Just got a postcard from the folks at Ethan Allen.

The South Florida stores are having a Designer Floor Sample sale Nov. 20 through 23. These good sales don't come very often so it's a good idea to see what they have. Floor samples may be sratched or stained, but if you like the furniture, it's worth the cleanup effort.

Local stores include:

Boca Raton: 9200 Glades Rd., Boca Lyons Plaza, 561-451-2400.

Fort Lauderdale: 2900 N. Federal Hwy., 954-561-2400.

Palm Beach Gardens: Legacy Place, 561-625-1703.

Pembroke Pines: 13680 Pines Blvd. at Pembroke entrance, 954-436-2400.

Also, Ethan Allen has a great financing deal right now that has been praised by the trades --- 4.99 percent for 48 months.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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Looking for some good bargains? Check out the great sale at Salvation Army's Broward stores.

On Oct. 25, everything in all six stores throughout Broward County will be 50 percent off except for furniture, which will be 25 to 75 percent off. Among items included in the sale are clothing, furniture, household goods, sporting equipment, books and electronics.

All six Broward County stores will have free drawings for prizes and giveaways.

Here are the locations:

888 North University Drive, Pembroke Pines, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., 954-433 2160.
1791 W Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 10 a.m. -8 p.m, 954 463-3725.
310 N State Rd.7, Margate, 10 a.m.- 7 p.m, 954 979-6999.
2300 SW 56th Ave., Hollywood, 10 a.m.--4:30 p.m, 954 961-7523.
451 E Copans Road., Pompano Beach, 10 a.m. -6 p.m., 954 782-3925.
7707 Commercial Blvd., Tamarac, 10 a.m. -7 p.m., 954 721-0705.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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Do you want a new sofa as much as I do? I'm afraid to have anyone over 40 sit it in because they'll need a crane to get up. Down pillows are great until they get old....

Or maybe your sofa is it ripped or torn. Or did the upholstery cleaners declare it unsalvagable?

If you don’t have the excess cash right now to buy another, check out the sofa sweepstakes at BassettFurniture.com. Starting today, in celebration of its 106th anniversary, Bassett will give away one custom sofa every day through Dec. 18. That's one for each anniversary year!

You can build your own sofa on line, like this one, if you win. The price limit is $3,000 for fabric only. Leather, sectionals or motion furniture are excluded.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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With the economy in the hopper, even the higher end furniture folks are offering payment deals. Ethan Allen has joined the crowd with "No payments, No interest until June 2009" if you buy something through Sept. 8 when you use the Ethan Allen Finance Plus Card.

But this offer also has some tricky conditions. You have to be disciplined or you'll wind up paying the interest.
Make sure to pay the promotional purchase price in full by June 21, 2009.
And don't skip monthly payments. You have to pay the minimum monthly payments on any other balances on your account.

Here's the rub: If you fail to do these things, you will have to pay interest on the promotional purchase amount from the date of purchase at standard account terms. And it's a whooping interest rate -- The fixed APR is 23.99 percent and the default rate is 28.99 percent.

I have used these kinds of offers before and I have some advice: Put only the promotional purchase on the card. Divide the payments equally over the months you owe. And try to pay off more when you can.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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I used to live in an old house in Rio Vista in east Ft Lauderdale. I miss my oak floors, the huge old shade trees, and the big front yard. In those days I was obsessive about getting antique furniture, the house had a New England feel, so Boca McMansion sea-foam green and peach didn't cut it.

My new 'digs' are downsized, and much more casual. It seems furniture shopping is not the chore it used to be. And not nearly as expensive! I love to mix and match, wood, wicker, painted pieces, etc.

Now that I have more furniture than I need, I'm constantly seeing pieces I wish I had a place for. What do you think of these Victoria Hagen $79 occasional tables from Target? Who would know? Use your imagination to accessorize...they would mix with any decor.

Have you seen any great pieces you'd like to share with us?

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Pottery Barn always has some cool things to revamp your home, especially accessories.

Now, when many of us don't have the extra bucks to totally redecorate our homes, it's time to take advantage of deals like Pottery Barn's summer sale. Take note that those items ending in .99 are final sale and cannot be returned,

Here are two great items that I found at www.potterybarn.com:

I love the Crown Pillar Candles that are painted white and distressed to make them look like they belonged to your grandma. They are handcarved and have a metal disc to catch the drips. They were $39 and are now $29.

My next fave, the Ceramic Sealife Vase, is a great buy, The pieces are very sculptural with ceramic shells and seaweed applied by hand, THey were $59-$149 and are on sale for $39-$99.

Happy shopping....Treat yourself and see the others at www.potterybarn.com.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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You aren't sick of Sex and the City yet, are you? I'm not.

Vogue's Web site has a link to show Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth on their tour of New York and behind the scenes of the photo shoot. See Vogue video

So why is this a shopping post? The clothes, of course, and a shot of the cool chest from Kindel that are reproductions of the iconic black-and-gold Dorothy Draper chests. I remember them as a chest I loved from my childhood.

The Espana Bunching Chests are sold locally at Robert Allen/Beacon Hill showroom at the Design Center of the America, 1855 Griffin Road, Suite B-124, Dania Beach, 954-920-2244. Suggested retail is $5,585 and it can be made in any size or any color, according to Leslie, the showroom manager.

Love these. Maybe I'm channeling Draper.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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How do you know when this recession is really bad? When shops on Worth Avenue and the nearby vias in Palm Beach close.

Jack Fhillips, a Palm Beach designer with taste to make his clients look like their money was inherited not made yesterday, is closing his shop. Jack told me that a recent rent raise teamed with declining sales forced the decision. (Here's is Jack in his shop a few years ago.)

Everything in the shop is 50 percent off. Some of the best deals are on the furniture such as a Charles Stewart Sofa that was $4,250 and is now $2,125., Other items include a gorgeous Asian-motif chest that was $695 and is now $347.50; a needlepont dog pillow that was $210 and is now $105.

Sales are final. They are sold "as is." No shipping in available. They will deliver free locally, but expect to pay a fee if you live outside the West Palm\Palm Beach area.

My house is chockoblock full, but I did manage to find a beautiful jar with lid and coat of arms thst looks like I inherited it from great grandma. It was $35 on sale for $17.50.

The shop is located at 7 Via Parigi, which is last via on Worth Avenue across from the Everglades Club. Call 561-659-4452. The shop will close June 20.

How bad is it on Worth Avenue? I was shocked this weekend when I counted seven shops empty. Gone are two of my faves: Brighton Pavillion and Devonshire. I wasn't able to confirm, but word on the street is they will reopen in warehouses in West Palm.

How bad is this when the wealthy folks are no longer shopping?

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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Etikette, the Wilton Manors shop with a cool designer aesthetic, is the place to go for unusual furniture and accessories. No more complaints about everything you see in stores looking alike!

The place to find everything from toile upholstered chairs to a Chihuahua night lamp, is having an end of season sale Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31. Not everything is on sale, but you will find a selection of items discounted from 20 to 60 percent off the original retail.

You'll get discounts on one-of-a-kind furniture, lighting and accessories. For example, the Due surf board table, made of bamboo veneer with chrome trim and legs, formerly $1,345 is now $687.50.

Etikette is located at 2341 Wilton Drive in Winton Manors. Call 954 636-6427 and see www.etikettehome.com.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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South Beach Style, one of my favorite design stores, is scheduled to close its doors Thursday, May 29. It breaks my heart because these folks really knew great style. They carried Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, one of my fave furniture lines plus some other good brands. (I own a MG+BW sofa and dining room chairs, which I bought at their former South Beach store.. MG+BW was the first to recognize that washable slipcovers are a great thing for people with kids and pets.)

Some good items are still available, such as Tonin Casa glass dining table, which was $4,495 and is now $2,250 (at left) and the queen storage bed with one nightstand (at right) , which was $2,335 and is now $950.

The store is located at 515 N. Andrews Avenue, between Broward and Sunrise Boulevards in Fort Lauderdale. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Everything must go by closing on Thursday. Call 954-764-5020. The South Beach location is already closed.

All sale items are as-is and all sales are final. Delivery is available to Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The owners tell me they have no current plans for another South Florida location.

XOXO-- Shopper Girl

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Where: Hibiscus Place, 1406 East Las Olas Boulevard, Ft Lauderdale. (954) 463-6688

When you're born-to-shop, even a short fix is good one. If I happen to be at the post office on Las Olas (between the Dairy Queen and the Floridian,) there's a consignment shop right next door, on the east side. I can't be within feet of a consignment store and not run though it, can you? They get things in daily, they are one of a kind, so if you don't get there while it's there, you missed your chance. How many times have you asked in a shop for something specific, only to hear,"Oh, we had a really nice one last week." When its followed by some really low unbelievable selling price, that is even worse.

Manny and Paul, the owners of Hibiscus Place, stock lots of ready-to-hang framed art, a very eclectic mix. But they don't buy just any old print. Their things are mostly original or, if a print, they are signed and numbered, like the Richard B Williams 'Regatta' print pictured here. It's marked $200. There are 2 Richard Williams signed sailing prints in stock right now.

If something has been in stock for awhile, they will mark it down, so be sure to ask about that. You are taking a chance, if you wait for the price to come down, but that's all part of the thrill of bargain hunting. I bought a beautiful Baker table here last year because I could finally afford it after the third markdown.

Did I mention eclectic? They had loads of these Bali masks from a customer who collected them, before they downsized to a condominium. I'm not sure where I would go to find a Bali mask if I was in need of one? But it's all part of the surprise of consignment store shopping. These are marked $35 each, and as of this writing there are 7 left.

There are a few other interesting looking consignment stores on Las Olas west of Hibiscus Place, toward downtown, but I'm usually on my lunch hour when I stop by, so there isn't time to do them all. Why don't you stop by and let us know if they have anything we can't live without.

Hey, the latest dirt on saving money at Hibiscus Place: Go to Valpac.com/coupons, type in your zipcode and you'll find a Hibiscus Place coupon for 20% off. You can print it yourself.

Kathy (Born to Shop) Haines

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Wouldn't you like to win a $100,000 outdoor design makeover? I sure would. Now that we are being squeezed with high gas prices and spiraling food costs, some of the things we want, like a fabulous outdoor room, have to be put on hold. So why not try to win?

The Frontgate catalog and Coastal Living magazine will select one winner who will get: $50,000 in Frontgate outdoor furniture and accents; $50,000 toward a luxury pool, landscaping, or water feature installation from Master Pools Guild; a design consultation with Elizabeth Raines Beeler, certified designer and decorating editor for Coastal Living ; and a design consultation with an award winning designer from Master Pools Guild.

Just go to www.frontgate.com/coastalliving enter. Online entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. May 31.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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If you haven't gone to Angsana's "going out of business" sale yet, better hurry. The stylish store, which features Asian home furnishings, accessories and gifts, will close its doors on Saturday, May 17.

Prices are now rock bottom -- with 75 percent off of everything. Even the fixtures are for sale. Some of the bargains include: silk boxes from Thailand, $2 and $3; Wayang Golek puppets from Indonesia (in picture at right), which were $75, now $18.75; a trio of mesh round baskets, which were $40, now $10; and a room divider with horizontal pieces of bamboo hung on a frame, which was $445, now $111. And there are still plenty of Buddhas, tables, chairs and other items left.

This is another closing that breaks my heart. Angsana was always one of my favorite stores because owner Michael Lipkowitz is a master at finding unusual and handmade pieces from his travels to Southeast Asia and Indonesia. He located just south of Swinton Avenue in a house because rents on Atlantic Avenue got too high. But, after he moved, the economy stalled.

"We just can't stay open," he said. "Everyone is hurting. No one has any money to spend any more." Lipkowitz said he is going to concentrate on his interior design business.

Angsana is located at 20 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach; 561-330- 6676; angsanaimports.com. Hours are 11a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

XOXO--- Shopper Girl

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When I was a pre-teen, I craved a bookcase bed because my idol, Annette Funicello, had one in her room. Back then, celebrities didn’t license their names for furniture brands. I was lucky to have a talented grandpa, who built me a bookcase that fit around my twin bed.

Kids these days don’t have to depend on grandpa’s cabinetry skills. Disney has done the work with them with licensed collections, including one for Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus’ hit TV character.

Three style bedrooms are available – a sleigh/day bed, a twin post bed and, my fave, a brushed metal canopy bed in full or twin. The bedrooms come with coordinating pieces that range from a vanity with full-length mirror to an entertainment console with a special drawer to store a gaming system. And this furniture doesn’t cost a fortune. The 4-piece package with the full-size brushed metal canopy bed is $1,299. The collection is currently available at Rooms to Go. For more information, see roomstogokids.com.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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Those who think they know what we want on the Web keep talking about a "sense of community." Translation? We want to be able to connect with others of like interests and share ideas and problems.

Shopstyleliving.com calls itself "the first social shopping site devoted to home decorating." I love the idea. It's a great place to shop, discover new brands and share ideas with family and friends.

One of my fave features is you can set price alerts. The site will send you an email when your selected items goes on sale. How cool is that? The site brings together all the current deals, promotion codes and free shipping offers in one place.

You can also assemble a Stylebook of your fave looks for a room, occasion or trend that you can share with others. You can upload your own blog or blog with others.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

P.S. Here's a great daybed cover from Pottery Barn that was $79 and is now on sale for $54.99. Not your thing? There's plenty more. Check it out and let me know what you think.

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After I wrote a story on how to achieve the Dorothy Draper look, I found this cabinet in the Gump's catalog. Gump's calls it the "Pavilion Display Cabinet."

The pagoda-inspired design is almost an exact replica of the Dorothy Draper cabinet by Kindel. The big difference is the price. The Kindel piece is almost $12,000. The Gump's piece is $1,995 plus $200 shipping.

The imported cabinet is handcrafted exclusively for Gump's, according to the catalog. It comes in two pieces and assembly is required. See gumps.com.

One large caveat: If you don't like the piece or think the quality is substandard, you will be stuck paying shipping both ways. That's a hefty $400.

Your best bet is to check it out at the Gump's store if you are taking a trip to San Francisco.

XOXO-Shopper Girl

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Angsana, a wonderful place to buy Asian and Indonesian imports, is going out of the retail business.

This is sad news for those of us who wanted to find designer-quality goods without hiring a professional. The store, located at 20 S. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach always offered unusual furniture and a great collection of accessories that range from baskets to buddhas.

"This sale has been initiated only after careful consideration, as I have decided to focus Angsana exclusively in the area of design consultation," owner Michael Lipkowitz wrote in a letter to his best customers.

Most of the items are 20 percent off, but this weekend they will be reduced to 40 percent off. Different deals will be offered until May. Call ahead at 561 330-6676 to see what they are. Also see angsanaimports.com.

XOXO-- Shopper Girl

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If you're a fan of Ethan Allen furniture but can't afford the typical prices, get ready this weekend to head to their warehouse.

A postcard came in the mail this week to me and other former customers announcing the event. The "Customer Appreciation" sale is 4-8 p.m. tonight (March 7). The public is allowed to come 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday (March 8) and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday (March 9).

The sale takes place at the chain's Margate warehouse only --- at 1800 Banks Road. To get there, take I-95 to West Copans Road exit west and Turn left onto Banks Road.

The postcard claims that you can save 20 to 75 percent. One caveat here: It's a good idea to know what the product sold for in the store. Retailers typically mark up their products 2 to 3 times the price they pay and that's the suggested retail price. Typically, the discount comes off that mythical price.

Enjoy, but do your homework to know if you are really getting a bargain.

XOXO-- Shopper Girl

P.S. We're not sure what will be in the sale, but at right is typical Ethan Allen furniture.

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Here's the first installment of filmmaker/comedian Mark Malkoff's video diary of actually moving into an Ikea store while his New York apartment was being fumigated. Obviously, he got the OK of the Swedish retail giant -- he has his own page there.

Malkoff is also the same guy who visited and made purchases at 171 Starbucks in Manhattan in one day.

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If you think every furniture store looks alike, check out Arhaus Furniture at Legacy Place in Palm Beach Gardens. I hadn't been there in a long time, and it never disappoints.

The eclectic mix of furniture has something for everyone. If you've got kids who love Pinnochio, there's a great wooden one on sale for $50 that originally sold for $199. They also have a great selection of mirrors -- round with wooden swirl patterns and square ones with hammered metal frames.

If you're eco-friendly, they have a large organic fabric colelction for the upholstery pieces as well as some recycled items.One cool find that would add a great accent to a casual room is the red wooden bird cages. Take three and hang them together at different heights. The three sizes are on sale now for $24, $29 and $34.

To get there from I-95, go east on PGA Boulevard. It is on your right adjacent to Lake Victoria Gardens Drive. For more info, see www.arhaus.com.

XOXO-- Shopper Girl

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