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Tuesday, January 28, 2014
WINNING
WE WON! Thank you for helping vote us Best Home Décor store in the Best of Bergen contest in 201 Magazine. Even though it doesn't say it, it's our FOURTH win in a ROW as "Shades of Soho". So in honor of our win, anything you order from www.shadesofsoho.com is 15% off. Just call us at 1-201-785-SOHO. Mention Facebook or Know It All blog. Please share!
Fan our page: www.facebook.com/shadesofsoho
Fan our page: www.facebook.com/shadesofsoho
Monday, January 27, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
FIVE
I'm not one of those sentimental people...or sentimental moms. I strongly dislike those Facebook cliché memes about children that start something like, "I loved you before I met you..." blah blah.
While I'm not particularly sentimental, I am thankful for birthing a great kid. And he's FIVE today. I'd say I don't know where the time went...but I do. I remember his birth in great detail. I know the idea is that moms forget what giving birth was like- that's HOW they're able to even consider having another. But since I was one and done from the start, I think I burned the whole birth thing into my memory forever. What I also remember vividly is that I was not ready...my water broke unexpectedly on my "get it all in" last hurrah weekend. I was going to see The Wrestler. Ethan had other plans. In retrospect, it was fine that he was ready to make his way into being an outside baby (vs inside baby), because The Wrestler was a sucky movie. Or at least more of a movie you catch on cable instead of paying to see it in the movies most likely next to someone texting.
I remember a few weeks before he was born thinking I killed my baby with fresh mozzarella cheese. We went to a local Italian place that makes their own cheese. But I didn't know that. The waiter came over after and asked how we liked their homemade fresh mozzarella. What?! I didn't think I felt baby movement after that at all so I spent the rest of the night wondering how I was going to tell my husband I killed our baby because I HAD to have cheese. Then he was born and being all cocky about breastfeeding, thinking E & I were doing it like champs, only to find out nothing was coming out. He was starving. He rapidly lost weight and looked like a Shar Pei and George Burns hybrid. Kicking out the baby nurse in under twenty four hours. Hey- I just wanted to relax & watch American Idol. It's weird to have a strange woman in the house trying to help you shove your boob in your baby's mouth. Especially when this particular lady made it clear she didn't really even want to be there. The three hour blocks of sleep, the exploding bottle warmer, and the Angel Care monitor giving me a heart attack with it's "BABY ISN'T BREATHING" alarm. Having him lay on the Brest Friend while I ate and typed over his head. Only to have to clean crumbs out of his hair later.
We did Stroller Strides, Music for Aardvarks, Little Gym- you name it. Any kid activity, I was there. Swim lessons where my husband had to change E in a locker room teeming with old men's leftover ball powder on the floor. Play groups, play dates and mall trips- Oh my! Starting camp at two years old before starting school. Wondering how he was going to do being away from me. Walking him into preschool in the 2s class, thinking he looked so little next to those in the 4s class going into Kindergarten. Loving Morah Renee's 3s class where his growing maturity really blossomed. Transitioning to a "big kid" camp where he had to take a bus for the first time. Him running on that bus, not even asking where he was going, without looking back. We were so proud of his massive independent streak.
Ballet recitals, improvisation class, auditions, and now taekwondo. He's now sewing on his own sewing machine, that HE asked for. Made two cool superhero pillowcases already! Endless activity and motion. His comedic timing is spot on and there's nothing he loves more than making people laugh. Knows "that Howard Stern man" and loves when Howard imitates his mother. (Side-eye me all you want about Stern- when E's on Jeopardy one day, he'll know ALL the pop culture questions.). He thinks he was born in General Hospital and can tell you what's going on with Robin, Patrick and Sabrina. He can out-sing any adult I know on most pop music, counting Pitbull, Ke$ha, Passenger, Jason Mraz, Mumford & Sons, Katy Perry, John Mayer, and Lada Gaga as favorites. He wants to be the next Harry Potter and will speak to you in a British accent if you ask. He's perfected Seinfeld quotes and likes running more than Forest Gump. He's a style diva and people always tell him he looks like the coolest kid in the room. He obsessed about wanting his ears pierced like the male counselors at camp, his hair is always "done" and he can sport nail polish and rings like a rockstar. He's been in every dressing room with me in Bergen county and never complains. Loves to give his opinions on clothes and handbags. Anything shiny and colorful works for him.
Loves anything creative, draws and builds things for hours, and making up crazy stories is an everyday occurrence. He's fair to the point we call him "Even Steven". Always smiling, go-with-the-flow, super social, he thinks life is his party and wants everyone around to join in the fun. Favorite things are his friends, his "brothers"- Sam & Joe, whipped cream with chocolate chips in it, youtube videos, movies, a good frenzy, playing in the ocean, belting out his tunes, As Seen On Tv products, and us.
He's five.
Happy birthday E-Man! We love you!
*I can't believe I'm someone's parent*
While I'm not particularly sentimental, I am thankful for birthing a great kid. And he's FIVE today. I'd say I don't know where the time went...but I do. I remember his birth in great detail. I know the idea is that moms forget what giving birth was like- that's HOW they're able to even consider having another. But since I was one and done from the start, I think I burned the whole birth thing into my memory forever. What I also remember vividly is that I was not ready...my water broke unexpectedly on my "get it all in" last hurrah weekend. I was going to see The Wrestler. Ethan had other plans. In retrospect, it was fine that he was ready to make his way into being an outside baby (vs inside baby), because The Wrestler was a sucky movie. Or at least more of a movie you catch on cable instead of paying to see it in the movies most likely next to someone texting.
I remember a few weeks before he was born thinking I killed my baby with fresh mozzarella cheese. We went to a local Italian place that makes their own cheese. But I didn't know that. The waiter came over after and asked how we liked their homemade fresh mozzarella. What?! I didn't think I felt baby movement after that at all so I spent the rest of the night wondering how I was going to tell my husband I killed our baby because I HAD to have cheese. Then he was born and being all cocky about breastfeeding, thinking E & I were doing it like champs, only to find out nothing was coming out. He was starving. He rapidly lost weight and looked like a Shar Pei and George Burns hybrid. Kicking out the baby nurse in under twenty four hours. Hey- I just wanted to relax & watch American Idol. It's weird to have a strange woman in the house trying to help you shove your boob in your baby's mouth. Especially when this particular lady made it clear she didn't really even want to be there. The three hour blocks of sleep, the exploding bottle warmer, and the Angel Care monitor giving me a heart attack with it's "BABY ISN'T BREATHING" alarm. Having him lay on the Brest Friend while I ate and typed over his head. Only to have to clean crumbs out of his hair later.
We did Stroller Strides, Music for Aardvarks, Little Gym- you name it. Any kid activity, I was there. Swim lessons where my husband had to change E in a locker room teeming with old men's leftover ball powder on the floor. Play groups, play dates and mall trips- Oh my! Starting camp at two years old before starting school. Wondering how he was going to do being away from me. Walking him into preschool in the 2s class, thinking he looked so little next to those in the 4s class going into Kindergarten. Loving Morah Renee's 3s class where his growing maturity really blossomed. Transitioning to a "big kid" camp where he had to take a bus for the first time. Him running on that bus, not even asking where he was going, without looking back. We were so proud of his massive independent streak.
Ballet recitals, improvisation class, auditions, and now taekwondo. He's now sewing on his own sewing machine, that HE asked for. Made two cool superhero pillowcases already! Endless activity and motion. His comedic timing is spot on and there's nothing he loves more than making people laugh. Knows "that Howard Stern man" and loves when Howard imitates his mother. (Side-eye me all you want about Stern- when E's on Jeopardy one day, he'll know ALL the pop culture questions.). He thinks he was born in General Hospital and can tell you what's going on with Robin, Patrick and Sabrina. He can out-sing any adult I know on most pop music, counting Pitbull, Ke$ha, Passenger, Jason Mraz, Mumford & Sons, Katy Perry, John Mayer, and Lada Gaga as favorites. He wants to be the next Harry Potter and will speak to you in a British accent if you ask. He's perfected Seinfeld quotes and likes running more than Forest Gump. He's a style diva and people always tell him he looks like the coolest kid in the room. He obsessed about wanting his ears pierced like the male counselors at camp, his hair is always "done" and he can sport nail polish and rings like a rockstar. He's been in every dressing room with me in Bergen county and never complains. Loves to give his opinions on clothes and handbags. Anything shiny and colorful works for him.
Loves anything creative, draws and builds things for hours, and making up crazy stories is an everyday occurrence. He's fair to the point we call him "Even Steven". Always smiling, go-with-the-flow, super social, he thinks life is his party and wants everyone around to join in the fun. Favorite things are his friends, his "brothers"- Sam & Joe, whipped cream with chocolate chips in it, youtube videos, movies, a good frenzy, playing in the ocean, belting out his tunes, As Seen On Tv products, and us.
He's five.
Happy birthday E-Man! We love you!
*I can't believe I'm someone's parent*
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Smoke THIS
A year or two ago I was approached by my Stroller Strides teacher, Danielle, to be on a panel at Westfield's Garden State Plaza mall. It was going to be a "mom panel" to discuss ways to make the mall more family friendly. There was supposed to be a whole group of moms, like a focus group, to give them ideas and open a dialogue between the mall and the moms. We were already doing a thrice weekly Stroller Strides class there so I guess they thought Danielle's group would be a great place to start mining thoughts from.
I was the only one who showed up.
It was around an hour long meeting. I told them that the play area as it was just wasn't a great area. It was too small, not enough to do, and too close to a door. I guess they really don't have many options for space that isn't by a door but my thinking on that was more of a child getting snatched or running out versus any other reason. When the play area was by Joe's All American Grill, it was just a poor excuse for fun play space. Kids were climbing on the seating, the backs of the seating, and over the seating.
They showed me areas in other malls of theirs that were bigger and better but some were outdoor. They asked if we (the moms) would be cool with an outdoor space. I thought that was kind of a foolish question, considering most of us go to the mall with our kids to escape inclement weather, but I don't think they were really considering outside as an option anyway. They told me they were thinking of putting it by the food court. Since I have never eaten in their food court, I couldn't come up with pros or cons of that space.
So a year or two or more went by. I really couldn't tell you how long ago it was. My son is almost five and I quit Stroller Strides when he was 2.5 years old and went to school. So it was somewhere back at the tail end of my Stroller Strides time. Lo and behold I went to the mall a few months ago and saw they DID make the new play space. It IS bigger, better, and nicer. A few more things to do were added, like a slide. It also isn't as easy for the kids to get out unsupervised. There is only one way in and out and the walls are high, unlike how they were previously.
But the cons...the MAIN con that threw my husband into a tailspin is the SMOKING. Yes, that's what I said- SMOKING. It is RIGHT by the food court door to the outside. That also happens to be underground. So who is hanging out there, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR?? The smokers. The teen smokers, the employee smokers. The people holding a bag of McDonald's in one hand and cigarette in the other. The smokers waiting to go upstairs to the movie theater. B is very sensitive to smells, especially smoke. He was in the play space with E on Saturday night and he said within five minutes, his throat was killing him. So if it was bothering him, it had to be silently bothering all those kids. And the play space, at 8p on a Saturday night was PACKED.
There are other cons like that it being in the food court, kids are seduced by fast food crap and it's LOUD as hell over there. It's where all the teens hang at night and on the weekend, so there are just tons of teens hanging around, in various states of undress (yeah, yeah, I'm old- but sorry, even my husband was agog at all the...teen girl bodily exposure). But I can deal with noise and stripper-wear. They aren't my daughters.
All I see on TV these days are those AWFUL, disgusting, anti-smoking/lung cancer commercials where people are gasping for air, with tubes in their nose, DYING from emphysema, cancer, or other breathing complications due to smoking. So do we want that all over our kids as they play? All we wanted was a well thought out play area where the kids could play safely and the parents can take a minute to catch their breath. Well, no one is breathing easy in there.
And I get it- I was a smoker. I liked smoking. I loved smoking in a bar while throwing back a Malibu Bay Breeze. I liked it late at night, on the porch, with my friends, late night, at my rental in Belmar. But I was an adult in those scenarios, so I don't understand it here, and I don't like it on the kids who didn't ask for it. I'm sure there are people, probably PARENTS who were in that place space with their kids, that smoke- smoke in their house, in the car, smoke all over their kids and maybe don't think it's that bad. I hate to think there are still people that are that ignorant and selfish these days, with all we know, but I know they exist. But it is a big deal. I didn't trash my Newport Lights for good in 2005 to have my husband, my kid and I all smoked on into oblivion just because my kid wanted to play. It was a ridiculous oversight of the mall and it's just not fair to the rest of us who choose to be smoke-free. Just because you can't smoke IN the mall isn't enough....
THAT ENTRANCE TO THE MALL NEEDS TO BE SMOKE-FREE!
I don't care if they need an extra security guard to stand there and make sure no one is smoking there, but there are a million other entrances to the mall where they can light up. There are ones not even that far from the entrance in question. But the smoke has to go.
Send an email, send my blog- I don't care- just make your opinion heard- Tell them to get rid of the smoke by the kids play area.
gardenstateplaza@westfield.com
I was the only one who showed up.
It was around an hour long meeting. I told them that the play area as it was just wasn't a great area. It was too small, not enough to do, and too close to a door. I guess they really don't have many options for space that isn't by a door but my thinking on that was more of a child getting snatched or running out versus any other reason. When the play area was by Joe's All American Grill, it was just a poor excuse for fun play space. Kids were climbing on the seating, the backs of the seating, and over the seating.
They showed me areas in other malls of theirs that were bigger and better but some were outdoor. They asked if we (the moms) would be cool with an outdoor space. I thought that was kind of a foolish question, considering most of us go to the mall with our kids to escape inclement weather, but I don't think they were really considering outside as an option anyway. They told me they were thinking of putting it by the food court. Since I have never eaten in their food court, I couldn't come up with pros or cons of that space.
So a year or two or more went by. I really couldn't tell you how long ago it was. My son is almost five and I quit Stroller Strides when he was 2.5 years old and went to school. So it was somewhere back at the tail end of my Stroller Strides time. Lo and behold I went to the mall a few months ago and saw they DID make the new play space. It IS bigger, better, and nicer. A few more things to do were added, like a slide. It also isn't as easy for the kids to get out unsupervised. There is only one way in and out and the walls are high, unlike how they were previously.But the cons...the MAIN con that threw my husband into a tailspin is the SMOKING. Yes, that's what I said- SMOKING. It is RIGHT by the food court door to the outside. That also happens to be underground. So who is hanging out there, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR?? The smokers. The teen smokers, the employee smokers. The people holding a bag of McDonald's in one hand and cigarette in the other. The smokers waiting to go upstairs to the movie theater. B is very sensitive to smells, especially smoke. He was in the play space with E on Saturday night and he said within five minutes, his throat was killing him. So if it was bothering him, it had to be silently bothering all those kids. And the play space, at 8p on a Saturday night was PACKED.
There are other cons like that it being in the food court, kids are seduced by fast food crap and it's LOUD as hell over there. It's where all the teens hang at night and on the weekend, so there are just tons of teens hanging around, in various states of undress (yeah, yeah, I'm old- but sorry, even my husband was agog at all the...teen girl bodily exposure). But I can deal with noise and stripper-wear. They aren't my daughters.
All I see on TV these days are those AWFUL, disgusting, anti-smoking/lung cancer commercials where people are gasping for air, with tubes in their nose, DYING from emphysema, cancer, or other breathing complications due to smoking. So do we want that all over our kids as they play? All we wanted was a well thought out play area where the kids could play safely and the parents can take a minute to catch their breath. Well, no one is breathing easy in there.
And I get it- I was a smoker. I liked smoking. I loved smoking in a bar while throwing back a Malibu Bay Breeze. I liked it late at night, on the porch, with my friends, late night, at my rental in Belmar. But I was an adult in those scenarios, so I don't understand it here, and I don't like it on the kids who didn't ask for it. I'm sure there are people, probably PARENTS who were in that place space with their kids, that smoke- smoke in their house, in the car, smoke all over their kids and maybe don't think it's that bad. I hate to think there are still people that are that ignorant and selfish these days, with all we know, but I know they exist. But it is a big deal. I didn't trash my Newport Lights for good in 2005 to have my husband, my kid and I all smoked on into oblivion just because my kid wanted to play. It was a ridiculous oversight of the mall and it's just not fair to the rest of us who choose to be smoke-free. Just because you can't smoke IN the mall isn't enough....
 |
| See how close the doorway is to the space?? |
THAT ENTRANCE TO THE MALL NEEDS TO BE SMOKE-FREE!
I don't care if they need an extra security guard to stand there and make sure no one is smoking there, but there are a million other entrances to the mall where they can light up. There are ones not even that far from the entrance in question. But the smoke has to go.
Send an email, send my blog- I don't care- just make your opinion heard- Tell them to get rid of the smoke by the kids play area.
gardenstateplaza@westfield.com
Monday, January 20, 2014
We Need YOU
We need your vote! This is a big one. I was alerted via Facebook that voting for New Jersey Monthly's "Best of" is going on, but closes on January 31. So we need as many votes as we can squeeze into a short amount of time. All you have to do is fill in
Shades of Soho, Glen Rock in the Lighting and Home furnishings categories. More important is lighting if you just want to do that, but both couldn't hurt! And vote for your other favorites while you're at it. The link I'm providing is a VERY short survey so it should just take about 30 seconds to submit your vote.
LINK to VOTE: http://jotform.co/form/33495700468864
We can't win without your help!! Much appreciated!!
-Tara, Bryan & Picken
Shades of Soho, Glen Rock
www.shadesofsoho.com
www.facebook.com/shadesofsoho
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Gray Matter
Or the matter of grays. I'm about seven months from forty and I've never noticed any. I've never looked. It may come off like I have a high level of vanity and would be searching and destroying any grays in my path....but I'm far too lazy for that. I'm vain in more of a "big picture" kind of way. I love to shop, I love clothes and a good bargain (still reeling about Loehmann's). I REALLY love Botox, I've had liposuction, and if I won the lottery, I have a list of things I'd do. But, I don't inspect myself. You want to take a chunk of fat out? Sure. But I don't nitpick on the smaller scale. Unless I had a head full of grays, I don't usually notice something that's more here or there. Except, now they are HERE.
My hairdresser is aware...I don't usually "DO" my hair. He makes magic happen and then I ruin it with a daily, messy bun. I go to him to make sure that if I do have somewhere to go, my hair can be camera ready on the fly. But on the daily, we're all just lucky if it was washed.
I went to see Don, my hairdresser, this week. Part of my issue is that I've been seeing noticeable thinning in the front where I make my part. I know Don uses Eufora products and there are Eufora products that address that problem. Also, B likes my hair long. But when I leave it long it's really plain and boring because I don't do it. I started poking around in my hair, in the mirror, to see what I'd like for my cut when I noticed a gray sticking straight up in the air. Don then informed me that I have many. Awesome.
I wanted a cut that was a little more involved so I could attempt to make it more interesting on the daily. If I was to get around to it. Don didn't disappoint. Great color, great haircut. It was the best my hair has looked. I was really happy.
I also bought the Eufora shampoo for thinning hair. Don't think I forgot about the spray for thinning too. I just haven't been good about using it. I use it every single time I wash my hair but I'm going to throw myself under the bus and tell you I only wash my hair like 3x a week. Whatever- don't side-eye me. I don't have time to wash daily and I've HEARD people with AMAZING hair, like Connie Britton say she doesn't wash hers daily. And her hair has it's own Twitter account. So I use it 3x a week but you're supposed to use it twice a day. BUT, Don felt in my hair and he told me the spots I had to be hitting because he could feel the roughness of new hair. That thrilled me. Imagine if I use the shampoo AND remembered to use the spray every day?! It's just one spot really, that's bothering me, because it's right in the front.
No one probably sees it but me, but I see it and that's enough. I think it's from always parting at the same place for years. Or who knows what. I also want to mention that I asked Don if I needed anything else and HE SAID NO. That's important because someone in my hysterical nature of the moment might have been taken by a less scrupulous hairdresser. Hey- I get it- it's part of their job to sell and you hope you can trust your person not to take you to the cleaners with tons of product. So I just got the shampoo this time. We shall see...
I didn't get to get a close up photo of my hair but I can't even express my happiness. With my hair. Not the fact that I was covering grays, or seeing bags under my eyes. But great hair is hard to come by but when it comes out the way you want it, an easier fix than plastic surgery!
Sorry Don, I couldn't put up the picture of the dog and I. I couldn't deal with the eye bags. I need to be lit better. Just call me Mariah Carey (legendary photographic demands).
http://www.azano.net
My hairdresser is aware...I don't usually "DO" my hair. He makes magic happen and then I ruin it with a daily, messy bun. I go to him to make sure that if I do have somewhere to go, my hair can be camera ready on the fly. But on the daily, we're all just lucky if it was washed.
I went to see Don, my hairdresser, this week. Part of my issue is that I've been seeing noticeable thinning in the front where I make my part. I know Don uses Eufora products and there are Eufora products that address that problem. Also, B likes my hair long. But when I leave it long it's really plain and boring because I don't do it. I started poking around in my hair, in the mirror, to see what I'd like for my cut when I noticed a gray sticking straight up in the air. Don then informed me that I have many. Awesome.
I wanted a cut that was a little more involved so I could attempt to make it more interesting on the daily. If I was to get around to it. Don didn't disappoint. Great color, great haircut. It was the best my hair has looked. I was really happy. I also bought the Eufora shampoo for thinning hair. Don't think I forgot about the spray for thinning too. I just haven't been good about using it. I use it every single time I wash my hair but I'm going to throw myself under the bus and tell you I only wash my hair like 3x a week. Whatever- don't side-eye me. I don't have time to wash daily and I've HEARD people with AMAZING hair, like Connie Britton say she doesn't wash hers daily. And her hair has it's own Twitter account. So I use it 3x a week but you're supposed to use it twice a day. BUT, Don felt in my hair and he told me the spots I had to be hitting because he could feel the roughness of new hair. That thrilled me. Imagine if I use the shampoo AND remembered to use the spray every day?! It's just one spot really, that's bothering me, because it's right in the front.
No one probably sees it but me, but I see it and that's enough. I think it's from always parting at the same place for years. Or who knows what. I also want to mention that I asked Don if I needed anything else and HE SAID NO. That's important because someone in my hysterical nature of the moment might have been taken by a less scrupulous hairdresser. Hey- I get it- it's part of their job to sell and you hope you can trust your person not to take you to the cleaners with tons of product. So I just got the shampoo this time. We shall see...
I didn't get to get a close up photo of my hair but I can't even express my happiness. With my hair. Not the fact that I was covering grays, or seeing bags under my eyes. But great hair is hard to come by but when it comes out the way you want it, an easier fix than plastic surgery!
Sorry Don, I couldn't put up the picture of the dog and I. I couldn't deal with the eye bags. I need to be lit better. Just call me Mariah Carey (legendary photographic demands).
http://www.azano.net
Friday, January 10, 2014
Naked and Crying
Naked and crying. In a dressing room. More specifically, in the large, weird, open dressing room that is part of what makes Loehmann's unique. The love of my life is ceasing to exist come one day soon.
This is my ode to Loehmann's. So get ready.
Unlike a lot of my friends that I've spoken to about Loehmann's taking it's final bow, I don't have a story about going with my mom or grandma. My grandma Edna was a BIG shopper and probably loved Loehmann's back in her day. But by the time I was born she was in Ft Lauderdale, we were in NJ and we weren't doing a lot of clothes shopping on our short visits. My mom wasn't a shopper at all, for clothing, and could not be talked out of buying her clothes at Kmart or a flea market. Names for less was lost on Rita, because she didn't know the names to begin with. She wasn't interested. She had her dolls, her sporting trading cards and her videos. I had Loehmann's.
I must have found it when I moved back up to Bergen County from Mercer County in 2001. I was poor, single, and dating a lot. I needed new outfits on the cheap for dates and for my summers at D'Jais in Belmar. I wanted trendy designer jeans but for a price I could afford. I needed nice gifts for friends and family that I could be proud to give but that wouldn't bankrupt me. Tri-fold leather Kenneth Cole wallets, funky Steve Madden winter hats and scarves. Eventually, when I found my husband, gifts for him like leather driving gloves and Calvin Klein dress shirts. And Pucci silk scarves for B's secretary (at the time). I would take my old roommate Aimee in there with me when she'd come visit from Pennsylvania to celebrate her weight losses. She let me be her personal shopper and I'd look forward to it immensely.
There was just something special about Loehmann's that I don't find shopping in any other discount store. I know there is TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Century 21, and even Fox's in Ridgewood that my friend Stacy has been strongly suggesting to me for years. But none of them are the same. Loehmann's is it's own, huge, free standing building. It has tons of parking and one of the few places that has parking on two sides where you can get in at either. In Bergen County, that kind of ease of parking and getting in is nothing to sneeze at. You never "hunted" for a spot. You just drove in like a bat out of hell and ran in. I could be home to there and back with the right pair of discount Spanx in under 30 minutes. Maybe with a pair of irresistible Joe's Jeans for under $99 as well.
It was always clean and organized. I always knew exactly where to start looking and where to end. I knew to park on the Passaic St side if I just wanted shoes quickly. I could find BCBG on the other side and dresses in The Back Room. Sometimes, I'd close my eyes for a second as I got to The Back Room just so I could open them back up and survey the scene all at the same time, zeroing in on where I should start my search. To me, there is no comparison. Every other off-price kind of place seems dirty, disorganized, and more into their home goods they also sell vs really being a clothing store. It was like Macy's but BETTER. Macy's doesn't even have the sheer range of designers that Loehmann's had. The other discount places don't have memberships and coupons. Whatever the price is, that's it. In Loehmann's, I always had my extra 10% discount card or some 20% off coupon that came in the mail. In the "old" days, you'd get point coupons correlating with how much you bought. So, like with Gymboree and Gymbucks, you were always buying so you could get more coupons, then use more coupons.
I'd seen Loehmann's on Undercover Boss a few months ago with a new owner. I was thrilled. It seemed like all was well. They even had personal shoppers at their place in California they were showcasing. I'd been worried a few years back when I heard they were in bankruptcy and they started closing stores. Wayne closed and became a pet store. But miraculously they never shuttered Paramus so I didn't take it seriously. And then the news came last week. And I'm just as devastated today as I was the day someone brought it to my attention on FB. Literally. I was in the shower this morning and I just thought out of nowhere, "WHERE AM I GOING TO GET MY JEANS??"
I saw the liquidation was starting yesterday (Thursday) morning. So of course I said to B- "I'm going to be late". He said- "You're going to Loehmann's, right?" Why yes, of course I am. I'd randomly gone in about a week or so ago and saw this Halston Heritage dress I didn't need but just had to try on. The retail price was $645. It was a "sample sale". The Loehmann's price was $200. I am a gold member so I get 10% off no matter what. It was still too steep for a dress I don't even know when I'm going to get to wear. But I went in the dressing room, tried it on, and in a communal dressing room, of course there was a naked woman next to me. She was saying, "Oh my gawd! You're totally buying that, right??". I wistfully told her that I'd love to, but it was out of my budget right now. Maybe I'd come back in a few weeks and it'll still be there on sale. It's navy, thick stretch jersey (my favorite material in the world), with a deep V-neck (my only "signature style" THING), but it's LONG. Like where it almost has a train. Only someone really tall, someone willing to wear stilettos, or someone willing to do a big alteration would be interested in buying it. So I thought I'd had a shot. This is different than the red boots (previous entry about the thrill of the chase) at Marshalls. I've done this with Loehmann's before. I've left things only to be able to buy them at deeper discount in a few weeks. It just has a different...way...than a Marshalls.
I decided that if they had the Halston Heritage dress, and on deeper sale, at the liquidation, I'd get it. They had a decent amount when I'd been there and it was only a week prior. I got there at 9:48a. I couldn't believe I didn't know they open at 9:30. I just assumed they open at 10a like everything else. So I was eighteen minutes late. I ran in and flew right back to the dresses. They had about four left! Two XS, one L and THE LAST MEDIUM. I grabbed it. Then I started grabbing other things to try on because it was getting busy in there and I didn't want to miss a thing. I filled my rolling floor cart, and went to the dressing room for my first round of try-ons. I walked right into that giant dressing room, right into the whitest boobs I'd ever seen. People were in a frenzy and it felt like they were extra naked either for nostalgia or to get clothes on and off as quick as possible.
I was standing next to two ladies who didn't know each other but were giving opinions on each other's finds. Communal means a big room of nude strangers but it also meant COMMUNITY. You would try something on and if you were struggling with getting a zipper up, someone next to you would lend a hand. The one blond, standing two ladies down from me, was saying how she had always wanted a David Meister dress, but couldn't find one meant for a 6ft model of 115 lbs. But she was so excited she found a more A-line shaped one for spring. The lady next to me was older and talked about going as a kid with her mom in the Bronx, and all her special memories. As they were talking, a skinny, pretty blond asked me if I thought the shirt she had on was too big and blousy for her. It was. I told her.
Then, after I picked up a soft orange striped sweater, a knit hat of the same colors, a Pure Karma tye-dyed tank and a purple peace-sign tee, a button down for B and a package of Jelly Belly, I stood on that line, just taking in the whole place. Thinking about all the boob shirts I bought for dates, the jeans I got for my many weight gains and losses, and all the times I came there just to pick through racks for hours and "clear my head". I used to leave work before B when we were in Garfield and it was right on my way home. Sometimes I'd be in there a good hour and a half just walking around. I got ever formal dress for every wedding, 201 Magazine party, shower, WGirls event, there.
I heard a guy in a really loud voice say to one of the employees, "I'm SO UPSET! Everything I'm WEARING from HEAD TO TOE is Loehmann's!! WHAT WILL I DO?!". And the poor saleswoman, just simply said, "I know. How do you think WE feel?". She said it sadly. But I don't feel like she said it sadly just because she was losing her job. It was in way that I understood, she was feeling the impact of losing Loehmann's too. I just wanted that guy to shut the hell up and stop making it worse.
Then it was time for me to walk out those glass doors. As I was walking out I saw a girl out there taking photos of the outside. I almost did it myself but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
I went home and showed Barbara (close family friend), my purchases and she told me when she was a little girl in Brooklyn, she used to go there with her mom and brother and Frieda Loehmann used to sit in the dressing room with all the naked ladies as they were getting changed. She also said it was her brother's favorite place to go. I'm sure a lot of little boys got their first eyefuls of women's bodies in there. I know Ethan did! From strippers with elaborate tramp stamps to enormous breast implants, to ladies from the old country, we've seen it all.
Here are some news stories on it- one reporter saying that women he's spoken to made it sound more like a wake than a liquidation- TRUE DAT.
http://www.myfoxla.com/story/24412095/loehmanns-liquidation-sale-say-it-isnt-so
http://observer.com/2014/01/fashion/
http://forward.com/articles/190553/end-of-loehmanns-is-end-of-an-era/
Rest in peace Loehmann's. You will be missed greatly. There will never be another like you or who can compare.
Edit: I finally got to wear that Halston Heritage dress this past weekend (Oct 24, 2015) for a wedding! So it was totally worth it.
This is my ode to Loehmann's. So get ready.
Unlike a lot of my friends that I've spoken to about Loehmann's taking it's final bow, I don't have a story about going with my mom or grandma. My grandma Edna was a BIG shopper and probably loved Loehmann's back in her day. But by the time I was born she was in Ft Lauderdale, we were in NJ and we weren't doing a lot of clothes shopping on our short visits. My mom wasn't a shopper at all, for clothing, and could not be talked out of buying her clothes at Kmart or a flea market. Names for less was lost on Rita, because she didn't know the names to begin with. She wasn't interested. She had her dolls, her sporting trading cards and her videos. I had Loehmann's.
I must have found it when I moved back up to Bergen County from Mercer County in 2001. I was poor, single, and dating a lot. I needed new outfits on the cheap for dates and for my summers at D'Jais in Belmar. I wanted trendy designer jeans but for a price I could afford. I needed nice gifts for friends and family that I could be proud to give but that wouldn't bankrupt me. Tri-fold leather Kenneth Cole wallets, funky Steve Madden winter hats and scarves. Eventually, when I found my husband, gifts for him like leather driving gloves and Calvin Klein dress shirts. And Pucci silk scarves for B's secretary (at the time). I would take my old roommate Aimee in there with me when she'd come visit from Pennsylvania to celebrate her weight losses. She let me be her personal shopper and I'd look forward to it immensely.
There was just something special about Loehmann's that I don't find shopping in any other discount store. I know there is TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Century 21, and even Fox's in Ridgewood that my friend Stacy has been strongly suggesting to me for years. But none of them are the same. Loehmann's is it's own, huge, free standing building. It has tons of parking and one of the few places that has parking on two sides where you can get in at either. In Bergen County, that kind of ease of parking and getting in is nothing to sneeze at. You never "hunted" for a spot. You just drove in like a bat out of hell and ran in. I could be home to there and back with the right pair of discount Spanx in under 30 minutes. Maybe with a pair of irresistible Joe's Jeans for under $99 as well.
It was always clean and organized. I always knew exactly where to start looking and where to end. I knew to park on the Passaic St side if I just wanted shoes quickly. I could find BCBG on the other side and dresses in The Back Room. Sometimes, I'd close my eyes for a second as I got to The Back Room just so I could open them back up and survey the scene all at the same time, zeroing in on where I should start my search. To me, there is no comparison. Every other off-price kind of place seems dirty, disorganized, and more into their home goods they also sell vs really being a clothing store. It was like Macy's but BETTER. Macy's doesn't even have the sheer range of designers that Loehmann's had. The other discount places don't have memberships and coupons. Whatever the price is, that's it. In Loehmann's, I always had my extra 10% discount card or some 20% off coupon that came in the mail. In the "old" days, you'd get point coupons correlating with how much you bought. So, like with Gymboree and Gymbucks, you were always buying so you could get more coupons, then use more coupons.
I'd seen Loehmann's on Undercover Boss a few months ago with a new owner. I was thrilled. It seemed like all was well. They even had personal shoppers at their place in California they were showcasing. I'd been worried a few years back when I heard they were in bankruptcy and they started closing stores. Wayne closed and became a pet store. But miraculously they never shuttered Paramus so I didn't take it seriously. And then the news came last week. And I'm just as devastated today as I was the day someone brought it to my attention on FB. Literally. I was in the shower this morning and I just thought out of nowhere, "WHERE AM I GOING TO GET MY JEANS??"
I saw the liquidation was starting yesterday (Thursday) morning. So of course I said to B- "I'm going to be late". He said- "You're going to Loehmann's, right?" Why yes, of course I am. I'd randomly gone in about a week or so ago and saw this Halston Heritage dress I didn't need but just had to try on. The retail price was $645. It was a "sample sale". The Loehmann's price was $200. I am a gold member so I get 10% off no matter what. It was still too steep for a dress I don't even know when I'm going to get to wear. But I went in the dressing room, tried it on, and in a communal dressing room, of course there was a naked woman next to me. She was saying, "Oh my gawd! You're totally buying that, right??". I wistfully told her that I'd love to, but it was out of my budget right now. Maybe I'd come back in a few weeks and it'll still be there on sale. It's navy, thick stretch jersey (my favorite material in the world), with a deep V-neck (my only "signature style" THING), but it's LONG. Like where it almost has a train. Only someone really tall, someone willing to wear stilettos, or someone willing to do a big alteration would be interested in buying it. So I thought I'd had a shot. This is different than the red boots (previous entry about the thrill of the chase) at Marshalls. I've done this with Loehmann's before. I've left things only to be able to buy them at deeper discount in a few weeks. It just has a different...way...than a Marshalls.
I decided that if they had the Halston Heritage dress, and on deeper sale, at the liquidation, I'd get it. They had a decent amount when I'd been there and it was only a week prior. I got there at 9:48a. I couldn't believe I didn't know they open at 9:30. I just assumed they open at 10a like everything else. So I was eighteen minutes late. I ran in and flew right back to the dresses. They had about four left! Two XS, one L and THE LAST MEDIUM. I grabbed it. Then I started grabbing other things to try on because it was getting busy in there and I didn't want to miss a thing. I filled my rolling floor cart, and went to the dressing room for my first round of try-ons. I walked right into that giant dressing room, right into the whitest boobs I'd ever seen. People were in a frenzy and it felt like they were extra naked either for nostalgia or to get clothes on and off as quick as possible.
I was standing next to two ladies who didn't know each other but were giving opinions on each other's finds. Communal means a big room of nude strangers but it also meant COMMUNITY. You would try something on and if you were struggling with getting a zipper up, someone next to you would lend a hand. The one blond, standing two ladies down from me, was saying how she had always wanted a David Meister dress, but couldn't find one meant for a 6ft model of 115 lbs. But she was so excited she found a more A-line shaped one for spring. The lady next to me was older and talked about going as a kid with her mom in the Bronx, and all her special memories. As they were talking, a skinny, pretty blond asked me if I thought the shirt she had on was too big and blousy for her. It was. I told her.
Then, after I picked up a soft orange striped sweater, a knit hat of the same colors, a Pure Karma tye-dyed tank and a purple peace-sign tee, a button down for B and a package of Jelly Belly, I stood on that line, just taking in the whole place. Thinking about all the boob shirts I bought for dates, the jeans I got for my many weight gains and losses, and all the times I came there just to pick through racks for hours and "clear my head". I used to leave work before B when we were in Garfield and it was right on my way home. Sometimes I'd be in there a good hour and a half just walking around. I got ever formal dress for every wedding, 201 Magazine party, shower, WGirls event, there.
I heard a guy in a really loud voice say to one of the employees, "I'm SO UPSET! Everything I'm WEARING from HEAD TO TOE is Loehmann's!! WHAT WILL I DO?!". And the poor saleswoman, just simply said, "I know. How do you think WE feel?". She said it sadly. But I don't feel like she said it sadly just because she was losing her job. It was in way that I understood, she was feeling the impact of losing Loehmann's too. I just wanted that guy to shut the hell up and stop making it worse.
Then it was time for me to walk out those glass doors. As I was walking out I saw a girl out there taking photos of the outside. I almost did it myself but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
I went home and showed Barbara (close family friend), my purchases and she told me when she was a little girl in Brooklyn, she used to go there with her mom and brother and Frieda Loehmann used to sit in the dressing room with all the naked ladies as they were getting changed. She also said it was her brother's favorite place to go. I'm sure a lot of little boys got their first eyefuls of women's bodies in there. I know Ethan did! From strippers with elaborate tramp stamps to enormous breast implants, to ladies from the old country, we've seen it all.
Here are some news stories on it- one reporter saying that women he's spoken to made it sound more like a wake than a liquidation- TRUE DAT.
http://www.myfoxla.com/story/24412095/loehmanns-liquidation-sale-say-it-isnt-so
http://observer.com/2014/01/fashion/
http://forward.com/articles/190553/end-of-loehmanns-is-end-of-an-era/
Rest in peace Loehmann's. You will be missed greatly. There will never be another like you or who can compare.
Edit: I finally got to wear that Halston Heritage dress this past weekend (Oct 24, 2015) for a wedding! So it was totally worth it.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
No Bread For YOU
Happy New Year!
I don't feel like waxing poetic about the new year and new beginnings and all that. I don't make resolutions, and some blogger pretty much said everything I could say but better in her viral entry called This is 39. Maybe I'll tackle all that is the new year and turning 40 this year some other time.
All I want to talk about right now is bread. Yes. Bread. I love it. B, E and I go out to dinner every Saturday night unless we have some other commitment. Or sometimes B and I can get a sitter and go to the movies or out to dinner alone. But most Saturday nights, I am getting dinner out and I want to go to somewhere with a hearty bread basket. No Parmesan flatbread or some other weird crappy cracker. I want a warm bread basket with butter.
I know I'm a weirdo. I live in Bergen County and prefer chain restaurants. Reason being- I'm picky. I like a giant menu even though I'm always ordering the grilled salmon. Doesn't matter where I am, I'm ordering the grilled salmon, two sides, and I'm eating my way through a bread basket. If there is any bread left, I'm like an old lady. I have baggies in my handbag and I just throw my bread right in. Anyone that really knows me, knows how I live for bread and butter.
Joe's All American Grill has the best bread, hands down. It's like a bread masterpiece. Hot, crumbly on the outside, soft like a cloud on the inside. I've eaten a whole loaf by myself. The food- eh. But the BREAD. We used to go there so much we had our own waitress who would send me home with an extra whole loaf. And the bread thing is why we really don't go to Paparazzi there- who wants some cardboard, crunchy breadsticks?! Blech.
Cheesecake Factory comes in second- that brown bread is amazing. It's some kind of brown wheat or whatever. But you get a brown and white and I'll eat them both. Grand Lux also has some kind of white and wheat sourdough I think. And then there is Houstons. Houstons always HAD bread. It was like a small, white, holy (as holes in it, not religious bread) loaf. Usually only 3-4 small pieces and a triangle of butter. They didn't bring it out automatically but they'd bring it if you asked for it. It was never enough butter but I'd just ask for more. But it was served warm most of the time and really good.
We hardly ever get to go to Houstons, even though it's definitely my favorite in terms of the food. The grilled salmon is always amazing and for whatever reason, it's SO much better than anyone else's grilled salmon. The vegetables are always really fresh and prepared well. Problem with Houstons is that it's almost always a ninety minute wait. We can't do that with a small child. Every now and again we try and it works out but I SO look forward to it.
Sometime during Black Friday weekend we went. Oddly enough the restaurants around here are less crowded because I guess people go looking to buy gifts in the morning and don't come back to the malls to eat later. Or they're eating Thanksgiving leftovers all weekend. I don't know. We were able to get into Houstons. I'd not eaten much that day so I could eat my way through the bread and my meal. Then pop next door to Barns & Noble to get dessert to go. As an aside, that B&N Starbucks has THE best desserts ever. They have stuff from Cheesecake Factory because it's next door and other awesome stuff. Every other Starbucks has the worst desserts, but not this one. Anyway...
I asked for bread. I got this answer: "We no longer have bread service. We have a new thing....focaccia bread in olive oil....with..." Now I heard almonds, but I think she said olives. Either way, it wasn't what *I* wanted to hear. I don't want your focaccia and I certainly don't want it drenched in some oils. I'm ignoring the almond/olives part because I don't even want to think about those. Neither belong with my bread. OH, and they want to CHARGE $3 for it. No "free" bread. Nevermind that their prices went up but now they want to charge for bread as appetizer?
B just looked at my face and he said later he got scared. I said to him I was going to write an email to Houstons. And I did. In the scheme of life, will I live without my bread? Sure. Is it a #firstworldproblem? Of course. But this is the thing... We own a retail business open six days a week. We work hard. We don't get sick days, days off, or vacation. We haven't been on a vacation since 2007. What we do like to do, and what we do often, is go out to eat. It's pretty much neck and neck with going to the movies for me. So as you can see from my previous entry about movie theater etiquette or lack there of, I don't like when either of these experiences are ruined in any way for me. All I want is my damned bread! And if Houstons really wanted to fulfill a fantasy, they'd put their sweet summer corn on the menu from spring to the beginning of fall. Because THAT was another real favorite of mine that seems to have gone missing for some time now.
I really love Houstons. I don't care if it's a chain, I don't care if I have to wait an hour or more to sit down. I've never had a bad meal and I've never had a better house salad. Omg, the house vinaigrette! I'm going to keep going there, but I might decide to opt for Cheesecake Factory now if their wait is shorter. Bread tips the scales, sorry. Good bread. And my beloved butter. We just recently went back to Houstons, so I was reminded of my bread problems.
If you really want to make me happy, and get bread back for us all, just click on the link below and tell them you love Houstons but just want your bread back. Let's start a bread and butter REVOLUTION! It will take a literal minute or two to become a Bractivist!
http://www.hillstone.com/contact/index.php
I don't feel like waxing poetic about the new year and new beginnings and all that. I don't make resolutions, and some blogger pretty much said everything I could say but better in her viral entry called This is 39. Maybe I'll tackle all that is the new year and turning 40 this year some other time.
All I want to talk about right now is bread. Yes. Bread. I love it. B, E and I go out to dinner every Saturday night unless we have some other commitment. Or sometimes B and I can get a sitter and go to the movies or out to dinner alone. But most Saturday nights, I am getting dinner out and I want to go to somewhere with a hearty bread basket. No Parmesan flatbread or some other weird crappy cracker. I want a warm bread basket with butter.
I know I'm a weirdo. I live in Bergen County and prefer chain restaurants. Reason being- I'm picky. I like a giant menu even though I'm always ordering the grilled salmon. Doesn't matter where I am, I'm ordering the grilled salmon, two sides, and I'm eating my way through a bread basket. If there is any bread left, I'm like an old lady. I have baggies in my handbag and I just throw my bread right in. Anyone that really knows me, knows how I live for bread and butter.
Joe's All American Grill has the best bread, hands down. It's like a bread masterpiece. Hot, crumbly on the outside, soft like a cloud on the inside. I've eaten a whole loaf by myself. The food- eh. But the BREAD. We used to go there so much we had our own waitress who would send me home with an extra whole loaf. And the bread thing is why we really don't go to Paparazzi there- who wants some cardboard, crunchy breadsticks?! Blech.
Cheesecake Factory comes in second- that brown bread is amazing. It's some kind of brown wheat or whatever. But you get a brown and white and I'll eat them both. Grand Lux also has some kind of white and wheat sourdough I think. And then there is Houstons. Houstons always HAD bread. It was like a small, white, holy (as holes in it, not religious bread) loaf. Usually only 3-4 small pieces and a triangle of butter. They didn't bring it out automatically but they'd bring it if you asked for it. It was never enough butter but I'd just ask for more. But it was served warm most of the time and really good.
We hardly ever get to go to Houstons, even though it's definitely my favorite in terms of the food. The grilled salmon is always amazing and for whatever reason, it's SO much better than anyone else's grilled salmon. The vegetables are always really fresh and prepared well. Problem with Houstons is that it's almost always a ninety minute wait. We can't do that with a small child. Every now and again we try and it works out but I SO look forward to it.
Sometime during Black Friday weekend we went. Oddly enough the restaurants around here are less crowded because I guess people go looking to buy gifts in the morning and don't come back to the malls to eat later. Or they're eating Thanksgiving leftovers all weekend. I don't know. We were able to get into Houstons. I'd not eaten much that day so I could eat my way through the bread and my meal. Then pop next door to Barns & Noble to get dessert to go. As an aside, that B&N Starbucks has THE best desserts ever. They have stuff from Cheesecake Factory because it's next door and other awesome stuff. Every other Starbucks has the worst desserts, but not this one. Anyway...
I asked for bread. I got this answer: "We no longer have bread service. We have a new thing....focaccia bread in olive oil....with..." Now I heard almonds, but I think she said olives. Either way, it wasn't what *I* wanted to hear. I don't want your focaccia and I certainly don't want it drenched in some oils. I'm ignoring the almond/olives part because I don't even want to think about those. Neither belong with my bread. OH, and they want to CHARGE $3 for it. No "free" bread. Nevermind that their prices went up but now they want to charge for bread as appetizer?
B just looked at my face and he said later he got scared. I said to him I was going to write an email to Houstons. And I did. In the scheme of life, will I live without my bread? Sure. Is it a #firstworldproblem? Of course. But this is the thing... We own a retail business open six days a week. We work hard. We don't get sick days, days off, or vacation. We haven't been on a vacation since 2007. What we do like to do, and what we do often, is go out to eat. It's pretty much neck and neck with going to the movies for me. So as you can see from my previous entry about movie theater etiquette or lack there of, I don't like when either of these experiences are ruined in any way for me. All I want is my damned bread! And if Houstons really wanted to fulfill a fantasy, they'd put their sweet summer corn on the menu from spring to the beginning of fall. Because THAT was another real favorite of mine that seems to have gone missing for some time now.
I really love Houstons. I don't care if it's a chain, I don't care if I have to wait an hour or more to sit down. I've never had a bad meal and I've never had a better house salad. Omg, the house vinaigrette! I'm going to keep going there, but I might decide to opt for Cheesecake Factory now if their wait is shorter. Bread tips the scales, sorry. Good bread. And my beloved butter. We just recently went back to Houstons, so I was reminded of my bread problems.
If you really want to make me happy, and get bread back for us all, just click on the link below and tell them you love Houstons but just want your bread back. Let's start a bread and butter REVOLUTION! It will take a literal minute or two to become a Bractivist!
http://www.hillstone.com/contact/index.php
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