Organic cotton tees just aren’t enough anymore. Veteran Twin Cities gift and clothing store Bibelot is getting into the used clothing business. Rewear will open on the second floor of the Como store in mid-July. Fall and winter women’s apparel, size 4 to 14, in “like new” condition is now being collected. When selected items have been priced, customers will receive 50 percent of the resale value on a Bibelot gift card. If it seems an unlikely choice for an independent shop that makes itself a draw with high-quality, unique items that aren’t always the cheapest, Bibelot says its customers want to recycle and refresh their wardrobes at the same time.

By 10 a.m., I'd been to Kohl's, Rosedale Center, Cost Plus World Market, Patina, Bibelot (there was a line on Grand Ave.!) and Eco-tique. Total purchases: one book, not on sale; one gift set of Caribou coffee, 50 percent off; one pack of gift tags, 50 percent off; a bottle of Torani syrup (I like my almond steamers), for the amazing price of $4.19 and a string of light-up dreidels, 75 percent off at World Market (love that place!). The $99 portable DVD player at Kohl's gave me pause, but I pushed on since my true agenda was to see what others were buying for the Pioneer Press article I now need to write. Overall findings: the stores were busy, but not crazy, and the discounts are a bit steeper than they were before Christmas.
For more sale info, click Sales/Specials.

The consummate picture of Dec. 26 at Twin Cities boutiques is a line of shoppers shivering outside Bibelot, waiting as long as three hours for the opportunity to buy gift wrap at 50 percent off. I'm wondering if they're going to bother setting the alarm this year. Bibelot has already run sales on holiday items and more…and so has the rest of the retail world. Still, local shops are going to try to entice us: Karma and Flirt are holding their post-Christmas sale together (and handing out numbers at 9 a.m. should any diehards decide to arrive early). Key North will continue the holiday trend of serving drinks (hot rum) to shoppers. JC Penney is opening earlier than ever: 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 – with twice as many doorbusters as last year. Still, they're worried that's not incentive enough. So JC Penney is offering wake-up calls. Sign up at JCP.com. Ask nicely, and they'll probably come over and put the toothpaste on the toothbrush for you as well