| Barbie lovers dolled up
THE world's first Barbie-themed store and activity centre has opened its doors in Argentina. Barbie Store is a dream come true for lovers of the world's most popular toy. At the centre of the bubblegum-scented shop in Buenos Aires is a beauty salon where girls between the ages of three and 12 can get make-overs, manicures and have their hair styled to turn them into their favourite Barbie. "I am here because I wanted to have my hair done for my mum's birthday," said Pilar Tolosa, 6. And while the kids are occupied, parents can relax in a tearoom with a hand-baked selection of Barbie-themed treats. Barbie Store also offers an activity castle with games, costumes, make-up sets and a fashion catwalk. While some parents may bemoan Barbie's conspicuous consumption and her image of womanhood, she appears to have plenty of adoring fans in the Argentinian capital.
StandardNET Live! Daily Download
This is a selection of today's top multimedia chosen by the StandardNET staff. Slideshow: Barbie Gets Her Own Store The world's first Barbie Store opened its doors last month in Argentina with 6,996 square feet dedicated to the most world-wide known doll. The shop has everything from clothes to gadgets, and a teahouse, a featured disco and a beauty salon to make girls look like Barbie. Audio Slideshow: Russia Sakhalin Oil Braving a new frontier of oil exploration around Russia's remote Sakhalin Island means conquering ice-locked seas, frequent earthquakes and muddy swamps fed by melting snow in the rapid springtime thaw. Executives at the world's largest oil and gas project, known as Sakhalin-2, say they are nearing the finish line as they aim to open up a vast new energy source for the nearby Asian economic powerhouses of Japan and South Korea along with the U.S.
First Barbie entertainment store is a hit in Argentina
The idea came to Tito Loizeau in a Buenos Aires shopping mall three years ago: Build a Barbie-themed store and little girls and their parents' money will follow.
Loizeau's marketing company had set up a small "House of Barbie" promotion for Mattel Inc. inside the mall. He was astounded by the reaction: Girls waited for hours to get in, and mothers made offers on clothes he'd hung up for decoration -- never mind that they didn't have anything to do with Barbie.
"It would be a pink shirt you could buy anywhere in the mall," Loizeau said, "But they'd want the shirt because it was associated with Barbie."
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What kind of shopper are you?
Whether your tastes tilt toward expensive brands or Texas chic, Austin's retail scene has plenty of choices. Thursday, November 22, 2007 The best part of Thanksgiving weekend has absolutely nothing to do with turkey and stuffing. It has everything to do with Friday, better known as Black Friday, the official launch of the holiday shopping season, and it gets crazier every year, with retailers opening their doors as early as midnight. In fact, even if you're reading this at breakfast, you could have already been shopping for hours. .
Barbie girls swarm store in Buenos Aires
The idea came to Tito Loizeau in a Buenos Aires shopping mall three years ago: Build a Barbie-themed store, and little girls and their parents' money will follow. Loizeau's company had set up a small House of Barbie promotion for Mattel inside the mall. He was astounded by the reaction: Girls waited for hours to get in, and mothers made offers on clothes he'd hung up for decoration � never mind that they didn't have anything to do with Barbie. "It would be a pink shirt you could buy anywhere in the mall," Loizeau said, "but they'd want the shirt because it was associated with Barbie." So he set out to open the world's first Barbie "fashion-tainment" store, where girls can get glittery hairdos and makeup at the Barbie beauty parlor or try on gowns and play with dolls in the Barbie playroom, all while parents nibble pink desserts in the Barbie cafe.
Blog: Theatre of Dreams
I was in Sao Paulo recently speaking to 6,000 (that's right, 6,000 - Brazil does numbers!!) Brazilian executives about the power of emotion. Afterwards, I took an hour out to visit one of the most interesting stores in the world, Daslu. It was founded a couple of decades ago by two Brazilian women who started with a store in their home. Then their daughter took it to the next level by creating a beautiful Italianate villa, stocking all the world's great fashion brands, and displaying them beautifully. When she first built the villa, it was in the middle of a favella (slum) which is now completely gentrified. To get into Daslu you need to be a member with your own black card. When you do get entry, you are met by a bunch of 25 valets and led into the store.
King St. holdup
Four women in their early 20s were walking on King St. between Varick St. and Sixth Ave. at about 1 a.m. Mon., Oct. 22, when they heard a voice behind them saying, Hey girls, gimme your money, police said. A man, described only as black and about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, holding a handgun, took $20 and a cell phone from one of the victims and fled, police said.
Catch ATM robber
Police on Saturday arrested James Palmer, 37, of Brooklyn, charging him with a series of gunpoint robberies at ATMs from the Lower East Side to Chelsea.
Police said that on Saturday morning Oct. 29, Palmer robbed a victim, 25, at a Chase Bank ATM at 109 Delancey St. near Essex St., before he was arrested later that day. According to police, he held up a woman, 41, at an ATM on Fifth Ave.
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