The Weekly Volcano's trusty intern, Julie Holt, finds out one of Tacoma's primo vintage clothing stores likes its new view.

Yet another business has up and left Tacoma's downtown district for greener - it's all about the Benjamins - pastures. Primo vintage clothing shop, Orange, has vacated its original location on Broadway and found a parking meter-less, more shopping-friendly spot on Sixth Avenue, down from the West End Pub & Grill and right across from the Goofy Goose.

I caught up with owner, Laurel Lawson, and chatted about her recent move. Orange had been located downtown on Broadway for almost two years before Lawson transplanted north. The key factors in her decision to relocate were the frequent road work on Broadway, the rising rent and the recent onslaught of parking meters downtown.

"If things were going to get better for retail in downtown Tacoma, I wasn't going to sit around and wait for it," said Lawson.

So, about a month and a half ago, Lawson moved her business to a charming little house on Sixth Avenue. Before her arrival the building had sat empty for over eight years. And before that it was owned by a person Lawson referred to as "the button lady." (Googling "Tacoma button lady" sadly failed to uncover any back-story.)

Having never been to the Broadway location, I can't compare the new shop to the old. But I can tell you the new location on Sixth is going to be added to my short list of monthly shopping pit-stops. The shop carries mostly 1940s through 1980s vintage women's clothing, and Lawson recently added house-wares to the mix. Expect prices to be a little higher than what you'd pay at Value Village or Goodwill, but at Orange, you have the added benefit of not having to sift through endless racks of stained Looney Tunes t-shirts to find something you actually like.

I've toured the thrift shops in Tacoma - I'm drawn to thrift stores like obese women in stretch pants are drawn to Wal-Mart - and the bottom line is  not many compare to the quality and affordability of Orange. UrbanXchange on Pacific Avenue comes close, but if you're looking for vintage chic, Orange is definitely worth checking out.

Orange

3715 Sixth Ave.

Tacoma, WA 98406

orangetacoma.com

253.970.7080

Hours of operation: Tuesday - Saturday, 12 - 5 p.m.

What you'll find: 1940s through 1980s women's clothing, vintage house-wares and a very charming owner

Bonus: Students get a 10% discount!

SATURDAY, OCT. 16, 2010 >>>

1. The Gig Harbor Film Festival continues today at the Galaxy Uptown Theatres. Be sure to catch Camp Unity, an award-winning documentary about Iraqi youth uniting through hip-hop, jazz, orchestra, and Broadway at an American Arts Academy in Kurdistan, at 1:05 p.m.

2. The Northwest Repertory Singers, in conjunction with Arts Crush, provide produce picking music at the Proctor Farmers Market beginning at 10 a.m.

3. Sanford and Son Antiques hosts the Tacoma Harvest Fair from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. loaded with baked goods, gourds, jam and pickled veg competitions, Most Awesome Mustache Contest, Greater Tacoma Mutt Show, Best Pansy Container Garden, Mr. and Miss Tattoo Tacoma and much more. The entire thing is rather tongue in cheek, and meant to be a fun celebration of Tacoma.

4. Painter Christopher Mathie will offer a high-energy, fast paced painting performance from 6-8 p.m. inside Mavi Contemporary Art. Twelve-string guitarist Sam Weis will keep the energy elevated.

5. The Fall Fashion Lore Runway Show (presented by urbanXchange) will go down at King's Books in Tacoma beginning at 7:30 p.m. Promising that they've been, "stockpiling extraordinary goods for a month now," and that these stylish-goods will "explode on Tacoma this Saturday night in a delicious display of style inspiration," the show will no doubt be one of the truly boffo events of the weekend. Even better, local-favorites Basemint will plug in along with Nicolas Hartzell.

LINK: Concerts go on sale today

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

HAIR MATTERS >>>

So the days of the extra-short, "Caesar" haircut are long over, boys. That's right, the Jack Donaghy mane is in. Not short, not long. Donaghy. Besides, look at yourself. You need a trim. Sorry. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Drag that snowboarder hair (you know who you are) over to The Salon Professionals Academy Friday and Saturday for their Cut-A-Thon for a trim before it becomes a full-on mullet. Their professionally trained students will provide you with quality services while under the watchful eye of their experienced educators.

You can get your cut for the bargain price of only $10, safe and secure in the knowledge that all proceeds of this two-day-only event will be going straight to benefit City of Hope for Breast Cancer, which is the official charity of the TSPAs throughout our stylish nation. You can also pick up a TSPA for Ta-Tas T-shirt, which will look bitchin' with your new haircut.

The Salon Professional Academy

Friday, Oct. 8-Saturday, Oct. 9 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
3702 S. Fife St., Suite B102, off 38^th Street, Tacoma
253.617.7009

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Mostly cloudy, hi 65, lo 52

Saturday: Partly cloudy, hi 67, lo 50

Sunday: Chance of rain 30 percent, hi 65, lo 52

>>> FRIDAY, SEPT. 10: TACOMA NATIVE PART II

Tonight's second installment of Tacoma Native offers an amalgamation of visual art, music and performance featuring new work by visual artists Jeremy Gregory, Kris Crews, Zachary Marvick. Galen Turner and Sean Alexander at Fulcrum Gallery. Also on the bill are video creations by Crews and Bridgett Nicol and local northwest musicians Makeup Monsters, Going Shopping and Ethereal Weeping.

• Fulcrum Gallery, 8 p.m., $5, 1308 MLK Way, Tacoma, 253.250.0520

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 11: CAPTAIN PHIL HARRIS MEMORIAL CORN MAZE OPENING

This year's Rutledge Corn Maze pays tribute to the life of Captain Phil Harris, the former skipper of the crab boat Cornelia Marie and star of the Discovery Channel's reality TV series Deadliest Catch. Harris passed away in February after a massive heart attack. Depending on your ability to not get lost, the maze will take you about one-and-a-half hours to three hours to complete. But don't be scared, no crabs are there to scare you, and there are checkpoints along the way to guide you. There are concessions and produce stands available in case being near all that corn gets your appetite up. So bring the one you are stalking - get it, stalk - and enjoy a day in the country, and the memory of one brave man.

• Rutledge Farms, 10 a.m. to dusk Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday, $5-$10, 225 93rd Ave. S.E., take exit 99 off south Interstate 5 and go east about 1.5 miles, $7 adults, $5 children, $20 for a family of four, 360.357.3700

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 11: STRUT FOR A MUTT FASHION SHOW

The London Couture vintage clothing store, which (in case you didn't realize) is in Puyallup, will present a fashion show Saturday night aimed at raising money, "puppy food" and "puppy products" for local animal shelters. Geared at "mothers and daughters," according to promotions, the event is free and starts at 7 p.m. at London Couture in Puyallup. It's also being billed as a good opportunity for models, makeup artists and photographers to get together and network. A donation of puppy food or other "puppy products" is strongly suggested. Whoa. Geared for mothers and daughters? Bret Michaels is totally going to stay in town for this event and cruise for tail.

• London Couture, 7 p.m., free, 122nd Ave. E., Puyallup, londoncouture@hotmail.com]

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT 11: REDNECK PARKING LOT PARTY PART III

Big Whisky's final Redneck Parking Lot Party of the summer goes down Saturday night in the parking lot behind the downtown Tacoma club's building. Folks will show up to suck up live country music, dance on the outdoor dance floor, drink cold beer, eat barbecue and ride "Bubba the Mechanical Bull." That's redneck success, and exactly why this Saturday the Big Whisky is holding the parking lot featuring Robbie Walden & The Gunslingers, Aces Up and others. Bonus: A portion of the admission charge will be donated to Operation Ward 57 - a non-profit that supports America's Wounded Warriors.

• Big Whisky Saloon, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., free cover to all military and emergency-service personnel before 8 p.m., $10 after, 100 S. Ninth St., Tacoma, 253.272.0777

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor and Erotic Mime
The thing is, see, I'm off all next week. I know that's not what anyone around Weekly Volcano World Headquarters wants to be reminded of, as it'll be someone else's job to insert f-bombs into next weeks editorial copy, and someone else's responsibility to chain smoke cigarettes out back, but reality is what it is. What will I do this weekend? Who knows ... This weekend is only the start. The possibilities are endless.

Seriously, though, I don't really have plans. ... 

STEPH DEROSA Columnist
Friday evening I will join Bandito Betty and Kris Blondin for a wine-themed 3 Drink Minimum at Pour at Four. Afterward I will shun all Bret Michaels haters by batting my eyelashes in the general direction of him at the Puyallup Fair. That's right, jealous men, someone with blonde hair extensions, a perma-bandana, and the ability to spread syphilis in an airborne manner will be getting more action than you will this weekend.

KRIS BLONDIN Food/Wine Writer
While nursing a sucky head cold, I hope to meet with DeRosa and
Bandito Betty before they go on tour with Bret Michaels Friday night.
Saturday I plan to attend the company picnic from my day job (they're
will probably be lots of beer and wine there, wink wink), and Sunday,
sweet Sunday, nothing. But still, most likely, I will be nursing my
sucky cold.

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Dancing with girlfriends at Surreal's Ladies Night Friday. Saturday by day: Hitting the streets to promote South Downtown's Block Party on Sept. 18. Saturday by night: Attending the wrap party for local film A Perfect Life starring Joe Rosati at the Hub event space. At some point I'll go shopping for a Bollywood-esque dress for Prom at Sanford & Son (it's less than two weeks away, yippee!).

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Saturday. Tacoma Dome. Wedding expo. If I live to see Sunday, recovery will consist of pizza, beer, popcorn, and immersion in the glory that is the National Football League. Until then ... courage.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Features Writer
Friday, I head down to Olympia for a show at the ABC House. It'll be the first time I've been to Olympia in a couple years, and I expect big things from the ABC House. That place has been around for 30 years! Crazy. Saturday, it's all about the Humble Cub CD release show at the Peabody Waldorf. This is decidedly less likely to broken up by the cops than that Japanther show.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'm seeing The Dixie Swim Club at OLT, then participating in the Table for Olympia.  This is where, ordinarily, I'd make some wisecrack, but a community picnic on the National Day of Resemblance deserves better.  I hope to see you there.

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
I'm catching Dixie Swim Club at Olympia Little Theatre this weekend.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THE FERVOR IS BUILDING FOR THEIR PUYALLUP FAIR SHOW >>>

"I'm at the point in my life and my career where I can do exactly what I want," John Oates told Reuters earlier this year. "And that's all any creative person wants to do."

The Weekly Volcano can only assume Oates was referring to the fact he shaved off his moustache.

But what we're not sure of is what look, exactly, Hall & Oates will don Sept. 22 when they take the stage at the Puyallup Fair. In honor of The News Tribune's brilliant Lady Gaga fashion poll, the Weekly Volcano has compiled a gallery of some of the most striking looks Hall & Oates have sported over the years. Check out the looks below and vote on your favorite. We don't have the Trib's deep pockets for a vote tally mechanism thingy, so tell us your favorite in the comments section at the bottom. Be sure to tell us your favorite Hall & Oates experience too.

LOOK 1

LOOK 2

LOOK 3

LOOK 4

LOOK 5

LOOK 6

LOOK 7

LOOK 8

LOOK 9

LOOK 10

LOOK 11

LOOK 12

The Weekly Volcano will be at the Hall & Oates show next month with our cameras at the ready - snapping shots of all the folks sure to be dressed as the popular pop duo, or the people Daryl and John like to refer as the "Out of Touchers." Whether this will result in an 18-page pictorial, we're not sure of. What we are sure of is it'll be awesome.

LINK: Hall & Oates Puyallup Fair show information

HANGING OUT AT THE LADY GAGA SHOW >>>

Saturday night Lady Gaga rolled into Tacoma with her "Monster Ball" show. Lady Gaga may idolize Cyndi Lauper, but she is more likely to be compared to Madonna as she writes her own songs, and style's it out.

Still, the best style at the show didn't come from the show's participants, but the fans, who in Gaga parlance are known as "little monsters." Photographer Ariane Michelle of AMK Photography snapped shots of the stylish crowd filing into the Tacoma Dome for the show. Check them out in our Photo Hot Spot.

CLOTHING. CULTURE. CONNECT. >>>

Tacoma's a city that gets all damp in the pants over anything that's made with local love - from clothes to music to art. John Crouch, one of the founders of a new men's and women's skate culture clothing store in downtown Tacoma, knows this. He's also privy to the fact that clothes, music and art can bleed into each other within a community, creating a site-specific urban underground culture. Its grand opening party tonight features live music by Tacoma-based acts Pioneers West and DJ Platelunch.

Bleach, with the slogan - "Clothing, Culture. Connect." - aims to maintain cohesiveness with the downtown area's artistic element. 

"It has a clean ring to it, it's an important chemical to clothing and to keeping things clean, it's the name of a great Nirvana album (in my mind the best one) and it has a nice ring," says Crouch regarding the store's name, which is located in the spot formerly occupied by The Cool. "We want our store to keep a clean crisp feel and we thought the name suited us in so many ways."

Crouch, a graduate from Wilson High, explains that he and his ownership team of Tacoma natives have opened Bleach as the flagship store of Imperial Motion, a Tacoma-based action sports clothing brand founded by Eric Wicken, and Steve and Spencer Goetz.  Along with the Imperial Motion brand, Bleach will carry Independent, Creature Skateboards, Santa Cruz Skateboards, Matix Clothing, Krew, DVS Shoes, Lakai Shoes, LRG Clothing, OBEY, Volcom, Bleach Clothing, Alternative Apparel, Loser Machine, Cons and Converse Shoes and more to come. Largely a clothing store, Bleach will also boast a skate hardware section on a back riser that will otherwise be used for bands, DJs, and as a display area for local art. 

The store got off to a rock start on its first day of business when the downtown store was broken into Aug. 11.

"Nothing was stolen, they left blood on the broken window and it looks like it was either vandalism or they got scared away," says Crouch. "It was 9:30 p.m. when they committed the crime and there were people out on the street. The alarm went off and they ran."

That incident won't be on the minds of Team Bleach tonight when Pioneers West rocks the joint.

"The guys are personal friends of mine, I love their music and I think it's fitting for our style and what we're doing and they are from Tacoma," Crouch adds.

Drop by Bleach tonight and connect with Tacoma's new addition to downtown.

Bleach Grand Opening

Featuring Pioneers West and DJ Platelunch
Friday, Aug. 20, 5:30-10 p.m., all ages, no cover
1934 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
bleachlife.com
After party at Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe

WE GOT OUT >>>

This week's heat wave might be getting you hot, but things got steamier when Tacoma Pride 2010 hit Wright Park today in the annual Out in the Park festival. You know the drill - dancing, singing and grinding mixed with advocacy and political groups, friendly politicians and jumbo hot dog vendors. Beside the politicians, vendor tents and advocate speeches, the festival offered a lot of things to the city's LGBT population: a coming-out experience, a chance to be out in public with more ease, or to get more involved. For others, it's just a hell of a party.

We snapped a few photos today.

Out in the Park camps out in Wright Park until 7 p.m. tonight then disperses to the neighboring gay-friendly bars until the wee hours.

LINK: More Out in the Park photos in our Photo Hot Spot

UPCYCLING FOR SUMMER FASHION >>>

I am enthralled with the term "upcycling." No, it's not a new sport, but the idea and process of creating new items out of old ones. People have been upcycling since the beginning of time, but recently the vibe surrounding the concept has shifted from weird kid in patchwork hand-me-down pants to works of art - as in Lynn Di Nino's Coats of Many Sweaters show opening tomorrow night at Madera Architectural Elements.

Material, once again, was Lynn Di Nino's muse.

"On my trips to thrift stores I might see a lime green sweater next to a rust one and think what a stunning combination and I took it from there," Di Nino shared in an email.

Gathering supplies from thrift stores, her closet, friends and yard sales yielded stellar patterns, colors and textures for her summer sweater show tomorrow.

Her process is a simple one: select four or five sweaters that go together, give them a spin in the washing machine, take scissors to them and then reassemble into summer sweater coats with handmade piping from cotton T-shirts for highlights.

Also, humorously, socks are featured as pockets.

"I try to keep these coats reasonably priced and using socks is a lot easier than sewing a pocket," she explains.

And it's downright cozy and practical.

As a full-time artist and creator, Di Nino faces the challenge all artists face - how to make a living. Producing summer coats is a bit of a solution, she relates, "They're cheap, fast, have a wide range for creativity and I have a short attention span.  Also, they're faster than concrete, by weeks, so I can actually earn a living!"

These unique garments are $155 each, and available for purchase during tomorrow's show.

Di Nino's name is not new on Puget Sound's creative fashion tongue. She's a core member of Friends of the Rag, a wearable art group dating back to 1972.

Coat of Many Sweaters

Thursday, June 24, 6-8 p.m., no cover
Madera Architectural Elements Showroom
2210 Court A, Tacoma (close to El Gaucho)

LEAVE YOUR PRADA MAN-PURSE AT HOME >>>

So the days of the extra-short, "Caesar" haircut are way past over, boys. That's right, shaggy hair is back. Shaggy, not long. Shaggy. You still have to cut it. Sorry. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Drag that snowboarder hair (you know who you are) over to the Embellish Multispace Salon today for a trim before it becomes a full-on mullet.

Salon? It's OK. They're not going to go metrosexual on your ass. It's Dude Day at Embellish.

You can get your cut for the bargain price of only $20, plus you'll receive a scalp message, hot dogs and beer (21 and older, of course).

Give them a buzz at 253.752.8144 for an appointment.

Embellish Multispace Salon

Tuesday, June 15, 2-7 p.m.
1121 Court D #A, Tacoma
253.752.8144