GoShoppingNashville.com

Bulbs and Brews

Well, it is Friday and that has me looking towards the weekend. As we are trying to get our new house looking more and more like our home, we are starting to look at the outdoors. Right now, we are planning out the landscape - deciding what to keep and what to add, we have found ourselves at nurseries and garden stores all over greater Nashville. One weekend, quite by chance, we happened across All Seasons Gardening & Brewing Supply on 8th Avenue South. I spied some wonderful outdoor planters as we were driving by and asked Mr. GoShoppingNashville to make a U-ey. Well, he pulled into a parking lot to turn around, but it was just as effective and a lot less likely to elicit a traffic ticket! This store was awesome and I believe that I will head back this weekend - now that we have more of a plan of attack for the house. This store was awesome. There was a great selection of pots in all shapes, sizes, and colors. For the garden there were how to books, gnomes, gargoyles, and various other statues. They also had bird baths, fountains, water gardening gear, and several types of orchid food. When you go, be sure to check out the birdhouses. They had the run of the mill versions. But then, there was the camper and mobile home variety - hilarious. We also found some great indoor/outdoor mats including this cheeky variation on the famous Mona Lisa. In addition to the cool items for the house and garden, All Seasons has a huge supply of items for those who like to brew their own beer and wine creations. I don't know much about that, but it looked like they had pretty much everything that you would need. When you think of the outdoors, be sure not to forget Fido. All Seasons had a solid supply of dog toys, bowls, collars, and leads. I am glad that we stumbled upon this place and will definitely head back, if not this weekend, then very soon.

A World of Good

If you have never been to a World Market, then you are missing out on a world of good. The greater Nashville area now boasts three locations, The Avenues in Murfreesboro, on Charlotte in Nashville West, and the Glenbrooke Shopping Center of Hendersonville. At World Market, you will find items for the home like candles, art, mirrors, rugs, furniture, dishes, barware, and so much more. Right now, there is a large supply of outdoor furniture like adirondack chairs, tile top tables, and umbrellas. On a recent excursion, I found this great wine rack that I will use to keep all of my countertop cookbooks tidy. I also found a wine decanter and funnel for two friends who are just starting their lives together. World Market is more than just furniture and housewares. There is also a pretty solid collection of items for the furry members of your family. Our dog is a big fan of some of the treats and occasionally eats her meals from dog bowls that look like Chinese take out boxes - yes, from World Market. Then there is the great selection of Swiss chocolates - can't really go wrong there. Like beers and ales from around the globe? They have those too. Gourmet food items imported from everywhere? Yep, they have those. If you have never been to World Market, you should definitely make the trip. It's like Pier 1 and a gourmet grocer all jacked up on Mountain Dew - OK you got me, I just watched Talladega Nights for millionth time (I know, I know - but it IS funny). Let that not deter you, World Market is a world of fun.

Haunted Housewares

So the housewares aren't really haunted, but for those of you that know me, you know that I love skulls. I have loved skulls forever, but now they are truly easy to find - even for the home. Z Gallerie has long been one of my favorite shopping destinations for fun and trendy housewares. The Nashville outpost is located in the Green Hills Mall. Several months back, I was reading a magazine - Dwell or Metropolitan Home, I can't remember which now - and saw a picture of this great dinner plate. It was white with a platinum skull and crossbones on it. After searching, I learned that this and more were available at Z Gallerie. So off I went and I have added this to my 'china' collection and they fit quite nicely and require much less TLC than the other pieces. They also have skull place mats, serving trays, barware, flasks, and more. On a recent trip, I was in search of some art to fill a couple of gaps around the house - still trying to get everything settled in! I found this great print by Zachary Plume and I am trying to find a place where it will fit in the house...I am thinking bonus room, but time will tell. Not in to skulls? No problem, Z Gallerie has housewares for all styles and color palates. Right now, the window is filled with items in crisp white and spring green. There are all types of art prints - food, contemporary, pop, traditional, and more. I also found a large selection of seaside decor with items from the sea like, fish, seahorses, sand dollars, and turtles in various shades of white, blue, and teal. Anytime that I want to change something around the house, I always head to Z Gallerie for a little bit of interest and a good dose of seasonal color. It is also a lot of fun to check at the selection of novelties near the registers. I have picked up humorous new parent instruction books and travel checklists, grocery item checklists, tongue in cheek post it notes for the office, and a toothpick holder that looks mysteriously like a voodoo doll. Z Gallerie is also a great place to look for items with personality or for the perfect housewarming gift. In addition, items are priced in a wide range with many offerings to make your home look like a million bucks without breaking the bank.

Land of Theme Parks.....and Outlet Malls???

More to report on the Orlando, Florida road trip - air trip as it were.....as it turns out, apparently Orlando, where there is a theme park for pretty much anything from dinosaurs to a certain giant mouse, to water rides, sea creatures, etc. is not just for  theme parks anymore. Orlando is quite the shopping destination. We found another set of outlets that is not your average collection. Orlando Premium Outlets on Vineland is a very different outlet experience. Don't expect to find much here that is 'cheap', but there are definitely some good deals. Again, this is not a complete list of the 100+ stores, but the highlights. If you want to see them all, be sure to check out at Orlando Premium Outlets on the web. A/X Armani Exchange, AG Adriano Goldschmeid - where the jeans fit like they were custom made, Barney's New York, Bebe, Burberry, Diesel, Dior, Fendi, French Connection, La Perla, Max Mara, Miss Sixty (another favorite!), Movado, Oilily (great stuff for kids), Salvatore Ferragamo, Tag Heuer, and Theory are the must see locations. Just thinking about all of these shops makes me want to head south again very soon. If you are looking for a shopping weekend, this would be a good one....two locations with more labels than you can list and you might actually be able to pick some swag up without breaking the bank. Happy trails......

GoShoppingRoadTrip - Orlando

The GoShoppingNashville's have been one busy family as of late. Therefore, some of our posts will be from the road. A recent trip to Orlando, Florida spawned one of the most fun days of shopping that we have had in some time. We were so busy checking out all of the shops, we were exhausted. We took one afternoon and booked it, truly, around the Prime Outlets on International Drive. I know that we have all been to outlets, but this one was pretty spectacular. There were so many awesome locations that I cannot even begin to give you a complete list. However, I will hit some of my personal highlights. Here goes......Aldo, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Sean John, Stuart Weitzman, Kate Spade, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Kenneth Cole, Juicy Couture...sound like a roster of designers? Well, it should, but each of these labels has their own store. I was also a big fan of Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Avenue Off 5th, White House Black Market, Calphalon, Le Creuset, Tumi, Coach, and Under Armour. We found some great deals at Van's where for about $60, I picked up a long sleeve shirt, 3 t-shirts, grey skinny cords, and a pair of Old Skools for my nephew - they were hilarious and had little skulls with Santa hats on them...obviously a gift for Christmas. I figure that it is OK to tell you because he is not old enough to read yet; I am pretty sure that my secret is safe! I found more great bargains at Converse, where I scored some Blue Raider blue low tops that I will sport tailgating this fall. One of my favorite places was Your Life Your Jeans where they have - you guessed it - denim, mostly from Big Star and many styles were $30-50 - a great steal. Needless to say, Mr. GoShoppingNashville, our friends and I had a great afternoon and left Prime Outlets with tired legs, heavy bags, and much lighter wallets - nothing that a relaxing night of food, fun, and friends at BB King's couldn't remedy. At any rate, if you get a chance, head to Orlando for some retail therapy and be sure to wear comfortable shoes. New stores like Banana Republic, Betsey Johnson, Dooney & Bourke, and JCrew will be opening soon. Want a complete list of stores? Check them out on the web at Prime Outlets International Orlando.