RON SWARNER: BRAND NEW LOOK >>>

Owner Julie Bennett and crew moved their hip fashion thrift store next door to their old space and re-opened the urbanXchange as the same bargain clothing and accessory store, except now it's bigger and looks like it could sit in the meat-packing neighborhood in New York City.

The sleek, open concept store doesn't scream "thrift!" anymore.

In the coming months a record store and coffee shop will be added in the unfinished space behind the store.

An official grand reopening will be held Saturday, Oct. 4, noon to 9 p.m., offering  new stock items, a raffle for a new Beautiful Angle poster, models, makeup artists, DJs and a live 7 p.m. show from Anomie Belle and the Next Door Neighbors.

[urbanXchange, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]

LINK: More urbanXchange photos on the Photo Hot Spot

STEPH DEROSA: PRIMO HEAVEN >>>

Orgasmic, organic, it’s all the same to me.  Both descriptives make my toes curl and send my libido to its happy place. 

Friday night a cute female bartender at Primo Grill sent me to a happy place with her signature White Organic Raspberry Cosmopolitan. 

I had never heard of an organic white raspberry, and had no idea how they would taste.  Far be it from me to turn down a sip of something pure and sweet, so I let her bring me a glass.  Besides, there’s also no reason for me to turn down a chilled glass of vodka, right? I never have, and never will. 

White raspberries and fresh lime are muddled and then shaken with the perfect vodka/cranberry juice duo.   I’ve savored a lot of things orgasmic AND organic in my time, but nothing has made my heart rate increase more than this light-hearted lady from the Cosmopolitan family.

LINK: Weekly Volcano’s Eat/Drink section

BRAD ALLEN: WINGER'S BLUE-RIBBON CUTTING >>>

I grabbed Lakewood Chamber of Commerce's coattails today for the blue-ribbon cutting ceremony at the Original Winger's Grill & Bar sitting on the former site of Tony Roma's by the Tacoma Mall. Their "World Famous Wings," which we had to pay for, are tasty. Their "Original Amazing Sauce" is sweet, like, honey, with a bite associated with typical wings. The rest of the menu plays like a Ram restaurant.

The other highlight is six 42-inch flat screens along one side of the bar wall. Fire those puppies up for the game tonight!

[Original Winger's Grill & Bar, 5221 Tacoma Mall Blvd., Tacoma]

JAKE DE PAUL: BEER >>>

Beer! Lederhosen! Beer! Bratwurst! Beer! Yodeling! Beer! Yo-Yo Man! Beer! Oktoberfest Northwest has all of these fine things, but, most importantly, it has beer.

The official opening ceremony and Tapping of the Oktoberfest Firkin by the 2008 Festmaster will take place Friday, Oct. 3 at 6:20 p.m.  Incoming 2008 Festmaster Greg Meier will toast the entire crowd and then swing a mallet into the firkin (a large wooden keg), causing the Firkin of Oktoberfest beer to pour out to signify the official beginning of the 2008 Oktoberfest Northwest.  Although, beer will be served starting at 11 a.m. Friday.

Other event highlights include a large Biergarten entertainment hall with national and international German bands and entertainers, authentic German cuisine, the German Corner gift section, the Miss Oktoberfest Northwest Swing Girl and the Hammerschlagen Tournament.

And don’t forget to wash all that German food down with … well, you know, beer!

[Puyallup Fairgrounds, Oct. 3-4 11 a.m. to midnight, Oct. 5 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., free Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $8 after 3 p.m., $8 Saturday, $4 Sunday, inside the Americraft ShowPlex, Ninth and Meridian, Puyallup, 425.283.5050]

RON SWARNER: THE END IS NEAR >>>

George Packer wrote a scary piece on yesterday's bailout vote and the McCain camp in The New Yorker. He titled it The End Is Near.

SUZY STUMP: THIS COMMUNION FREAKS ME OUT >>>

Alec Clayton has a piece in Thursday’s Weekly Volcano on the Olympia Arts Walk happening through downtown Olympia Friday night. It’s quite a lovely piece.

During Arts Walk artist Marilyn Freeman will show her multimedia installation Communion: The Labyrinth Project inside the Washington Center from 5-10 p.m. It’s a sculptural autobiography construction from her personal artifacts ranging from 16mm film reels to platform shoes and integrates video and sonic art. 

"While the material of the labyrinth issues from my life, my hope is that each person who walks this labyrinth spirals through their own life, considers his or her own artifacts, no matter how seemingly mundane, with a kind of sacred intention to embrace the past, to let it go, and to make way for new meaning and fresh experiences," she states in a press release.

Oh Marilyn, I’m sure there are a few lives spiraling right now.

[Washington Center, Friday, Oct. 3, 5-10 p.m., free, 512 Washington St., Olympia, 360.753.8585]

LINK: ViVA South Sound arts and entertainment calendar

BRAD ALLEN: GET YOUR MOUSTACHE OVER THERE >>>

Rusty George Creative’s Moustache Revival Party will be held today at The Hub beginning at 3:30 p.m. and lasting “till your stache falls off” according to the Tacoma advertising agency.

In addition to several different best moustache contests, the party will also include a petting zoo, kissing booth, pin the moustache on the donkey, synchronized staching, moustache pull, moustache toss, pass the stache (hey!), the 100 yard stache, and more.

The only catch? You must be sporting a moustache to get in.

[The Hub, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 3:30 p.m., 203 Tacoma Avenue S., Tacoma]