A busy schedule at J. Mode

I was just on J. Mode's web site, and there is a lot going on at our favorite Front Street Boutique! Girls' Night Out is coming on September 10 - and it looks like a great time! Lots of tastings, fashions, and gift certificates. It's definitely something to check out.

If you can't make it on the 10th, J.Mode celebrates Ladies Night every Thursday until 7pm, with treats and specials. You can follow J. Mode on Facebook to know the specials in advance, or just plan to stop by before or after the Salem Farmers' Market!

There is also a Kinross Cashmere trunk show in September (we may not be thinking about cashmere today in the 90 degree heat, but fall is coming!), and Feng Shui color sessions on September 30.

Visit JModeFashions.com for all the details and complete information on this fabulous boutique in Salem.

The Salem Trolley Christmas Carol

You're probably expecting more information about October in bewitching Salem, Massachusetts. Nope. Not today. Today I'm planting Christmas seeds.

The holiday season is a mere 11 weeks away. That's it! (Haunted Happenings starts in 3 weeks if you need something to focus on in the near future.) And one of the best holiday shows in Salem starts selling tickets on Monday, September 14th.

The Salem Trolley & Griffen Theatre will present the 23rd season of "A Christmas Carol" from November 28 through December 23.

If you have never participated in the Trolley Christmas Carol, get tickets (which are $22 per person, purchase via phone at 978-744-5469 or at the Salem Trolley office at 8 Central Street in Salem). It's great fun for all ages.

The premise is this: you ride the trolley with good ol' Ebeneezer Scrooge between Christmas Past, Christmas Future, Christmas Present, and Scrooge's redemption. The acting is great, the script is comedic, and the experience is interactive.

The show has a degree or two (or twenty) of improvisation, so everyone feels included in the production. It's a great girls' night out or date night.

Last year, the trolley started and ended at Pickering Wharf (so you can start or end at Capt.'s, Victoria Station, Finz, or Sixty2 on Wharf without moving your car).

The trolley is a great movable theatre, but it's seats are limited, and tickets are limited. So, check your calendar this weekend. Talk to your friends. Book your tickets and be ready to laugh and cry with Scrooge in Salem this December.

Bah-hum-bug!

Photos provided courtesy of The Salem Trolley.

Happy Anniversary to Rouge Cosmetics!

I was in a meeting this morning and we were talking about Christmas shopping. This was refreshing, because a great number of meetings I am attending are talking about October and Salem Haunted Happenings.

We talked about Men's Shopping Nights and Girl's Nights Out and how much shopping in Salem has changed over the past 10 years. It is amazing. And it's not news to this blog - I can't believe how fantastic shopping in Salem is today, especially as compared to when I arrived on the Salem scene in 1998.

One of Salem's favorite shops is celebrating her second birthday this month, and this is a good one for the ladies to know about - prizes and gifts galore, girls!

Rouge Cosmetics will celebrate with complimentary makeup applications during the month of September - appointments are necessary and are available every Sunday-Friday during September (Saturdays in Rouge are pretty remarkable - brides, brides, brides, happy chatter, beautiful women - so you may want to stop by on a Saturday just to absorb some of the happiness.).

Rouge will also have many events and gifts with purchase throughout September, including bareMinerals National Makeup artists on September 12, Caudalie Facials on September 19, Darphin Facials on September 23, and Mario Badescu Facials and Paula Dorf Makeup Lessons on September 26. Appointments are necessary, so call to book yours!

Rouge was awarded Best of Boston 2009 for Makeup (Shopping) by Boston Magazine, Worth the Trip 2009 by the Improper Bostonian, and Best of Northshore (BONS) 2008 and 2009 by Northshore Magazine. It just doesn't get any better than that!!

Make a day out of it, ladies - stop by Rouge, swing around the corner into Cornerstone Books for a new book (have you read The Lace Reader? It's new in paperback!), head up to the Peabody Essex Museum for a tres chic lunch in the Garden Cafe (The crab meat salad is divine) and then stroll through the American Decorative Arts exhibits to find inspiration for what your house could look like - if it doesn't already - with a wood carver like Samuel McIntire around.

For more information on Rouge, call the store at 978-744-1044 or email info@rouge.com. For more information on how to spend the rest of your day in Salem, visit Salem.org.

You don't have to wait until Christmas to shop Salem. I invite you to discover the magic when you shop, dine, and explore Salem this September.

Thinking Pink was Great for Salem!

I have to start by saying that I was exhausted by day's end yesterday. Things have been really busy at Destination Salem, and I was ready to call it a day by the time Girls' Night Out crept up on the clock. But, I rallied. I'm a true professional and if my job suggests that I should go out and sample wines and browse beautiful clothes, cosmetics, and gifts for the home, so be it!

And what a great event it was. Congratulations to Salem Main Streets and The Wellness Center for organizing what I hope is a (somewhat) regular event in Salem. I stopped by some of the stores I know and love on Essex and Front Streets, and then had the delightful experience of finding new places to love on Derby Street.

We went into Radiance Aveda first and received a tour of the fairly new salon/spa as well as mini-make-overs and hair analyses! Looking beautiful, we stopped by New Civilitea, which is a wonderful tea shop (don't ignore the scones) and I fell in love with a pomegranate green tea. After that, it was off to Rouge Cosmetics, where I was set up with some skin care samples and great pointers for how to use products.

The evening ended at Strega, where complimentary appetizers were passed - that Strega Pizzeta is to die for! And then a number of people headed off to Salem Film Fest, while I finally got to call it a day at 8:30 pm. It was a great evening that did what I suspect it wanted to - introduced me (and others!) to businesses that can now cultivate us into regular, devoted customers.

Discover the magic of Girls' Nights Out in Salem!

C'mon Ladies - It's Girls' Night Out in Salem!

Let's fight those winter doldrums with a night on the town, shopping and playing in Salem! Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and Salem Main Streets have organized a Ladies Night in Salem on Wednesday, March 5 that will encourage all of us to shop, eat, and Think Pink.

The Wellness Community is co-sponsoring the evening, and they will be distributing brochures and information to support people who are affected by cancer. The Wellness Community at Sue's Circle of Hope in Salem provides professionally-led support groups, educational workshops, nutrition and exercise programs, and mind body classes to help people affected by cancer learn vital skills that enable them to regain control, reduce isolation and restore hope regardless of the stage of their disease.

Show your support for Cancer research when you stop by A Touch of the Past on Washington Street - two Salem women who are participating n the Avon Cancer Walk will be at A Touch of the Past seeking sponsorship for their walk.

The Mayor will be visiting businesses on Washington Street, Essex Street, Front Street, and Derby Street before ending the evening at Strega on Lafayette Street. (If you want to know the Mayor's tentative schedule for the evening, let me know and I'll post it.) Many of the businesses will be providing complimentary refreshments, and socializing is encouraged!

So, you and your girlfriends should come on out to shop and dine on Wednesday, March 5 from 5-7pm. See you then!