparel was sold from that Greenwich institution before it moved to its new digs across the street?) was hushed and nearly barren.

I poked my head into Alice and Olivia, and, perhaps due to the fact that I don’t fit the body type, or I was flogging my new GreenwichOnTheCheap blog, was ceremoniously snubbed by the manager/salesgirl. She wore disdain like a clingy dress, letting me know in no uncertain terms that A&O “NEVER” put anything on sale. No discounts. No deals. No freebies. Nothing. ”Not even during Greenwich sidewalk sales?” I tried. ”No.” This may come as some surprise to Stacey Bendet, Alice and Olivia Founder/Designer who just launched a whole shoe line for PAYLESS, no less!

I’m bemused by those who put on airs during these economic times, especially if said airs are not theirs to wear. And to tell you the truth, I was much more comfortable across the street at girl-tchotchke-heaven, Claire’s, where the saleswoman was warm and gracious. Claire’s reminded me of the section of Woolworth’s my friends and I would haunt for hours on end way back when. The multi-colored nail polish hasn’t changed much, either. Except now, for five bucks, I can pick up a tri-color swirl.

Intro To Exotic Fish @ Greenwich Aquaria in Riverside: Under $25 Complete

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:30:32 +0000

Regular folk don’t walk into an aquarium store requesting a custom gazillion-gallon tank designed as, say, the Sahara Desert underwater or the Hanging Gardens of Babylonia with clown and angel fish. We want Neon Tetras or pregnant guppies in 5 or 10 gallon tanks; a set-up frankly, that we can afford.

Last week, my son and his college roommate decided to get a fish for their dorm room. I took them to the Wal-Mart closest to school, where they fell in love with a feathery blue Beta Fish – the prettiest in an array of sad looking, flagging fish in a dimly lit aisle. They got the bowl, some plastic “rocks,” food and other accoutrements for around $20.

Which is basically what you’d pay for the whole Beta kit and kaboodle at Greenwich Aquaria, an upscale fish-environment design center that also happens to have a large selection of beautiful, happy Beta’s – aka Siamese Fighting Fish. Here, the bowls are clean and clear, the fish are active and colorful and all in (fish, bowl, net, food, de-chlorinating tablets) is just under $25.