Yes, We're Still Talking About Boutique Culture....

Yes, Staci and I cannot stop talking about this event, but mostly because YOU cannot stop asking us questions about it! So, here is - the WHO, the WHAT, and the WHERE details you've been wanting....


Boutique Culture Co-Owners Bri Cooper and Kim Staninger

WHO?
What started as notes on a cocktail napkin is now The Boutique Culture Warehouse Sale. This is a two day event that boasts prices that are equivalent of an outlet (discounts of 40-80% off sale merchandise and 10-20% off new season products), without the look and feel of one! While being more than the ultimate space for fashion finds, they are the new local destination for an all-inclusive edited shopping experience. It's where friends meet to sip on tantalizing refreshments, relax in martini-style lounges and browse the latest contemporary men's and women's collections from local boutiques and designers.

And WHO will be there? MAPEL (of coarse we would not miss this event!)
- Bench Shoes - Canopy Blue - Plane Jane - PRC Clothing - Suzabelle - Deli Men's Boutique - Blackbird - Clutch Seattle - Spun - Una - The Industry - Undies and Outies - Moksha on the Ave - Four Starrs Boutique - Katie Kay - Duque Salon Spa & Boutique - Fashion First

WHAT?
This is what we get asked most - WHAT will Mapel have at this event? Although we cannot disclose our entire hand at once, here are a few teasers to give you an idea of WHAT you will find this weekend:




WHERE?

Fremont Studios

155 N. 35th. St. Seattle, WA

206.838.9080

www.fremontstudios.com

Sat - Aug 29 - 10 am - 6 pm

Sun - Aug 30 - 11 am - 4 pm

We'll see you there!!!

Culture Club

Every day I spend approximately 20-30 mins perusing other blogs, NW Source and Womens Wear Daily. Where else am I going to keep up on current events? This week I was super intrigued by an article Alison Brownrigg wrote in NW Source about Boutique Culture. Admittedly I spent more than my allotted 20-30mins researching further the background and current "happenings" of Boutique Culture.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they host boutique warehouse sales alongside martini's and other pleasantries. Without haste I quickly emailed them to introduce Mapel and ask if we can be considered to participate in their December event, while noting that I was certain it was too late to register for next weekends event.

Uh uH..... It was not too late to get in on next weekends par'tay. Yes. Jenelle and I spent the last half of that evening strategizing how we can juggle BOTH our in store Back to Fall event (it's a Leavenworth thing) and that weekends Boutique Warehouse Sale.

Voila'. We are in and super excited to work with premier Seattle boutiques, astoundingly talented independant designers and the Boutique Culture team.

Join us Next Weekend, August 29th & 30th @ Fremont Studios for some Bargain Basement Discounts (40%-80%) with a Boutique Culture Environment.
P.S....... Admission is FREE & there will be give aways and other promo items.

http://bcwarehousesale.com/SeattleSale.html

One is a much deeper shade of pink than the other....

So we pick up from last week’s cliffhanger of all us girls and our invasion of Mapel. It was a very successful spree, if I do say so myself. I ended up with some super cute tops from Kersh. The fabric is so soft and light, it is just perfect for summer. The summer cardi is an absolute must and is great over your favorite cami and jeans and tucks neatly into your bag to carry with you when you get a little chill in the evening.

One of the highlights of our shopping adventure was having Staci do some professional styling for each of us. Alsyon learned the intricate details of how to do the signature Staci scarf wrap. It is not as easy as it seems. We all see Staci look so effortless in her scarves with her signature twist, but there are a few tricky little steps that one must make to achieve the same look.

What were my style tips? Well, I will confess that my wardrobe consists of various shades of pink. It’s my comfort color; it’s what I gravitate towards given any shopping situation. If it’s pink, it must belong somewhere in my wardrobe. Thus my spree included two pink tops, which are fabulous and to quote from one of my fave movies, “one is a much deeper shade of pink than the other” (any guesses on what the movie is) which makes it alright, right? So my style tip was to expand my color spectrum. And I took that advice to heart and bought something gray, which goes really well with pink!

What do girls do after a hard day of shopping and trying on beautiful clothes? Eat of course! Shopping can be quite a workout. There’s a lot of walking around, all the aerobics that go in to taking stuff off, putting stuff on, tightening of the stomach muscles to squeeze in and out of those skinny jeans and upper arm building with the constant push and pull of clothes on the racks. So you need a little pick me up after all that exercise and let’s not forget all the celebrating and congratulating each other on how cute the items we bought are. Isn’t it funny how women like to celebrate shopping purchases as though we were Columbus discovering new land?

We ended up at one of the more Bavarian styled restaurants that night, with Bavarian style seating. That just means some stranger can sit at the table you are at and you can’t feel weird about it. They did have great pretzels and the brats were good but definitely the pretzels were worth it. As you can imagine, we were just looking for a fun girls night out, our last night together. Picture our surprise when a guy out of nowhere recognized Carrie and somehow that was an instant invitation to sitting with us.

They were interesting in a way. Being the good sorority sisters that we are, Staci and I made excuses to leave, we did need more pretzels. While standing in line for said pretzels, one of the guys from our table was standing by me (we’ll call him George). He said he was waiting for some other friends. Okay, I think to myself, that’s fine. The line hardly moved, which always seems to happen in these situations, and finally the friend showed up. I was really glad cause was tired of making small talk. So the friend comes over and starts giving George a huge Cheshire cat grin and looks over at me.

I look behind me cause he can’t mean me can he? He did, he did mean me. He thought George had picked me up that night. Oh the humanity! How do I get out of this one? George being the uber guy(like how I threw a little German) just stood there and let his pal think whatever he wanted. So how does one get out of a sticky wicket of a spot like that? I pretended to look for money in my purse and made my cell phone ring. Yup, the universal sign of “I have to take this” was promptly enacted and I moved away never to return. Did I get the pretzel, you better believe I did, didn’t want to have gone through all of that for not.

See all the adventures you can have in Leavenworth. You’re getting in your car right now, heading over and contemplating what kind of shenanigans you will find yourself getting into.

I am Soooooo Thirsty

by: Penny Gowen

“I am SOOOO thirsty!” exclaimed Staci as we waited for some refreshing cocktails on the hot July night. But I jumped the gun and should start the story at it’s beginning. Though that is not easy to pinpoint either, as you could consider the beginning a year and a half ago when Staci and Jenelle first opened Mapel or when the idea of taking a vacay in Leavenworth first struck our fancy or the actual beginning of this particular trip. Let’s go with that and picture three girls packing up a Jeep in the parking lot of an Applebee’s. Somehow that just sets the scene perfectly.

Carrie, myself and Alyson all work with Staci in her non Mapel life, the one she confessed not too long ago, the one about volunteering for her sorority. Yup, that’s us, the infamous sorority sisters. So you know we were going to kick it up a little and maybe stir in a bit of trouble for good measure.

Alyson and I had never been to Mapel. I’ve enjoyed a couple of road shows and vicarious shopping through their website, http://www.shopmapel.com/ (which I highly recommend cause you still get those delicious little Mapel signature chocolates in your package) but never the actual store. And as a self proclaimed Mapel fan, that is a bit shocking. So anyone who has had the pleasure of going to the store can easily imagine my teenage like glee at finally getting to go shopping AT Mapel!!

The night before the shopping frenzy, we went to a local restaurant that Staci really likes. The food was great, but the wait for the table a little long and the wait at the bar even longer. One thing I did learn that night is that one should never get in the way of Staci and a cold drink. As we waited to get noticed by the bartender, you know the drill, first the nod, then the smile then when all that seems futile the hair flip, well none of that worked so here is where we pick our story. “I am SOOOO thirsty!” exclaimed Staci in an effort to finally draw the attention of the bar tender. And I must say her method did work for no sooner did she finish her sentence, our drink orders were taken. Score one for honesty.

Okay, I know you are thinking get to the part about the shopping. So here it is. The next morning Staci was wondering what we wanted to do on our first official day in Leavenworth and the unanimous decision was shop at Mapel. Of course, Staci thought we were kidding… but we weren’t. We all followed Staci and peppered her with questions of what was new, what was the “in” thing, do you have anything in pink (okay, so that was my question). The four of us entered the store and instantly us three girls busily made our way through colorful displays of the latest summer fashions. You are dying to find out what I got, aren’t you. Well, I’ll tell ya…later. (To be continued)