EU is looking for a web designer...

hello web-savvy friends,

my work (entertaining u newspaper) is looking to expand out web design team. i realize that many of my readers are based outside of jacksonville, however i do know that there are a significant amount of you that are local jacksonvillians... so, if you could, pass the news along. we are eagerly looking to do some really creative and new things with our web department of the publication. and if you read my blog, then i'll probably assume you are somewhat creative and/or appreciate good design aesthetic.

this is the ad we've been running around here locally:




thanks!

rachel

p.s. i promise some interesting posts over the weekend when i can get caught up my "free time" (as that has nearly ceased to exist this past month).

breast cancer awareness all over the world

check out this week's EU! we did a very extensive feature on breast cancer awareness. the design i used for the cover is this wonderful artwork from a Danish designer named Sidsel Gaustadnes. i originally read about her design on the oh joy! blog and i immediately emailed Sidsel about using her design in our breast cancer issue. i think it is one of the best designs or images that i've seen that represents breast cancer. if you notice, the circles are supposed to represent breasts of all different shapes and sizes. and if you also notice the last one is singular because, as Sidsel explains, that is how she always remembered her grandmother who lived happily after having a mastectomy.

originally Sidsel designed this artwork for the Danish Cancer Society, but thanks to the world of blogging, her design has reached all corners of the world. thank you, Sidsel, so much for allowing us to showcase your design over here in the states! (read her blog to find out where her merchandise is being sold. it is my understanding that quite a bit has already sold out!)

makin' munny.

so i know i don't post about a lot of local events on this blog. (this is partially because that is my day job, and if you want to read about all of the local stuff happening jacksonville i assume you will read my magazine.) however, there is a really cool art show happening this weekend that deserves a mention... the color of munny. this is a show being put on by urban jacksonville blog author, joey marchy.

this is jacksonville's first vinyl toy art show. basically, marchy asked different local artists to take blank kid robot munny toys and transform them into their own masterpieces. (you can read more about it in eu's article here.)

marchy has been posting a few photos of finshed munny's over the last few days (see first pic for a few samples) and i'm blown away! the show is tomorrow night (saturday, july 7th) at the thief in the knight gallery in downtown jacksonville (map, 118 west adams street).

eu is one of the sponsors of the event. it was such a great idea we couldn't pass up the opportunity to be involved, and we thank joey for 1. taking the time and energy to put on a such an original show (and everything else he does for jacksonville) 2. letting eu be part of it.

i am really hoping i can make it to the show, although i'm nervous i may not; norm (the boyfriend) and i will be at the 30th anniversary party for kona skatepark and i have no idea when that is supposed to end. either way, cool things are happening in jacksonville and i am stoked about it!

(the top photo is of the individual munny's made by dan may, levi ratliff and brittni wood.)

EU talks with Urban Jacksonville Blog

Last Thursday I went over to ShantyTown Pub in Springfield with my co-workers Jon Bosworth and Brian Jerin to meet with Joey Marchy for an interview. Joey Marchy writes the Urban Jacksonville blog at www.urbanjacksonville.info. It happens that we had discussed at an editorial meeting the week prior that we wanted to interview Joey about his blog for an upcoming issue EU was doing on 'Downtown Living.' At the same time (really, like the next day) we got an email from Joey asking us at EU if he could interview us about the new design and direction of the paper. How ironic, right? So we decided to meet over drinks and do a dual-interview / conversation. Yesterday Joey posted the audio portion of the interview on his blog. It clocked in at an hour and half long! Crazy, right? Well, I figured not everyone would have the time to listen to the whole conversation, and I knew that we'd be printing what Joey said about his blog in EU's 'Downtown Living' issue, so I took it upon myself to transcribe the portion of the conversation where we talked about EU specifically. Now, this post is going to be a little different than normal posts because it's all text! (boo, right?) But in the meantime, I am going to try and see if I can scan in some old copies of the First Coast Entertainer and then the old style of Entertaining U to show a comparison of how the paper has design-wise transformed. So maybe if you check back later I might have added photos to the post or maybe I will add them to an additional post. But in the meantime, I encourage you to read the interview ahead, it really digs deep down into the guts of Entertaining U and I think it really shows what we are all about. Enjoy!


EU and Urban Jacksonville Blog interview
[transcribed by Rachel Henley]


URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY) is Joey Marchy. He is the founder and writer of the Urban Jacksonville blog (www.urbanjacksonville.info). He is 29 years old and a resident of Springfield and has been blogging on Urban Jacksonville for a little over a year and a half now.

EU (RACHEL) is Rachel Best Henley. She is the Creative Director for Entertaining U Newspaper (also known as EU Jacksonville). She is 23 years old and has been working for EU for going on eight years. She also has a blog at rachelbestblogs.blogspot.com.

EU (JON) is Jon Bosworth. He is the Managing Editor and Marketing Director of EU. He is 31 years old and has been working with EU since November 2006. He also has a blog at jaxvillain.blogspot.com.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________


URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): You guys have done a really good job in the art direction and the redesign. When did you guys change direction? Because there was a time when I wouldn't have touched [EU] with a ten foot pole.

EU (RACHEL): Right. Well it used to be the First Coast Entertainer. It was a tall tabloid and it was owned by Tony Trotti (the previous owner) and my father, Will Henley, was the associate publisher.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): [Will Henley] is your dad? So it's you, your dad and your sister? Or is that your mom?

EU (RACHEL): My mom. My sister will occasionally write for us too, she's still in high school, and she kind of hates the business. [laughs]

EU (JON): But does she does great record reviews! High schoolers, they are perfect for doing [album reviews].

EU (RACHEL): My mom just came on board and she takes care of business and does accounting… those kind of things. But my father had been the associate publisher for the First Coast Entertainer for, I want to say, about ten years. And then Tony [Trotti] got sick with cancer and passed away. When he passed away he had given us blessings to carry on the paper, and we underwent a new name. We kept mostly the same staff (but over the time [the staff] has mostly changed). We changed the name [from The First Coast Entertainer to Entertaining U]. It was a different format (Entertaining U), a tall tabloid, for a while and then we finally decided to go to the tabloid format [that it is now] and that's when we did the whole re-design.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): What is 'tabloid format'? Is that the size?

EU (RACHEL): A tall tabloid is taller and it folds in half.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Like Folio?

EU (RACHEL): No, [Folio] is tabloid size too. The Times-Union, I guess you could say, is a “very-tall” tabloid. I don't really know their exact measurements. But our [old format] folded in half, whereas [our format now] is more of a "magazine style." We decided [the magazine style tabloid] was more user-friendly. And [we] were just trying to keep up with the trends in design. Actually, we were thinking about reformatting it and made the decision within a week to completely reformat the whole paper. And [it became] what it is. We decided to change the logo for branding purposes and so [people] could recognize it better.

EU (JON): And, you know, some other changes that Rachel and Will decided to do was... it used to be that the cover was sold where people would advertise on it. And now Rachel and Will have changed the direction where now not every inch of [EU] is for sale. And the articles are no longer just press releases. Now there are writers on staff. We have actual editorial.

EU (RACHEL): Well we've always had editorial, always. We do sometimes run press releases when people send us things for their events. But when we re-formatted [EU] I, for a long time, wanted to push the ads off of the cover. Actually for a while, before [the major re-design] and [when we still had a tall tabloid], turned the cover around so that way when it folded over you saw the cover on [one-side of the front page] and then the bottom was [on the back of the fold] is where the ad went.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): So [EU] used to have ads on the cover?

EU (RACHEL): Right. And it was a very conscious decision to [change that]. See, when it was the First Coast Entertainer (the first paper), Tony Trotti's idea of a publication was much different than our idea of a publication. Because we stayed with the same company, this was a gradual change but this was a long-time goal to [get EU where it is today]. We couldn't just [change EU] like night and day when we still had certain advertisers that were committed to certain spaces. This was a vision that was building. Ultimately, when I re-designed the paper I wanted to make sure there was a difference between the editorial and there was a difference between the ads. My biggest concern with our paper (and our website) is that everything is easy to navigate, you know where everything is, you know where you are looking, you don't have to question 'Is this an ad? Or is this editorial?' To me (I say this a lot), when I look at other publications (especially newsprint) it looks like text has thrown up on the page. And I'm like 'I don't know where to look. There are these ugly ads all over the place. There's editorial where you can't even tell one story from another.' When I design the pages that's a big issue to me. I want to make sure you know where to look for the calendar listings, you know where to look for the meat of the story (the who, where, what and when), and then you can read on if you want to delve into the story.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Yeah, I like the way you guys did the music calendar, you put in on the rails of the paper.

EU (RACHEL): Right. I want people, every week when they pick up the paper, to know what they are looking for and they can flip right to that section. If the music is all right there, then they know where to find the music, the concert calendar, they know that the music-related club ads are probably going to be around there. They can see [at one glance] what is going on. If they decide to look at the theatre pages they can see what's going on there. And that is a big deal to me and I always try to make sure that [ads] are in the same placement so people know where to find it. And also we don't want the ads to just be totally lost. We want our advertisers to know when you advertise in our paper, your ad is going to be seen; it's not going to get buried in a bunch of other advertisements. Your ad is going to get seen, the editorial is going to be read, and there's a constant separation of the two.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): What typeface are you using for the headlines?

EU (RACHEL): It's Helvetica. It's just your regular standard [font].

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Well it looks really good.

EU (RACHEL): [Thank you.] Its actually a bold condensed [Helvetica]. I think it's kind of funny because if you notice on [Times-Union] Weekend and the Folio and [EU] you'll often see that we all have the exact same font on the cover. Which is something that Folio changed, not too long ago...

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): After…

EU (RACHEL): Yeah, after we did our re-design. And sometimes the Times-Union [Weekend] changes it up, it's not always the same. [Helvetica] is the most easy to read font there is. And people sometimes were like 'You went to a SANS-serif font for your body type?' They were like ‘How could you do that?' And I'm like 'Because I wanted to! I think that's what looks good!' Simplicity is the basic goal.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Well, sans serif is definitely more modern than serif fonts...

EU (RACHEL): [Yeah, but] I don't dislike serif fonts at all.

EU (JON): Can I ask [Rachel] a question for your [Urban Jacksonville's] interview? Can I ask her a question for your interview?

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Sure.

EU (RACHEL): Sure.

EU (JON): What made you bring me on? I know it was kind of your [Rachel’s] idea.

EU (RACHEL): You [Jon] have the background in the movie industry, you have experience in owning a business (downtown)... Which [the movies] are a big part of our business. I mean we have always been [the "movie paper"]. If you're looking for a movie or a movie promotion… we are the paper to go to if you want to find out something about movies. And it's been that way for a long time; that's one of our flags that we've carried for a while that we are proud of... But [back to Jon's question]… having the background in movies, having the background in the music community, owning a business, and you just “get” Jacksonville. We've worked with so many people that just don't “get it,"... they don't understand the full perspective of Jacksonville. You have to live here for a while to understand what Jacksonville has to offer. I would say the bottom line is you could see the full perspective of the angle where we are coming from and that is why we hired Jon.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Do you guys have a target audience?

EU (RACHEL): Well, you know...

EU (JON): We disagree on this.

EU (RACHEL): [laughs] Well, I think our target audience is very wide.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Yeah, you want to entail the largest amount of people possible.

EU (RACHEL): Right. I would say that our long-term readers, people that have been reading us since First Coast Entertainer days, are interested in us because of our movie promotions. And a bunch of those readers are 60 plus, and they are dedicated, loyal readers to [EU].

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): So you don't want to offend those readers with your redesign, but you don't want to look [too] young?

EU (RACHEL): Right. Well, you know, that’s another thing, having a young edge was very important to me because I want my friends to be interested in the publication and that is what I found important. And [young people] are the consumers today. When you are pitching [EU] to an advertiser you want your consumers to know that their audience is reading it. Also, one thing that we try to have in our paper every week (well, that we DO have in our paper every week) is that you can always find something in our paper that you can do with your child and your family. We do not neglect the fact that someone who has a family at home is going to be looking for entertainment too. You will always find something that you can take your kid out to do that weekend... I am very adamant about having that in [EU] every week. We also cover cover bands that tend to cater to the 'baby-boomer' demographic. I think that we cover a wide-range. You know, another loyal audience that we have always had is the theatre community. We are one of the only publications that consistently do theatre reviews. People may not know how big that community is, but they are there, and nobody else sheds light on that community at all. It's important to us to be in with the arts, the theatre, and the movies and the music... and even video games! I am a technology lover; there is nothing wrong with technology in [my eyes]. I try to promote [technology] as much as I can, especially to open the eyes of people that are… kind of shaky about it. The internet brings you beautiful things that a lot of people are just missing out on because they haven't gone out to explore it.

EU (JON): Can I answer that question too? In my perspective, I do believe we have a loyal readership with an older community that I don't think is going to go away as long as we are covering the movies and we are covering the stuff that they are interested in. Our target demographic is the 30-year olds that make 40,000 to 60,000 dollars a year. I write for them. I feel like I am part of that community. When I write an article I write it almost directly to that age group. I try to encourage as much as I can for our writers to write for their age group. I think that especially in Jacksonville we have a lot of young parents, and I mean that’s part of the whole reason we always have stuff to with our kids in [EU]... that's important to me. I'm a parent, I have two kids myself. I'm adamant about that being a part of [EU]. My focus, as far as what I am constantly trying to get more in the paper, is what I think that Rachel and I have succeeded a lot in the 'Artsonville' issue. And achieving what both of us have always (well since I've come on, I've only been on [full-time] since November) ... to try to really make [EU] speak for... is that cultural community that doesn't get excavated by any of the other media in town. I mean, I love Folio. I'm an avid Folio reader. I am interested in the politics in this city. I believe in pursuing the politics in this city. I believe that we need a media like Folio to uncover stuff that is going on and to whistle-blow, to make the community aware of those things. But with EU, my objective is to really excavate that cultural community that doesn't get enough angle. The local bands... the original Shangra-la… Brian Jerin is in this band Shangra-La and they are this great band of national caliber that is right here, under our noses. And if it were up to Folio, no one would ever know about that. And even when it comes to bands that I think are relevant to my age group… like Yo La Tengo is a good example of this: I did an interview with Yo La Tengo. Yo La Tengo's show is advertised in Folio and the Folio did an article that was maybe two hundred words about Yo La Tengo and they took all of the quotes off of some other internet interview that Yo La Tengo had done with some other newspaper up in Canada. Whereas we're going to have 800 words of an interview with Yo La Tengo because I am committed to delivering information from bands like that to people that want to find out more about it. Another example is tonight Brenton [Crozier] is interviewing Evan Dando from The Lemonheads... and you won't see that in the Folio.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Well I think you've gone a long way to reach the demographic because I'm almost thirty (I'll be thirty in September) and the way that most people my age, they are very discriminating consumers... like if something doesn't look good or something doesn't work right they're going to throw [it] away and they're probably not going to come back to it. So I think you've gone a long way to reach that consumer box by re-doing the layout. It has a nice look. It's appealing… a lot more appealing than it used to be. If [EU] didn't look like this, I wouldn't have picked it up and I wouldn't have read it.

EU (JON): Does the content engage you too?

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): I have a different focus when I am looking for stuff...

EU (JON): Because you're an internet reader we're always talking about stuff ... like one of Rachel's goal is to make [EU] scan-able. So you can just run your eyes across the page and you know what you're getting into.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): I open this magazine and I'm like 'Ok.. movie reviews, movie reviews, ok... Shanty Town,' I'm reading that because it's about Springfield. If I see something about Downtown, San Marco, then I go online and try to find a link for it. I'm definitely a different kind of reader than probably the normal reader. But, I don't know, maybe all readers are like that and maybe they just scan what they are looking for.

EU (RACHEL): And that's why we're not making all of our articles the same. We want to offer different articles... you may only read two articles out of this whole paper, that's fine, as long as you enjoyed at least a couple of articles...

EU (JON): ... and remember that you read it in EU!

EU (RACHEL): [laughs] ... right, that's important. It is not meant for everything in [EU] to be applicable to [one] reader. It's meant that for every audience, we have something to offer. I mean, that's what we care about. I have to bring up the being online issue because we do make an effort to make sure that our publication is available anywhere. You can find the website updated every Thursday when [EU] comes out.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): That's when [EU] comes out, every Thursday?

EU (RACHEL): Yeah, the paper comes out every Thursday afternoon and by Thursday around 6 o'clock the website should be updated with all of that issue.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): … So it’s just a few days before the weekend… and all the articles are based on what to do on the weekend following this week…?

EU (RACHEL): Right, so it's important to us to have [the website] up to date because not everybody gets to find a paper until Saturday or Sunday or maybe even Monday, but you can still go online, and you can see what's on there and in each issue. You can look at it in the regular website/html format, or you can download the PDF and scan the paper visually exactly the way it is presented to you on paper.

EU (JON): ... and the ads are in there.

EU (RACHEL): Right, and so it's important for us to have both of those up there. It's a perk to the advertiser [that their ad is online] and people want to see the whole presentation. There's a little bit that's lost when converted over to just the text and one picture on the internet. Our goal with the website is [like our paper] that it's easy to read and navigable (like our paper). I wanted it to reflect the design of the actual paper.

EU (JON): And we are working to expand the website a lot. It's a big focus this year to get the website to a place so that when you want to go to a restaurant in town, we want you to be able to get on our website and say 'I'm in the mood for Indian,' and find every Indian restaurant around have it link to a review done of that restaurant.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): ... Like Erin [Thursby]'s Cilantro review?

EU (JON): Exactly.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): I wish she would have come [to the interview] because that was one of the things that really turned me onto this magazine. I was like 'all these articles are written by this girl Erin Thursby, What is she doing? She's like a writing machine!'

EU (RACHEL): [laughs] she’s a staff writer, so that's why. But you know, she originally came on board as a food reviewer, and she's excellent. She's well-versed, she knows food. She wrote for a publication in South Florida doing food reviews then came to us and we brought her on doing just food reviews, then we started having her work on more stuff.

... But yeah about the part that we are expanding on our website... we have an archive that has information that is greater than probably anywhere else in Jacksonville... because we have been covering Jacksonville for over 25 years, essentially. The information that we receive every week doesn't even make it into our paper each week. We have it, sitting around. Then we get a one week view time and then it's onto the next thing, the next thing... So we are working on building another portion of our website that will be strictly focused on guiding the local people and places. Like if you go online and you want to find anything you want on whatever restaurant, you can look it up. Or any band... we're going to use that information too.

EU (JON): Right, it's going to be all about local representation. Not only are we a locally-owned and family-owned business, but all of us are really 'Jacksonville people.' You're not going to see syndicated columns or anything like that in [EU]. Everything is written by someone locally because we believe in the community and Jacksonville. We believe that it, by itself, puts out great work, great perspective. There are great artist, there are great musicians, and there are great writers. We want to bring that to the forefront. I think that a lot of other publications bring a lot of national stuff that's going on, and maybe deliver them in a local voice. But we are all local. The entire paper is really, really home-grown. It believes in Jacksonville.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): Do you guys have freelance writers? Or do you take contributions and submissions?

EU (RACHEL): Absolutely. That's one thing that we are actually really trying to build... having more contributing writers that we can add to our mix of people.

EU (JON): Like insider columns. We are really getting into the idea of having a musician that writes about local music. I've been talking to Christina Wagner, who is a local musician and also works at Jack Rabbits and she's like 'I see all these great bands that no one comes to,' and I was like 'Write about it! And send it to me and we will run it! Absolutely.' We want to have your eyes and ears. You're the one that's out there. I can't be at all the shows. And I can't send Rick Grant or Erin Thursby to every show. So when there's a great one, write about it and send it to us.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): So to talk a little bit more about the technology aspect of your organization… why did you guys all decide to start your own blogs? Because you (Jon) have a blog, you are Jaxivillain? So why not just have one?

EU (RACHEL): I probably have 50 or 60 plus blogs on my RSS subscription feeds. I love reading blogs. I think it is one of the most amazing...

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): ... I love when I hear people say that. Uhh! RSS!

[laughs]

EU (RACHEL): It's like having the most amazing magazine subscriptions coming into your mailbox once every fifteen minutes. And it's free! You just get so many new ideas and glimpses to other sides of the world. Like I read some blogs that aren't even in English but they have great pictures and links that I can still follow. I don't know, it's just great, and I've read them for a long time, I'm always sending links to my friends. So I thought I'm going to go ahead and do my own blog. I was kind of starting one, and then we talked about blogs [at our editorial meetings] and I started encouraging our writers to start a blog because they sometimes had pieces they wanted to write, but they might have been a little too political-themed for what we want to put in [EU]. But I was like those would be great things to put in a blog where you can have extra stuff... Like recipes, Erin likes to make a lot of recipes, and that's perfect for something to write in a blog about to supplement the paper. So I encouraged everybody to do that and then it just happened to be at the same time for myself that I thought 'You know what? I've been wanting to start a blog myself..." I had had things archived for probably a year that I had wanted to share. I, personally, am just really into design, so that's just what I like to write about.

EU (JON): And the voices are also unique to themselves. Like Rachel has totally her own voice on her blog... and she brings things to my attention when I read her blog about stuff I would never even find out about or look into. Whereas mine is just totally a soapbox, I'll just get on there and rant and rave about anything, and I'll do it with cynicism and crass that I would never put in [EU].

EU (RACHEL): And I don't think of myself as a writer at all. I sort of loathe writing. I can do it, but really, if I could present my whole life in pictures, I would. Photography is awesome. I am pursuing a photography degree at UNF, it's on hold for a little while since I am working all the time... but I am. And that's the way I am, if I could present everything visually I would... it's just the way that I read things and the way that I see things. But I think that's what my hesitation or having a blog was about, because I really didn't want to write anything, but I thought I’d love to show people things! So that's the focus of mine at least. I admire writers, I love them, I work around them all the time… and I can certainly help direct it, organize it and manage it, but writing is not my forte. [laughs]

JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): I think that's a good answer to my question because you kind of are allowing your writers to write about anything without really associating it with the publication. Which, you don't want to have to restrict what your writers write on their blogs, but it can still be associated with the publication. That makes sense.

EU (RACHEL): Well, like Rick, he's had his blog for a long time.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): And Rick is...

EU (RACHEL): Rick Grant

EU (JON): He's our Senior Writer.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): What's his blog address?

EU (RACHEL): It's shot-from-the-hip.blogspot.com.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): What's your domain name?

EU (RACHEL) & (JON): eujacksonville.com

EU (RACHEL): He's had his own website and own blog for a while.

EU (JON): Yeah, he's amazingly technologically-savvy for a guy his age. He's all about internet and TV being the same... it's crazy.

EU (RACHEL): He's been writing for our paper for over twenty years. He's been around, seen it all... He's certainly seen more than I have. Granted, I've been around the publication, well working for it going on eight years now... but I've seen it [being made] since I was ten (actually eight) [years old].

EU (JON): If you know Rick's writing, he has a brilliance to him.

EU (RACHEL): He's covered bands here for twenty years so he knows the folks around town.

URBAN JACKSONVILLE (JOEY): So Rick writes music reviews?

EU (RACHEL): Music reviews and movie reviews.

EU (JON): He loves cover bands so he's great at covering the nuances to the cover bands; whereas I wouldn't be good at that. I'm a musician so I fancy myself in pretty good music, but when it comes to covering a band, I am an elitist when it comes to music. If I go and listen to a band that I don't love then I will berate them where I'll be like 'I could have just put on the Beatles album' or whatever, whereas Rick is really good at excavating what's good about them.

EU (RACHEL): There are tons of [cover] bands in Jacksonville and we don't neglect any of them because they are a huge part of the music scene in Jacksonville too. [Many] young people don't recognize that as part of the 'music scene' but they've been here since we were all born.

EU (JON): And he's been doing it so long he's friends with everyone. Like the Skynrd family, he knows them, Delbert McClintock...

EU (RACHEL): Anyways, going back to the blog thing I was like we should really put Rick's blog up on the website so everybody can read that too. And then we decided to put all of ours up [too].

december 12th, 2006 issue of eu

i apologize about slacking on the blog lately. with the holidays in tow, time is just not as expandable as i'd like it to be! but rest assured, i've got lots of posts waiting to be published. and once the new year roles around, i'm sure i will get into a more frequent and regular habit. until then, i'm just going to highlight a few things from this week's entertaining u.





this week in entertaining u we wrote another gift guide! this our fifth one! (you can check the rest out on our homepage at www.eujacksonville.com)

in this week's gift guide erin thursby writes about the not-so-ordinary gifts, such as the gift of lessons or broadway tickets. they're good ideas! also brenton crozier writes about the best albums to give this year, and staples that everyone should have in their collection. and finally, we have the under $20 gifts for kids (for that sibling or friend's kid you are completely drawing a blank on.)

also in this week:

+ video game reviews by norm stovall, including (pictured above, from top to bottom) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas (for Xbox 360), Elebits (for Nintendo Wii), and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (for Nintendo DS).

+ a guide to healthy holidays by erin thursby, which includes recipes and suggestions for healthier alternatives to your average holiday food fare. (pictured above: native sun's produce department)

+ the album review this week (by morgan henley): is the sixth O.C. mix, Covering Our Tracks.

+ checkout the bands playing in the 12 days of Christmas at Jack Rabbits here.

local (jacksonville) holiday shopping guide

this week we (entertaining u) printed a local holiday shopping and gift guide and i thought i'd post it here too. it was written by our staff writers jon bosworth and erin thursby. this guide is really only applicable to local jacksonville folks, so sorry for anyone outside the area... but i do plan on posting links to some really awesome online gift guides i've found too, so check back.

local (jacksonville) holiday shopping guide by jon bosworth and erin thursby

When you’re doing your shopping this holiday season, there are far better options available to you in Jacksonville than the traditional homogenized fare of the large chain department stores and local malls. In fact, if you shop at smaller, locally-owned retailers, you’ll find that your money stays in our local economy, and the gifts are far more exquisite and therefore cherished by the recipients. From the elegant gifts for refined tastes that you can find in San Marco and Avondale to the eclectic selection available in Riverside, we went shopping in some of the area’s nicest little shops to provide an idea of what you can find if you really look.

I must say that I far preferred parking my car in one spot along a quaint little row of stores and taking my time to sort through the wide variety of gift ideas to find something that suited everyone on my list. There was no fighting against crowds, no rude teenage cashiers, and plenty of friendly shopping advice in each store, often by the owner themselves, who know vast amounts about all of the products they carry. And I certainly didn’t miss the long lines and mediocre fast food of the food courts when I had access to delicious eateries such as The Fox and Biscotti’s in Avondale, Hovan and Sake House in Five Points, and Cool Moose and the famous Whiteway Deli at Whiteway corner.

To top off these lists of little delights, I discovered some truly remarkable gifts at prices more reasonable than any mall, or even Target, could accommodate. My favorite store overall was easily Einstein’s Kitsch-Inn. They are the only place in town where you can get an Uglydoll or a sushi shower curtain, and they also have the best novelty stocking stuffers and collectible toys in town. From smart ass gifts to Simpsons chess sets, they have it all. Get a Jesus or Sigmund Freud action figure, or pick up a wallet that looks like it’s made of bacon.

To get outside of the box in other sides of town, we also highlighted a variety of shops on the Southside, the beaches, and even downtown. So take your pick, but if I were you, I’d avoid the mall.

southside

For humidors and Macanudo cigars, you can’t go wrong with Aroma’s (4372-101 Southside Blvd, 928-0524). They’ve got a selection of state-of-art lighters from Colibri of London ranging in price from about $30 to $130. The Xtreme 2 lighter ($59.95) is waterproof, windproof, includes a compass and has a belt clip. You can even buy the M-Stick lighter with a built in 128MB memory stick for $125. Cigars go from about $2 a stick to $200.

For a super premium tobacco cigar, go for the Grey Cliff brand ($16-$29). Remember, the best stocking stuffers are the cigars that come in sealed tubes, because they’ll keep longer than the ones packaged in plastic. Look for the Romeo y Julieta and Monte Cristo brands for good mid-range priced cigars (from about $6 to $10). The Southside location will be having a 20% off sale on the 16th of December.

Future Computers (4372-203 Southside Blvd, 641-6841) has stocking stuffers for your tech geek as well as larger items. They can order interesting computer shells and have a large screen 42-inch plasma TV ($1299) you can hook up to any computer or use as a TV. If you know a computer geek with a penchant for golf, a great smaller item is the USB Docking Ball ($13.99). You can also gift a laptop owner with a USB IRDA ($39.99) to light up their laptop. Everything Future Computers sells comes with a one-year warranty.

For somebody who seems to have everything, or for a gadget aficionado, try picking a gift at The Spy Shop (3633 Southside Blvd. 565-1004). Stuff a stocking with a Dr. Pepper or a Miller Lite that is really a secret storage container. Cameras hidden in glasses, cell phones and even cute little teddy bears are also available. The best gadget gift was the De-FIB-ulator, a truth/lie probability indicator ($79.95) which determines the anxiety level of the person speaking. It’s not as accurate as a lie detector, but it can be great fun at parties. Also, it hooks up to a cell phone.

At Delcher’s Leather Crafts (9861-1 Beach Blvd., 641-5191) you can get raw leather goods and leather working kits from $7 (knife sheath) to $55 (handbag kit). Delcher Carter himself will be happy to impart leatherworking tips as he shows off his pet parrot, Rambo.


mandarin

All of the Mandarin stores listed here come from the Villages of Mandarin Shopping Center, which is a treasure trove of variety for your gift giving needs. Two of the shops feature crafts. For scrap bookers you can shop at Scrapbook Store (10584 Saint Augustine Road, 260-4330) or you can pick up supplies to make your own gift.

For knitters go to KnitWitz, Inc. (10584 Saint Augustine Road, 260-1636) for books on knitting, supplies and nifty knitting needle caddies. The needle caddies were my favorite item because they could also be used to house chopsticks.

Going to a supermarket for holiday gifts might seem like a really weird thing to do, but the Jax Oriental Market (10584 Saint Augustine Road, 288-8288) has plenty of well priced novelty dishes and cups in the back, as well as interesting kitchen tools. If you know a student going back to college after the holidays, you can give them a gift basket filled with some of the strange oriental candies sold at this store (or you can buy one or two as stocking stuffers).

Kids, or the people with a science leaning, will appreciate stuff from The EcoEd Science Center (10584 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, 286-0610).

the beaches

Carla’s Shoes (330 A1A N. #301, Ponte Vedra, 543-1566) carries more than shoes. They’ve got purses in the Juicy Couture line ($95-$350) and leather jackets from Cole Haan. If you know a hip mom who’s expecting, she might like the Juicy Couture baby bags ($285-295).

Private Gallery has a hodgepodge of things you can buy, including an awesome selection of scarves ($18-$28), belts and costume jewelry. Clothing brands include Rebecca Beeson and Free People. They’ve also got Lucite trays you can have engraved. The top stocking stuffer, and most popular item, is the Kristina Accessories flat Slimline wallet, which is only a quarter of an inch thick.

Cottage-By-The-Sea (401 3rd Street South, Jacksonville Beach, 246-8411) is crammed with everything Christmas, and it’s good stuff, straight out of the Niemen Marcus catalogue. I especially dug their collection of funky Christmas stockings and ornaments.

Hibernia (108 1st Street, Neptune Beach 249-7321) carries handcrafted wood furniture, but they’ve got plenty of more portable items that make for singular gifts.

Know somebody that’s into Yoga, incense and metaphysics? Stop by Colbalt Moon (217 1st Street, Neptune Beach, 246-2131) to get them everything from candles and yoga mats to nifty statues and meditation CD’s. I’m also a fan of theirs because they carry Betsey Johnson clothing.

Folks at The Bookmark (299 Atlantic Boulevard, Atlantic Beach, 241-9026) will be able to help you pick out exactly the right book as a gift. The people at The Bookmark don’t just look up books in their computers like mindless drones; they actually know books. There’s a beautiful selection of journals, note cards and book marks. For only $30 you can buy a child a cuddly talking bear that reads ‘Twas the Night before Christmas.’

downtown






Looking for a gift on the sweeter side? Try the Shugar Shack (31 West Adams Street, 232-2882). To make the perfect chocolate choice, you’ll have the help of a certified confectioner who personally makes all the chocolates herself. She also sells the popular chocolate encrusted popcorn in large tins. If you’ve got out of town relatives, the Shugar Shop is happy to ship via the downtown UPS.

For gifts that run the gamut, you’ll want to shop at the MOCA Jacksonville (formerly JMOMA) Gift Shop (333 North Laura Street, 366-6911 x211).

Men, if you’re shopping for woman, try Tiara (203 North Laura Street, 356-7711). They sell Paisley’s Bath and Body handcrafted products, yoga mat carriers, jewelry (mostly costume), clothes and shoes.


avondale
(St. Johns Avenue between Edgewood and Dancy Streets)
Most Stores Are Open Monday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm

Avondale Gift Boutique Avondale gets a little more upscale and their prices follow that scale. Up. This shop has a nice courtyard and is right across the street from the neighborhood watering hole, so send the husband over there while you peruse the Christmas ornaments, seasonal décor, Waterford Crystal, Lamp Berger products, and a wide variety of home accents. They even have some great gourmet food items to stuff in a stocking or give to someone at work.

Blair Woolverton Featuring designer clothing and high-end fashion accessories, this is one of the classic Avondale boutiques, especially for outerwear and seasonal accruements.

Peggy McAteer Get a gift certificate for a professional photography sitting and leave the custom framing and matting to them.

The Kennel Shop Pamper your pooch the Ortega way with a variety of animal toys, leashes, designer dog dishes, and novelty accessories that let a “best friend” know that they are loved.
Armour Featuring the largest selection of Diesel watches, clothing, and accessories in town, this new addition to Avondale specializes in contemporary clothing for men and women by a variety of the most popular name brands in the world.

R. Roberts Gallery Find an exquisite collection of contemporary original artwork that is both tasteful and stylish. Let their experts put your purchase in a Larson-Juhl custom frame and bring any wall to life.

Chico’s Specializing in women’s clothing and their own brand, the Travelers Collection, they always have jewelry, fashion accessories, and fragrance diffusers, but at holiday time you can also find candles, ornaments, and stocking stuffers.

J Ashley Boutique Designer fashions and high-end women’s clothing must be a profitable business in Avondale. This boutique has business, formal, and casual attire as well as a variety of fashion accessories.

Denham’s Vineyard Vines casual and evening women’s clothing is one specialty of this boutique. From fashion accessories to entire outfits, this boutique has a wide variety of designer fashions.

Hope Jewelers Find elegant home accents, crystal, fine jewelry, and high-end gifts. From briefcases to diamond rings, they have something for a very specific set of budgets.
Burns Florist Seasonal decorations and floral arrangements made with real or synthetic flowers.
Avante` Salon Featuring Aveda salon and beauty products, they specialize in bath products, cosmetics, and skin and hair care products year-round. Check out their name brand gift sets for the holidays.

Gottahaveit This store showcases a wide variety of seasonal home décor, slogan throw pillows, designer home accents, and gifts by Woven Moments.

Byrdie’s This eclectic novelty store features chandeliers, statuettes, knickknacks, and various seasonal and year-round décor items. They are loaded with unique gift ideas.

Hayden’s Haberdashery Brighten the golf course with this store’s selection of men’s clothing. From designer bow ties and fashionable reading glasses to casual clothes and outfits fit for the clubhouse, this is an Ortega man’s outfitter.

Croatia Boutique Peruse a spectacular variety of décor and furniture imported from Medjugorje, Croatia; you’ve never seen a collection of home and garden décor like this in your life. They are filled with wrought iron furnishings, marble and granite tops, statues, and leather furniture.

Woodward Accessories Specializing in antiques, accessories, fine linens, artwork, garden décor, hats, small furnishings, and KBME Fine Millinery.

Peterbrooke Chocolatier An absolute Jacksonville classic, you really should get everyone on your list a little something from Peterbrooke on the side because their chocolates are delicious and they show that you know what you’re doing when it comes to warming hearts in this town. Their fine chocolates and fresh made candies are known all across North Florida. From their chocolate covered pretzels or popcorn to the cherished gift certificates, you can make anyone feel like a kid in a… well a candy store.

Hobbie Horse Children’s Boutique This enormous store is a grandmother’s dream. Featuring a wide variety of children’s items, everything they have is cute, stylish, and designed just for today’s kids. From plush toys and baby gifts to designer outfits and kid’s furniture, they have everything that sweet dreams are made of.

Bonnie Nuit Browse a healthy selection of women’s intimate apparel, lingerie, and bath and body accessories. Every woman wants something from a store like this.

Open Road Bicycles This standard bike shop is an Avondale staple. They have every kind of bicycle accessory and all of the gear to ride, including some pretty nice bikes.

Shirk Thompson Fine Shoes It will never cease to amaze me the affinity that women have for fine designer shoes, handbags, and purses, but this store has a stunning array of just that.
Yours Truly Antiques Find everything you would expect from a small antique store. It is cozy and quaint and smells like many generations of style have passed through its showroom. Selling old toys, Lionel Trains, glassware, rugs, watches, jewelry, lighting, silver, and artwork, antique lovers will love everything in this store.

Marilyn Foster Oriental Rugs and Antiques One of Jacksonville’s oldest businesses, Marilyn Foster did business downtown for many years before being one of the staple retailers in Avondale. This store is now among the longest established shops in Avondale. They have an exquisite selection of imported Asian rugs, antique tea sets, fine china, artwork, and some furniture.

Art Gallery the Frame Shop This peculiarly named store has more traditional original artwork, with impressionist and realist oil paintings. They also do custom framing for your selected work of art.

Cowford Traders Originally White’s Bookstore, a classic Jacksonville institution, this store slowly morphed into a quaint little shop to pick up delightful gifts. From locally crafted home accents to name brand décor and glassware, you can find one-of-a-kind greeting cards and a variety of novelty gifts here for very reasonable prices.

Willie’s Featuring an exquisite selection of designer children’s clothing, seasonal outfits, fashion accessories, and jewelry. This is the kind of store that fashionable kids love.

Hooshang Oriental Rugs From their delightful selection of nutcrackers to their array of imported Asian rugs and decorative vases, bring the exotic fare of Asia into your home.

Basket Case to the Rescue Basket Case is known for their terrific gift baskets loaded with novelty gifts, toys, home accents, and various party favors as well as humorous slogan merchandise.

Myra et al Find fine linens by Pine Cone Hill and bath accessories by Bronnley, not to mention their healthy selection of throw pillows in a variety of styles and colors. They also carry NDI glassware and a selection of home décor items.

Lulus Everything you need to get ready for parenthood. Lulus has stylish designer maternity clothes, children’s clothing and fashion accessories, and children’s furniture. Enjoy the assistance of a professional interior decorator when designing your children’s room.

Casablanca Featuring hair care products and skin care systems that are only available in professional salons. Casablanca has long been regarded as one of Jacksonville’s finest salons and their retail products are certain to share that reputation.

Underwoods Another Jacksonville institution, Underwoods is among the most reputable stores in Jacksonville for finding fine jewelry, china, silver serving sets, and collectible crystal. Some of the designer jewelry is by David Yurman and Bernardaud.

Emly Benham Benham’s boutique is almost too chic for Jacksonville. Featuring stylish jewelry and high-end fashion accessories, you won’t find designer shoes and handbags like these anywhere else in town.

Anita’s Garden Shop Specializing in garden décor, this shop is the perfect place to outfit the green thumb on your list with Summer Classics outdoor décor and implements as well as seasonal decorations.

Circa Featuring gourmet candies by Goodness Gracie as well as fine china, lampshades, and home décor.

Petal Another Avondale boutique specializing in designer fashion accessories, handbags, and purses.

Khakis Toys and Gifts For the fashionable mother, Khakis changed from educational toys to designer baby bags, Bugaboo strollers, Zutano baby bags, and children’s plush toys and clothing.

Lanny’s Just across the street from Khakis, next to Perk’s coffee shop, is Lanny’s. They specialize in fine jewelry, watches, and fashion accessories.

Julia Claire Get your gift personalized. From monogrammed linens and bags to novelty items, stationary, and picture frames, this quaint and contemporary store has some truly stylish implements you can take into your daily life.


san marco shopping district

(The strip along San Marco Boulevard between Hendricks and Naldo Avenues)
Most Stores Are Open Monday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm

The Snob Designer consignment shop specializing in like-new designer clothing, high-end fashions at second-hand prices, and fashion accessories by the world’s most exclusive designers.

In the Kitchen Sign them up for cooking classes or find them professional grade cutlery, practical cookware, and decorative tableware for the home.

Reve Designer dresses and casual women’s clothing, including fun shoes by Yellow Box.

Rosie True Featuring stylish casual clothing and contemporary designer fashions for the hip woman. These are fashions from a very cosmopolitan boutique.

Miriams Specializing in fine and estate jewelry year-round, they also stock up on elegant and breathtaking gifts and finery during the holiday season.

Duck Duck Goose High-end children’s boutique with designer outfits and matching sibling sets. From fashion accessories to specialty dresses for specific events, this is THE children’s boutique in San Marco.

Starbucks Coffee and coffee stuff. You know.

Mimis Featuring antiques, tableware, collectible figurines and stylish designer serving sets, Mimis is a kitchen and gift shop to match any in the South.

Luna Women’s designer fashions, jewelry, and fashion accessories such as designer handbags.

Karl’s Clothier Men and women’s fashions as featured in publications such as Harper’s Bazaar. Specializing in elegant and more traditional tastes.

Pick of the Crop Find fun and casual designer clothing and fashion accessories for women.

San Marco Petites Casual women’s fashions and seasonal designer clothing with everything you need to accessorize.

The Beauty Bar Featuring gourmet candles, skin care products, bath and beauty products, and specialty, spa-quality creams and lotions.

Adler Interior design and home furnishings. From high-end home décor to elegant throw pillows and lamps.

Gallery Framing Wall art and specialty office art prints. From original works by local painters to custom framing, they have your art situation under control.

Edwards of San Marco Knickknacks and collectibles that are crafty and cute, as well as pocket knives, pipes, walking sticks, fine pens, bookends, frames, and a selection of fine tobacco and cigars.

Monograms and More Personalized gifts, custom screen printing, embroidery, and custom gifts of exquisite quality.

Peterbrooke Chocalatier Very literally some of the best chocolate products anywhere. Peterbrooke is a Jacksonville institution that we can be proud of. Every gift should come with a little Peterbrooke chocolate on the tag. It says a little extra something.

Underwoods I’ll just list these crazy high-end brand names and if you know them, now you know where to find them: Cellini, Ritani, Penny Preville, Leslie Greene, Elara, Mikimoto, Roberto Coin, and Judith Ripka.

Bath & Linen Shop Fine linens by Nancy Koltes, bath and bedroom designs by Yves Delorme, and bedding by Scandia Down are just the beginning. This is Bed Bath & Beyond done San Marco style. Where else could you find Armani Casa?

The Grotto This exquisite wine bar and shop is a great place to get a shopping snack and a glass of wine. Pick up some gift certificates while you’re there and introduce someone new to a delightful hangout.

Stellars Gallery Featuring museum-quality oil paintings and original artwork. Get your purchases custom framed. Even if the art is out of your league, take a walk through the gallery to see some beautiful original work displayed properly.

Leila’s For casual designer women’s clothing and “delicious fashions,” hit up this fun San Marco boutique. Specializing in cutting-edge fashions and hip accessories.

San Marco Bookstore Specializing in vintage gifts, especially rare and collectible books, new books, and even decorative and classic coffee-table literature.

The Wardroom Ltd. Showcasing seasonal décor, knickknacks, personality gifts, frames, and one-of-a-kind home décor.

The Write Touch One of my favorite stores in Jacksonville. This store has the best gifts for the savvy businessperson. From specialty writing implements and leather planners to fine office décor and journals, The Write Touch gives a man style and a woman character.

Impressions This gift-shop-of-all-gift-shops features gift wrapping accessories, unique party supplies, greeting cards, and Christmas card sets.

5 Sisters Boutique Contemporary women’s fashions, “flirty skirts,” evening wear, and stylish fashion accessories.


five points

(Where Park Street crosses Lomax and Margaret) Most Stores Are Open Monday – Saturday 11am to 6pm

Inertia Records/Heartworks Café & Gallery Your Five Points shopping should really start here if you want an authentic Riverside experience. From the original Mark George artwork on the walls to their collection of rare CDs and vinyl, underground books, and terrifically informed children’s books to freshly made vegan and gluten-free baked goods, they are the kind of store you won’t find on any other side of town.

Nanny’s Send the parties not interested in underground music and gluten-free baked goods over to Nanny’s, across Lomax Street, to shop for children’s clothing. From seasonal outfits to fashion accessories for children, it caters to a more traditional crowd.

Fans & Stoves The largest antique store in Riverside, as far as I can tell, they carry a huge array of antiques, collectibles, jewelry, décor, novelty items, home accessories and art by Jacksonville’s famous R. Land, as well as fashions by Edge City. Various vendors use this store to sell their wares; you just have to see it.

Midnight Sun Featuring a wildly eclectic selection of imported clothing, furniture, and various other home décor items from Burma and around the world, this store is like the real version of Pier 1 Imports. Find hand-carved décor and housewares, as well as authentic musical instruments and even Burt’s Bees gift sets.

Einstein’s Kitsch-Inn The best selection of kitsch and novelty gifts in town. From hilarious gag gifts and fun stocking stuffers to novelty action figures and a wide variety of pop culture gifts, this store is fun, affordable, and appeals to your more creative side.

Hypnotique This is the clubbers boutique. Come here for hipster clothing, retro fashion accessories, chic shoes, and stylish sunglasses.

Gold Exchange & Jewelers of Jax This Five Points staple sells fine gold and silver jewelry, diamonds, watches, and serious fashion accessories. But they also carry some nice flasks, unique clocks, and elegant glass boxes.

Riverside Liquors & Village Wine Shop “Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.” Featuring a wide selection of vintage wines and every alcoholic beverage legal in the US, you can get the perfect gift for a connoisseur of fine liquor or a plain old alcoholic.

Lifestyles A gift and home furnishings gallery featuring contemporary home décor, greeting cards, home accessories, eclectic interior design implements, candles, cookbooks, and some fine furniture.

Anomaly Contemporary fashions and the accessories to complement them is their specialty. Many of their items are crafted by local designers and available exclusively at this store.

Nicotine Tobacco and Clothing Riverside’s skate shop also has an International selection of cigarettes and fine cigars. From slogan stickers and skateboard clothing and accessories to stylish cigarette cases and ashtrays, this is an authentically Five Points store.

Edge City One of Five Points’ founding stores, they set the bar for eclecticism very early on in this neighborhood. Featuring a stylish variety of designer fashions, including evening wear, casual outfits, and a huge selection of exquisite jewelry and fashion accessories, and the stylish creations of the store’s owner, Gunnel, there is plenty to look at here.

Time Warp Vintage Five Points always has some sort of vintage clothing store, and this one has stuck because of their exotic collection of fashions from every era. From this season’s popular Eaton caps (also known as “newsboy” caps or “thug” caps) and some novelty hats (they have fedoras) to shoes, faux fur coats, and even pleather jackets, these clothes will send you back in time.

Aloha Paradise Find fun tropical clothes and beach wear in this kitschy souvenir store with real Florida fashions. They are the only place in town with flip flop socks in a variety of styles, and their flip flop and sandal collection in general is impressive, but they also carry jewelry, sports watches, surf wear, and beach-themed décor.

Violet Find stylish and eclectic fashions and ensembles in this unique women’s boutique. Featuring a variety of silk scarves, Antica Farmacista fragrance diffusers, sage roll-on perfumes, and vintage jewelry, you can really look spectacular without compromising individuality. They are the area’s exclusive distributors of Built by Wendy women’s clothing and OnGossamer underpinnings.

The Clothing Warehouse Specializing in wearable vintage clothing from the 1940s to the 1980s, this vintage clothing store is less novelty and is loaded with great deals on a great look. Find Western shirts and cowboy boots or enjoy rare and one-of-a-kind dresses, shirts, and leather jackets.

Boger’s Shoes Featuring a wide variety of brand name shoes for every occasion as well as specialty footwear, this shoe store is a longtime Five Points staple.

Urbane New to the Five Points scene, this interior design store features contemporary furniture, seasonal décor, stylish home accents, and contemporary artwork.

City Cycle Bicycles Find a wide range of bicycles and match one to your needs. They also have sports clothing and biker gear.

European Bath & Body Gifts From gourmet soaps (I guess you would call them) to specialty fragrances, they have great gifts for people that like to pamper themselves in the bath as well as Phyto Pro Hair Care gift sets and designer lotions.

Caribbean Connection A classic Five Points head shop-turned-boutique. They have incense, band shirts, hair dye, belt buckles, body jewelry, Zippos, belts, and fashion accessories. Shoes by Vans, pants by Dickies, vintage jewelry, and gift certificates for piercing and tattoos.

Satu Showcasing a stylish selection of women’s contemporary fashions by Meltin Pot, fine Italian shoes, designer handbags, jewelry, and a selection of sunglasses, you can always find cutting-edge seasonal fashions without going totally broke.

Wolfgang The male version of Satu, they have great casual clothes and underwear by American Apparel and Topless California as well as Robert Wayne shoes, Alife Streetwear, and a wide selection of Diesel fashions for men.

Rainbows and Stars This store is so gay. By that, I mean their merchandise is made for or about homosexual men and women. From novelty gifts and slogan Ts to home décor and collectibles, this store lets you speak out or just buckle down and decorate.


whiteway

(The Intersection of Park & King Streets)
Most Stores Are Open Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm

Carter’s Park & King Pharmacy Although they are known as a longtime neighborhood pharmacy that carries medical supplies, they usually stock up on some nice gifts and forget-me-nots around the holidays.

One of Each Gifts Find a unique selection of novelty gifts, eclectic décor, knickknacks, seasonal candles, greeting cards, and housewares. Great stocking stuffers and not a huge price tag.

Bloomers Lingerie Find designer name brand sleepwear by Camille Beckman, specialty undergarments, slippers, housecoats, and casual intimate clothing for around the house.
American Beauty Florists Seasonal interior décor, Christmas ornaments, floral arrangements, and delightful plush toys and gifts.

Southern Crossings Antique Mall Antique chandeliers and furniture, elegant home décor from a variety of eras, knickknacks, collectible dinnerware and glassware, and a whole lot more in their huge store.

The Treehouse This children’s boutique features specialty and seasonal dresses, pajamas, outfits, fashion accessories and baby clothes for children of various ages.

Universe of Superheroes A fun adventure store filled with rare comics, serials, graphic novels, fan items, collectible figurines, and limited edition collectibles.

Primrose Pet Boutique and Antique Mall From collectible glassware and novelty gifts to pet clothing and stylish leashes, this store offers a variety of gift ideas.

Fig Leaf A consignment shop is a great place to find like-new name brand fashions for more affordable prices. This store is loaded with great clothing values. Located across from European Street Café, it’s a little way up Park Street.

Antique Lily Next to Fig Leaf is this store that showcases antiques, home décor, furniture, and collectibles.

BJs Park Street Antiques & More Antiques, home furnishings, décor, and a wide variety of antiques.

Bungalow Artworks Gallery & Framing For shabby chic décor and contemporary home accents, go just a little further up Park Street. Original artwork, window decorations, sculptures, home décor, glass and porcelain are some of the products they carry.

European Street Café Pick out your basket and fill it with European candies, gourmet chocolates, international grocery items, spices, fresh baked cookies, and sassy home accents and let them wrap it up pretty with a gift certificate to their delightful restaurant. They also have an international showcase of beers.

Glenn Certain Studio – Floral Design Artists Even if they don’t have anything on your list (or within your budget) their selection of contemporary seasonal décor, custom world-class floral arrangements, and stylish home accents are worth a look. The store is beautiful and it’s displayed like a gallery of color and season.

i like you by amy sedaris

i bought the book i like you by amy sedaris a month or so ago, and it is by far one of my favorite book purchases i have ever made. if you enjoy hosting get-togethers or if you are an amy sedaris fan, you MUST get this book. it will have you laughing outloud, non-stop. and the drawings and pictures are amazing. in fact, if you're stumped on a good christmas gift to give, this book is a great coffee table book and all the recipes are legit. i can't imagine anyone hating it. this week we (entertaining u) ran a review on it. you can read the review, by staff writer erin thursby, here.