B. Lime Summer Clearance Sale until August 31st!

B. Lime is making room for new fall items and on sale now are some of their great products. B. Lime’s mission is to impact the choices consumers make everyday and for shoppers to have a profound impact on their planet and on their health. They believe that every one of us can make better choices, from the products we purchase to the way we live our lives. They only carry items from eco-minded companies who demonstrate a commitment to the health and wellness of our planet and its inhabitants.

They carry everything from the practical everyday essential to the upscale eco-fabulous must-have. It’s about helping you ease into a greener lifestyle, and they’ve discovered that most things in your life can be “greenified”. They carry brands like Bambu, Earthlust, BioKleen, Fish Lips Paper Designs, EcoJot, Under the Canopy, LOOP, Simple Shoes, Brand of the Free, West Paw Design, RuMe, Green To Grow, Loveybums, and 100% Pure. You’ll find rain barrels, compost pails, pet accessories, organic cotton tees, sheets and towels, stainless steel water bottles and food containers, bamboo kitchen essentials, baby items, cloth diapers, floor mats, solar gadgets, LED bulbs, laptop bags, reusable grocery bags, journals, notebooks, wrapping paper, jewelry, socks, cleaning products, and cosmetics… the list continues to grow so check in often.

To get to the store, take the Greenhopper Bus, MTD, ride your bike or walk. For drivers: Metered parking is available in front of the store and on Hickory at a reduced rate of .50/hour, and across the street in the lot @ .75/hour. You’ll always find a spot! Downtown also offers FREE parking on WEEKENDS! B. Lime offers customers FREE half-hour parking on TUESDAYS! 

Hurry in as this is the last week of their sale! The following items are 30% off:
ALL Mens and Womens Apparel (tees & tanks)
Select BABY Apparel by Speesees, Pixel, Under the Nile Organics
Socks & Tights
In-stock Simple Sneakers (mens, womens and kids)
ALL jewelry
Solar Oven and Solar Lanterns
Hats
Dog Collars
ALL BOOKS!
Select cleaning items and deck care

Additionally, they will have a 10% off sale on all 100% Pure skin care, lotions, shower gels and cosmetics, and 10% off all Priti nail polishes and polish remover.

Visit their website: www.blimegreen.com

Circles End of Summer Sales

All summer stock is currently 25-75% off!  Circles had intended to end their sale this weekend, but the state of Illinois has graciously implemented a sales tax holiday (less 5%)  from August  6-15 on all clothing, shoes (with a few exception), and school supplies under $100. This is after any sale price that the store is offering, so it could really add up!

On a new note, all of you who were looking for Eileen Fisher all summer……first fall shipment has been received and it looks beautiful. Come and see for yourself before it goes out the door! Also new in the store is Babette, a line from San Francisco that is known for their pleated fabrics. Modern styling, and simple shapes allow you to layer or not depending on your preference!
www.babettesf.com

Circles Boutique
114 North Neil Street
Champaign, IL
359-2195

NEW! Copasetic Consignments!

Copasetic Consignments is a new addition to the retail market in downtown Champaign. Offering a selection of antiques and furnishings, Copasetic does it in a different way. They accept clean, gently used furniture and home accessories with an easy policy for other antique-rs to sell their goods. Their prices are quite reasonable for the antique market. Though not all items are the traditional antique definition, all are vintage pieces. A set theme is not really what the owner, Lisa Gunderson, was going for. The selection is eclectic with items for any type of collector. Or non-collector for that matter, those that may not fashion themselves necessarily in the business of this hobby can find items to simply furnish their home in an eco-conscious, reusable way. Many pieces come from estate sales, where Lisa would seek out items that she found pretty and feminine, what she would wish to furnish her own home with, though she says that her largest client base has been men. As well, Marla Fry an artist from Chicago has an assortment of her art, which are paintings on old windows, on display. Visit here first next time you’re looking for the right addition to your home, and leave feeling that it was “very satisfactory”.

Jane Addams Book Shop Upcoming Book Signings

Marianne Malone
The Sixty-Eight Rooms

March 27, 2010 — 1 to 3pm

Marianne Malone is a local author whose first book,The Sixty-Eight Rooms, was released February 23 by Random House Books to very positive advanced reviews. This children’s book is set in the famous Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. Join us at the book shop to meet Marianne, listen as she reads from her book, and get a signed copy! Visit www.mariannemalone.com for more information.

January Sales!

Downtown businesses are having many after Christmas sales!

At Carrie’s pick up something Funky and Fabulous during their MEGA Sale. Items priced at 30-50% off for the entire month of January.Their hours are Monday-Saturday 10-5 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm.

Also Jane Addams Book Shop joining the MEGA Sale with 50% off greeting cards, 40% off everything in the mystery room, and 10% off everything else.

Visit Ten Thousand Villages and explore savings on handmade jewelry, decor, art pieces, and gifts from around the world. Discounts up to 75% off on selected merchandise during their semi-annual World Caravan Sale going on January 8-16!

Circles Boutique has a large sale going on also on all their posh apparel. All merchandise is 10-50% off! Great time to update your wardrobe with some sophisticated new pieces.

Stop in to Wind Water and Light during their new hours from Tuesday – Saturday 11:00 am – 6:00pm.

Circles Boutique Moves to New Neil Street Location

Circles Boutique is back open in their brand new space at 114 North Neil Street.  Circles has been one of the longest running businesses in Downtown Champaign and the CDA is pleased to welcome them to their new address.  Stop in and check out their great inventory of one of the kind woman’s clothing and accessories.

Circles Boutique

114 North Neil Street

(217) 359-2195

CDA Proudly Supports the Champaign Chamber of Commerce Shop Local Campaign

A message from Champaign Chamber of Commerce President and CEO

Laura Weiss

With consumers shutting their wallets and corporate revenues plunging, the business landscape may start to resemble a graveyard in 2009.” While there are a myriad of reasons for our current economic climate, one factor is certain: consumer confidence is shaken. We know that there isn’t much that we can do to change the national landscape, but we can work together in our community to identify opportunities and solutions to help ease consumer fear. The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Champaign Downtown Association, the Urbana Business Association, and the Mahomet, Rantoul and St. Joseph Chambers of Commerce are excited to announce a united effort to encourage cash flow in our county through our Save Jobs. Shop Local. Spend Now. campaign.

We are very conscious that we have people in our community who are out of work and we by no means intend for this campaign to sound frivolous in suggesting that shopping is the only answer to this current economic situation – and we are certainly not encouraging people to spend unwisely. But we are encouraging our residents to understand the consequences for a community when consumers hold back on their spending or they turn to the Internet as a means for saving money.

We are a community blessed with a diverse mix of business and it’s that mix that makes our economy work. With this campaign, we are urging our residents to spend their dollars locally and are communicating the message that it is all right to invest in yourself, your family, your home and your business. Because when you invest in all these things by making purchases locally, you are investing in public safety and basic services.

When collectively, a community holds back on spending or shops the Internet, our cities have trouble paying for our basic services like road work and improvements, and fire and police protection. When collectively we hold back, we see businesses that have served our community close their doors and we see people – our neighbors, our family, our friends – lose their jobs. This is not a cycle we can break at the national level, but it is a cycle that we can help break in our local community if we all make a concentrated effort to purchase those extra items or services that we have eliminated from our daily lives – and to certainly not buy them online when possible.

We want our business community to be involved, and here are some ways that you can be:

• Identify ways to communicate the Save Jobs. Shop Local. Spend Now. message to your customers and employees;
• Place the Save Jobs. Shop Local. Spend Now. message on your outdoor signs and marquees;
• Purchase the campaign T-shirts for your employees and encourage them to wear the shirts to work and to meetings (T-shirts available through the Chamber);
• Download the Web site decal from www.champaigncounty.org and add it to your Web site;
• Add the message to your signature on e-mail;
• Adopt the campaign title and incorporate it into your own business promotions.
• The campaign slogan is for all businesses to use;
• Send the Chamber your business success story so that we can share positive news about the local economy;
• Call the Chamber and ask for a Save Jobs. Shop Local. Spend Now. door decal (provided by Martin Graphics);
• Review your vendors. Identify the vendors that you use out of market and determine whether you can shift even as little as 5 percent back to the Champaign County market. If you need help finding vendors, contact the Chamber to help you make those connections.