Tag Archives: shopping

I Shop Small

Posted on December 1, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

One of my favorite destinations in Little Falls, NY is the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (MVCA).  I knew the Selective Eye, the MVCA gift shop, would be a good stop on my Shop Small Spree the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Side Note:  Shop Small Spree is my name for my day last Saturday.  I don’t know if the official name was Shop Small Saturday or Small Business Saturday or even Shop Local Saturday.  I suppose I would look these things up if I was a responsible journalist, but oh well, here we come to the ugly truth about me.

And I just remembered, I can’t write about this before Christmas!  What if I bought a present there for somebody who reads my blog? I’m not saying I did.  Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.  In fact, already I’ve said too much.

Nevertheless, I need a blog post today and I’ve already typed in this many words.  I can mention one thing we saw at MVCA.  We went into the gallery, where they were setting up their next exhibit, a Student Art Show,which is to open on Saturday, Dec. 5 and runs to Dec. 24.  The show was open to any students who had taken a class at MVCA in the past year.  Just imagine!  If I would have taken a class, I could have submitted a work!  Definitely something to think about for the future.

There will be an opening reception for the show Saturday, Dec. 5 from 2 to 4 p.m.  I have attended openings there before and enjoyed them.  I’ve talked to other art lovers, and sometimes the artist speaks about his or her work.  However, to really appreciate the works I prefer to go when the gallery is less crowded.   I hope to do that sometime before the 24th.  For another reason, I can shop some more at the Selective Eye.

While looking at MVCA’s Facebook page to confirm the dates of the exhibit, I noticed an event called “Bedazzled” will take place Saturday, Dec 19 from noon to 4 p.m.  It is a sale of gently used jewelry, purses, scarves and other items.  Sounds good to me!

Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts and the Selective Eye are located at 401 Canal Place, Little Falls, NY, phone number 315-823-0808.  For more information you can visit their website at www.mohawkvalleyarts.org.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

Further note:  I did just a little kind of, sort of research… OK, I typed stuff into the search bar in Facebook and learned that many communities held events Saturday with any number of titles utilizing some of all of the words Shop, Small, Local, Business, and Saturday.  Whatever you call it, it’s a good thing to do.  You can have a lot of fun, and you can buy some good stuff.

 

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Pre-Spree Post

Posted on November 29, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did not shop on Thanksgiving Day nor yet on Black Friday.  However, Small Business Saturday, that’s is right up Mohawk Valley Girl’s alley!  My wonderful husband, Steven, only works till two today, so we are planning a spree.  I want to get my blog post written pre-spree, so this is in the nature of a Preview of Coming Attractions.

Our destination is Little Falls, NY, because we want to go to the Black Box Theatre in Stone Mill.  I read in the paper that it is New Play November, and LiFT Theatre Company is presenting three plays written by director Matthew Powers.  I certainly hope to write more about this.  In the meantime, if you’re interested, you can Like LiFT Theater Company on Facebook.

There are several retail establishments we hope to visit this afternoon.  At the top of my list is the Selective Eye, the gift shop at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (MVCA).  No doubt I will wander into the gallery to check out the artwork while we’re there.  MVCA is located right across from Little Falls Antiques Center, where in addition to the Black Box, we intend to visit the Mustard Seed and Stone Mill Antiques as well as the Shops at 25 West.

If we have time we may visit Fall Hill Bead and Gem.  We may be early enough for a snack at That Little Place on Main, which is right nearby.  However, we mustn’t snack too heartily, because we are also meeting friends at Copper Moose Ale House for dinner.

We have a lot of stops planned.  However, before we leave Herkimer, I’m hoping we have time for a quick stop at Vintage Spirits.  They are celebrating their 10th anniversary by offering tastings all day and giving away canvas totes that say “Shop Small.”  Now wouldn’t that be a good place to put today’s purchases?

In all, it promises to be a fun day, and I can enjoy it with a clear conscience now that my blog post is written.  I wonder if I can make enough stops to keep me in “real” posts for the entire week. Well, maybe not on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I hope you’re all having a lovely holiday weekend.

 

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All About Me at Finders Keepers

Posted on October 13, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m not one to shop as a fun activity, but I do enjoy a good “everything” store.  Finders Keepers in Richfield Springs, NY is one of the best.

I first stopped there almost by accident one Saturday.  Steven and I were strolling down Main Street waiting for the museum to open.  Sometimes these second-hand stores are almost a museum by themselves. You could spend hours looking around this one.

We did not spend hours, but we enjoyed picking our way through the crowded store, admiring a variety of items ranging over decades:  glassware, figurines, books, furniture and more.

I thought Finders Keepers might make a good subject for an article for Mohawk Valley Living.  With that in mind, I returned to Richfield Springs last Saturday.  This time I brought my sister Cheryl and friend Penny.  I almost forgot to talk to the lady that owns the place, because once again I got absorbed in looking around.  I had to tear myself away from the books, but not before I had found three to buy.  I picked out some post cards as well.

I did end up having a nice chat with the owner. I told her my plans to write an article. She was OK with that but said she was not one to call attention to herself or seek out publicity.

“Well, my articles are usually about me going to these fun places,” I explained, “so, really it’s mostly about me.”

That made her feel a little better.  I am fond of going around saying, “It’s ALL about ME!” but I guess it isn’t really true.  After all, it wouldn’t be much fun to be me if it wasn’t also about fun places to go and nice people to hang out with.  So I guess it’s really all about me and her and other people and places… oh, and you, my readers.  How’s that for a profound note to end on?

Finders Keepers is located at 138 W. Main St., Richfield Springs, NY 13439.  Phone number is 315-858-9633.  Hours and days vary.

 

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I Shop Local and Score

Posted on November 30, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I pause in the midst of my Saturday chores to compose a blog post on How I Shopped Local on Shop Local Saturday (or whatever today is called; I just read somewhere you are supposed to show local today).

To begin with, I didn’t have anything to wear. This has ever been the case with me as I rarely purchase clothes to begin with and as my weight fluctuates, many of the ones I do have do not fit at any given time. Kindly do NOT lecture me on the evils of yo-yo dieting; this is not that sort of a blog. I only mention it by way of introduction to today’s shopping. To be fair to myself, I don’t yo-yo a whole lot anyways but tend to go up and down in long arcs. Right now I am at a plateau.

Another wardrobe problem I have is that clothes get dirty. Our washer and drier perished in the flood of 2013, and we are still utilizing the laundromat (you may have read some of my blog posts about it). Getting to the laundromat in a timely and regular fashion requires a level of having one’s act together that I am unlikely to attain.

Be all that as it may, I went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Ilion, NY this afternoon in search of skirts. I prefer to wear skirts when not at work. Long, large, comfortable skirts with pockets. I wear them with spandex tights, leggings or long johns. Unfortunately I shrunk out of the last two skirts I had. I have been wearing jeans or else this batik wraparound I purchased in 1983. The wraparound is thin cotton (which is getting thinner after 30 years, I suppose. Wish I was) (you just knew I was going to say that).

This is turning out to be a long introduction to my shopping trip. That’s OK, I’ll skimp on the trip itself. I quickly went through all the skirts and found three to try on. I liked two, one teal, one brown. Only the teal one had pockets, but you can’t always get what you want. I went through the dresses and found a denim jumper, which I also tried on. Score!

Of course I can’t go to the thrift store without also looking at the books. I found an Agatha Christie paperback that did not look familiar, although I probably have read it. It features Hercule Poirot. Another score!

The two skirts I liked were on sale. Every day one tag color is 50% off. This was getting better and better. I mentioned to the clerk that I was shopping local because it was Shop Local Day (or whatever they’re calling it).

“It’s also reduce, reuse, recycle,” I said. He pointed out that the money I was spending also went to help people. So two skirts, a jumper, a paperback and a frisson of virtue. What could be better? Oh I know, making my blog post so I can get back to my Saturday chores. At the risk of being obvious, once again, Score!

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Going Overboard for the Animals

Posted on August 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not been to many garage sales this year. Partly it is because I have not had much chance, but it is mostly because I’ve been thinking lately that I just own too much stuff. I need to get rid of some of it before I add any more.

That said, when I noticed that the Herkimer County Humane Society was holding a garage sale last Saturday, I thought it couldn’t hurt to just go take a look. After all, it was such a worthy cause. I could buy maybe one or two small things. I didn’t have to go overboard.

I’m sure everybody knows how this is going to end.

It was really more of a yard sale than a garage sale, with items laid out across the front lawn, but I suppose that is mere quibbling. I found a convenient parking space on the side f the road and commenced to browse.

The first thing I found was a pair of green velvet gloves with black feather trim. No idea when I might wear something like that, but I had to have them. Then I found a nice little tin. Steven likes to put Christmas presents in tins instead of wrapping paper. Of all the books, the only one that really tempted me was a paperback Agatha Christie murder mystery. I have in to temptation. Next was a slipcover for a love seat, which we have been looking for Naturally I grabbed a few post cards, two of Lawrence Welk and one of the Episcopal Church in Herkimer (the church we attend when we go to church)(those were the only ones I found; had there been more, I would have taken them, too).

My arms were getting pretty full. I put everything down very carefully to try on a Halloween vest. It fit! The last thing I picked up was a dismembered skeleton in sparkly black. How wonderful is that going to look this October!

Loading myself back up, I looked for who I should pay. They were giving everybody yellow canvas bags with the picture of a dog and cat over the slogan “Adopt!” That was helpful for my smaller items. Nothing was priced. They were asking people to think about the animals and make a donation.

I’ll be honest, I think my donation could have been bigger, but I have what I thought I could afford. I promised to give more when I could and asked about volunteer opportunities. I took away a flier and said I would look at my schedule and see what I could do. I think volunteering for the Humane Society would be an excellent thing for Mohawk Valley Girl to do. I could probably get some good blog posts out of it.

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Going Green for the Purple Dress

Posted on March 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m on a mission for style. I mentioned purchasing tickets for next week’s Wine and Beer Tasting sponsored by the Herkimer and Mohawk Police Departments to benefit K-9 Ape memorial and the Special Response Team officers and team members who responded to the tragic events of March 13-14, 2013. Naturally I am concerned about what to wear.

I have a fabulous purple dress I have never worn. It is my sister’s fault that I have it. We went to Dress Barn almost three years ago (eek! has it been three years?) to get me a good dress for her daughter’s wedding. I had not purchased clothes since my major weight loss, so it was quite fun (I wonder if I wrote a blog post about it? I’ll have to check). I got a little carried away and bought two dresses. I wore one dress once, to the wedding, of course. Both have been hanging in my closet since.

Could it be that I need to get out more?

Both dresses are sleeveless. Early March is probably not the best time of year to go sleeveless in the Mohawk Valley. However, I thought that with a jacket or a shawl, the purple dress just might do for next week’s event.

To that end, I began my search at the Salvation Army, sometimes known as Salvation Armani, in Ilion, NY. I found not one shawl and I stared at many jackets, quite unable to picture any of them with the dress in question.

I have a few other possibilities. In Herkimer, there is the HARC Goodwill store and a consignment store whose name escapes me. There is the New 2 You consignment store in Ilion, if it’s still open, as well as Cornerstone Consignments (I think that’s what it’s called), which I’m pretty sure is still open. Oh, and a consignment store in Frankfort whose name also escapes me. Will I have time to check out all these possibilities?

Side note: I wrote the above paragraph on my lunch break at work, fully intending to find out the names of the unknown consignment stores before typing in and publishing this. However, I was unable to do this due to a dreadful headache which I quite thought would be gone by now. Therefore, in the spirit of Lame Post Friday (which is today), I let the paragraph stand and hope to supply the information in a later post.

In addition to the sources mentioned, I THINK a dear friend of mine MIGHT have a shawl I could borrow. I’ll have to ask.

Retail minded readers may be asking, why don’t I just go to the mall or any number of respectable first-run clothing stores in the area? Well, I’m trying to be frugal. Since the dress (purchased new) has hung in my closet unworn for three years, I’m not sure how many clothing investments it is really practical for me to make. Besides, reduce, reuse, recycle. The dress is purple, but I always like to go green.

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A Treat for Tabby

Posted on February 25, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last Saturday between my scary walk that I didn’t finish and my awesome walk that I wrote a blog post about, I took my schnoodle Tabby the the Ilion Farmer’s Market at Clapsaddle Farm, on Otsego Street in Ilion, NY.

The Ilion Farmer’s Market is one of Tabby’s favorite places. Since I had deprived her of her full walk earlier, I thought she deserved a treat.

Things were still frozen. My SUV jolted over some frozen tire tracks in the parking lot. The walk into the barn was a little hazardous, but we made it without mishap.

Tabby was very happy, sniffing everywhere and greeting people. I greeted people, too and looked around for something to buy. I studied the jars of pickles but remembered I still have pickles at home, and I don’t eat as many pickles as I used to anyways. I thought about getting some note cards with a Jim Parker print. However, with a bouncy dog pulling on my arm, I did not feel I could make a leisurely selection. The lady I’ve bought earrings from was not there.

“Where’s the jewelry lady?” I asked. Apparently she has left the area, I think to join her mother in Illinois. Oh well, my jewelry box is full of earrings anyways.

It was a short visit but enjoyable. And it was the first Mohawk Valley thing I’ve done other than take a walk in at least a week. Alas, the cold weather continues. But perhaps as the week progresses, more Mohawk Valley adventures will ensue.

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This is Not a More Better Post

Posted on February 22, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today is just not working out for me.

That phrase popped into my head as I finally got changed into my sweats and realized I REALLY want to start my weekend now but have not yet written my blog post. I cheer myself up with the thought, It’s Lame Post Friday. Instead of my usual random observations and half-baked philosophy, I offer the Week in Weather.

Monday I did not drive straight home but had a minor adventure. I don’t know that it was particularly a Mohawk Valley adventure, but then again, maybe it was. Winter was still on. I had to clear a layer of heavy, wet snow off my windshield and hood. It had been snowing for most of the day, so I think the snow was previously on the roof and had worked its way down. That was good, because that meant there was less on the roof to slide down while I drove.

The uneven tire pressure light in my SUV was on, so I stopped at the gas station where they have that groovy tire filler where you just punch in the pressure and it figures it out for you. It is most convenient, but one still must crouch next to one’s tires, sometimes for a long time. I wanted to kneel, but not in an inch of snow and ice. Ugh.

From the tire adventure, I went to Aldi’s to get some canned goods. Their lot was full, so I approached with trepidation. Still, I wanted beans. Apparently all the snow had fallen after they had plowed. The space I found to park in had not even been driven over. Still, a space is a space. I took it. The only adventuresome part came later, when I tried to push a full cart through the snow to get back to my vehicle. Oh well, I comforted myself, it burns more calories.

Winter waned as the week progressed. I believe I wrote about a wet walk we took with Tabby yesterday. Today I took Tabby down the sidewalk in hopes of meeting Steven as he came home from work. This time I sensibly put on my flood boots. My feet stayed dry, if not exactly warm.

I mostly felt happy the rain had stopped. It had been raining like the proverbial sonofabitch earlier (pardon my french). I worried about my basement but since the streets didn’t seem too bad, I cravenly did not go down and check. When Steven came home he informed me that water was indeed coming up into the basement. We went down and sopped with towels and a mop. Once again, my flood boots came in handy.

At last we felt we had done all we could. I may head out somewhere tomorrow and get a more better mop and bucket (more better being the technical term). That will possibly make a more better blog post on Saturday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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Tabby Likes to Shop

Posted on January 15, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t usually plug chains. I don’t think they need any help from Mohawk Valley Girl, and in general they lack the local flavor I enjoy. However, one shops where one can.

Our local Aubuchon abruptly closed recently. I have written posts about them, because they are so helpful and nice there. I guess I should say “were.” Now where were we to go? We decided to try Tractor Supply Co., which recently opened in Herkimer, NY. We brought our dog, Tabby. They used to let dogs go into Aubuchon, so we had hopes it would be the same. Imagine our delight, when we approached the store, to see a sign saying pets on leashes were always welcome.

We found the dog food Steven had bought at Aubuchon fairly easily. Then we looked for a new trash can to put our recyclables in. I asked the cashier. She pointed. We walked right by them (as we subsequently found out). Then we got separated. I backtracked and found the trash cans. Now all I needed was Steve. I kept walking.

“I lose more husbands this way,” I said to a clerk.

“That happens a lot in here,” she said. I guess it could easily happen, losing one’s husband in a hardware store. That is, if one and one’s husband indulge in the traditional gender roles. In fact, I use the losing husband line in any store where I lose track of Steven. I find it amusing.

I tried yelling, “Marco!” but he didn’t call, “Polo!” Full disclosure: that’s not my joke; I heard it from my brother. I tried calling Tabby, figuring dogs have better hearing. Then I saw Steven had found a clerk who was bringing him to the trash cans. He even showed us which one was on sale, so, bonus.

I noticed Tractor Supply also has the kind of potting soil I like for my container garden, so I feel hooked up for spring. Everyone we spoke to was very nice. A very pleasant shopping experience. Tabby gives it an enthusiastic tail wag.

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Wrist to Zamboni?

Posted on December 23, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh, thank heaven for Wrist to Forehead Sunday. Yes, I’ve been spending all day NOT doing my blog post. I’ve thought about it at odd times (cue jokes about me being odd at all times), but with no real idea of what I should write about. I did a few things on Saturday, but can I make the effort to write about them today? Um, no.

In my defense, it’s almost Christmas. I’ve been baking cookies, making treats and wrapping presents. And I took my dog for a lovely walk. I felt a little guilty about that. It was a beautiful warm, gloomy day such as I enjoy, and other parts of the state are suffering ice storms and power outages. Then again, it’ll happen to us sooner or later.

I’ve been on the go since six this morning. Did you know that other people had the bright idea to shop at that hour? They weren’t so bad, but did you know that large stores clean the floor with a zamboni kind of a thing at that hour? I felt a little ill used: in a store of that size, one would have thought I would once in a while go down the aisle the zamboni is NOT in. Not so much.

But it’s all good. I have one more day of work, then vacation. I have a lot of my wrapping and treat-making done. I have a few good things to write about, once I surgically remove my wrist from my forehead. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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