A Fort Greene Halloween

A former Fort Greene pup contestant

Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn might be Halloween central this year with its spooky rendition of the Fort Greene Flea Market, the 10th Annual Halloween Festival, and the Gret PUPkin Dog Costume Contest. Flea market vendors are bringing out all of their vintage and costume pieces, and the usual food vendors will be providing sweet treats for Trick or Treaters, like Liddabit, who is serving baby caramel apples.

This year’s Halloween Festival will offer hayrides, games, sack races, face painting, stilt-walkers, and even free pumpkins to decorate. On top of that is a costume parade (for those of you avoiding the Village Parade) and a scary cemetery. All for free!

The festival will start at 12pm with the “Great PUPkin Constest,” where participants can bring their costumed dogs to compete against their pet peers. Registration is at 11:30, and is $5 per dog. Your pup could even win a prize donated by Brooklyn Veternary Hospital, Bittersweet, Who’s Your Doggy, and others. Three winners and three runner ups will be recognized. The Fort Greene Halloween fest will end at 3pm, so make sure to enjoy it while it lasts.

-Caitlin

Designer Gift Cards?

The Christian Siriano designed Starbucks mini gift card, picture via Chic Report

All of the talk about gift cards this morning has led me to this next retail trend, designer gift cards. I don’t mean gift cards for designer shops. Christian Siriano has just designed a new gift card for Starbucks hitting the stores November 17th. While you still use the card like any other, it is mini-sized, more stylish, and will fit right on your key chain. Siriano said, “This year, the card design I created with Starbucks is all about putting the spirit of fashion and giving into your life for the holidays. And maybe a Frappucino blended beverage, too. I can’t get enough of those!” Starbucks returned the favor by donating to “The Art of Elysium,” Siriano’s charity. The charity encourages artists, musicians, and actors to donate their time and talent to children who are battling medical conditions. For more information, visit the program’s website, and make sure to pick up one of Siriano’s gift cards for the holidays.

-Caitlin

Besen Retail Line of the Week! 10/30/09

Reminiscent of Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own,” this week’s quote comes from the mouth of Executive Director Matt Mager.

“There’s no tired! There’s no tired in Retail!”

So World Series season appropriate.

-Caitlin

Sephora Opens with Gift Card Giveaway

At the Sephora Grand Opening where I won a $100 gift card!

Bundled up make-up enthusiasts and deal hunters lined 86th street this morning for the grand opening of a new Sephora cosmetic store at Lexington Avenue. The first one hundred people in line received free gift cards ranging from $10 to $100. Naturally, I raced to the store this morning in hopes of making the first hundred and winning a card.

I arrived at about 7:45am, and was greeted by a long line almost reaching to the 86th street subway stop. Within minutes, the line wrapped around the curb and down the block. To keep track of the first hundred, Sephora employees distributed sticky notes with numbers, and I was handed number 40. As 9am approached, the employees brought a card-filled bag down the line and participants reached in hoping to see big numbers. After seeing several people pulled out $10, I wasn’t expecting much, but I held my breath, grabbed a card and got $100!  Retail Specialist Elliott Dweck also attended the event, but unfortunately did not make the 100 person cut.

The brand new store exploded with excited people sampling products and spending their winnings. I snapped some pictures, but I’m saving my card for another day. Take a look at my pictures from the event, and stop at 86th street to see the brand new store.

-Caitlin

At the Sephora Grand Opening where I won a $100 gift card!

The line at 7:45am

Patiently waiting with Georgina and Avon

The continually growing line

The 40th person in line!

Posing with the man with all the card power.

An excited attendee picking her card.

Sephora Grand Opening display

There’s nothing like a table full of brand new blushes and lipsticks.

Fighting my way through the mob of shoppers.

Three Days of Chocolate

Chocoholics from all over the country will show their appreciation for the cacao bean tomorrow at the Metropolitan Pavillion for the 12th Annual Chocolate Show. A three day festival completely dedicated to chocolate, it gives participants a chance to sample chocolate from all over the world, as well as prepare for the holiday season. The festivities include demonstrations by top pastry chefs and chocolatiers, tastings, over 65 top chocolate brands and booths, holiday gifts, and even Haute Couture dresses and accessories constructed out of chocolate for the choco-loving fashionistas. Kids are also invited, with child-friendly games and events. Barnes and Noble will be present with their very own cookbook store and book signings. Tickets are $28 through Ticketmaster or $30 at the door, and kids under 12 are free. For more details, visit the show’s website. Don’t miss it!

-Caitlin

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream on Allen Street

Lulu and Mooky's liquid nitrogen ice cream (picture credit Yelp)

Liquid nitrogen ice cream, a trend usually found in Utah, has made it’s way to the city. Lulu and Mooky’s on Allen Street in the Lower East Side is serving 50 flavors of ice cream that is instantaneously frozen in a -320 degree foggy blast of liquid nitrogen. While it may taste like regular ice cream, the texture is more dense because of the thicker ice crystals formed in the unique freezing process. Prices are reported to be cheaper than the usual gelato or cup of frozen yogurt, making it easy on the pocket and the stomach. Try the blueberry, peppermint, or hazlenut for a one-of-a-kind ice cream experience.

 

-Caitlin

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait?

The Breslin apology letter (picture credit Eater)

After a successful morning in Jamaica, Queens, Retail Specialist Elliott Dweck and I stopped by our favorite coffee joint in the city, (Stumptown, obviously) to enjoy some warm lattes. I had heard the highly anticipated Breslin restaurant was scheduled to open today, so I had to check it out. Expecting to see hoards of dining people, I was greeted by the same old brown paper in the windows with an apology note. The Breslin will open tomorrow  at 7am-noon for breakfast and noon-4pm for lunch.  If you can’t wait for the food, sit down in the gorgeous lobby of the Ace Hotel where they will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. We spoke with waiter-skateboarder-photographer extraordinaire Mike, who assured us it would be open tomorrow, serving delicious meals and Stumptown coffee. I’ll believe it when I see it.

-Caitlin

Fashion’s Night Out 2010: Bigger and Better

Fashion’s Night Out will be back in 2010, and it will be even bigger than the first. Today Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and NYC & Co. came together to announce their plan for next year’s city-wide fashion extravaganza. For those of you who don’t remember, last month 700 retailers in the city remained open until 11pm, holding parties, celerbrity events, and designer appearances to boost the retail and fashion industries. A portion of proceeds was donated to the Sptember 11th Memorial and Museum.

WWD reported Mayor Bloomberg’s enthusiasm. He noted, “The numbers are in, and it’s clear that Fashion’s Night Out was a tremendous success. Thousands of New Yorkers attended the events in all five boroughs, supporting the city’s retail and fashion industries, and helping a worthwhile cause. It’s sure to be an even bigger event in 2010.”

While studies showed that foot traffic in stores was up by 50 percent, retailers are hoping that more people will come out to buy rather than party and get autographs. They are also pressing to have no sales tax on September 9th, the day of next year’s event. Take a look at my experience from Fashion’s Night Out here, complete with champagne, Bloomingdales, and new riding boots.

-Caitlin

Three Don’t Miss Halloween Parties

Splurged on an authentic Michael Jackson get-up but don’t have a place to show it off yet? Don’t worry! I’ve picked out three parties in the city that you can’t miss!

A Haunted Halloween Carnival at Carnival, 110 University Place

Located directly above Bowlmor Lanes, Carnival is hosting a circus themed party with stilt-walkers, clowns, and dunk tanks. Snack on corn dogs, pizza, and other carnival treats while sipping on caramel appletinis, alcohol snow cones, and cotton candy cocktails. Beats will be provided by DJ Sabrina and DJ Chris Landry, sure to make your Halloween a wild night. Doors open at 9pm on October 31st.

The Annex Presents Halloween 2009, at The Annex, 152 Orchard Street

 Usually an indie-rocker hot spot, the Annex is hosting a Halloween party in their dark mahogany-paneled tavern, making it the perfect location for the scariest night of the year. The event will include live music and reasonably priced drinks, which is a rare find! Don’t be fooled by the non-descript entrance; the party will be busy! Famous bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes have graced their narrow hallways. It starts at 10pm on October 31st.

Massacre on Madison Avenue at Pranna, at Madison between 28th and 29th streets

Pranna, a Besen Retail favorite, will be having their very own Halloween party, and costumes are madatory. With delicious Modern Southeast Asian Cuisine, the building boasts three large floors elegantly decorated with candles and comfortable group-friendly seating. The basement floor is used for the dance club, serving up to-die-for cocktails like the “Komodo Dragon,” a mix of rum, mint, absinthe, vanilla liquor, and lemon. The party starts at 9, so make sure to get your tickets first!

-Caitlin

Mosque Angry with the Breslin

The much-awaited Breslin restaurant is scheduled to open for lunch tomorrow, along with their full bar, despite the protests from the Masjid Ar-Rahman Mosque across the street. The mosque called a meeting with the Ace Hotel and Breslin Co-Owner Ken Friedman asking if the bar could be moved. Friedman laughed, causing an argument between the two parties. “Can you name one restaurant in New York that doesn’t serve booze?” Friedman questioned.

A law forbids a bar to be within 200 feet of a space of worship, but in this case the law did not apply because the mosque is not exclusively a religious institution, as it also contains residential spaces and a restaurant. Friedman offered to put up a curtain to hide inebriated patrons, but The Gothamist reports that the curtain has not arrived.

The Breslin is located on 29th Street and Broadway in the Ace Hotel, close by the Besen Retail office. The Ace also homes hot coffee shop Stumptown, New York’s first farm-to-cup cafe. I highly suggest you visit.

-Caitlin