Anthropologie

The Carmel atmosphere today is one of transition. Crews are out in force taking down the holiday decorations, unhooking the ornaments from the tree, taking the banners down along Ocean Avenue and removing the twinkling lights along the Devendorf Park fence. Many of the shops have ‘winter sale’ signs in the windows and employees are gearing up for the new season of merchandise to arrive. It’s somewhat quiet in town compared to the past few weeks when the streets were packed with tourists and locals alike.

I always feel a smidge guilty when I choose to stop in a shop that has locations other than Carmel; however, with the sales signs looming large in the windows it’s hard to resist. Hmm, actually not that hard today. One of my all time favorite stores is Anthropologie. I absolutely love the décor, the smells, and the variety of unique and different apparel, shoes, handbags, books, candles, and domestics. It’s always fun to look at the clever ways the merchandise is displayed – the textures and colors are amazing. As a sidebar, one of my most talented girlfriends, Nicole, worked at Anthropologie for a few weeks a couple of years ago with the goal of learning as much as possible on ways to set up the interesting displays and window designs. Nicole soaked up what she could, quickly moved on from Anthropologie and has gone on to create some fantastic, one-of-a-kind, handmade creations that will knock your socks off. Check her out here: http://www.vestige-home.com

Traditionally Anthropologie has some pretty good sale items and today’s selection was the largest I have ever seen. Not only were there loads of items in the sale room at the back of the store, but there were quite a few sales racks filled with great stuff in front of the sales area of the store. Plus, there were a bunch of tables in the center section of the store with seasonal items all 50% off. I was lucky to find a pair of yummy chocolate brown skinny cords in my size for 40% off - they will look great with chunky sweaters, clunky boots, booties, and flats. A great addition to my wardrobe.

The fun in this store seems to never stop and when I was at the checkout counter I spotted some super fun sparkly throw pillows with an eye-popping mix of brilliant color they were practically screaming ‘happy, happy, happy’. The pillows won’t work with my décor, but I can guarantee they will find a happy home!