Surviving Monday Rain

It's cold. It's rainy. It's Monday. Talk about your triple threat. That's why I'm interluding with a brief announcement about today's deals.

Been to The Butterfly Show lately at Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park? Take the kids, a date, your grandparents or a neighbor to have a darn right near magical experience of fluttering whimsy. It's cheap, but now Groupon.com is making it cheaper. (Regular adult admission is $6, seniors are $5, kids under 17 will set you back $4, and itty bits under four are FREE.) Today only buy tickets for 50 percent off on Groupon's site at http://bit.ly/cxX2Fa.

Don't know what Groupon is? Oh join the club and drink the Kool-Aid. It's wonderful. From their site...

1. Each day we feature something cool to do at an unbeatable price.
   
2. You only get it if enough people join that day… so invite your friends!
   
3. Check back the next day for another awesome Groupon!

Warm98's deal of the week is half off for the Dayton Air Show. Tickets are normally (gulp!) $74. Visit their site for the deal at http://wrrm.incentrev.com/

The Butterfly Show will be at Krohn Conservatory until June 20. Miss out on the Groupon deal? They have a $1-off coupon on their site. The Dayton Air Show is the weekend of July 18. Enjoy!

Be prepared

Hey there, lovelies. It's been awhile since I've had an update for you, but there should be a bit of a landfall of entries in the next few days.

Why haven't I updated this recently? Well, you see what happened is that there were these aliens. And they brainwashed me. It was awful. I could only speak Finnish, and they made me think I hate shopping. AND because no one speaks Finnish anymore because the Vikings kind of failed, no one knew what happened. Everyone thought I lost it, and they tried to put me in a psych ward. I found out though, and now I'm in hiding. I'm in negotiations with the aliens about letting me shop again. I can work with the whole Finnish thing :)

That being said, I do plan on attending the grand opening of the Rookwood Nordstrom Rack tomorrow. My grandpa also offered his services to help me erect a proper dressmakers dummy/sewing mannequin-whatever thing. I'm going to pick her up today!

All that being said.... stay tuned for future updates.

Nordstrom Preview. Black Eyed Peas Make Me Watch Oprah.

Ok Cincinnati. So we're not Chicago, but we now have a Nordstrom! Woo hoo! Well, almost. It opens a week from now, and press tours are today. Watch for frequent tweeting from Laura Baverman (@laurabaverman) while she is touring the new store.

The grand opening is 9/18 at 10 a.m. Keep in mind this also means, we're getting closer and closer to Nordstrom Rack. Be still my twittering heart.

In completely unrelated news, oh the genius of the Black Eyed Peas. Only they could make me watch clips from Oprah's season premier. If you haven't seen they're flash mob audience as they perform "Today's Gonna Be a Good Day" (is that the title? I don't even know), you have to check it out. Like stop what you're doing now and watch the video.

A better blogger would give insightful opinion and a full witty repertoire, but I can only say.... watch it, watch it now!

Deals on Twitter

So many have asked accusingly, "What is the point of Twitter?!? I don't care what someone is having for breakfast!"

This exclamation is one of course of ignorance. Twitter is handy IF you know how to use it.

Example A: those following @PremiumOutlets know that if you print off this morning's tweet from their Twitter account or show it on your cell, you get a free VIP coupon book. Not too shabby...

Stay tuned for further proof of Twitter's value for the layman.

Cincinnati Premium Outlets OPENS TODAY!

Blue light special indeed. Cincinnati Premium Outlets opened today to a throng of eager shoppers - some of them punching in their time cards at 4:30 a.m.

Those that skipped out this morning may have missed some nice freebies including:

• Nike - $10 to first 200 customers (Oscar Robertson appearance at 1 p.m. and apparently, dancing/cheering employees all day)
• Ulta Diamonds - free pearl necklaces to first 100 customers
• Auntie Anne's - free coffee

Do I wish I could be there? Well, yeah, kind of. But there's work. And honestly, I'm a bargain shopper not a fighter. So standing in line at the crack of dawn for a free pearl necklace isn't my thing. Because (a) people are pushy and (b) I value my time.

Successful bargain hunting does not include elbowing people out of the way to impulse buy something I don't need and in the end probably don't want. That's why I stopped shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Hysteria isn't fun.

It does, however, look like a successful grand opening for a Thursday morning in August. Check out the photos and article from the Journal-News.

Follow @laurabaverman, @warreneditor, @journalnews on Twitter for the latest updates live from opening day at Cincinnati Premium Outlets.

Image source: Journal-News

H&M In the Tri-State

Hey kids! Great news - we're not getting just one H&M, we're getting two this winter. One on the southside of the city in Florence and the other in Kenwood.

Now I'm not sure how many of you have been to H&M, but it's quite the handy little store. I spent a semester in London where I learned to love it. (It's from the same folks who gave us Ikea - the Swedes.) I've been to an H&M in Chicago, and it was adequate. Not quite the squeal o' fun it was in London though.

HOWEVER, I'd say the quality and style runs a step above Forever 21 and Target designer lines. What would you compare it to?

I'd love to hear about your H&M fun ... or lack there of. Also, when you have a chance, check out the article with all the details on Cincinnati.com.

Mad Men - Decisions, Decisions

I'm a Mad Men admirer - ever since the show first aired. Sadly, I moved during season one and cable/satellite wasn't an option. To my surprise, I found season one at Sam's Club last year - with the seriously cool lighter case - for a mere $25.

Why am I telling you this?

Because season two just came out last Tuesday, 7/14, and as a dutiful shopper, I've scanned websites for the best price. The winner - Overstock.com for the low price of $24.41. With their site shipping marked down to $1, I'm finding it hard to resist. (I should note that the shipping special ends today.)

I love Mad Men and may be having my season two set coming to me in the mail this week - from Overstock of course :)

Gabriel Bros = FUN

The first time I went to Gabriel Brothers I was less than impressed - in fact grossed out might be fair to say. Then, when I moved nearby one, I gave it another shot. So glad that I did.

If you know your brands, you can really make out like a bandit there - so much so that it makes the hint of b.o. in the air bearable. Standard brand stand outs include:

• Ann Taylor (Loft too)
• J. Crew
• Kensie
• Betsey Johnson
• Limited
• Anthropologie
• New York and Co.
• Banana Republic
• Nine West
• Urban Outfitters
• Guess
• Calvin Klein
• Lane Bryant
• Delia's

Of course, for some of those brands, options are in short supply, but they're there and cheap. Usually they have Ann Taylor tops two for $10.

Gabriel Brothers also has merchandise from Linens n' Things' liquidation (I'm still healing from that). Chacos had their own display there about a month ago for $20 a pair. At one point, they even had Vera Wang place settings for $40. How nice is that??? Of course, I still couldn't afford even one but eh - it was good to know.
Recently -as in this week - I purchased a Banana Republic denim skirt, two vests from Urban Outfitters, a pair of pants from Anthropologie and a yoga mat - all for just around $50. Not too shabby.

A shipment from Urban Outfitters Inc. (parent company of Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters) must have recently arrived. There are loads of clothes from there right now.

Those in search of jeans should check out their selection of Guess jeans. They have a decent amount of sizes for $30 a pair. Those to the left for example are on sale right now at guess.com for $79.99 a pair and $30 at Gabriel Bros. I sadly couldn't find my size, but anyone who wears a size 30 or smaller are set.

I should specify that my Gabriel Brothers store is the one on Beechmont in Anderson Twp.

In the end, I definitely recommend giving Gabriel Brothers a chance. It's a little messy. A little smelly. Kind of a mess. But if you commit to real bargain hunting, you'll come out smelling like a rose - and looking like one too.

Cincinnati Premium Outlets - I detect a shopper's haven

All the discount divas out there should know by now that Cincinnati Premium Outlets is celebrating its grand opening August 6-9. The outlets, located in Monroe, will house several -go figure- premium brands. Some run along the lines of those at Prime Outlets in Jeffersonville, but there are a few standouts.

New outlet stores I'm excited for?
* Columbia Sportswear
* Kenneth Cole
* Maidenform
* MICHAEL KORS!!!!
* Oakley Vault
* Maybe Saks (hopefully it'll be better than its Cincinnati Mills version)

* Cole Haan
* Ecco
* Rockport
* Le Creuset

Some of you may also be happy to know that there will be a Crocs outlet there. I honestly didn't know they made enough products for an entire store (illustrating my ignorance on the brand). Except, I do know about these lovely Frocs. I do judge anybody over the age of 11 who wears them.

I must say Northern Cincinnati is becoming quite the affordable shopping mecca. A coworker and I were discussing whether Prime or Premium Outlets were a better trip since both are about the same distance for us. We agreed, though I love Jeffersonville, that Premium would be a better destination based on the surrounding area where Ikea and the Frontgate Outlet are both nearby. Jeffersonville is sadly just too isolated from other shopping destinations (although conveniently on the way to and from Columbus, OH).

Check the Cincinnati Premium Outlets site for sales, deals and stores.

Nordstrom Rack in Cincy: dreams do come true!

- Why hello there, Nordstrom Rack.
- Yes, yes I missed you too.
- I realize it's been nearly three years since I visited. I left L.A. though.
- I know. I'm sorry.

- But I'm super glad you're coming to Cincy!

Oh how I do adore Nordstrom Rack. I can't afford to be a snob about it, and even if I could, I think I'd still go. It has all of the luxuries of Nordstrom at half the price. Think of it as THE T.J. Maxx for Nordstrom.

Speaking of which, with Nordstrom coming to town September 25, 2009 (not to be terribly specific) to Kenwood, we Cincinnatians also get the happiness of the Rack - opening its doors November 20, 2009 in Rookwood Pavilion. That's just one week before shopping's darkest day, Black Friday. Now I'm not going to discuss exactly how fair that will be to all of the newbie employees manning the Rack that day, but seriously, isn't it a little mean?

Check Nordstrom's new store openings and mark those calendars, ladies. It's going to be a shopper's paradise in Cincy this Fall.