Superbowl Monday Sale Starts Tomorrow!

Hello, dear readers!

Sometimes Renee's has hosted Superbowl Sunday Sales. This year you can stay in the warmth of your own home, enjoy your Superbowl snacks, and watch the ads and Madonna at halftime.

When you visit Renee's starting tomorrow, all remaining fall, holiday and winter items will be marked at least 50% off. This Half Off Everything winter clearance sale will continue until everything is gone. We need to make room for our new spring arrivals!

Wednesday, Feb. 8 would be a perfect day to stop in and take a look. Why? We are offering a delicious nutritious homemade soup potluck lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. Bring your favorite soup (hot, in a crock pot) to share, or just show up. There will be plenty for all to enjoy. I'll provide containers if you want to take some home, too.

At our Superbowl Monday Sale you will still find a wide selection of top quality items to choose from, including...

...coats of many colors. This red one from Mycrapac reverses to black, closes magnetically, and has a hood tucked away in the collar. I wrote about this fantastic coat here. Our winter coats will keep you warm and dry this spring, too.

...a good selection of jammies and lounge wear by PJ Salvage. Click here to see more photos of our inventory. These jammies are colorful enough to wear this spring, warm enough for our chilly nights, stylish enough to take you to the grocery store or make a stop at Starbucks in comfort.

Casual and work separates like Foxcroft blouses, basic knit tops, Beyond Threads sweaters, and Dish and Zenim jeans. Above, Nomadic Traders boiled wool red vest and black stretch pants are paired with a Pure and Simple white knit top, perfect to go to work, take a shopping trip, or wear for travel.

Looking for a dress for a wedding event or an evening out? Our remaining dresses are also at a full 50% off. The Komarov dress and jacket pictured above could be perfect for a mother of the bride or groom.

Contemporary clothing like this Equestrian Designs skirt and Mystery sweater vest are also on sale.

Our clearance sale includes business separates from Abbie Mags (above), Louben and more!

Didn't get your perfect scarf at our event last fall? We still have a big selection of winter scarves left. Don't forget to stock up on winter shoes, boots, accessories and jewelry when you stop in, all 50% or more off.

Enjoy your Superbowl Sunday at home. Then stop by Renee's at your convenience to take a look at everything on sale. Come in soon, though, for best selection.

With love,
Renee

P.S. The idea and merchandise photos for this blog were contributed by sales associate Marlene. Thanks for the beautiful merchandising and great input, Marlene!

A Tribute to Sally.

Sally Jo Saunders was a good friend to Renee's. We got to know her back in the 1990s when Renee's was young and in a tiny 500 square foot space on Hewitt Avenue. Although she was private about her personal life, she was always interested in what was going on at Renee's and in the community.

Sally became a regular attender at all the special events, sales and fashion shows we had at Renee's. She was loyal and helpful; she told everyone else about our promotions, and encouraged others to patronize not only Renee's, but all the retail establishments downtown Everett. If you attended any of the affairs, likely she offered her suggestions and thoughts about what you should try on, what you might purchase, and appreciated and pushed items she thought were reasonably priced.

Sally had a flair for fashion. She enjoyed wearing hats, and they became her trademark. Brightly colored knit tops always captured her attention. She understood the value of knit tops for both warmth and layering; she could never have too many.

She cared about people. And people cared about her. She became good friends with another long-time customer and former employee, June Hansen. She consistenly called June to check on her and offer rides and friendship.

Sally's untimely death was a shock to all of us. The week she passed away, most businesses were closed because of all the snow. Since I live nearby I was able to keep Renee's open. Every day she would call to see if I was here, and to express her concern about the snow. The night of her heart attack (Jan. 21), she called at 5:30 and emphasized that I should go home. Ultimately, she was the one who went "home."

"A Celebration of Life will be held for our loving sister, cousin, and dear friend on Saturday, February 18, 1:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 3105 Pine Street, Everett," says the Herald. Read the entire obituary here. John Gray, Sally's brother, encourages all of Sally's friends to bring photos and memories to share during her memorial.

We will miss Sally and her presence immensely. Rest in peace, dear Sally. Rest in peace.

New Photos: Spring Arrivals!

One of a kind Asian Eye scarves, Nic & Zoe collection suitable for work, Liebeskind German leather bags, pristine Jill McGowan blouses, stunning European ivory jackets by Groa, and much more, including cute Valentine pins, arrived for spring at Renee's last week. Here's a photo collection for you to browse. Please stop in soon to try on something new for spring!

Don't forget our "Soup" event on Wed., Feb. 8. Bring a crock pot of your favorite soup to share. Or just drop in for lunch. Either way, there will be enough hearty and nutritious lunch for all.

Sending warm love on the last day of January,

~renee

Cooking or Clothing? How 'bout Both!

Hello again, dear readers. My goodness, had I known you were so interested in cooking (or was it that you were housebound and bored?) I would have opened a restaurant instead of a clothing store! Just kidding. But you did respond more to my last post about pinto beans than all other posts I've published combined! So if you will indulge me one more time, I am eager to provide an answer for the next time someone in your household asks the dreaded "What's for dinner?" question! Just come up with a better name for it than I could: pork shoulder. There must be a more elegant name for it. Picnic ham? No, that doesn't do it either. Let's see, the New York Times magazine article that gave me the inspiration called it bo ssam. Still, the name doesn't really matter, because truly when you taste it, you'll think you died and went to heaven. The restaurant in the Times article charges $200 for a piece of meat like this. But you can make it at home for about $20.

Here's how. Buy a pork shoulder (really, that's what QFC calls it) with a bone in it. Around seven pounds should do it. Measure out a generous half cup white sugar and mix it with a half cup of salt. Put the raw meat on a large piece of plastic wrap, and put that on a baking tray. Sprinkle the meat with the salt and sugar mixture. Wrap it all up in the plastic, and put it in the fridge on the tray overnight. Next day, turn the oven on to 300 degrees, unwrap the meat, and bake it, for around four hours, or until it develops a yummy-looking crust. Then, enjoy! I served it with more brown rice and the beans that I made last week. The Times suggests wrapping lettuce leafs around chunks of it and dipping it in hot sauce. That sounds good, too. (I recommend Frank's if you you don't want to make your own.) No matter what you eat it with, preparing this entree is a lot less work and tastes exponentially better than any fancy dish you could conjure up. Your family will be in awe of your cooking talent, too!

As for clothing, the snowbanks have melted, and the UPS guy finally showed up. Here's what he brought us: beautiful white cotton blouses and a jacket to add to the spring collection we have going at Renee's from brand name Gretty Zueger! Put them with jeans, or wear them with shorts this summer. And even though it's still chilly outside, they won't last long, because they are that cute!

Happy full work week to all!

Love,
Renee

P.S. Don't forget to stop by any time after noon for our soup exchange on Wed., Feb. 8. Bring hot soup in a crock pot to share, or just show up. There will be plenty for all. Sounds like we'll be having clam chowder, cowboy black bean, chicken noodle soups and more to sample. Along with bread from the Russian restaurant next door, you'll get a complete nutritious, delicious meal at Renee's. We'll keep the crock pots on for you until it's all gone.

Pinto Beans (Or "How I Spilled the Beans.")

This blog doesn't always have to be about clothing. Does it? I hope not, because it's a snow day here in the Seattle area, and nothing around here is moving. No new clothing has arrived. I don't think the UPS man is like the mailman ("Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds.") who already came. I haven't seen the UPS guy or his truck for a few days. Maybe they are all stuck in the snowbanks.

All this snow has me interested in staying home! And when I am home, I like to cook. I made some killer pinto beans last night. Now I know pinto beans aren't very exciting, but these turned out so well! I started the day before at the co-op. I spilled the beans all over the floor by accidentally opening the spout wider when I tried to close it. Uh oh. I had to confess to the cashier that I made a mess back there. That was after I tried to laugh it off to the lady standing behind me in the bulk area who was, by this time, looking at me out of the corner of her eyes to see if I was insane. "Oops, he he," I muttered under my breath, chagrined, when I really wanted to scream "Aieeeeeeee!"

Anyway, that night I put a cup of them (dry) into a pan, covered them with water, and brought it to a boil. Then I put the lid on the pan and turned off the heat. The next morning (yesterday) I drained and rinsed the beans. Covered them with water again. Chopped up an onion and put that in. Found some old dried out garlic cloves, peeled those and threw them in. Put on the heat at a slow bubble. The beans started cooking. Soon they began smelling sooooo good. Next thing I knew, there was a lovely gravy going. When I tasted a bean, maybe about 1.5 hours later, it was tender. I added some salt, chili powder, a bit of cumin, and some tomato sauce to the pan and stirred. That's when I knew this dish was gonna be good! Tossed in some chopped red pepper and green onion for good measure (and good photo).



I sprayed nonstick oil into a baking dish and dumped it all in. Let it sit on top of the stove all day, heat and lid off, while I was at work. When I got home, I shredded some really good white Irish cheddar cheese and sprinkled it on top of the beans. Shoved the whole thing into the oven, lid off, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. In the meantime poured some brown rice and water in the rice cooker. Bill seasoned and grilled chicken breasts. I cut up kale and cooked it. Can I just say, I could have eaten the WHOLE casserole of crusty bean bake over the rice by myself. It tasted so good on a snowy night. Bill was NOT as excited as I was about the bean dish, and he was even more adamant about not putting tongue to kale even just to taste it. Fine by me, I got to eat all of the kale myself. Still, I got a lot of satisfaction out of some simple pinto beans. Yummmmmmmmm.

And this, dear readers, sums up my work at Renee's (and my whole life!): take something simple and innocuous such as pinto beans. They are dry, plain, and basically inedible to begin with. Add some clear cool water and heat. Season with love. Voila! You end up with something delicious, nutritious, and good for you. At Renee's take something seemingly plain and "normal," add quality with fine fabrics and top-notch construction, and get something that gives you pleasure every time you wear it. Just. Like. That.

This morning I made granola. Mmmmm. And in the evenings, cocoa--REAL cocoa-- has been our light but yummy-tasting "dessert!"



And that's my cooking story, readers. It's a change-up from the regular clothing post. Hope you are having a good snow day, one and all!!

Sending my love and warmth,

Renee

p.s. I am going to host a soup exchange at Renee's on Wed. Feb. 8. Make your favorite soup, bring it to Renee's hot in a crock pot, and let's do lunch together. If you don't want to cook soup, come anyway. There will be plenty to go around. I'll provide some yummy rye bread from the Russian restaurant next door to go along with the soups. What do you think? Will you make soup? Will you eat soup? Do you like soup? What's your favorite soup? Please post a comment.

Renee's is bringing on Spring!

Going somewhere warm? Need a dress for an event this spring or summer? Don't wait, these won't last. Above, Luna Luz black and green "Cheerio" dress. Love it!


Luna Luz ombre short dress, from black to green.

Luna Luz green tank dress, woven cotton poplin bottom and knit cotton stretch bodice. Beautiful!


Luna Luz cut-out shoulder white cotton stretch knit top, tied-up black skirt.


Elana Kattan tank dress with princess seams.


Comfy asymmetric black netting top over white crinkle tank top.


Comfy asymmetric white netting top over black crinkle tank top.



Wooden Ships cardigan, Tees by Tina tank.


Fidji shoes. One olive, the other 2-tone taupe sling back.


Nic and Zoe cardigan and tank, color sand.


Wooden Ships sweater, Three Dots tee, Silver jeans.


Miss Me jeans, Three Dots tee, Wooden Ships sweater.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One of the real joys of the holiday season is the opportunity to say "Thank you!" and wish you the very best for the New Year!

If you are looking for something to do today (!) we are at Renee's and would love for you to stop by. We are starting our "Week After Christmas" sale today for blog subscribers and facebook friends.

All the best to you and your family as you celebrate these special holidays.

With love,

Renee