The Fabulous Fours!

Four years may not seem like a long time, but for a specialty boutique in an economic downturn it is quite a feat. Trocadero is lucky enough to be celebrating its 4th birthday this Thursday the 13th. Since we opened our doors back in 2007, we have made it our mission to bring customers unique brands and items as well as to help promote what we feel is "the good life." Whether it's a pair of Seychelles boots that boosts your height and your confidence, a John Derian decoupage tray that inspires you, a Simon & Schuster pop up book that takes you back your childhood, or a Kidrobot key chain that simply makes you smile; thank you for allowing us to contribute to your own personal version of "the good life."

We'll be celebrating all day long from 11AM-7PM with sparkling wine, macarons from Cuppycakes Couture Cupcakes, and of course special deals and prizes for all of our fabulous customers:

- The first 4 customers to visit the store Thursday will receive a Kidrobot zipper pull.
- Buy any 4 items and get the 5th half off (on lowest priced item)
- Receive 40% off selected items.
- For every $40 spent, get a free gift with purchase
- Every purchase automatically gets you entered to win a $40 gift certificate!

Please, join us in celebrating and thank you for a wonderful 4 years! 

                                                                                     

(Photo courtesy of Bemis Center For Contemporary Arts. Shane Bainbridge Ready, Steady, Go.)

After enjoying refreshments and a bit of retail therapy with us, be sure to swing by the Bemis UNDERGROUND for their Annual Art Auction, starting at 6:30. This is the 13th Bemis Annual Art Auction and this year marks the second year for the UNDERGROUND auction. Enjoy simultaneous silent and live bidding, DJ spun tunes, appetizers and an open bar. Happy bidding!

Trocadero Holiday Q&A: Alex

We're continuing our special weekly feature on this snowy Sunday with Alex. With the holidays right around the corner we thought it would be fun to share with our loyal readers a bit about the Trocadero staff and what we love in the store right now. Each of us will talk about what item we would love to get for an important person in our lives and why we'd gift this particular item. See the gifts Alex would buy (she couldn't narrow it down to just one!) and for whom she'd buy them below.

If I could by my mother anything, It would be the Anya Hindmarch "Autumn" crocodile embossed leather with the suede flap. (pictured above.) It is such a classic looking, well made purse, and definitely would be part of lifetime collection of items.

















If I could buy my best friend Emily anything, it would probably be the light gray Botkier "Uma" with the Kidrobot wallet inside. They are both well made and long lasting, but they have a definite edge.

Finally, If I could buy myself anything it would be the MZ Wallace Jane in black with the Pade Vavra bird's nest bracelet inside.






















All of Alex's amazing gift choices are available in store now. Anya Hindmarch "Autumn" bag, $995; Botkier "Uma" bag, $595; MZ Wallace "Jane" bag, $345. Contact us for pricing on the other items featured and don't forget, our big sale started Saturday, so shop for the holidays while the price is right!

Organizing with Anya (and Sarah)

I love Anya Hindmarch -- all of us Troc girls do! -- and so today when I got her latest email newsletter, I had to take a look. This issue included a link to a video of Anya showing how she keeps her own bag organized. Of course, her beautiful bag (of her own design, natch) includes lots of beautiful stuff inside, also all of her own design. I covet her "loose pockets" purses; we carry them at Trocadero and they're a lovely addition to an accessories wardrobe. I might have to finally pick one up at the Troc, especially now that I'm carrying Anya's Seasonal Tote as my go-to fall bag. (There's one left in the store - I highly recommend it!)

Just for fun, and because I love reading "what's in your bag?" blog posts, I included some photos of my Anya Seasonal Tote and the contents inside, to give our loyal Troc Talk readers an idea of just how versatile this bag really is: perfect for carrying a laptop or file folders, as a yoga tote or just to use every day (like I do!) My bag isn't nearly as stylishly organized as Anya's, though I think my love of all things Troc (hello Kidrobot keychains, Archipelago grapefruit lip gloss, BC I used to be a rice bag cell phone holder and Rafe wallet!) is easy to see.

Here is a rundown of what you see above, starting at top, clockwise: Bajra checkered wool scarf, green portfolio, daily newspapers, Rafe wallet, $7, work cell phone, blackberry, BC phone case, keys with Kidrobot Yummy Breakfast coffee and milk keychains, pen, a selection of lip gloss including Archipelago grapefruit, Chanel nail polish in Intermezzo, extra car key, computer drive holding all the computer documents I used for my wedding planning (hence the giant engagement ring keychain), Oso Burrito frequent buyer card, reading glasses, two checkbooks, RayBan aviators and a vintage Whiting and Davis bag I use for a makeup case. Below, a little closeup of some of my mini Kidrobot keychains: L to R: heart from "Things that Hurt" line, fireplace from "Luckies" line, bomb from "Things that Hurt" line and smiley green flower from the "Zipits" line. The little green guy and the coffee cup were the first two Kidrobot toys I ever bought - and the first purchases I ever made from the Troc!

Click here and click on "As Seen In" to see Anya talking bags and spilling the contents of her bag to the world.

Feels Like Fall

The weather in Omaha this past weekend was unseasonably cool. Rather than melting from sweltering 90 degree days, we enjoyed early-Fall-like temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s. As I pulled on my jean jacket over my sundress, I got to thinking about what I plan to wear when the season officially changes to Autumn. I'm looking forward to bundling myself in warm, rich colors and materials, such as flannel, and accessorizing with camel, hunter green, maroon and navy shoes and handbags. For some reason, whenever I think about Fall, I envision camping and hunting in the woods, sitting around the fire making s'mores at night. Let it be known that I've never done any of these things in my life, but a girl can daydream, can't she?

In an ideal world, I'd carry my red Rafe clutch inside my sage L.A.M.B "Alwar" tote and wear my L.A.M.B. Rosebury booties with opaque tights when I went to work. On the weekends I'd make the boots more casual by pairing them with a pair of skinny jeans and Kara by Kara Ross hoop earrings, which remind me of tree branches. Of course I'd have to burn a Diptyque Feu De Bois candle because it smells like a wood-burning fire!

What does Fall make you think of?

June Staff Picks-of-the-Month

We always enjoy seeing what our staff is loving each month. While we used to post our picks on our store's website, we are now starting this month to post our picks on our blog. This week are picks from Cygne, Drew, Marie and Sarah. In this week's Trocadero Tidbits newsletter, we featured this DV by Dolce Vita "moon" sandal in gold and beige. Turns out the first round of this sandal in rose gold and grey sold out within the month so this new batch in gold and beige is fast on its heels of disappearing from the Troc.

Intern Cygne has her eye on the DV sandal -- it is surprisingly still available in her size...so who knows? It just might become her true pick-of-the-month. Drew's favorite Bond No. 9 scent is his own personal fragrance: Andy Warhol's Union Square.

With top notes of freesia and lily of the valley and base notes of amber and 

musk, it's definitely floral but with a nice grounded earthiness. Marie's pick is definitely a chic one...Anya Hindmarch's large day clutch. This is something that one can invest in and have forever.

Lastly, we have a pick from Sarah...which so happens to be a lot of other staffer's additional pick: the new Kidrobot Get Luckies zipper pulls.

Tune in to our blog to see the rest of our staff picks.

Life in Miniature Form

I love Kidrobot toys -- everything from zipper pulls to Dunnys to the subversive Smorkin' Labbit to of course, Yummy Breakfast keychains! But when I was in San Francisco this past Christmas time, my sister came home with these adorable blind boxed Japanese toys from Puchi Petites. I just love the detail in these packages. At Trocadero, we are carrying "Fun Meals," "Girls in the City" and "American Kitchen" blind boxed packages. Both "Fun Meals" and "American Kitchen" are food-themed; but while "Fun Meals" focuses solely on miniature food and food-related items, "American Kitchen" usually also includes some "ambience-related" toy such as a schoolhouse chair in the "Fun at the Cafeteria" box. We really like it when our customers open their blind boxed toys at the Troc so that we can see everything up close and personal. Just the other day, one cute family of four came into the store and the kids each got "American Kitchen" -- Isaiah got "See You at the Courts" and Nora got "Birthday Party Fun." They left the Troc pretty darn happy. These Puchi Petites really are just too much. "The Girls in the City" packages have themes such as "After 5 Singles Party" and "Overseas Retreat." I love the one we opened: "Hot Date After Work" which has a small shopping bag in a familiar blue that says "Tiny & Co." Come by the Troc to see our display of Puchi Petites toys and try to resist coming home with "Pizza Night" or "Drive 'N Go" meal among other things!

An Omaha Steak and an Ear of Corn...to go!

Let's just say we're totally addicted to Kidrobot's newest zipper pulls to arrive at Trocadero. It's not hard when you see what we're talking about. An ear of corn? A Ribeye steak wearing a fedora and pair of boots? C'mon! They're just way too adorable to resist. Today my friend came in and purchased three to add to her Harajuku Lovers bag from Trocadero. With a cute ice cream cone charmattached to her bag, the three new zipper pulls of an ear of corn, tea cup with sugar cube and a lemon with straw, just added more to the "kawaii"-ness of these irresistible treats. Every day it's a challenge to not tear open a box to see what's inside. Luckily we have wonderfully generous customers who open their boxes at the counter so we can see what they got! And of course, everyone loves our "free trade" policy. We want people to be happy with the zipper pull they get. Which also means once in a while we let ourselves open up some more boxes so that there are more to trade from. Really, we're just making it easier for our customers. Really. It's not like we enjoy opening those boxes or anything...Don't you believe us?

Let's Hang!

Today we received the newest addition to Trocadero's Kidrobot collection: Let's Hang. Like eager children on Christmas morning, Alice, Helen and I ripped open a couple of boxes to see what adorable 1-inch soft-vinyl zipper pulls we'd get. The thing about Let's Hang, as well as the rest of Kidrobot's toys, is that they come in blind boxes. This means that you don't know if you're going to get a happy husk of corn, a double-scoop ice-cream cone, a rib-eye with a fedora or any of the other 23 cute companions by illustrator Aaron Meshon.

Truth be told, at first I didn't understand the allure of the Kidrobot toys. After all, I'm hardly a kid -- why do I need to play with toys? But after I opened my first box -- sad toast from the Yummy Breakfast collection -- I was hooked. The thrill of finding out what's inside the little cardboard box is addictive.


It's like taking a gamble for just $5 a pop that ALWAYS has a positive outcome!