Pet-Related Events This Weekend and Next

Friday, Apr 06, 2012 2:30pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

The Montclair Animal Shelter will hold a Pet Adoption Day on Saturday, April 7, at Montclair Feed & Pet Supply, from 11 am to 4 pm.

On Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15, Pet Valu, located in Pompton Lakes, will host Pet Appreciation Weekend (PAW) to help raise money for animal shelters. Pet adoptions will take place from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, and from 11 am to 3 pm on Sunday. A pet psychic will also be available to do readings from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday. Every year, five to seven million cats and dogs enter U.S. shelters and many more remain homeless. Last year, PAW raised $250,000 for local animal shelters around the country and organizers hope to exceed that amount this year.

Donate to the Salvation Army–with Your Phone

BY  |  Friday, Dec 16, 2011 4:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

How many times have you walked into Kings or ShopRite during the holiday season and passed the smiling, bell-ringing Salvation Army volunteer seeking donations outside, only to duck your head sheepishly because you have no loose coins to toss into the red kettle?

Now, you don’t need that loose change to donate to the venerable organization. The Salvation Army is making it easier with Online Red Kettle, which accepts donations online. You can also form company or group kettles to encourage others to donate.

Donating online may not evoke the biting cold and the tinkling bell that usually accompany (pleasantly, I like to think) the tossing of coins outside of Kings, but rest assured your money is still going to a good place.

Hyperlocal Gifts Without the Clutter

BY  |  Friday, Dec 09, 2011 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (2)

A New York Times article recently bemoaned the agony (yes, actual agony) of gift-giving in a city filled with people who either have it all or have seen it all – or both. I mean, really. It’s a gift. You know, something thoughtful that you didn’t need to give? If you’re that worried, just throw cash in an envelope and stick a bow on it. It works quite well in many places.

Still, I understand the desire to show appreciation, love, friendship, and thoughtfulness through gift-giving. The holiday season’s emphasis on gifts can bring nerve-wracking tension for those who have long lists, especially if you’re like me and want to make sure those gifts don’t come with any political entanglements. But between the exposure of Apple’s ethics in China (or lack of), fair-trade issues, and even Hershey’s labor issues, what’s a gift-giver to do?

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Downtown Fights Back

BY  |  Tuesday, Nov 22, 2011 8:54am  |  COMMENTS (10)

Christmas decorations showed up in stores before Halloween this year, but Black Friday is still the official start of the Christmas shopping season. And the competition is already getting intense, with big box stores opening at midnight and online retailers planning to lure customers out of lines with fierce mobile campaigns.

So how about Main Street — or in our case, Church Street, Bloomfield Ave., Valley Road and Maplewood Ave.?  Do indies have a chance?

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Gift Guide 2010: Hostess Gifts with Class and Glass

BY  |  Thursday, Dec 23, 2010 1:30pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

Need a hostess gift full of class? How about a John Derian glass paperweight – from $65 to $75 or a set of glass coasters for $105. The fantastic images are reminiscent of the Victorian Age and Audubon. Available at Jerry Rose Floral and Event Design in Maplewood.

Gift Guide 2010: Healthy Heroes Calendar

BY  |  Wednesday, Dec 22, 2010 11:49am  |  COMMENTS (0)

Nothing wrong with a little eye candy, especially if it’s for a good cause. The 2011 Healthy Heroes Calendar, a fund-raising initiative of Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation, features great action shots of some healthy (read hunky) local heroes — NJ firefighters — taken by Andy Foster of Montclair’s Gallery 51. Continue Reading

Gift Guide 2010: Big Jam

BY  |  Tuesday, Dec 21, 2010 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

Marmalade from Tea Together

For the serious confiture lover in your life, this hefty jar of No. 1 Orange Marmalade ($29.95) will make a chic statement.   Tea Together’s jams, chutneys and honey are all organic and très French.  Available in various sizes and flavors – including Rhubarb, Lemon and Angelica, and Provencal Fig with Rum – from Millburn’s gorgeous gourmet store, Epicerie Fine.

Gift Guide 2010: Skull and Crossbones Happy Hour

BY  |  Thursday, Dec 16, 2010 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

These’ll be very well received by the buccaneer on your gift list, and will be the perfect accoutrement for International Talk Like a Pirate Day (seriously, it’s September 19, every year). Add a “yohoho” and a bottle of rum to the package and yours will be the best gift of the holiday season.

You’ll find these hand-blown, etched rock glasses at Color Story Home, 31 Valley Road, Montclair. $23 each.

Gift Guide 2010: Memories

BY  |  Monday, Dec 13, 2010 12:30pm  |  COMMENTS (5)

This one’s not a stocking stuffer. It’s got a hefty pricetag: $2,000 to $2,500, minus a 15 percent discount if you order before the end of the year. But what you get if you order a Life Out Loud Day Package from Montclair residents Oliver Miede and Barbara Nuddle is nothing less than lifetime’s worth of memories on video.

Documentary film makers Miede and Nuddle create feature-length movies for people, using broadcast quality video cameras, lighting and sound, at a price of $15,000 to $25,000. But the Day Package, which Miede and Nuddle have contributed to various charity auctions, buys about four hours of professionally-shot video mastered onto DVD.

“You’re getting these people while they can still tell their stories,” says Miede. The footage could be incorporated into full documentary later.

Miede and Nuddle will  travel to the location of the client’s choosing within the tri-state area, and in addition to straight-on shooting, can capture over-the-shoulder video of the subject going through photo albums. The $2,000 package is for an interview with one family member; $2,500 is for two.

For more information, go to Life Out Loud or call 973.746.4992.

Gift Guide 2010: Shopping with Perch

BY  |  Wednesday, Dec 08, 2010 4:30pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

Whether you are a novice or a regular, shopping for antiques can be overwhelming. Put this gift on your holiday wish list, and you can sit back and let the experts guide you. Perch Home, the beautifully stocked gift and home decor shop in Maplewood, runs guided shopping expeditions to the famed Renninger’s Antique flea market in Amish country.  The next trip is scheduled for April 29, 2011.

For $95, you get round-trip transportation on a luxury bus, breakfast, snacks and champagne — and invaluable personal shopping assistance from owner Michele Bessey (who was recently featured in O Magazine). The gift certificate comes in a pretty package accented with an antique pewter spoon.

Featured Comment

I'll be visiting two cemeteries to pay tribute to two men with whom I served in Nam, and I'm really surprised the Baristas didn't include such a visitation as something specific to do this coming weekend. Since such remembrance is traditionally the true purpose of Memorial (or "Decoration") Day.
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cathar

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