How do you decide?

Hi all.

Today is a sad day for me. My close friend, business associate, believer in me, confidant, educator, and all around star to me, Anne, has come to the difficult decision to close her store, The Good Life. Hence today's title, "How do you decide?"

I know that Anne has considered every angle to saving the store and her entrepreneurial dream of seven years. I've had the fortunate experience of working with and for Anne for five amazing years! The Good Life has provided me MANY creative outlets such as merchandising, buying, art installs, and a wealth of contacts from local artists and vendors. I have grown and evolved with Anne, Corrine, Diane, Deb, Sharon, Vicky and Sandy and all of the seasonal girls that have helped out over the years.
The one thing that I am going to miss the most are Anne's quarterly "Art Openings" that she hosted on the second level of The Good Life featuring local artists. I was fortunate enough to meet, install and work each opening. That, to me, is a true visionary and supporter for our local artists. She has provided "kick starts" to artist's public debuts and introductions to the public. She has seen several artists "starting out" and now they've made it big...and they have not forgotten Anne along the way.

Anne's staff, as mentioned above, have been a dedicated and loyal group as well. We have seen each other through the trials and tribulations that life has thrown at us. We've all been through a lot and I'm proud to say that I've been a part of an established, community conscious, customer comes first retailer. We will all see Anne through this next step of her life. Optomistic and full of faith, Anne will reinvent herself and be back stronger than ever sometime in the future, once this economic time changes.

Being an independent retailer during said time, is not easy. It's hard to see Anne and fellow retailers alike looking at such choices. I applaud Anne for seeing into the future and having the strength and courage to make this decision. I'm sad because The Good Life has been such an experience not only for me but most certainly for Anne overall.

To my friend, my coworker and my Boss - I applaud you Anne for a job well done. I applaud you for the visionary insight in creating such a sucessful business and having the gumption to know when to bow out so gracefully. You're a true success story and I will always believe in you.

To all: If you have the opportunity to stop by, The Good Life will be closing it's doors as of March. Please, stop in, congratulate Anne and wish her well in her next venture in life. Also, pick up a few amazing buys. This is a hard decision but it's all good. For real.

Thanks Anne, you're truly amazing.

Ken's Top Ten

Happy Friday! That must mean HH somewhere! If it's 12:00 here, where is it 5:00 so I know someone is celebrating already? 

Anywho, one of my friends thought it would be cool if I posted "Ken's Top Ten". I asked her what she meant by Top 10? I mean Top 10 Restaurants, Clothing Stores, Furniture/Home Accessories Stores?? I mean, come on, I can't possibly think of JUST TEN favs of anything for ONE LIST. I need SUB-categories in oder to even get half of my stops posted. So, like they do with the Oscars, I'll be doing Supporting, leading, Screen Play, Editing and so forth just so I can list 'em all. 

Ken's Top 10 Over All Stops..... wait Isn't that like Best Picture? I better save those for the last.

Friday's List: Clothing, of course. 

Ken's Top 10 Clothing Haunts: ranked less frequented to favorite! 

10. TJMaxx - I seldomly find anything clothing wise here. A watch here and there, accessories here and there and fragrance in a pinch. Oh yeah, and they have great deals on Calvin's - and I'm not talking jeans! 

9. H&M - I'm glad that we have one here. It's fun and it's inexpensive. I found my favorite sweater at one in Brussles a couple of years back.  I like stopping at the one on 5th and Rockefeller Plaza too. 

8. Nordstrom Rack - I'm eyeing a tuxedo there as we speak. They also have great deals on cool shoes - unfortunately, I have the most common foot size 9 1/2 - 10. Depends on the time of day. 

7. RCC Western - hold the snickers right now! I have a cowboy boot fetish and this is THE only place I like to buy boots, that and the A.M. Tyler :-) hehehehe. 

There are three pairs of boots that I want their right now but Mortgages, car payments and Ins keep me from getting them. I'd forgo the groceries but that would take a year to apply to the cost of them. Can anyone say "Stimulus Check II"? Dang it! 

6. Aldo - yeah, I like this store for a quick fix and/or their sales. I do have a quite a few boots from here but I'm a sucker for a pointy toe reptile skin. :-) Grrrrrrrrrrrrr Cowboy! 

5. Gap - excellent for staples or even a classic filler.

4. DSW - when I want shoes, this is my first stop. And have you checked out the MOA Store? It's a SHOPPING EXPERIENCE - Kudos to whoever gave that store a facelift and image revitalization! 

3. Target - Yup! You heard me right. Target is my budget/trend finds of the year. I can get great jeans (Levi's and ) I can get descent sport coats as well and it's my staple supplier for waffle weave long sleeve t's. Plus I'm there every day and I love to cover the whole store - I can find something for anyone there! 

2. J Crew - (Come on - Now that Michelle O has made a place in history for this retailer - I've only been shopping there for oh, 15 yrs??????? ) Hat's off  Mrs. O for making it so cool on the front lines - and I certainly do not mean Oprah! Thank god there's a NEW & IMPROVED Ms. O that we can refer to for thanks on style, grace and Americana! 

And..... MY ULTIMATE FAVORITE STOP: 

1. Banana Republic - Need I say more? After ten plus years of service and the benefit of the discount  and everything that I learned there - they're still my favorite store to shop and boast about. 

Ok, so that's a lot to take in for 1 day's list. I'll be back with more, I always have more. 

Ken 8-) 

White Vinegar for what?

Yup, just one of many "Tips & Insights from Ken" 

I thought I'd share with you some of my laundering, dry cleaning and clothing maintenance tips today. 

Being that laundry day is coming up, I'd rather talk about it than do it :-) 

So, White Vinegar! 

Yup. It's a laundry pantry staple. I use it for all of my colors cottons, including bright t-shirts, new jeans and all of my darks being that I have so many. 

Simply turn all of your darks and brights inside out when washing them. If they're cotton, this will help save their colors. The colors will wash against themselves vs out into the wash thus not being able to retain their dyes. 

Cottons are very color porous and therefor fade the fastest. 

This is where I add ad least 1 cup of clear vinegar EVERY wash. It helps set the dyes. 

- Did you ever dye easter eggs as  kid? Well, that's nothing more than dissolving a Paas color tablet into a vinegar mix, hence "staining" the egg. 

If it's new clothing like super dark jeans or new blacks, I actually up the vinegar to 2 cups and cold water and let soak. Also when washing darks, I NEVER use "for darks" detergent or anything other than Ivory liquid. 

Ivory Liquid is the purest soap on the market - no harsh detergents, colors and scents. Yes, it is liquid soap and therefor need very little to do a load of clothes. 

Do you ever wonder what to do with dingy whites? Stained and pitted t-shirts? I hate that! 

I have found a couple of products that I love - 

White Brite 

I can only find this when I go to AZ so I get a couple when I'm down there and send it back or put it in my checked luggage. Would hate to be caught with a cleaning agent on a plane these days :-) 

Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing

This is a little messy and I tend to be about less (time) is more :-) But from time to time I will do this just to switch off and give fabrics a change. This is also something that I can only find in AZ so I pick it up. 

Caldrea Stain Balm

I usually pick this up at The Good Life

Zout

For tough stains like grass stains from having to tackle and catch Oliver the day he decided he did not want to go to the groomers.

For clothing stains and/or stains on clothes that can't necessarily be washed:

I usually consult Rena at 1 hr Martinizing: 

Such as red wine on anything that is shows up on once spilt :-(  

*NOTE! DO NOT attempt to do anything to it. Blotting it with water is the worst thing. Take white wine to it is the second worst thing. Leave it. The more you play with a stain like this, the more you're going to set it into the fiber of the garment. You also run the risk if "ringing" your clothes. Silks and linens are infamous for this. 

OR I consult one of my Stain Bibles:

Field Guide to Stains

Mary Ellen's Complete Home Reference Book

Baking Soda Bonanza (2nd edition)

On closing, I also want to advise you to NEVER, EVER use "Shout Wipes" or "Tide Stain Sticks" you may get the stain somewhat out but you will be left with a permanent ring from the substance of the pen. These are not good. 

I will have more in the coming days on other "clothing cleaners: Truths and TERRIBLE LIES of each. 

Here's to preserving and extending the life of  all of those clothes. 

That's all for today. 

 Clothing Ken 8-) 

Did you say "Target?"

Don't even get me started on Target. That's worse than a recovering in a liquor store. I go to Target EVERY DAY! I'm on a first name basis with at least four of the check out people at the Minnetonka Target, two at the Rockford Road Target and I have Downtown, Minnetonka, Rockford Rd, Knollwood and The Query all on SPEED DIAL! I could literally walk in and start working there - but I don't believe that Red and Khaki make for a very flattering color combo. I know the return policy like I know the Pledge of Allegiance, I know how they do the "merchandise locating" when you're looking for a specific item, and I know their store layouts. Target is the SECOND most amazing shopping experience for me. It's "The most inexpensive expensive stop I make." 

No, they don't like Oliver but what they don't know won't hurt them - meaning that Oliver has a carrying bag that doesn't look like a dog bag - it "looks" like a brief case and he know it's a "spy mission" if he's in there. Not a peep out of him. 

Whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about these stores. Now, I know where I need to go over lunch. 

later

Where can you find?

Have you ever been in a quandary as where to find something? 

I've always wanted to write a book about that... "Out & About with Ken" or "Where Did You Find That?" 

Being that I shop EVERY day of every week, I've been to A LOT of stores that cover everything from Home Depot to Target to Accent Store Fixtures. You name it, I'm pretty certain that I know where to find it, where to get it or know someone that knows the 411. That's the thing about being in my world, knowing such a diverse group of individuals that I can't even begin to tell you who are my favorites and who are my life savers! Think Andrea (Emily II) from Devil Wears Prada and that damn Harry Potter book - no, I wouldn't be able to pull THAT off but I'm quite the resource and/or go to person for most everything else. 

To give you a little insight to "Ken" - I get goose bumps going into Home Depot - Oliver does too. (Yup, they let me bring Oliver in every time and have never said anything. He's a lot like me, you know when he's in the store.)

The testosterone alone ............. 

It's amazing to me that you can pick out paint (good paint too), pick out flooring, buy appliances and grab a Pneumatic nailer, some fasteners, grab a diet coke AND the latest issue of Martha all under one roof! I'm like a kid in a candy store. Mouth agape, looking from floor to ceiling, down each aisle, wondering aimlessly with a tornado of thoughts of possibilities of what one person could do with all of this stuff. I just want to be able to do this and that and buy this to do that or add that there when I get home and, and, and......I end up buying all of this stuff, getting home and realizing I've bitten of WAY more than I can chew or should attempt. You'd be surprised at my tools surplus - I may like shopping in a lot places but I REALLY like power tools and having MY OWN tool sets and supplies - Who cares that I may or may not know how to use them, at least I have them and I love the shocked look when I tell friends they can use this or that and they just look at me like "You're kidding me. YOU have ........?" Never underestimate the shopping capability of a gay guy! So when the bite is just too big or my idea just doesn't match up with my skills, I have to call one of "my guys". I like being able to do things for myself but when I have to make "those" calls, it's like giving the guys purpose and they "rescue" me. I love a straight guy that has a strong arm and a collection of power tools that pales in comparison to SJP's shoe collection. That'd be Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex & The City. 

Funny story to share......

After I purchased my condo in the Warehouse District, we decided to gut it. It was the only way. I have a friend, "Dan", that found this place for me. Sold me on the vision of cutting my original front closet out and making it a 16' closet with three tiers and a shelf for MOST of my clothes - now, what straight guy would be so kind and thoughtful to foresee THAT possibility - my friend Dan of course! So, that was the first wall cut open and hence the beginning of my new closeted life - no pun intended. There isn't a closet big enough to keep me in it. 

But back to the pint, I wanted more space for my bedroom for this amazing armoire that I found at The Great Estate. Nothing is ever small scale for me, it's ALL ABOUT BIGGER IS BETTER and he who dies with the most still dies with the most - it's who's left to go through all of it. So, I had been eyeing this armoire up for SOOOOOOOOOOO long and brought my key decision makers through to see it so often that I got to know Rob (the owner) on a first name basis. 

Before I could buy it, I have to tell you we were in the middle of ripping my place apart to get everything renovated so I could finally move in and have my house warming - again nothing small scale. 

I needed to rip out the existing closet that I was just 80's prefab when the building was constructed - how hard could that be? Dan had decided to take a long wknd trip (who did he think he was?) and LEAVE ME in the midst of all of this. I was so jazzed about everything that I thought, fine, I didn't need him to oversee everything. I could be my own general contractor - he deserved a break and I knew what most of his tools were for or did......BAD IDEA! Never, ever leave a gay guy with a condo filled with power tools and the mind set that "HE" could do anything Dan could. I started ripping the closet out with a sledge hammer and crowbar thingy - I was doing pretty good until I went to rip the top thingy off and all of a sudden there were all of these wires and cables running along the top of the closet - keep in mind this did not go all the way to the 16' ceiling - it was only like 8' high - So what and where were all of these cables for? Why were they built into the closet? None of this made any sense so what did I do? I had the common sense to stop, take a photo of what I was looking at (more like what I "discovered") and sent it to Dan on his trip...."Look what I found. Where do you think they go? What next?" Dan's response: "STOP! I'm only gone a weekend, finish pulling the staples!"

I'm like? What? Why???? I was doing such a good job at it.I was unstoppable! I was plotting my own HGTV show and I could do this and that and I going to be the next Ty Pennington - Reality hit via Dan. The phone rang, it was Julie, and I'd rather go shopping anyway.

Dan came back, we....I mean HE figured out the wiring, put it all back in the wall and since then, I've been admiring my amazing "sweater" armoire. It has a dual purpose though - it also houses my 39 pair of glasses!

Money well spent 8-)

Do you know Joe?

That'd be Joe Soucheray from Garage Logic. 

I didn't either until last Thursday. 

The day the Strib article came out, low and behold, Joe saw it too. 

(click on  Thursday and 4:00)

I had more calls on him talking about it than I did the actual article. 

I didn't know who Joe was but evidently, a lot of other people did. 

My family in Duluth, my mom and dad in AZ and even cousins in Burnsville 

called to ask why Joe was talking about ME :-) 

So I gave it a listen... and I thought I was

going to pee myself I was laughing so hard. 

No, Joe and I don't necessarily have much in common - I think that's obvious after listening to his broadcast but dang, if he didn't put the best spin on the article, me and the whole clothing thing. 

I sent him an email that said "if he didn't have cashmere and cotton for me to organize, I was certain that I could tackle nuts and bolts."  

So, If you know Joe, keep listening! 

If you don't know Joe, you should tune in and give him a listen. There's humor everywhere and Joe has a good sense of it. 

Joe - if you're out there, Thanks! Keep it up! 

My favorite "Ken-tini"

"What's your poison?" 

"I'll have a Blood Orange Flirtini Thanks!"  

What's a BOF? 

It's Vodka, Blood Orange soda/juice and topped with a generous splash of Champagne of course. 

Careful though - a couple of these and you'll definitely be dancing "The Elaine" 

Check out more exciting recipes and merchandise from my friend Lola's "Olives & Twists".

olivesandtwists.com 

Ken's who & where for maintaining everything

Hi all.

I thought I would share with you the vendors/people that I frequent for maintaining everything in my closets. Then I thought I'd share some tips with you as well. 

Dry Cleaners:

1 hr Martinizing 

5559 Xerxes Ave S

Mpls, MN 

612.922.2449 

If you're lucky enough to meet Rena - she's THE Stain Master! I'm not kidding you. 

Peter Pan Dry Cleaners

322 W 38th St.

Minneapolis, MN 

612.827.1461 

Ask for Mary - it's her place and she knows the biz like no one's business. 

This is where I have everything bulk cleaned and I take my rugs. 

Don's Leather 

3713 E Lake Street

Minneapolis, MN 

612.721.4881 

If there is anything that you need done to a leather coat, suede sport coat or a sheerling coat - this is the ONLY place to take anything. This is the store that the Bloomingdale's, Macy's and other retailers would send customer repairs, spot cleaning and quick repairs to. They have a reputation for a reason - THEY ARE THE BEST! 

Bob's Shoe Repair

905 E Lake St

Wayzata, MN 

952.473.8248 

These people know shoes. They are the "Nip/Tuck" of the shoe surgeons in the region. They're the top shoe docs of Grey's Bay (Grey's Anatomy) There is not much they can't fix - my 18 yr old shoes from Gabriella's are testiment to that fact!  

Favorite eyewear: Eyebobs (www.eyebobs.com) 

Available at Latham Optical in Wayzata. Go on in and see Ginny. 

Latham Optical

852 Lake St E 

Wayzata, MN

952.476.4185

Alterations and repairs: 

Aux Ciseaux 

253 Lake St

Wayzata, MN 

952.476.0250 

Ask for Annie 

Strib Article

What's REALLY in my closet? 

So much more than what made it into the Strib article. To no one's fault except limited space, there was much more to the content and the means to why "my" closet. 

I wanted to call out local businesses that I rely on and use on a regular basis just to maintain my obsession. 

I wanted to share pointers on how to care for all of these pieces - it didn't make it in the article but I have a pair of shoes that must be 18 yrs old and you'd never know by looking at them today. I am still getting compliments on them and I owe that to my shoe wizard, Bob's Shoe Repair in Wayzata. 

Did you know that out of the 35 pair of glasses that I have at least nine of them are "readers" from EyeBobs (www.eyebobs.com) that I had lenses put into? And I have three pair of vintage glasses that I found at an Antique shop years ago. It's a much "thriftier" way to get glasses, maintain an updated and fashionable appearance and not go broke doing so. Also, I've collected these glasses over thirteen years - since I became eligible for Flex Spending through my benefits package at work. 

Is my wardrobe excessive? Heck yes it is but it didn't get like that over night. I've put a lot of time and effort into a 10 yr part time job at Banana Republic. It's not like I went out and did this in a weekend. I stayed with Banana Republic because I enjoyed the company, I liked the clothing and it fit who I was and still am today. I was the demographic consumer for them - I just happened to work for them in addition. Let me tell you, with a discount like that, it'd be hard not to shop on a regular basis - I just did more than the average employee :-) 

So, judge me if you will but there is a lot more to who I am and what I do than just a big 16' closet that happens to be organized by season, color and pattern. I've worked for that, it's mine and it's what I do best. 

Feel free to email me with questions, comments or whatever you'd like to share with me.

Thanks for your time. 

Ken