Events

The Moxie Stimulus Package
When: Through February 14
Where: Lady Moxie, 6706 Odana Rd.
Details: “Old-fashioned retail therapy with a side of luxe pampering” is how owner Elizabeth Wewerka describes it. Lady Moxie will give the first three shoppers who spend $100 or more at the store a gift certificate for a free one-hour massage.
More info: 826-4268

Free treats and refreshments
When: February 14
Where: Three Orange Doors, 2789 Fitchrona Rd.
Details: Well…free treats and refreshments, of course! See new pendants and jewelry for Valentine’s Day as well as mercury glass votives and soy candles. New spring and Easter décor has arrived, too.
More info: 848-3336

Valentine’s Day at AttiKISS
When: February 14
Where: Atticus, 18 N. Carroll
Details: With every purchase customers get to draw out of Cupid’s candy bowl for a chance to win prizes and discounts.
More info: 204-9001. atticusshop.com

Fashion Fridays: Stylista Runway Show
When: February 20
Where: The Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson St.
Details: “Four teams of indie fashion, makeup and hair stylists will show collections that inspire creative ways of looking fabulous on a budget,” per the show’s PR flyer. If you liked October’s installment of Fashion Fridays: London Calling, then you’ll most likely be interested in this show, too.
More info: madisonfashionweek.com

VIVO store opening
When: March 2
Where: 702 N. Midvale Blvd.
Details: Do you remember Studio Snaidero located in Portofino Place? They’ve changed their name and location! President Todd Huschka told me this transition has been in the works for a while. VIVO LLC is now the parent company of Studio Snaidero Wisconsin. The new location will showcase Snaidero kitchens and over seventy different luxury home product lines.
More info: 662-0448. snaidero-wi.com

Events

Dane Buy Local Fourth Annual Holiday Kick-Off Event
When: November 18, 8–10 a.m.
Where: Forrestal’s Gallery, 2904 Parmenter St.
Details: Mingle with Buy Local members! Just in time for holiday shopping the kick-off will feature holiday gifts, refreshments from Middleton restaurants and holiday music.
More information: danebuylocal.com

Holiday Earring Show
When: November 18–December 24. Opening: November 29, 5–8 p.m.
Where: HYART Gallery, 133 W. Johnson St.
Details: A show featuring over thirty artists from around the country and the UW School of Art. They’ll feature—you guessed it—earrings.
More information: 442-0562

Sarah’s Hope Jewelry Trunk Show
When: November 20, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Where: Goodman’s Jewelers, 220 State St.
Details: Meet owner and designer Sarah Smith, and see her new fall collection. Sarah’s Hope contributes ten percent of net profits to fund business micro-loans to women business entrepreneurs.
More information: 257-3644

Thursday Disco
When: Thursdays until Christmas
Where: Three Orange Doors, 2789 Fitchrona Rd.
Details: Save 10 percent on your entire purchase from 5:30–7 p.m. Wine will be served and the disco beats will be bumping. Christmas décor and jewelry and gifts will be available.
More information: 848-3336

Ladies’ Night with Champagne and Chocolate
When: November 21, 5–9 p.m.
Where: Chalmers Jewelers, 6202 University Ave.
Details: What isn’t going on? Chocolate and hors d’oeuvres. Chair massages by Haven Spa. A Fashion Show with items from J. LaMore, door prizes and a silent auction! Whew!
More information: 233-4700

MMoCA Holiday Art Fair
When: November 21–23. November 21, noon–6 p.m., November 22, 10 a.m.–5p.m., November 23, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Where: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State St.
Details: Handcrafted, artful gifts from jewelry to décor and everything in between. Enjoy MMoCA’s current exhibtion while browsing!
More information: 257-0158, mmoca.org
(Photo: Renee Roeder Earley, Hats-O-Fancy, courtesy of MMoCA)

Happenings

Three Orange Doors is having a Sidewalk Sale Thursday, July 10 through Saturday, July 12. Look for a twenty percent off coupon on page 100 in our July issue!
Owner Gail Paraskevas stocks vintage items like reclaimed furniture, dishware, decorative accessories and new crafty items, like handmade jewelry.
Three Orange Doors, 2789 Fitchrona Rd. 848-3336. 3orangedoors.com

Natasha Vora is holding a customer appreciation drawing at her store INDOCARA for the month of July. Enter to win a $180 hand-carved marble lotus tray. She’s also having a sale this month so stop in to check out the deals. INDOCARA was a silver a Best of Madison winner in the upscale furniture and home accessories category.
Indocara, 540 W. Washington Ave. 251-7711. indocara.com

Next week: coverage of Madison’s biggest shopping event, Maxwell Street Days.

New Brands to the Madison Market

Even though we’re not as big as say, Chicago, Madison retailers have their collective fingers on the pulse of what is HOT in the retail scene. And you know what? We can get a selection of the same trendy, fashion-forward brands that are found in bigger cities—right here.

Context and Bop, two of the city’s premier shopping destinations, have introduced some new brands to their stores.
Men’s clothier Context has started carrying shirting line Bureau. “Inspired by effortless American elegance, casual simplicity and overall refined style, Bureau is a new addition to American menswear … Inspired by the off-duty lifestyle of our 35th president, John F. Kennedy, as well as the casually refined style of dress and mentality of the American youth in the early 1960s,” according to press materials. Co-owner Ryan Huber tells me that the shirts have been flying out of stock already and the quality of the shirt is tough to beat. Prices range from $141 for a white linen shirt to $253 for a captain’s jacket.
Context, 113 King St. 250-0113. contextclothing.com

Bop’s got fresh new lines Twelfth St., Anlo Jeans, Tocca, Rich & Skinny and Brette Sandler. I’ve seen many of these lines featured in major fashion mags like Lucky. Check out Twelfth St.’s sassy cocktail dresses and drapey tops; Rich & Skinny’s shockingly bright denim and denim capris in colors like emerald green and fuschia; and Brette Sandler’s sexy swimwear.
Bop, 222 W. Gorham St. 255-2570. shopbop.com

Three Madison area retailers will be carrying this spring’s hottest bag: the Envirosax reusuable tote bag. Gatherings, Pop Deluxe and Iconi will all have this of-the-moment bag that was featured in a recent issue of InStyle. Waterproof and durable, I had the opportunity to feature one of the totes in our April issue. But what’s great is that these bags come in tons of cool designs and are super fashionable (and non gender specific, so guys can use them too).
Shoppers can buy single bags (prices range from $8.50–$9.95) and packs of five bags ($37.50 at Pop Deluxe).
Pop Deluxe, 310 State St. 256-1966. popdeluxe.net
Gatherings, 2134 Regent St. 236-9497. gatheringshomeandgarden.com
Iconi, 534 W. Washington Ave. 441-0077.

On to something old that’s made new: Three Orange Doors has started carrying vintage china pendants. Fashioned out of vintage china (some is handpainted), these beautiful necklaces will certainly make a wardrobe statement. Owner Gail Paraskevas is very crafty and can even make a necklace from your own vintage china. She also does custom photo charms as well.
Three Orange Doors, 2789 Fitchrona Rd. 848-3336. 3orangedoors.com

Gift Ideas

Looking to shop local or “green” this holiday? I’ve got ideas for you!

Fromagination (click here to read this month’s Genuine Articles on Fromagination) has a tasty array of gift baskets for your giftee. If you’ve got relatives or friends that don’t live here, consider buying local and sending the goods out to them! The shop offers pre-made baskets ranging in price from $35–$100.
Otherwise you can’t go wrong making your own basket and stuffing it with treats like Potter’s Crackers, Door County cherry jam and Hook’s cheddar cheese. Well, Fromagination’s actually got ninety cut-to-order artisan cheeses plus olive oils, mustards, nuts, charcuterie and gift accessories.
Other things you might notice about the downtown shop? The reclaimed wood floors (from a warehouse in Chicago), vintage clocks (courtesy of the State Capitol building) and the store’s gift basket return program—which allows customers to bring in an old gift basket to exchange for another recycled basket, or receive two dollars off a new basket. Per the store’s website, “our store incorporates sustainable, renewable, recycled, recycled vintage and found materials whenever possible.” So not only will you be buying local at Fromagination, you’ll be supporting a green business too.
Fromagination, 12 S. Carroll St. 255-2430. fromagination.com

Want a night at Lombardino’s for four, a hot-air balloon ride or a Packers helmet autographed by Brett Favre (this might be the only time I mention Brett Favre on this blog ☺) at a potential savings? Go to the Wisconsin Partners for SustainAbility’s online auction and bid on these items and more. That Lombardino’s night had a leading bid of two hundred dollars as of press time, but the estimated actual value was three hundred dollars.
Josie Pradella, owner of Terra Source chocolates (which were delicious—we got to taste-test them here) recently stopped by our offices to talk about buying local and encouraged us to visit the auction site. You can even bid on a Terra Source “Box-a-Month” chocolate package.
The organization’s website encourages auction bidders to “Help support local, independently-owned businesses and educational outreach year round, where we live and work and worldwide.”
Bid now, because the auction ends December 16.
Wisconsin Partners for SustainAbility Auction, through Dec. 16. http://auction.wiscpsa.org
Terra Source chocolates, 877-808-9217. terrasourcechocolates.com
Dane Buy Local, danebuylocal.com

The Bohemian Bauble’s annual “Bohemian Bazaar” is this weekend, Dec. 7–9. Um, have I mentioned buying local yet? Stop by this quaint shop to pick up bath and body goods, jewelry, art, and fun decorative goods. Bonus: many of the items are made with recycled or vintage goods, which isn’t too shabby for the environment. I see stuff like iPod cases made out of juice bags, sweater scarves, candles in tins, magazine purses, original photography and more.
Free gift wrapping all weekend, cookies and artists giveaways don’t hurt this event, either.
Bohemian Bauble Bohemian Bazaar, Dec. 7–9, 10a–4p. 404 W. Lakeside St. 333-BOHO. bohobauble.com

Three Orange Doors will be celebrating its second birthday in December by giving to a good cause: Second Harvest Foodbank. Twenty percent of profits between December 7 and 9 will go to the cause.
So get the trifecta shopping here: shopping local, buying green (the shop peddles vintage finds like a mahogany bar back from Tyrol Basin in Mt. Horeb) and donating to a good cause.
Three Orange Doors, 2789 Fitchrona Rd. 848-3336. 3orangedoors.com