| Swarovski Crystal Shop To Open at Wolfchase
ALL THAT GLITTERS: In February, actress Penelope Cruz sported a Swarovski handbag while walking the red carpet at the 79th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. -- PHOTO COURTESY OF SWAROVSKI AND THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES The retail chain famous for its line of
merchandise bedecked with shimmering crystal - and which boasts a world-renowned brand name - is opening a store in Memphis next month. Swarovski, which traces its corporate history all the way back to an inventor working in the Austrian village of Wattens at the end of the 19th century, is opening a roughly 1,200-square-foot retail space inside Wolfchase Galleria May 4. That's one example of how the privately owned crystal-making company, currently run by fourth- and fifth-generation members of the Swarovski family, is ramping up its U.S.
Sadrists to Pull out of Cabinet; 50 Killed in Spate of Bombings
As the skeleton of burnt wreckage still smouldered, a bus rigged with bombs exploded in a downtown shopping district in Karrada, killing at least 11 people and wounding 18, defence and security sources said.In the northern and predominantly Shia district of Al-Utaifiyah, a suicide bomber boarded a minibus and blew himself up, killing six people and wounding 10, said another security official on condition of anonymity.Soon after nightfall, another two roadside bombs exploded within minutes of each other in Karrada, killing eight people and wounding 23, a security official said. ' Reuters adds further attacks, including truck bombings in the northern city of Mosul that left 4 dead and 17 wounded. Richard Oppel of the NYT profiles the deadly situation in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad. Not a good scene.Al-Hayat writes in Arabic that according to Shaikh Ali al-Faris of the Dulaim, some Sunni Arab tribes in the north are reaching out to Shiite tribes in the south in hopes of building an Iraqi national movement to force US troops out of their country, which would transcend sectarian considerations.
Yee will keynote awards banquet
STATE Sen. Leland Yee will be keynote speaker at the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 5000 Sierra Point Parkway, in Brisbane. The event will honor 25 scholarship recipients, Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, and two outstanding Lipman Middle School students. Dinner cost: $50 per person. Brisbane Village Shopping Center, Sierra Point Lumber, South San Francisco Scavenger Co. and Universal Paragon Corp. are the event's co-sponsors. For reservations, call the Chamber office at (415) 467-7283. BLOOD DONORS SOUGHT Skyline College will hold a blood drive on May 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the new Student and Community Center (Building 6), 3300 College Drive, in San Bruno.
Residents back plan to tear down mall
A number of eastside community leaders came out Thursday in support of scrapping Eastland Mall and said they plan to form a political action committee to make sure their voices are heard during November's elections. Earlier this month, the Urban Land Institute recommended demolishing the shopping center off Central Avenue and building shops, housing and parks to create a town center at the 90-acre site. The nonprofit consultant group based in Washington was hired by the city and mall officials to come up with ways to revitalize the mall. On Thursday, the eastside leaders told about three dozen of their neighbors at the Charlotte Museum of History that they support taking the mall down to remove what has become a negative symbol for the area. Organizers said they want to get rid of the Eastland name and "rebrand" the area.
Potential buyer says no thanks to Neonopolis deal
General Growth Properties, the Chicago-based retail giant that recently met with Las Vegas officials about purchasing Neonopolis, has decided not to get involved with the troubled downtown retail complex. Jim Graham, public affairs director of General Growth, said in a statement that company officials Friday "told the city of Las Vegas that we have decided not to pursue the opportunity at Neonopolis that was presented to us." "We have to choose new ventures very carefully, and for a variety of reasons this opportunity was not a good fit for us at this time," the statement said. The company's decision is a setback for city officials who had hoped new ownership might invigorate the 250,000-square-foot, $100 million retail center that since opening in May 2002 has had trouble attracting and retaining tenants.
Westfield Great Northern thrives after expansion
They had different parents and were located two cities apart, but in 2002 they became as close as their shopping mall foundations could bring them. Midway Mall in Elyria and Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted were purchased by Westfield Corp. — one of the world's largest shopping center groups with investment interests in 121 shopping centers in four countries. Signs were lowered and raised. Minor renovations were made. But just as it appeared as though both would move in the same shopping direction, a final sale separated the two shopping giants, and it wasn't the kind of “sale" malls are known for. In 2006, Westfield chose to sell seven properties in several states, and Midway was on the list. Westfield cited strategic growth plans as its reasoning behind the decision. A spokesperson said Midway wasn't in the company's “investment pipeline." Great Northern and SouthPark Mall in Strongsville would remain the only two local shopping centers of Westfield's four Ohio properties.
We need to hang up our car keys more often
Yup. Lay down your arguments and call off your scientists, though the naysayers may continue to form a circle before they shoot. Because I live my life with a healthy dose of guilt (my mother passed it down like migraines and china), some recent research I did on hybrid cars made me certain I was a bad person if I didn't buy one on the way out of the showroom. I see Smart cars as big as Skittles and wonder how I could possibly live my life so responsibly small. It would be easier to fold my 6-foot-1, 15-year-old son into the front of a shopping cart. I want to imagine getting a load of kids and two cats to the cottage in a Prius, but I can't. Unable to lose the idea that I'm somehow responsible for that polar bear we've all seen swimming, swimming, swimming for an iceberg that was supposed to be there but isn't, something dawned on me: It's not what we drive as much as how we drive.
Morning briefs
Tickets for the 21st annual Women in Business awards luncheon and trade show Wednesday must be bought by today. The luncheon will honor female entrepreneurs, franchisees and leaders nominated by the local business community. Finalists include Dawn Blackledge of Aerostar Environmental Services Inc.; Mary Fisher of Mary Fisher Design; Melissa Hong of Visual Solutions Inc.; Yuleen Broome of State Farm Agency; and Maggie Deese of Allstate Insurance. Susan Hamilton of CSX Corp. and Carol Thompson of Baptist Health will receive corporate leader and pioneer awards. The trade show starts at 10 a.m., the luncheon at noon. The Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel, 225 East Coastline Drive, is hosting the event. Tickets are $45, or $40 for members of the Women Business Owners of North Florida and Professional Women's Council of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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