“What’s not fun about a faux fur coat and a $100 handbag?” asks Lindsay Smith Altieri, co-owner of P. Smith Designs. Lindsay is the stepdaughter of Patti Smith, founder of interior design firm and retail store at 65E Ridgewood Ave in Ridgewood, NJ. And, when you walk into the store, you’ll get good old-fashioned customer service and expertise from Patty and Lindsay themselves.
What makes P Smith Designs stand out as a great place to buy gifts this season? Good taste. The store is laid out for ideas on interior design for the home. However, all over the store, there are new and different items in all price points. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get something for the person who has everything, or for someone just moving into their first home or apartment.
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Ridgefield Park, NJ: Let’s face it. If you’re in your 40’s or 50’s, it’s likely that the last thing you want to think about is planning for the possibility of needing long term care. Yet, some key findings of a survey done in 2013 by the Associated Press and the Non-partisan and Objective Research Organization (NORC) at the University of Chicago included the following statistics: The medical spa market is expected to increase by 12% from 2018 to 2025 according to Allied Market Research. Key contributing factors include advances in laser technology for hair removal and body shaping. Tattoo removal is also a growing segment of the market.
According to an article in the New York Times, many doctors are turning to aesthetic medicine for various reasons including fewer emergencies and the ability to make one’s own hours. Thus, doctors are jumping out of the crazy hours in hospitals and traditional medical practices and into cosmetics which affords a more balanced and family-oriented lifestyle. You’ve had a basic kind of day, come home from work, cooked dinner for the family, and sat down to the meal. And, then you get a call. Your father has had a stroke. He’s going to be okay, but his speech and cognition are slightly impaired, and he can’t move his left arm or leg. You, one of two siblings in your family and the one who lives the closest to Dad, are now officially in charge of ensuring he gets the best of care. You have a whole mix of complex emotions from sadness to fear to overwhelm and beyond. You’ve already got a full-time job, a house, a spouse, two teenagers of your own and a dog. How in the world are you going to manage all this?
Waldwick, NJ: When you think of a typical dance competition, you may have scenes in your mind of the reality show Dance Moms where a teacher, some talented kids and their mothers venture out into the brave, anxiety-ridden world of contests. At these events it might seem like your whole life depends on what the judges think of you and how you score. While the dancers often try to be gracious to one another, the mothers are frequently behind the scenes complaining. They might put down the teacher, the studio, the other competitors even ones in their own children’s class, gossip and break confidences. Stressful doesn’t even begin to describe it. On Dance Moms the dancers win trophies galore in this atmosphere.
One thing that you probably don’t think about every day is this plight of the modern pianist: they often get hired to play the piano where there is no piano. These venues might include wedding halls, beaches, gazebos, catering halls, VFW’s and restaurants. So, to guarantee a piano at a venue you basically have to be like Vladimir Horowitz with a Vladimir Horowitz budget. The world renowned and eccentric pianist insisted that his team of piano moving professional groupies moved around on his tours his 9’ Steinway concert grand piano in a box that could also house an elephant. Barring that idea, you’d do well to have an excellent full-size keyboard that travels in a gig bag and has plenty of “buttons, bells and whistles” so you don’t sound cheesy when playing in different styles. Oh, and you’ll need to take a music tech class or educate yourself on how to program your keyboard for musical integrity.
Dumont, NJ: In a world facing so much bad news it’s nice to find, every so often, a pocket of pure joy. Somewhere that strives to make life brighter on a tiny point on a quiet street. Where there’s laughter, light, art and music. Introducing Erin Calev, lifelong resident of Dumont and lifelong singer, pianist and church musician. Forming EMC Studio of Fine Arts at 75 Armour Place has been a labor of love and giving back within the community she’s grateful to have been raised in is her mission. The school is celebrating its first-year anniversary and this unassuming oasis of culture and education is thriving. “I grew up here playing in the brook down the street and playing softball on that field,” she says, pointing out the window.
Wyckoff, NJ: Forget old-fashioned snobby-type clothing boutiques and enter a place that feels as much like a trip to your favorite beach as it does perfect indulgence for the fashionista. Fashion entrepreneur and former interior designer Celia Cantelmo is opening the second location of her original boutique Bfree right here in Bergen County, New Jersey. The store is officially open for business.
Emerson, NJ: What does it take to succeed on the SAT and ACT exams? For many students it’s simply study and preparation. For others, it’s getting the idea and the access to study and preparation first. Then, it’s study and preparation. You may have seen the statistics showing that there is an average of a 300 to 400-point difference among standardized college entrance exams from applicants of polarized socio-economic backgrounds. That’s enough of a disparity to block entrance and/or scholarship money from those with the lower scores. The statistics are showing that students from wealthier families with college-educated parents tend to score higher than students whose parents have less means and education. |
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