Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Head to Red Bank for a day of shopping - app.com

BY SHEILA VALECILLOS
Staff Writer

Red Bank offers a variety of places to shop and embodies the best of all worlds, from art galleries and clothing shops to casual and elegant dining.

Backward Glances

Stop for a taste of the past at Backward Glances.

Open since 1985, this shop attracts shoppers with its variety of vintage items, said Cindy Ciullo, manager and owner.

Clothing, footwear, sunglasses and jewelry are some of the items found in the store.

"Vintage is something I always loved, and we have authentic vintage clothing and things you remember from your childhood; that's what's so interesting about it. We have clothes that range from the '40s to the '80s for reasonable prices," Ciullo said. "It's like having a little piece of the past, something unique that people can wear and they won't see other people wearing the same outfit."

Backward Glances, 43 Broad St., is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, visit www.backwardglances.com or call (732) 842-9156.

The Antique Center

The Antique Center has been the destination for dealers, decorators, stage designers and collectors since 1964, said owner Guy Johnson, 57, of Red Bank.

"My mother started the business, and I got in full time in 1970 after I graduated high school," Johnson said.

"It's worth the trip to discover and find that special something," he said of the shop.

The Antique Center offers unique glassware, china, furniture, silver, art, pottery, custom jewelry, vintage coats, hats, clothing and many collectibles and antiques.

"There's a little bit of everything," he said. "We've got two buildings — one carries the big stuff, like the furniture, and the other one carries the small stuff, like clothes and jewelry."

Johnson said people from all over the world come to see the shop.

"Mostly Japanese and Germans come to buy antique artifacts, and then they send them to their countries. People are just fascinated with all the different, interesting items the shop offers," he said.

The Antique Center, 226 West Front St., is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

For more information, visit www.redbankantiques.com or call (732) 842-4336.

Sunshine Daydream

Sunshine Daydream was opened by Amy Jones, 34, of Island Heights and Erin Galante, 33, of Toms River. These sisters always shared a passion for jewelry and business, Jones said. Over the years, they designed and created unique jewelry and sold it to various stores across the United States, Jones said.

"My sister and I designed jewelry for about 10 years, and we exhibited our work at festivals all around the northeast," she said.

"We decided to open our first retail store, also called Sunshine Daydream, four years ago in downtown Point Pleasant Beach, and we opened the one in Red Bank about a year ago," she added.

The shop offers jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings and hair accessories, and has a bridal department in the back of the store where they sell bridal shoes and veils. The jewelry comes from all over the country.

"I think we really stand out because we're very affordable, and we have people come in, they can buy a gift for under $20 and they can have it wrapped for free. I think people really enjoy that factor of it; they come in and they feel like they're buying something that's worth $60 dollars, and it only costs $20 dollars. People just love it," she said.

The shop has a very no-pressure type of atmosphere, she said.

"In the store people come in, they shop and look around," Jone said. "We're always here to help them."

The shop, at 80 Broad St., is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, visit www.sunshine-daydream.com or call (732) 741-0060.

New York Trends

Opened in 2008, New York Trends offers a unique selection of clothing with Manhattan style for reasonable prices, said owner Patricia Keating of Edgewater.

"I bought the store in 2007, however, it's pretty much the same store, same name, and we tried to keep the same products targeting the trendy. We focus on young teenagers all the way to older, contemporary women in their 40s," she said.

The shop's most popular items include a variety of dresses, handbags, jewelry, tops and shirts.

"A lot of our clothing comes from California. We have prom dresses, cocktail dresses, sun dresses. Prices are very affordable, and that's why we kept the name, because it's known for trendy, contemporary fashion clothing."

Keating loves the fact that on a busy day, the shop sees a mix of patrons, from young teenagers to older women.

"It's a universal store," she said.

The shop, 43 Broad St., is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, call (732) 345 8222.

The Bees Knees

Kristen Winter of Rumson and Megan Deo Priore of Fair Haven are the owners of The Bees Knees, open since 2004.

This boutique offers preppy yet funky women's clothing at reasonable prices, Deo Priore said.

"We have been best friends for many years, and we both always shared a passion for fashion and we love shopping," she said.

One of their favorite things to do was to take trips together to see what new boutiques they could find and what new designers clothing they could bring home with them, Deo Priore said. "Since we were both raised in Red Bank, we knew the lack of boutique shopping here, and we wanted to really make a difference," she said.

The shop offers dresses, ties, jackets, footwear, accessories and jewelry.

"People love coming here because we only have a few . . . of one item, so everything is very unique," Deo Priore said. "People do a lot of gift shopping, and we wrap for free."

The shop, 24 Broad St., is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, visit www.thebeeskneesboutique.com or call (732) 758-1900.

Red Bank has a variety of shops to choose from; these are only some shopping suggestions. The borough's shops include those that sell footwear; cards, flowers and books; clothing; artwork; gifts and collectibles; health and beauty items; jewelry and accessories; music-related items and electronics and video equipment.

For more information, call the Red Bank Chamber of Commerce at (732) 741-0055.

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