Posts from the ‘What’s In Store’ Category

Color me Cheap

Ah, you always remember you first. Rainbow has been there for me since day one, literally. I hadn't even been living in NYC 24 hours when I tagged along with near strangers on an L journey from Williamsburg's then outer boundaries to Ridgewood, Queens.

I was totally freaked out, it was too everything, noisy, stinky (the girl we were visiting lived down the street from someone who kept chickens in their apt. and that part of the block smelled like a serious coop), chaotic, pushy. The crisscrossy intersection with relentless traffic that zooms underneath the Myrtle-Wyckoff station had me paralyzed with trepidation (or maybe it was the realization that I'd just moved across the country to a beast of city where I didn't really know anyone or have any permanent place to stay had started to sink in with full force). Salsa music, too many people in too little space, and hotter May weather than I was accustomed to, started unsettling me.

It must've shown on my face. A random guy sidled up next to me, "don't be afraid of the cars," he repeated over and over in a forceful manner that I tried not to interpret as aggressive because I'm sure he thought he was being helpful though he wasn't.

The only thing that soothed me that day (in addition to breaking down and having a cigarette, all hopes of starting out smoke-free in New York dashed) were the dingy little, almost all alike discount stores that line Myrtle Avenue. I'm still not clear how so many 99-cent stores survive in such close proximity. Dee & Dee perked me up a bit, then Rainbow totally boosted my spirits much in the way a real rainbow pops up after a storm and makes everything pretty. They had lots of cheap juniors-styled clothing, but in plus-sizes too, and a big shoe selection. Never mind the lack of air conditioning, I still felt comforted.

A month later I moved into a ratty but good sized apartment of my own in Ridgewood ($580 for a one-bedroom, no references, no job, no questions asked). Who knew I'd get stuck in that freaky isolated section of Queens for three years' At least Rainbow and Lerner turned New York & Company (where I promptly got a credit card for new work-friendly clothes and somehow still have a balance of over $600 six years later) made the neighborhood a little more bearable.

Now I live in a part of Brooklyn that thinks it's too good for a Rainbow (they're rarely in gentrified neighborhoods). Luckily, I now work walking distance to the best stocked location I think I've ever encountered. Fifth Avenue is supposed to be known for its shopping, right? Upstairs is a whole mini floor devoted to shoes, mostly under $25 and mostly crafted from man made materials. Downstairs is 80% plus size, 20% intimate apparel, which is frankly where I draw the line. The main floor is irrelevant to me.

Whenever I need a cheap pair of colorful shoes to match an outfit or a cute sleeveless going out top that might get worn a mere handful of times, Rainbow rarely disappoints. It's a reliable, trendy for two months, go to, the way some might view Marc by Marc Jacobs or chains like H&M and Zara. But this is really cheap, as in $7 shoes and shirts cheap. Sure, the clothes are shoddy, there's an abundance of unnatural fibers, and the style leans towards um, 'urban' (think basketball jersey mini dresses) but if you're selective, affordable accent pieces are there for the picking.

There's no way around it, Rainbow rules. The motto on their almost-as-low-tech-as-Western Beef's website says it all: 'We sell attractive fashion at moderate to popular prices.' Yes, moderate to popular is a great qualifier.

Rainbow * 380 Fifth Ave., New York, NY (and throughout the city's finest neighborhoods)

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Traitor Joe?

I don't recall Trader Joe's opening with much fanfare, it just started existing in Portland sometime in the mid-'90s and has continued ever since. At the time there was only one location, over in that out-of-the-way S.E. Portland pocket near Holgate and 39th streets (actually, I'm embarrassingly over familiar with that area since it was where my teenage stalkee lived). I'm pretty sure they've multiplied since I left in '98.

Though I only spent a few brief years getting to know Trader Joe's, it made an impression on me, and I've discovered I'm not alone. It's one of the few stores I can get staunch New Yorkers worked up over. None of these everything's-better-in-the-city types get my fascination with Wal-Mart, strip malls, or even Target (which I'd mistakenly thought was the new Manhattanite darling since opening in downtown Brooklyn). But when Trader Joe's is mentioned, eyes brighten, heads nod, I've made a breakthrough. It seems that practically everyone has had the opportunity to visit the store somewhere in the U.S. and with this little taste, know they're missing out.

I've always viewed Trader Joe's as a source of cheap, semi-healthy and passably gourmet/specialty items. Honestly, that's not a huge deal in Portland since the city's bursting at the seams with organic crap, but in NYC, inexpensive quality food is a rare species, indeed.  But TJ's (ew, that sounds gross, but I've heard people refer to it as such) ain't what it used to be, at least not in my nearby travels.

So far, I've tested Scarsdale and Hewlett (the only one really accessible to New Yorkers via LIRR) in New York and Westwood and Westfield in New Jersey (why the two wests, who knows'). Westfield has become the Trader Joe's of choice, if not because they're the only branch that sells alcohol, but also due to their proximity to the most kickass Hong Kong Supermarket I've ever seen (to be written about soon).

I'm not sure if it's Westfield that's been clouding my Trader Joe's nostalgia or if the store itself is just changing. On my most recent visit I felt like they'd hired character actors to populate the store. The nasal New York accent (or is that New Jersey' I can't tell. Think what's-her-name, that girlfriend of Chandler's on Friends–not that I ever watch lame sitcoms, of course) was rampant. I guess it's my own fault for doing the NJ trek on weekends, but in typical tri-state fashion the aisles are always so jammed you'd think they were giving away free Trader Giotto's marinara or some shit.

Level-headed shoppers have been replaced with zombies mobbing the back corner for cases of 'Two-buck Chuck,' geriatric couples with wives who loudly lecture their hubbies on what the doctor said they can and can't eat, the ladies who low carb, fervently checking labels and creating cart jams in the bagged nuts section, and the fresh off the turnip truck crowd (do they even have turnips in NJ'it is the Garden State, right') who act like they've never been in a store that sells faux health food before, "would ya look at this–chocolate-covered soybeans."

I never thought I'd miss those free trade coffee swilling, Tom's of Maine using, soyrizo-scarffing Oregonians, but they're benign in comparison. Quaint. I used to pine for an NYC Trader Joe's, but visions of Park Slope 40-year-old first time mommies, or worse, Williamsburg parents who think it's cute to dress their babies in deconstructed rock tees from the '80s, snatching up lunch box-sized chocolate soymilk with glee keep my dream in check. I'll suffer sans Trader Joe's if it means keeping precious NYC riff raff at bay.

Trader Joe's * 155 Elm St., Westfield, NJ

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Berry Picking

Not all Strawberry shops are created equal. Some are cramped, some are sprawling. The Union Square location kind of sucks, while Grand Central's might be my favorite. And it's mostly about the shoes because I'm less than enthusiastic about their middle-of-the-road misses offerings . There will always be at least one pair I would like (often more) and they're rarely over $39.99. I like to set my limit at $25 for this genre of shoes, though. The stock is similar to Century 21 really, but condensed and not as manic. And also like Century 21, whether of not they'll actually have your size in stock is a crapshoot. I don't know if I'm just easily pleased footwear-wise (I don't think so) but there's always something that suits me and people often seem surprised when I mention Strawberry if asked where I got a particular pair of shoes. It's a step up from Rainbow's shoe department, though not a massive step.

Strawberry * 129 E. 42nd. St., New York, NY (and elsewhere)

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Creative Outlet

I'm not sure if there any of these stores in Portland proper, but each oddball outlying community like Oregon City, Gresham and Vancouver, WA, have one. I've only ever been to the Beaverton location. Ages ago, when I was still in college, I tagged along with my dad and his wife and bought peculiar edibles with food stamps. A new love was born.

In my day this haven was called Canned Food Outlet, and I've waxed nostalgic before. Canned foods are really only a minor component, they also have frozen and refrigerated goods, beauty products, toys, candy, a liquor section, and more.

I just like to browse the food aisles for brands unknown to me and general rejects. This is where bad flavors and odd combinations go to die. But they also have items that could be considered more specialty or gourmet (I hate that word, but it's easy shorthand for better than regular supermarket offerings) like things you'd find at Trader Joe's. The Hansen's mango sparkling juice I purchased on my most recent visit falls into this category (it's not even on their website, and probably for good reason'it didn't quite taste as nice as it sounded).

The KC Masterpice Dip&Top Sauce in cool ranch bbq flavor made with Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing that I also bought for shits and giggles clearly falls into the ungodly flavor combos camp. I couldn't resist. I lose all sense of decency when I set foot in the Grocery Outlet! (their exclamation point, not mine).

During my visit last week, the cashier instructed me to write my phone number (I used my mom's) on the back of my receipt and stuff it in the cardboard box displayed at the front of the store to enter a drawing for free groceries in the amount of your total. Well, I'm still waiting for my $11-and-change prize. Maybe my mom made off with my winnings and didn't tell me.

Grocery Outlet! * 3855 SW Murray Blvd., Beaverton, OR

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Swede & Sour

Familiarity breeds contempt, right? It used to be that I'd actually get excited whenever I'd visit my sister in Swindon, a no-great-shakes London semi-suburb, because we could troll the '60s-style outdoor shopping plaza (now she's in Bristol and they have one too). Very outer boroughs in a way (though not terribly American).

H&M was the best because the clothes were cool, inexpensive, and most importantly, my size. Almost everything came in XL and 18 (American 16). So, I was totally worked up over H&M's American arrival a few years back. And somehow not surprisingly the XLs and 16s must've gotten lost over the Atlantic because they're nearly nonexistent. I even went a little crackpot and wrote them a letter asking about the discrepancy in sizing between the U.S. and England. Which garnered a response that there wasn't any difference.

Don't even get me started on their lame ass BiB (big is beautiful, duh) collection; giant tee shirts and baggy elasticized pants in black, tan and gray shame the rest of the store. You would think that their PR department was correct if you looked at the sizing charts displayed above racks around the store. The number 16 is included with all the other regular 2-14 sizes on the placard. My issue is that while the company may make this size, they certainly don't stock it. If you dig like crazy, you might find one or two larger size items, and they're likely to be either the ugliest or plainest thing in the place, like a navy blue crew neck sweater or white button-up blouse. So wrong, and so spirit-crushing.

Anyway, I'd heard somewhere that the Harlem store carried a more comprehensive range of larger sizes. Er, I guess because of their target audience. You know, black people are way huger than white people. I jest, though I can only assume that is the logic.

Well, the Harlem store is different from others I've been to in that it's quite spacious, the racks have breathing room, and there is no men's section to speak of (also makes one wonder about marketing, i.e. black men don't go for Eurotrash looks–the men's clothes can tend towards 'gay'). But variety of larger sizes' Not at all, it was no better than any other NYC location. In fact, it might've been worse.

So much for typing stores by neighborhood. The best luck I've had so far is Paramus, NJ. They also have the best regional Ikea, as far as items on display actually being in stock. My deduction is that any store inaccessible by MTA means has better goods. And don't just take my word for it, I distinctly recall reading how NYC shoplifting rings were driving in vanloads of thieves and targeting the Garden State Plaza (in Paramus) and other suburban shopping bastions. Even criminals know you've got to leave the city to get what you want.

H&M * Various NYC and NJ locations

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Off the Mark

Since I'm not a someone who gets invites to star-studded openings, even when they involve my precious Target, I wasn't privy to tongue-in-cheekily strolling the aisles with the likes of Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chloe Sevigny or whatever former and current it-girls decided to get all downscale and ironic last night. Where the hell was Scarlett Johansen? I can't think too hard on it or I'll fucking hurl, but don't you worry, I'll be there Sunday with the rest of the common people, the "Brooklyn trash," you know? Since July 25, the hard opening, falls on my birthday, I originally thought I must be blessed. But seeing how Lizzie Grubman's pained, poop-brown visage has already sullied the space, it's clear that I'm cursed. That's the kind of taint you couldn't even remove with an entire display of artfully poised Clorox bottles.

Target * 139 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Bullseye

Forget that lame ass Target holiday boat and Mizrahi Rockefeller Center thing. Everyone knows stand-alone Targets rule, and Manhattan is just plain missing out. My first NYC box store experience was monumental, and it certainly wouldn't be my last. That's why I was so excited about the Starrett City Greatlands that opened a year or so ago in Brooklyn. But to be honest, it was more of haul than I'd anticipated, even by car. (My last foray into those oddball streets like New Lots Ave. was when I fell asleep/passed out on the L train [no, I didn't live in Williamsburg] and ended up in the Canarsie subway yards at 5am.) Starrett City is always an adventure, but not one I've repeated since.

The round, double-decker Target in Elmhurst has proven to be more my speed. And they've even managed to keep the shopping cart escalator from falling into disrepair (I was convinced the mechanical novelty would be perpetually broken). This location is more subway and pedestrian friendly than Starret City, despite its placement on the "boulevard of death," Queens Blvd. The center is enhanced by the presence of Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Daffy's, DSW and assorted other mall stalwarts. But I think Queens still freaks a lot of people out, it's doubtful they get many Manhattan trekkers.

That's why I'm so curious to see what will happen with the Atlantic Terminal mall. Sitting atop a major subway hub, a mere express stop from Manhattan, it could be a hit. Part of me fears The City-dwellers will overrun the place like some undiscovered gem they've carelessly claimed as their own find. The other half wonders if it'll suck as hard as the bastard stepchild of a "mall" across the street. I've never encountered a shopping hub so ghetto un-fabulous as the Atlantic Center. The saddest Old Navy, Marshall's and Macy's ever, woefully reside in the concrete eyesore. I've heard that it was designed to discourage loitering, and believe me it does. But we're in a new millenium, and a new rapidly gentrifying downtown Brooklyn. There are going to be two Starbucks in the Atlantic Terminal mall, for Frappuccino-ing out loud (though let's not forget the middlebrow Chuck E. Cheese's that will also be present). Who knows what riches the Atlantic Terminal mall will bring to the borough?

Target * Various locations, NYC

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