SactoMoFo 8/22/12 An eclectic mix of people gathered at a venue to share the love of food and music. Attending the SactoMoFo for the first time was unexpected as I had not realize it’s popularity with the locals. Located at the corner of 6th and X street a large crowd gathered under the overpass taking up 2 city blocks. It was located across the street from Seavey Circle a large low income area.  I and two of my classmates went on the first really hot sunny day to check it out. The only hiccup was the drive in I the drive miss a turn had to go roundabout and up several streets before entering X street.  The first thing we took in was the smell of food- hotdogs to be exact. The next of cou

Surrounded by precious, handmade baby clothes, Cyndi Mitchell thinks back to 2009 when her tiny twin daughters were born prematurely and she was thrown into the uncertainty of what comes with a child, or children, who must be hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Mitchell remembers those days as some of the hardest in her life, and in an attempt to help other families in similar circumstances, she and her husband Dustin founded the Alyboo and Izybee Foundation, named after their two beautiful daughters Aly and Izy. This amazing foundation is funded through donations, fundraisers and now, a children’s boutique, which had their grand opening on Saturday. The boutique, Aly &

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.- March 4, 2012- You cannot escape the world of  fashion. Everyone has their own sense of style and this is what makes them unique. Whether you're rocking the latest fashion statements from  fashion week or you're wearing a brown paper bag, your clothes are part of what makes you, you. Yesterday, the Hidalgo Family hosted the fashion show "Springtime in Paris" at Oakmont High School. It was a night of high fashion and French delicasies.  Not only was it a great show, but the all proceeds went to a non-profit organization, Zafia's Family House. Zafia's Family House is a local non-profit that provides temporary housing to families who have children that need medical treat

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, but the former may prove challenging – especially when you need financially friendly ideas. Even when it’s the thought that counts behind a gift, you still need to look like you’ve thought about it, and socks don’t always leave that impression. To make this Christmas challenge a bit easier, The Sacramento Press looked at local stores in Midtown that have some fun options, each of them under $20. The Beat Location: 1700 J St. Store hours: Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. The Beat is an independent music store that sells all genres, new and old. Here, a unique gift can be bou

On Halloween, we all have the opportunity to be someone else. From nostalgic retro-nurses to bruised and battered zombies, almost everyone will be dressed up for a spooky night of fun, fright and candy. The Sacramento Press rounded up various local costume shops to help you find your perfect Halloween fit. B-Bop Costumes 1931 L St. 443-2234 Hours: Monday through Friday 10 a.m - 5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Closed Sundays Hours will be extended as Halloween nears Rentals: Yes Sales: Yes Located in what owner Larry Slaybaugh called “one of the older and more iconic houses in Sacramento,” B-Bop costumes provides customers with an intimate costume-shopping experience. Racks of authent

The 2nd annual Vélo & Vintage Fashion Show was held at Hot Italian Saturday night in Sacramento.  The show is as much about bicycles as fashion. Lorena Beightler of Sac Cycle Chic founded the event to highlight "urban cycling as a smart, stylish and fashionable mode of transport." Kari Shipman of Juniper James organized the event with Beightler. Models attired in vintage clothing sourced from local boutiques rode a variety of vintage and newer bicycles into the restaurant and onto the runway. Each of the ten models showed three different looks ranging from "daytime" to "night" and ending with a "crazy" look that included a wild mishmash of styles, smeared makeup, and plenty of attitude.

Everything is Awesome, a solo exhibition of photographs by Keith Telfeyan, opens at Cuffs, 2523 J Street, Midtown Sacramento, on December 11, 2010 and will remain on view through January 7, 2011. Cuffs is open Mon-Sat 11am-7pm and Sun Noon-7pm. The public is invited to a reception with the artist on December 11, from 6pm-10pm, as part of Sacramento’s 2nd Saturday Art Walk. Enjoy holiday snacks and drinks and Christmas tunes dj-ed by Shaun Slaughter while taking in the show. Cuffs is also sponsoring a toy drive to provide holiday gifts for children in need. Anyone who donates a toy will be entered in a drawing for a $50 certificate to the shop. For his first solo show at Cuffs, Keith has

Want to renew your wardrobe on a budget? You can, this Saturday, at the second annual Stitch Swap. People will gather to swap clothes, shoes, purses, and accessories at The Urban Hive on 20th and H streets. Event coordinator Liz Franco participated in her first Stitch Swap in Boulder, Colo. and decided it would be perfect to start doing in Sacramento. “It’s a fun way to recycle your closet while at the same time giving to a good cause,” Franco said. “People should participate in order to help out people in our community who don’t have the means to buy new clothes or go shopping. Stitch Swap makes that happen.” Franco and her two co-hostesses, bloggers Ashlee Gadd and Shawnee Kim, have

A recycled clothing maven has come full circle, opening a new Midtown store just steps away from her first job in the business. After growing up in the central city, Elizabeth Kelley opened her second Freestyle Clothing Exchange Saturday at the corner of 21st and L streets — about half a block from where she got her first job as an ironer at Cheap Thrills costume shop. Kelley opened Freestyle at 2101 L St. as a sister store to her first resale shop, which opened in Citrus Heights in 2007. The return to Midtown feels like a return to her roots, she said. "I really have a lot of love for that area," she said. "It's like my home." She was just 19 when she started working at Cheap Thrills.

Jessica Summers-Miller is the owner of Loft 1513, a very chic clothing boutique located in San Francisco. Originally from Sacramento and Hiram Johnson High School graduate, doing a fashion show and sale in Sacramento was an easy choice for Jessica. Jessica also happened to be long time friends with Marcus and Kolea Marquez, who own L Wine Lounge, which was the venue for the night. The show came together in a very short period of time as they elected to do much more than just the typical fashion show. Proceeds from the sale portion of the fashion show as well as the bar tab would be donated to the Red Cross for Haiti earthquake relief. Jessica said she always wanted to do a super int

Avanni Briggs, 20 Starbucks employee Choreographer, dancer, singer South Sacramento resident When he's not dancing, Avanni Briggs shows his rebel style. This Sacramento dancer was recently in New York for a taping of BET's Wild Out Wednesday, a talent show for young people. "I don't like to look like anybody else," he said when asked where he gets his style. "I use my own imagination," he added. Briggs shops at Getta Clue in Downtown Plaza. "I get the clippers and get to work. Doing your own hair takes hours," he said of his unique hairstyle, which has an artistic design etched into each side. Briggs accessorizes himself in a white tank top, red-and-brown-embroidered Christian Dior b

Over the past fall, the nationwide economic downturn has definitely been felt in Sacramento's small boutiques. While some have gone out of business completely, and others have been forced to close some locations, many shops are adapting to leaner economic times by diversifying and changing their businesses. Recently, the Sacramento Press talked to Liz Liles, owner of 21st street's Buffcastle boutique, asking her about the recession's effect on her business and others.   Was it hard opening in this economic climate? Well, we opened in about July, during the summer, so all the kids were out and about. It wasn't bad when we opened at all, actually suprisingly good. So we were excited about

After spending a week writing a massive government document which will soon be gathering dust in a public library near you, I am just dying to get home and dive under the covers with the latest Lucky (my new favorite trashy fashion magazine), my Ben & Jerry’s, and a rat terrier warming my feet. For those of you are looking to actually get out of the house there are some big fashion events you need to put on your calendar. Despite the recent (and continued) close of several midtown boutiques (Shoefly, Dara Denim, Barby K and now Blush), Sacramento continues to “do” fashion as the industry boasts more events in 2009. Three local events of late have caught my attention – Fashionably Live, In

 The fashion capitols of the world: Paris, Milan, New York, Sacramento? Maybe not yet. Sacramento does produce its share of talented designers however, like Amy Hemmens of Naik Fur and Trisha Rhomberg of Pretty Trashy, and Sacramento brands can be seen in boutiques across the country. Recently, Sacramento Press sat down with Michael Lopez, one of a number of promising young designers, to talk about his fall collection, fashion in Sacramento, and his decision to decamp to Los Angeles. Tell me about your most recent collections. Oh, it's all party things. Things I thought could be worn on New Year's eve, or parties after. Right now it's just see-thru chiffon ruffle dress that, I don't kno

I have come to realize that the amount of time I spend on my bike is directly proportional to the amount of money that comes out of my wallet. Or it might be a more advanced function involving the quadratic equation or a differential analysis. Needless to say, you do not need to be a math major to understand the value of a good midtown sale. Right now boutiques are trying to unload massive quantities of fall and winter goods to make way for spring items. Factor in the after-Christmas mark downs and economic turmoil (did anyone ever confirm that rumor about Prada at TJ Maxx?!) and you've got the perfect conditions for bargain hunting. Let's face it. It's going to be chilly for a couple mo

Among the many messy youth, Tanisha Boston puts the F in fresh, there's nothing like matching your glasses with glasses on your vintage T-shirt. Soulful in her skinny jeans with oversized gold hoops and a honey colored bomber jacket she keeps it real.