Blogs

After two decades, Sandy Tessier is closing the doors of Seams Like Olde Times, her costume shop at 1501 South Pearl Street. Today, May 10, is her last day of business; she's selling off as much inventory as she can and will be back in the store next week just to box up what's left and donate it, primarily to Denver Public Schools for theater costumes.

But in the meantime, this costume party offers bargains galore!

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When Japan’s traditional Tango-no-Sekku (otherwise known as Boys' Festival) falls each year on May 5, families hang out koi-nobori (carp banners) to symbolize longevity and perseverance, both desirable traits in sons. They also bring out the heirlooms – swords and elaborate, armored samurai dolls – and display them in their houses.

It’s quite possible that Boy’s Day will get a whole different approach, however, when Gimme Gimme Pillow Toast, Belmar’s premier Japanese kitsch emporium (here’s what we said about it in this year’s Best of Denver issue), hosts its own celebration, tonight, Friday May 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. Boy-specific items will be on sale, and the celebration will also benefit Youth in Action, a Japanese language and culture program for youth, as a fundraiser to send a group of kids to Japan for a month this summer (meet some of them tonight as they serve unique refreshments and graciously accept your donations). And, too, the party will extend up and down the Block 7 area at Belmar, where Flash Gallery/Working With Artists will debut a juried group photography show and Ink Lounge Gallery will host an opening reception for Lead Heads, the 18th Annual Colorado Alliance of Illustrators Members Show, which showcases local illustrators.

Gimme Gimme Pillow Toast is at 445 S. Saulsbury Street, Space E, in Belmar; go to www.gimmegimmepillowtoast.com, or call 303-872-7706.

- Susan Froyd

DIY fashionistas, rev up your bobbins: Wesco Fabrics, supplier to the design trade here and across the nation, is unloading a mind-boggling 25,000 yards of drapery and upholstery sample fabrics, all at a standard $3 per yard. There are jackets and handbags just waiting to be sewn from these classy fabrics, which originally sold for as much as $80 a yard, so grab the biggest shopping tote you can find and hurry over: The sale is on as we speak, today (Friday, May 2) until 4:30 p.m. and tomorrow (Saturday, May 3) from 8 to 1 at the Wesco warehouse, 4001 Forest Street. Visit www.wescofabrics.com for information.

- Susan Froyd

Hey all you fans of modern furniture -- while you still can't shop conveniently at an IKEA (sadly, the closest one to Denver is in Draper, Utah which is over 400 miles away) -- there are a few great sales going on right now on high-end modern designs.

Beginning tomorrow, May 2, One Home is having their annual sale on all of their Knoll Studio pieces. Everything in the collection -- which features famed designers Harry Bertoia, Warren Platner and Eero Saarinen -- is 10 percent off through Sunday, May 11. One Home, located at 2445 East Third Avenue, is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. They will also be open on Sunday, May 11 from noon-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.onehomedesign.com.

Bova Furniture, 2121 S. Colorado Blvd, is in the midst of a going out of business sale, so you'll need to hurry to scoop up the bargains before they're all gone. A quick visit on Sunday revealed that most of their pieces are marked down 50 percent or more. The store, which features modern Scandinavian design, was founded in Copenhagen and opened in Denver in 1981. Their new, shortened sale hours are Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday noon-6 p.m. They currently aren't answering their phone, but you might try visiting www.bovafurniture.com for more information.

- Aubrey Shoe

Slide Show!

On Friday, April 18, Erico Motorsports, 2855 Walnut Street, hosted a night of fashion, shopping, music and free drinks -- four of my very favorite things. The event was packed with revelers enjoying margaritas, martinis and champagne cocktails made from St. Germain, a versatile French elderflower liqueur that works well mixed with vodka, tequila, champagne and wine, and even stands alone served straight-up with a twist.

The fashion show featured tons of Euro style with looks by Ducati, Vespa, Triumph and ReVit, and got off with a bang when a model climbed atop a motorcycle above the runway and revved away-- capturing the attention of everyone and eliciting concerns of potential carbon monoxide poisoning from a few. Once the fumes cleared away, though, it was all fabulous fashion.

Check out this slide show with photos by Jim Narcy for a play by play of the evening's festivities.

-- Aubrey Shoe

Find cute totes and more at Talulah Jones this spring.

Michael O’Neal of Altitude Exchange admits he’s more hip to the men’s fashion scene, but that doesn’t mean he and partner David Shoulz don’t know quality girl garb when it comes knocking at the door. When faced with the opportunity to pick up some 700 overstock women’s swimsuits and summery cover-ups from the likes of Macy’s and Nordstrom at next-to-nothing prices, “no” was never an option. The entrepreneurial duo will host a blowout Women's Swimsuit Warehouse Sale this weekend at another brand-new venture, Common Threads Boulder, 2707 Spruce Street, a community-minded consignment clothing store, local product outlet and creative craft lab. (That, darlings, is a story in itself, which is coming soon.)

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If you know me, then you know I'm not exactly a girly-girl. But if you know me well, then you’ll know that, girly or not, I have a thing for bath products. My youngest brother knows me well enough that every year for Christmas and my birthday, he gets me a gift card to Melt, the Colorado-based answer to all those Body Shop-type stores. And then my only problem becomes what to purchase.

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Inveterate browsers haunting the scruffy book row on Broadway were left out in the cold when Ichabod's closed, but Fahrenheit's Books has been making things cozy again. This long-time comer at 52 Broadway, a block south of the Mayan, has blossomed from a cramped, barely navigable hole-in-the-wall to a spacious, well-lit emporium impressive in quality, selection and price. The expansion has allowed for decent display space of serious lit and fine editions as well as the city's best collection of vintage paperbacks, including ample mid-century mysteries and sci-fi and a second room stuffed with plenty of history, true crime, and other nonfiction. But recently, alas, the management announced plans to move down the street a few blocks, to a snugger location. That means a half-off sale, going on now — great news for anyone cruising for Boswell in the Modern Library edition or a reasonably priced Frederic Brown ex-library first, but a setback for anyone who just likes periodically escaping the mean street for a well-stocked bookshop. Fortunately, a few others remain, and Fahrenheit promises to rise again.
— Alan Prendergast