Jun
19
The Shop Tart and her lovely friend M. left the island and went to Charleston, just for a few hours, because being at the beach makes you want to stay at the beach. It was a quick trip, but worth it. They started at Caviar and Bananas with a Ladybug roll and a couple glasses of bubbly. No idea what was in the Ladybug roll, by the way, but it sure was delicious.
And away they went to Hampden Clothing, always one of the Shop Tart’s favorite spots in Charleston.
They have a huge sale going on, with a whole wall and center rack of clothing discounted 30%. The back room of the store has clothing discounted 50%. Wheee! The ladies tried on loads of things, eventually deciding to share one of the two roomy dressing rooms as there was a wait for a room (not a long wait, but sharing is nice, n’est-ce pas?) M. scored a whole new wardrobe a few necessary and classic pieces. The Shop Tart nabbed a pair of dark gray shorts from Twinkle by Wenlan and she debated over a cropped jacket or gray vest by Rag and Bone. She hoped a magic sale fairy would show up and mark them down even more - like to 90% off - so she could have both, but she didn’t wait too long, because fairies aren’t real, silly. The vest was more interesting, so that’s what she chose. The Shop Tart doesn’t always love Rag and Bone, but this year it has been excellent.
Hampden also had bathing suits by Shoshanna. If you are the sort of lady who needs a stylish suit that comes in sizes other than small, smaller and smallest and your breasts aren’t standard issue, Shoshanna suits rock. Fortay in Columbia used to carry them and, now that it’s closed, the Shop Tart is thrilled to have another source. She didn’t look too hard, because she has already purchased two three oops four new suits this year, but they seemed to have a good selection (Here are a few. There were more.) They also had flats by Rag and Bone. Love!
And if you were wanting to get the Shop Tart a really nice present, these Rebecca Taylor boots in a 7 1/2 or 8 would be lovely. Really.
They also had shoes by Rodebjer, Moschino Cheap and Chic and Loeffler Randall. There were only a few pair by Loeffler, but one of them was a gray suede version of the same ones the Shop Tart has in bright blue. Very pretty!
M. was excited to see bags by 49 Square Miles, because one of her friends in California designs for them. The bags were fab and the Shop Tart can see them becoming her new obsession.
They also had accessories by Fiona Paxton, with which the Shop Tart is truly, madly, deeply in love. These are necklaces and they are awesome.
Loved these bracelets, too!
After Hampden, the ladies headed to Bits of Lace and realized they were a day early for the big sale. Might have to go on the way out of town on Saturday… They headed to Saks, where M. needed to return a pair of sunglasses, and ran into the lovely Marysia Reeves, who was on her way back to her studio on King Street. Marysia showed the Shop Tart an adorable short jumpsuit by BCBG that happened to be on sale and just her size. Score! After Saks, they took a quick tour of Marysia’s studio. As you can imagne, it is très, très chic. It’s nestled above Cortile del Re and overlooks King Street. There are windows all around and the natural light was dreamy. Marysia was getting ready for her show in Miami. We heard Melissa Blanchard of VanJean might be there and hope she’ll take lots of pictures, because her pictures of Fashion Week in New York were so much fun. And, why, you might be asking, did the Shop Tart not snap a few photos of Marysia’s studio? Doh! Maybe she was in awe.
The ladies began the long trek back up King towards Pop Up Shop. Although the shop is closing and much of the merchandise is gone, it was still verrah, verrah cool. Lindsey Carter (designer of Troubador and Carter Humphrey and Charleston Fashion Week emerging designer finalist) was there, as was Lauren Lail of Library, a vintage clothing and accessories showroom. The Shop Tart is working on obtaining some photos of the shop in it’s opening days to give you a better feel for it.
On the way back to the car, M and the Shop Tart stopped in Caviar and Bananas one more time, for a bottle of bubbly and two gorgeous baguettes to take back to the house and a duck egg roll and a lamb gyro roll to eat in the car. How about a little food porn? Enjoy!
In other news…
- The calendar, silly! Look at the calendar!
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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Jun
18
The Shop Tart was shocked - shocked! - to learn one of her friends had never - ever! - tried Frogmore Stew. She grew up in South Carolina and spent plenty of time with the same Frogmore Stew-eatin’ types that the Shop Tart did. How could this have happened? A real travesty. After some prodding, she recalled ever so vaguely that she might have tried it before she actually cared about food. Perhaps. In any case, the Frogmore Stew had to happen. The Shop Tart had brought potatoes from her Five Leaves Farm share in Columbia and two kinds of Caw Caw Creek sausage - Chorizo and hot Italian - specifically for the stew.
And what a Frogmore Stew it was. She started with an appetizer, this lovely cold bottle of Foss Marai Prosecco, one of her favorites.
A certain very happy eight-year old enjoyed an appetizer of Extreme Cookies N Cream ice cream with Magic Shell. That’s right, Magic Shell. And, nope, it was not from the hippy store. Oh, the things we let kids eat on vacation…
First off, she boiled two pots of water, one for a stew with sausage and one without, for the pescetarians in the house. To the water, she added some shrimp stock made previously by the brilliant Tracie, a fellow beach-house dweller. She also added loads of Old Bay seasoning and a few heaping spoons full of sugar. By the way, how cool is the faucet over the stove? Answer: So cool.
Next up, she added several pounds of small potatoes, halved, to the boiling water.
While those were boiling, she made cocktail sauce, which is very, very hard to make. It has two ingredients.
After the potatoes had boiled for fifteen minutes, she added the sausage.
After five more minutes, she added the corn, chopped into halves or thirds. A boy had to do that part, because it’s harder than you might think.
While the corn boiled for five more minutes, the Shop Tart contemplated this lovely still-life in the window, heirloom tomatoes from Wadmalaw Island and herbs from Tracie’s garden in Columbia.
Finally, she added several pounds of local shrimp from Simmons Seafood and let them cook until they were, you know, done. Speaking of Simmons, the Shop Tart learned - after driving quite a ways in the other direction - that Simmons Seafood is now right here on Isle of Palms, like a three-minute drive from where she’s staying. Who knew?
Et voilà: All-local Frogmore Stew. She served up the whole thing with cocktail sauce for dipping the shrimp, French baguette for dipping in the broth and a green salad. Speaking of the salad, it was a good one and easy to make. In a frying pan, sauté some corn (frozen works fine, but this was fresh,) a handful of pine nuts and some boiled quinoa in olive oil. Toss the mixture into a huge bowl of mixed greens and drizzle olive oil and Balsamic vinegar to your heart’s content. Lemon olive oil is nice if you have it. The Shop Tart did not and should have squeezed a lemon into the salad, but she forgot. Mwah!
She is really looking forward to a quick trip into Charleston today, where she will hit the Bits of Lace sale and - finally! - the Pop Up Shop on King. She will try to take lots of pictures and not buy too much stuff (wish her luck on that one…) She might have to pop in to Willy Jay (always something interesting and often not too pricey) and grab a snack or ten at Caviar and Bananas.
In other news…
- Lola has new clothing by Velvet and Three Dots.
- Kicks has new shoes from BCBG and Kate Spade, as well as the totally awesome Jeffrey Campbell rainboots in black. If you don’t have a pair, you really, really need them.
- Don’t forget to check out the calendar which, in its infancy still, is already new and improved. A friend of the Shop Tart’s who happens to be sharing her vacation did cool webby-type stuff to make it bigger and more readable.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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Jun
17
The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene, to be exact. A boat, a hurricane and, ultimately, some salvagers to clear the lot left space for one heck of a restaurant. It may not look fancy, but the parking lot is always full. And who does fancy at the beach? Not the Shop Tart. She barely manages to put on shoes. Shocking, just shocking.
Although the Shop Tart will go to the Wreck any day of the week, she particularly enjoys it with large parties, children even. The tables are covered in paper and the boiled peanuts are free. The wine is not the best, but it’s cheap and if you don’t like it just fine, you are (maybe, just maybe) a little too uptight for the Shop Tart’s taste.
The second wine, by the way, was better, although not necessarily in taste. But it was only $12.50. What’s not to love? The fried green tomatoes are lovable, too. If your best friend - the one who is also an excellent cook, the one who always has a bottle of nameless but crisp, white wine at the ready - made fried green tomatoes at home, this is what they would be. The tomatoes were firm, yet easy to cut with a fork and the coating was just right - not too thick, not too greasy.
While they waited for dinner, most of the party took a drink out on the dock to watch the sunset and let the children run around a bit. Shop Tart Tip: Always let children run around - outside, please - until the very last minute at a restaurant. You might even get to sit through a meal. Maybe. On a good night, when all the stars are aligned. Sunsets, by the way, are pretty, but they are particularly pretty on a dock with a glass of something lovely after a long day at the beach and a cool shower.
Also? Kids like looking at boats and there are cool boats out there.
And these oyster shells made for a nice, brief conversation (About oysters, of course. And oyster roasts. And Daddy, who loves both oysters and oyster roasts. And the fact that it is June, a month without an “r,” which means we shouldn’t enjoy oysters at all, if you believe the hype.)
So, the food arrived and there are no pictures. Why? Because there were too many people and the Shop Tart wanted to eat, eat, eat. Her children had broiled grouper and fried flounder. There is no children’s menu at The Wreck, but her boys are big eaters. Which gets expensive. The Shop Tart occasionally wishes she had fed them nothing but chicken nuggets and fries, then they wouldn’t be such food snobs. Too late now, but she’s happy for them. She enjoyed scallops and a deviled crab à la carte. Sides with meals include rice, a hush puppy, some of the best slaw you’ll ever eat and a small fried grit cake. Yup. Ordering at the Wreck is fairly simple - choose your seafood, broiled or fried - but the choice is difficult, because there are so many good ones. The crab cake over fried green tomato is delicious (as was a little fried green tomato chopped up and mixed in with deviled crab.) The shrimp are divine. The Shop Tart deeply regrets not ordering a small plate of fried oysters. She was counting on someone else at the table ordering them and had plans to steal one. Looks like everyone else had the same plan. *sniff*
There are three choices for dessert: Key Lime pie, banana pudding and Key Lime bread pudding. Guess what? They are all good. Also, you think you don’t have room, but you do, so eat up, little trucker. The Shop Tart was thrilled with the remains of her sons’ Key Lime bread pudding.Don’t forget, when it’s time to settle up, you must have cash and a friend who’s good at arithmetic, because they don’t do credit cards or separate checks.
They rode home with one of their housemates for the week, who was impeccably sober (Shop Tart Tip: Driving under the influence is bad, really bad. But with children in the car? That’s so far beyond tacky we can’t even contemplate it.)
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Shop Tart must slap on a bikini and head to the beach to work off that meal. Which one will she rock today? Yesterday, it was the lavender Loeffler mesh from VanJean with chrome-studded black flops from last year at Kicks, black Billabong cotton pants from Surf the Earth on Pawley’s and a gold hobo (Cloth, of course. Did you really think the Shop Tart would carry leather on the beach? Who do you think she is? Paris?) Today, she’s feeling a simple black bikini with Tracy Feith for Target hoodie, gold flops and a white canvas nautical bag (vintage.) Discuss. Or not. Mwah!
In other news…
- Please welcome new sponsor Finleaf Gallery. The famed Dock Walk at Finleaf is coming up on June 24th (next Wednesday) from 6 to 8 pm. This is the perfect opportunity for artists and lovers of local art. Anyone can bring and sell work, which should be pre-priced. If you sell a piece, you keep 80% of the cost. Love local art? This is the perfect way to explore new artists and enjoy great prices on beautiful work. See you there!
- Check the calendar for other events and do forgive the current wonkiness of the calendar; should be fixed soon.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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Jun
16
No way! Way! No way! Dude! Total way! The Shop Tart took her oldest son to the Piggly Wiggly yesterday, because she needed to load up on three beach essentials: Sunscreen, bubbly and pimento cheese. She also needed to go to Target, right by the Pig, to buy him a rash guard and some A & D ointment, because he had a current rash and a desire to prevent future ones. Why did he have a rash? Funny you should ask. He was really happy about it, too. Because he had the rash from teaching himself to surf. Dude. Short Motherly Brag:
Seriously? He taught himself. He insisted on hauling this crappy, broken surfboard he found under the house down to the beach, in spite of his mother’s warnings that it wouldn’t work and this could only end in misery. There were no waves. He was not deterred. Within a half hour, he was riding waves all the way to the shore. Not every time, but often enough. Dude.
Ahem. End short brag. So, as you may or may not have noticed, the Shop Tart prefers to shop locally-owned businesses, so she was thrilled to see Stagecoach, a clothing store with surf-y sorts of brands listed outside, like Quicksilver and Roxy. The rash guards were located first and the surf dude, feeling magnanimous, chose one for himself and one for his younger brother.
Quicksilver rash guards are worth the extra dough, because they’ll actually last the whole summer, maybe even the next. Less expensive brands tend to snag quickly. Quicksilver ones are also cooler and the Shop Tart will spend almost any amount of money to make sun protection seem cooler to her darling, fair-skinned offspring. But here’s the thing…when they went to check out, the young lady asked if she had a PFC card*, which she did. Frankly, she doesn’t buy the majority of her groceries there, as she has fallen for the hype of eating local and organic. And it isn’t hype, yo. It’s better for you and the farmers. The Pig is her non-hippy grocery store of choice, though, because they do seem to carry more local produce than the others.
Where are we? Ah, yes. The PFC card. She whipped it out, not knowing what joyous news awaited her. Stagecoach, due to its proximity to the Pig, allows customers to use their PFC card Greenbax stamps for merchandise and - get this! - you get $2 per book. The Shop Tart only had to pay the tax on her rash guards. And she still has nine books left, which is eighteen dollars. Sweet! Maybe she’ll go back and pick up a cute top or two. Or flip flops. Or a surfer-style bag. Or a sundress…
All in all, yesterday was excellent. As much as she enjoyed working at the Windjammer during a bikini contest, the Shop Tart was thrilled to find Cafe Medley on Sullivan’s Island, a mere five minute drive away. The wi-fi was free and easy to access, the atmosphere was lovely and the peppermint tea hit the spot.
Although the Shop Tart wasn’t hungry - she had eaten in anticipation of working at the Windjammer, where the idea of breakfast was less than appealing - Cafe Medley had a nice-looking menu.
The cafe also serves wine, which might be nice in the afternoon. They sell wine by the glass and the bottle, with in-house tastings every Wednesday. Tomorrow, they are having a special tasting: Beer Floats. Yup. Sounds like fun! They’ll be pouring a Young’s Luxury Double Chocolate Stout and Atwater Block Cherry Stout, with ice cream. There will be non-beer floats for the children, so it could be a fun family outing. Do put safety first, please, and walk or designate a driver.
Last night, the Shop Tart and her myriad fellow beach house dwellers enjoyed dinner grilled by the pool. Salmon, burgers, veggie burgers, eggplant, cauliflower, okra, asparagus, tuna: All grilled. All delicious. Tonight, they plan to descend on the Wreck. She can’t wait to enjoy a crisp, cool glass of white wine on the dock before eating a divine seafood dinner. Seriously? South Carolina is the best state, for real.
In other news…
- Don’t forget to check the Shop Tart’s calendar for ongoing sales and events.
- Pout has great Father’s Day gifts from Molton Brown, the Art of Shaving and Fresh. Once the dad in your life uses a good pre-shave oil or shaving cream, he’ll never look back. Mr. Shop Tart discovered the joy of pre-shave oil years ago and will be happy to preach to you about its virtues. Just ask.
- Reader Becca Johnson has a great tip for Bloody Mary drinkers: “For the longest time I thought that Liberty Taproom had the best Bloody Mary. It comes with 2 olives, a jumbo boiled shrimp, Cajun spices around the rim, and a huge celery stalk. Delicious! Well yesterday I decided to try something different for my Sunday brunch. I was in the mood for pizza and we both know that Village Idiot has amazing pizza [Ed. note: True that.] I stopped in and noticed that they have a Bloody Mary bar on Sundays until 2 pm. The bar was amazing. It has pickles, pickled okra, capers, pickled onions, hot peppers, olives, fresh celery, and several hot sauces. I almost forgot the most important part!! The Bloody Mary at Liberty is $5.95 but the Bloody Mary at Village Idiot is only FOUR DOLLARS!!!!” Thank you, Becca!
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
* Pig’s Favorite Customer, for the uninitiated. From the Piggly Wiggly.
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Jun
15
The funny thing about the beach is that things that seem like huge ordeals at home seem minor. No wi-fi at the rental house? Even though the owner promised? No big deal, because there appears to be at least one place on the island with wi-fi. The Windjammer. WHOOOOOO! Behold a certain intrepid blogger’s MacBook Pro
She arrived yesterday afternoon and enjoyed watching the children get all kinds of excited about beach-rentalish things, like a bunk bed room, myriad televisions and a vanishing edge pool. With a view of the ocean. Lovely, really. And they’ve been enjoying all sorts of delicious treats, like Dibs, many different kinds of chips and other delicious snacks. For dinner, they are being forced to eat this “healthy” quiche, constructed from three bunches of green onions left over from the Shop Tart’s CSA share, a tomato, loads of shredded cheddar cheese, and half and half. best part? No materials to make a crust, so she used a delicious store-bought one. She did, to her credit, use Wil-More eggs from home.
La famille Shop Tart also enjoyed the Italian version of fried spaghetti (You know - when you take leftover spaghetti, leave it in the shape it molded into in the storage container and slap it in a pan and fry it.) Behold pesto pasta tossed with an egg or two (Wil-more Farms from the All-Local Market, thankyouverymuch) and fried in a pan. Mmmmm… Italian people do smart stuff with food.
Don’t forget the pimento cheese, good on just about anything, but particularly delicious scooped onto a Sun Chip.
And if you have Sun Chips and pimento cheese, there is only one logical thing to do next: Make a sandwich, bien sûr. The Shop Tart would have added a leaf or three of crispy iceberg lettuce, but it was not her sandwich.
Can’t wait to have a shrimp boil, looking forward to dinner at the Wreck, and loving the ocean view. Grilling out tonight by the pool. Mwah!
The week ahead…
- First of all, the Shop Tart is très excited to announce a new feature: The Calendar. You can see the day’s events and sales at the top of the left side of the page or click on the link below them to see the full calendar. A mobile-friendly version is in the works. The advent of the calendar will eliminate the section at the bottom of each post (”In other news…”) so if you are in a hurry and don’t want to read the Shop Tart’s musings, you can simply check the calendar. You do want to read her musings, though, don’t you? She will still occasionally post things at the bottom of a post, usually on Mondays.
- This week, the Shop Tart will make one and only one trip into Charleston. Among other places, she plans to visit the Pop Up Shop at 501 King Street and Bits of Lace, where they are having a sale from June 19th through 30th with mark-downs from 60 to 75 percent. Bras more than half off*!
- VanJean has a whole room on sale, 40 to 60% off. Go, go, go!
- As far as we know, Kicks is still offering 30% off your first pair of sale shoes and 40% off the second. They also have plenty of new shoes, priced so low it seems like they are on sale. Need to spend a chunk of cash? Never fear. There are always those new Nanette Lepores you wanted to buy for the Shop Tart. Or the Claudia Ciutis…they’re 30% off after all!
- Mbellished is closing the door (but keeping the Virtual Door open, as internet and personal orders will still be available.) Enjoy 50% off everything in the store right now!
- Mark your calendar: On Thursday, June 25th from 6 to 8:30 pm, please join Illumination MedSpa for their One Year Anniversary Customer Appreciation Celebration. Pout and VanJean will be featured and you will enjoy door prizes, giveaways, discounts, light hors d’oeuvres and drinks. This is a great time to learn about procedures that interest you from people who have had them.
- Shop Tart Deal Alert: Ashley Hayes, a certified Pilates instructor with a great reputation, is offering Shop Tart readers an Introductory Pilates session for only $30. This would be a private, one-on-one session with the Pilates machines. That is an incredible deal. if you haven’t tried Pilates, this is your chance. Even one session on the machines will help you bring more to your mat practice. Call 803-800-6726 for your appointment as soon as possible, as she will get booked.
- Coplon’s still has a 40% off sale going. Plenty of things you can wear right now.
- Tomorrow evening, The Rotary Club of the Vista Night is hosting their 12th Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction. The event has raised over $20,000 for charities such as Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, Sistercare, Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, and Family Service Center of South Carolina. The 2009 recipient will be Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands. Enjoy over 100 wines available to taste, delicious food and incredible auction items like vacation packages and art. Tickets are $40, well worth it.
- Tonic and H2 are offering free microdermabrasion with any one hour facial during the month of June.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
* Ha ha.
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Jun
12
Thank goodness the weekend is here, because the Shop Tart’s life is really hard and she needs to relax. Yesterday, she had to get up early and teach a Pilates class, then she had a doctor’s appointment and - this is where her day gets really tough - she had to go get a facial at Pout, part of a six-facial series she purchased. Shannon is treating her with LED light therapy (and lots of other lovely things including, but not limited to, hand massages, face masques and foot rubs.) The light therapy, along with Laser Genesis treatments from Dr. Hurley at Illumination, has been helping her lovely, crusty chin immensely. Do you like the word “crusty?” In reference to skin? Anyhow, it’s getting better. After the facial, the Shop Tart had her makeup reapplied by Connie, Chantecaille’s makeup artist who was visiting Pout.
Interesting Fact: Sylvie Chantecaille was one of the creators of Prescriptives.
Fascinating Fact: The Shop Tart used Prescriptives foundation until she discovered Chantecaille, which saved her from making a trip to the mall.
Who knew about that connection? Prescriptives was the first foundation she really loved and Chantecaille was even better. The great thing about Chantecaille makeup is that it has things in it that are good for the skin, so you aren’t just looking pretty. You’re treating your skin at the same time. The Future Skin Foundation she favors comes in a little pot, so you don’t waste one bit. If you think of it as a two-in-one product (or three or four, as it also offers sun protection and charged water and seaweed,) the slightly higher cost doesn’t seem like such a big deal. If you want to talk about this some more, tap the Shop Tart on the shoulder next time you see her out and about; she’ll be more than happy to go on about how much she loves this stuff. Connie also used Chantecaille’s La Baleine compact for the Shop Tart’s eyes. If she didn’t already own it, she would have bought it. So pretty! Also, every purchase helps save the whales. Whales still rock.
After Pout, she headed to Lola for a drop of bubbly, a little shopping and a lot of fun. Those ladies know how to have a good time. They know how to buy for a store, too. The Shop Tart always finds something she’s never seen. They have loads (seriously. Loads.) of Trina Turk, as well as smaller brands like Eva Franco, Francis, Signette, and Elliott Lauren and they always manage to find just the right pieces.
And there were tons of things on sale…
And they have fancy maternity jeans and Michael Stars Maternity tops, both pregnancy essentials, for comfort and style.
Although there was plenty of bubbly (Shop Tart fave Pol Clement) and beer for the guys, this lady brought her own Chardonnay. The Shop Tart was so impressed; always being prepared for a party is verrah important. That’s Cindy, one of the owners of Lola, on the left.
Frederick Jabber was there from Weathers with plenty of goods for the men. And, don’t know if you noticed this, but he is pretty handsome. The Shop Tart thinks ladies’ stores need more handsome men around. Just saying.
Kicks of Lexington is located inside Lola, which is way cool if you’re looking to get your whole outfit in one place. One lucky lady found a maxi dress that wasn’t quite right until she also scored a skinny belt and shoes from Kicks. Speaking of that belt, we are obsessed and may have to go back and snap one up for ourselves. It was about an inch wide, black, and decorated with dull brass studs. Punk rock-ish and feminine all at the same time. Love these Nanette Lepores, by the way.
Love this pair of dressy Matisse sandals, too. At only $79, they might be your best score of the summer. You would wear them into the ground. Promise.
As always, there was a lot of pretty jewelry at Kicks and Lola. Most of these are by Theodosia, available at Kicks.
After a lovely time at Lola (and a couple of cute tops…on sale…shhhhh…) the Shop Tart met Mr. Shop Tart at Mr. Friendly’s in the bar for an après-work glass of bubbly and a snack. Bartender Justin poured a delicious glass of bubbly and the Shop Tart completely forgot to ask what it was. Maybe the visual will help.
The lemon-basil seafood cakes with cucumber-crab tartar sauce and pickled veggie relish were so good that the happy couple ordered them twice.
The Shop Tart was kind of ashamed to admit she had never tried the French Quarter pimento cheese. She had enjoyed it on a burger, of course, but never as a stand-alone dish. The important thing to do when you’ve made a mistake is own up to it and do your best to remedy the situation, so this was their dessert. Oh, so good!
And home they went, to hang out on the porch and contemplate next week’s trip to Isle of Palms. Sea Biscuit, Poe’s Tavern, the Wreck…do e-mail the Shop Tart with any other suggestions. She loves a good personal recommendation.
In other news…
- Simply Savory is offering six wines at their free tasting this afternoon from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. That’s a lot of free wine!
- Howard of Terra recently earned his Wine Specialist Certification. Great for him and super-great for you, because you won’t need to know a darn thing about wine to get the best at Terra! Do take advantage of Howard’s knowledge, perhaps this evening.
- The closing sale at Mbellished just got better, 40% off.
- The re-modeling wine sale at Gourmet Shop is almost over, so take advantage soon and get 25% off tons of good wine (10% more if you get a case.) By the way, love these Komachi knives by Kershaw/Shun. The work great, are mad stylish, and only cost $12.56 each in the current sale. Add a little bamboo cheese board and some yummy cheese and you have the perfect hostess gift. Mwah!
- Check out new summer mark-downs at M Boutique, 25% off. Love this French Connection dress (looks like Missoni, at a much lower price.)
- The All-Local Farmers’ Market is happening tomorrow at Gervais and Vine. On July 4th, the market will move to its permanent location at 701 Whaley Street, so enjoy it while you can. The Shop Tart will be there bright and early before she heads to the beach to stock up on eggs, maybe a steak or two, fresh salad greens and flowers for the beach house.
- Tomorrow, from noon to 2 pm, head to Cellar on Greene for another free wine tasting and giant wine sale (over thirty wines.) Taste for free and take some home to enjoy on the porch.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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Jun
11
The Shop Tart has spent the week reliving her early twenties. How did she ever make it through? It’s exhausting. She and her roommate from back in the day, who is staying with her, have gone out or behaved as though they were out every single night. Ouch. But, my goodness, is it ever fun!
Yesterday, they hit VanJean and Kicks, with much success. VanJean had loads of things on sale and the ladies were shocked, absolutely stunned, that their final tabs were so low. The Shop Tart may have found two new keerus items. The cami on the left is by Phillip Lim (Yes, she is still Phillip’s girl) and she wore it last night to Motor Supply with a leather mini skirt (also Phillip Lim, so you know it wasn’t tacky.) You see, if one is going to brave the leather skirt in this weather, one needs a very bare top for contrast. The dress on the right, a lightweight cotton, is by Liquid, which means it wasn’t too expensive. In the Shop Tart’s humble opinion, Liquid does a great job with…just about everything. She often picks up a piece thinking it will be much more expensive than it is. VanJean has a lot of pieces by Liquid right now, many of them on sale (Although the dress was not. But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, n’est-ce pas?)
Her roomie snapped up loads of cool summer knits for their beach trip next week. you won’t be seeing a picture because said roomie is still sleeping. Lucky. The Liquid dress, incidentally, will be worn with one of these belts, perhaps all three. At different times, of course. The bottom two were technically free, as they came with other items (one with a skirt, one with a dress, both Phillip Lim.) The top one was almost free, as she scored it at an outlet for, like, fifty cents. They are all keerus belts. You just never know. Feel free to express an opinion as to which one she should rock today.
After VanJean, the ladies headed to Kicks to check out the new sandals by Coconuts and Matisse. How refreshing to turn over a cute sandal and see “$53″ instead of “$253″ or more. You may find it so refreshing you buy more than one pair. Although these Matisse dressy sandals were more (not by too much, $132), you would wear them forever.
These were all well under $100.
This one, also by Matisse, is $120, still not too pricey.
There were plenty others, but the Shop Tart’s camera was being less than cooperative. This afternoon, she will be at Lola in Lexington with the folks from Weathers. You can shop for yourself after picking something out for the dad in your life. Maybe you can enjoy a glass of bubbly while you’re at it. Kicks of Lexington, located inside Lola, will have loads of shoes for you. The sale at Kicks is still on: 30% off the first pair of sale shoes you buy and 40% off the second. If you buy a pair of full-price shoes, you can still get 40% off a sale pair. The new shoes aren’t included, but at those prices, this is no big trauma. There are still some fab things on sale, though, including sandals by Matt Bernson. Shop Tart reader Nora gushed recently about her new green and blue ones. They are pretty awesome and they are included in the sale. See you at Lola!
Last night, the rockstars ladies and two other friends from days of yore went to Motor Supply, where dinner was delicious as always. They are getting wiser and stuck to one bottle of bubbly. Afterward, they stopped by Hunter Gatherer to say hello to another old friend. At the bar, they were served lovely Bom Boms by Denyse Cohen. Well, to be clear, Denyse didn’t serve them, Joe did. But Denyse makes them and they have been a big hit at Hunter Gatherer. The passion fruit one was a Shop Tart favorite. After that, the Shop Tart went home and went to bed, thank goodness. All this acting like a twenty-two year old is getting to her. Luckily, she has a beach vacation coming to keep the party going recover.
In other news…
- The Shop Tart spent yesterday with her new friend, The Shop Tart Raleigh, who should have her own blog up and running soon. For now, check her out on Twitter and Facebook.
- VanJean’s new site is up and fabulous - take a look!
- Today is the last day of the Chantecaille Rosewater and Palette System Event at Pout. Chantecaille’s in-house make up artist, Connie, will be at the store taking appointments for all of your Chantecaille needs. Call now for an appointment, as they get booked fast. Look for specials on select products and free rosewater refills with purchase.
- Belladea is having a summer sale today and tomorrow. Spend up to $199 to receive 15% off your purchase, spend $200 - $349 for 20% off and $350 or more for 30% off.
- Weathers is having a sale, but you must print the coupon. No word on whether or not it will be valid on the Weathers stuff at Lola, but the Shop Tart bets it will.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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Jun
10
Have you ever had house guests who convince you that you, too, are on vacation? The Shop Tart has them right now. Does that make her a vacation thief? She keeps forgetting she has to work and behave like a functional adult in the morning, but she’s having a great time, so whatev. Last night, she and the lovely M. met her friend L. at Rosso. She had completely forgotten that both of the ladies had attended Hampshire College, which is kind of a strange coincidence. So…um…there’s that. They also both happen to be really, really funny and entertaining, two qualities the Shop Tart admires in friends. And they have great shoes.
The ladies started with a bottle of the new Caposaldo Prosecco, an entirely inoffensive bubbly that was priced much lower than the one the Shop Tart had been ordering at Rosso. As she was the designated driver, she made sure M. would be happy to consume more than half the bottle. Vacation Girl happily agreed.
They ordered the fried risotto balls as an appetizer. The plate has three balls, perfect for sharing*. Did you know if you take creamy rice, then shape it into balls, bread it and fry it, that it is particularly delicious?
The Shop Tart and M. couldn’t resist ordering the same thing for dinner, salmon carpaccio. Her favorite things at Rosso have been cold dishes like this one (loved that ceviche they did a while back.) The Copper River Sockeye salmon was served with shaved cucumber salad, beets and crostini. So simple and delicious - you really must try it if it shows up on the specials list again.
L. had the salad with mozzarella. You may notice that the picture below shows a man, not a lady. L. is not a man. That is Mr. Shop Tart, who ordered the salad on a previous trip to the restaurant. Let’s just call this a “stock photo” and compliment the kitchen at Rosso on consistency.
After those snacks, the ladies wanted more. M. asked for simple roasted asparagus with lemon. Although it’s hard to go wrong with that, the ladies noted the asparagus was cooked just right, not too tough, not too mushy.
The Shop Tart absolutely loves arugula lightly dressed with whatever it is Rosso lightly dresses stuff with. This is not on the menu, but (so far) they’ve always been glad to make it. Simple is good, y’all, simple is good. Arugula is kind of spicy and makes for an exciting salad.
At this point, the Shop Tart was in true vacation mode and wanted another glass of wine. After a quick call to her husband, who was playing tennis with M’s husband, she was assured she would have a safe ride home and the ladies moved to the patio and ordered a second bottle. Round Two! Ding! And how awesome are M’s sandals?
Then the Shop Tart’s uncle showed up with two golfing buddies. After much lamenting over the dearth of cold Bud Light (a temporary problem, for those of you who are concerned), her uncle solved the problem by bringing some from the cooler in his car. With koozies. Why? ‘Cause the Shop Tart’s family likes to party. The arrival of her uncle reminded the Shop Tart that she should text her cousin, who arrived shortly after with another cousin and a friend. Thankfully, they helped finish the second bottle of wine. The second bottle, my friends, is never as great of an idea as you think it is, and you should welcome any and all help. The patio at Rosso has molto stile, thanks to fab touches like this mad minimalist fountain.
You know what else is stylish? These clutches. The one on the left is the Shop Tart’s favorite Hayden-Harnett wristlet, which M had borrowed. The one on the right belonged to her Nana (the original Shop Tart), possibly in the eighties. But it’s cool again, right? Right?
Finalmente, the husbands arrived, sweaty from tennis and ready to take charge behind the wheel.
Although she felt like she was on vacation, the Shop Tart also felt right at home at Rosso. In addition to her own family, she saw plenty of familiar faces, like Liz Lafitte of Kicks and…wait for it…the brand new Shop Tart for Raleigh, North Carolina. Can’t wait for her to get started!
In other news…
- Summer is here, for real, yo. Sitting outside at Rosso, the Shop Tart was reminded of her need for a pre-beach pedicure. Calling Soak for an appointment today.
- Kicks has new sandals by Matisse and Coconuts. Fab shoes, sweet prices. Ready? Set? Go!
- The Chantecaille Rosewater and Palette System Event is back at Pout by popular demand this today and tomorrow only. Chantecaille’s in-house make up artist, Connie, will be at the store both days and taking appointments for all of your Chantecaille needs. Call now for an appointment, as they get booked fast. Look for specials on select products and free rosewater refills with purchase.
- Tonight from 6 to 7:30 pm, head to Finleaf Gallery, where Leighton Lord, a local attorney and collector of “Outsider Art,” will give an informative talk and show paintings and objects from his collection. An original Mose Tolliver painting will be available for sale and, even more exciting, peach daiquiris and watermelon slices will be served. What a lovely summer treat!
- Tonight at Mr. Friendlys, enjoy wines for charity. They’ll donate 50% of the evening’s wine proceeds to Project Pet of the Midlands. All you have to do is drink wine. How hard is that? Any wine purchase helps, so go do the right thing.
- There are lots of new summer clothes at Bohemian and even more to come, as well as new jewelry and handbags. Mark your calenders: Bohemian Home is hosting a wine tasting party in the evening on June 25th. They’ll have clothes there for browsing, too.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
* That’s what she said. Can’t let that joke go, just can’t.
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Jun
9
Without, you know, cleaning it or anything. Many years ago, the Shop Tart was hours away from hosting a family luncheon for one of her children’s baptisms. She cannot be expected to remember which child it was. Oh, wait, she can. It was the last one, because she had it catered by the delightful Suzi Sheffield of El Burrito. She didn’t serve burritos, silly. She served warm chicken salad, roasted green beans and the most obscenely good bite-size ham biscuits the Shop Tart has ever had. People were freaking out they were so good. It must have been the third child, because they must have been in the house where they live now, because the Shop Tart didn’t know Suzi catered until after Suzi bought her old house. Don’t you just love small towns? And those biscuits…oh, mercy. A few months later, the Shop Tart needed more, badly. Suzi was out of town but agreed to give her the recipe, provided she would never tell a single soul the secret. And she hasn’t, although she has made them numerous times. Where were we?
Ah, yes. How to make your bathroom seem clean for guests without really cleaning it. So, the Shop Tart had a minor meltdown when she realized she had no acceptable tablecloths for the luncheon. She did what any sane person would do. Went to the mall. Although she has no real love for the mall, she did find what she sought - two acceptable tablecloths, one for the kitchen table and one for the dining room. Oh. Forgot to mention she was hosting about twenty and needed both tables, with extensions. While she was buying the tablecloths, she realized she had no hand soap for the guest bath. To avoid another shopping trip, she bought some at the fancy kitchen store, paying an obscene amount with no shame. As it turned out, the fancy soap changed her life. It smelled divine. Every time a guest washed his hands, the bathroom smelled light and clean. Also? Thanks to the soap? She could tell which guests washed their hands and which didn’t. This information came in handy when she was deciding whom to ask to pass the ham biscuit appetizers. Remember the ham biscuits? They were so good that her aunt declared they didn’t even need the ham. Damn, those are good biscuits.
Back to the hand wash. The other day, the Shop Tart realized she needed more. To avoid the mall, she headed straight to Pout, where she found plenty of choices. After much enjoyable sniffing, he narrowed it down to two: Molton Brown Thai Vert and Fresh Sugar Blossom. Although they were both lovely, she chose the one by Fresh, based on her recent obsession with other products from that line (The Crème Ancienne, the Anise Wrinkle Eraser, the Rose Marigold Floral Water…)
Once again, the half bath smells divine and the Shop Tart knows which guests are hand washers and which are not. But she really loved the Molton Brown Thai Vert, too. It might make its way into her downstairs master bath, which guests also use during parties.
Speaking of delicious things, the Shop Tart wonders if anyone makes a hand soap that smells like the shrimp burger at Cock n Bull. On second thought, that would be awful. But the shrimp burger itself is beyond compare. The Shop Tart and her Italian visitors headed to the bar last night for an early dinner with their children. Although she has attempted to order other things and has been told they are delicious, she cannot resist the shrimp burger over an Emerald Isle salad. There are little grilled red onions in the salad. And some cheese and mixed greens and possibly roasted red peppers. The shrimp burger itself - prepared with Panko bread crumbs, a ton of shrimp and some other delicious things - is so flipping good. The Shop Tart likes things that are crispy on the outside, which it is. Just look at it.
The other adults enjoyed an Emerald Isle salad with chicken, a roasted vegetable sandwich and another shrimp burger. The children devoured quesadillas, shrimp and chicken fingers. They suffered through having their fries stolen by the adults, who eventually ordered up a basket to share. The veggie sandwich came with onion rings, which were the Shop Tart’s favorite kind. How did she not know about this? The onions were cooked to tender perfection and the friend coating didn’t cling to them. The onions slid seductively from their crispy coating. Did that sound dirty? They were so good she felt dirty. Rowrrr. They reminded her of the onion rings she relished as a child at Shoney’s, but they were even better.
In other news…
- The Chantecaille Rosewater and Palette System Event is back at Pout by popular demand this Wednesday and Thursday only. Chantecaille’s in-house make up artist, Connie, will be at the store both days and taking appointments for all of your Chantecaille needs. Call now for an appointment, as they get booked fast. Look for specials on select products and free rosewater refills with purchase.
- Everything at Weathers is on sale…and a lot of it will be at Lola Thursday, along with the Shop Tart, who will be sipping bubbly and entertaining you with true-life stories and unsolicited fashion advice.
- Mbellished is closing. Sort of. The physical shop will close, but the lovely Mrs. Murphy will continue to meet all your custom stationary and invitation needs from home. In fact, she’s working on notecards for the Shop Tart right this second. Everything in the shop is at least 30% off. The Shop Tart lurrrrved some of the funny Kate Spade cards.
- M Boutique has a new shipment for summer, including this little number, which is calling the Shop Tart’s name for her beach vacation next week.
- If you have children, no matter what age, you must go to the main branch of the Richland County Public Library to see Billy Jonas and his band perform today at 3 pm, a little earlier to get seats and get settled. The kids will go nuts and get out a lot of that crazy summer energy. Even if you don’t have kids, go. He’s pretty cute and the music is right on.
- Don’t miss the Seeing Double Sale at Columbia Museum of Art’s gift shop. The annual store-wide sale is in progress during the entire month of June. Everyone saves and Museum members get double the discounts. One of a kind and handmade gifts in all price ranges can be found at the Museum Shop. Worldly inspired items, artistic cards and note cards, creative children’s toys, handmade jewelry and elegant scarves are just a few of the wonderful treasures you will find. Give the gift of creativity and help the Museum continue its mission of inspiring, educating and enriching the public through art.
- Little Lambs and Ivy is having a great sale on spring and summer clothes for kids at both locations, Devine Street and Holly Street behind KD’s Treehouse.
- Tonight, Solstice is offering Italian wine flights. Former GM Michael Cramer will pour you a $12 flight featuring Pighin Pinot Grigio, Villa Nozzole Chianti Classico and the amazing 06 Guidalberto. They’ll also debut a new Prosecco and treat everyone who orders the wine flight and dinner to a complimentary glass of the Caposaldo Prosecco. Make a reservation and make sure you have a safe driver, m’kay?
Happy shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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Jun
8
Lovely weekend…The Shop Tart’s favorite former roommate M. arrived from Italy via San Francisco with her most fabulous husband and son. Do you ever have house guests you wish could stay forever? These peeps would be welcome to make themselves a permanent fixture. They get jokes, they aren’t annoying and they so get the Porch Beers concept. Also, they brought cotognata from Italy, one of the Shop Tart’s favorites. Although she’s tried a cotognata or three purchased on U.S. soil, they just aren’t the same. M. and her bella famiglia arrived Friday at midnight and, in their honor, the Shop Tart stayed up drinking Chardonnay until they arrived. Then she stayed up until 3 am chatting with her friend, who was still on California time and hasn’t been seen ’round these parts for two years. The next morning, she slept. They walked to Rosewood Market for lunch and the Shop Tart spent a lazy afternoon by the pool while M. visited her family.
Saturday evening? More Porch Beers (and prosecco, naturalmente.) In news that is both shocking and sad, M. has been unable to obtain her beloved pimento cheese in Italy, so the Shop Tart served Rosewood Market’s in-house made spread (two containers - one jalapeno, one regular - stirred together.) She also served olives from the olive bar at Piggly Wiggly and roasted asparagus. Kristian Niemi, owner of Rosso and Gervais & Vine, and his wife Heather were shopping, too. She tried to see what they were buying, since it was sure to be good, but she didn’t want to get too stalkerish about it. The Shop Tart believes the olive bar at Piggly Wiggly on Devine is the best one in town. There are others that are bigger, but somehow never manage to have the exact thing she wants. The Pig rules. Porch Beers lasted ’til all hours and included a couple of surprise visitors, which always makes for an entertaining evening. It seems that some people don’t like it when guests come by with no notice. The Shop Tart loves it, loves, because there is no pressure to entertain. All of you people who are worried that your house isn’t clean enough need to let it go and welcome any and all guests with open arms and an open fridge. The Shop Tart is hereby inviting you - officially - to just drop by already. In fact, one of the Saturday night guests fixed the running toilet in the half-bath, without being asked. Not that the Shop Tart makes a habit of asking her guests to do home repairs. He is welcome any time.
Sunday morning brought more blessed sleep. The guests are on California time and, like a good hostess, the Shop Tart has joined them. After a late breakfast, the guests spent the day with in-town relatives and la famiglia Shop Tart spent Sunday as usual. The children went to church with Mr. Shop Tart while their mother stayed home and slept like a baby in a blissfully quiet house worked. Later, she went to the gym in anticipation of the massive amounts of boiled Port Royal shrimp from the Pig dipped in Rosewood Market chipotle mayo she intended to consume that evening on the porch. Yum!
On Saturday, the Shop Tart is headed to balmy Isle of Palms with her dear amici, which leads her to ask two questions of you, dear reader:
1. Where is your favorite place in Columbia to get a bikini wax?
2. What is your favorite waterproof mascara? Thanks to Revitalash, the Shop Tart finally has lashes to put it on. Yeah!
In the week ahead…
- Just in time for Fathers Day! Wardrobe stylist Fredrick Jabber and the Shop Tart will be at Lola in Lexington on Thursday from 2 until 7 pm, hosting Champagne and Shopping (incidentally, two of the Shop Tart’s favorite things.) There will be men’s clothing available for purchase from Weathers of Columbia. Come view the latest in men’s fashions and accessories from designers like Robert Graham, Jack Victor, Donald Pliner, Nat Nast and Bugatchi. The clothes will stay in the store on Friday and Saturday if you can’t make it on Thursday. There will be discounts for ladies, too. Lola has tons of things reduced 50 to 75% off. Also, check out new arrivals from Velvet, Rachel Pally, T-bags and more.
- Kicks, located inside Lola, will have new shoes by Matisse and Coconuts, brands known for being stylish and affordable. They also have loads of things on sale.
- Doodlebugs will host Clay Rice, silhouette artist, on Saturday next Saturday from 10 am until 3 pm. They are almost booked, so call 957-1413 for an appointment as soon as possible. These silhouettes make great keepsakes and gifts for anyone who loves your children. The Shop Tart loves something vintage-looking like a silhouette framed in a sleek, modern style.
- Head to VanJean this week to take a look at the latest shipments from Tory Burch and Milly. Love!
- Pout has plenty of things for Father’s Day, like products by Art of Shaving and Fresh’s line for men.
- Check out the new section on the menu at Terra, “What We’re Drinking with Our Meals.” Chef Mike and manager Harold suggest wines that best complement seasonal items on the menu. Yum.
- Mbellished is having a huge closing sale. Everything is 30% off and will continue to be marked down until the end of June. The retail part of the business will close, but the website will grow and they will still offer local delivery. All merchandise, furniture and fixtures on sale.
- Shop Tart Deal Alert: Ashley Hayes, a certified Pilates instructor with a great reputation, is offering Shop Tart readers an Introductory Pilates session for only $30. This would be a private, one-on-one session with the Pilates machines. That is an incredible deal. if you haven’t tried Pilates, this is your chance. Even one session on the machines will help you bring more to your mat practice. Call 803-800-6726 for your appointment as soon as possible, as she will get booked.
- Belle Vie is having a fab spring and summer sample sale, including over one thousand Doncaster pieces at 40 and 50% off. The pieces are well-made classics; now is the time to score them at a great price.
- Coplon’s has plenty of shoes, handbags and clothing marked down 40%, so go get them!
- Tombo Grille has $15 bottles of wine tonight. Pretend it’s still the weekend and indulge.
- M Boutique has new Veronica M and BCBG shipments, as well as new maxi dresses.
- Paul D. Sloan Interiors is having a huge moving sale this month and next. Markdowns off everything, store-wide have started at 30% off, excluding artwork. Some things are marked down even more and there are a couple of 50% off racks. They are moving to 1012 Gervais Street, just across the street, on August 3rd.
- H2 and Tonic day Spa are offering free microderm abrasion with every one hour facial this month.
- During the month of June, Oyster bar is offering half-off oysters every day from 4 to 6 pm.
- Mark your calender: Tuesday, June 16th, The Rotary Club of the Vista Night is hosting their 12th Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction. The event has raised over $20,000 for charities such as Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, Sistercare, Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, and Family Service Center of South Carolina. The 2009 recipient will be Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands. Enjoy over 100 wines available to taste, delicious food and incredible auction items like vacation packages and art. Tickets are $40, well worth it.
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
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