‘Bargains, Books and Barbecue

Warwick - The annual “Sidewalk Sale,” Warwick’s traditional and popular downtown business district event, will take place for three days beginning Friday, July 13, and ending Sunday, July 15. This year’s theme is, “Bargains, Books and Barbecue.” Why? Well, as usual, many of the participating merchants on Main Street and Railroad Avenue take this opportunity to reduce inventories in preparation for the fall season. Others offer special promotions inside as well as outside their shops. It’s a great weekend to shop. And there you have the “Bargains” in this year’s theme. The “Books” refers to the Friends of the Library Book Sale under the tent on Railroad Avenue. The sale will be held on Saturday, July 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Albert Wisner Public Library and everyone is asked to donate books. Drop off dates at the library are Monday and Tuesday, July 9-10. Old shopping bags are also needed. “Tell all your friends and neighbors to help support this sale,” urged Laurie Angle, president of the Book Sale Committee. That same day, Frank Costantino, executive chef from the Harvest Grill at Pennings Farm Market, will provide the third leg of the theme, “Barbecue,” with special selections. “I plan to do something different and a little more upscale from your average barbecue,” he said. “We’ll have an interesting selection.” Visitors will also have the option of enjoying zeppoles and hot dogs or relaxing at one of the downtown area’s outdoor cafes. “We’ll be handing out revised editions of our Restaurant Guide,” said Mary Beth Schlichting, president of the Warwick Merchants’ Guild. “This is the same guide that we distributed during Springfest but it’s been updated.” Some July Sidewalk Sale plans are still being finalized. More to follow. Etched in time Nicole Repose, owner of Etched in Time, 58 Main St., came up with a great idea for Father’s Day. She offered to mount and laminate children’s artwork with a free engraving as an ideal gift for proud fathers. Father’s Day has passed but this is still the time of year when the kids bring home all their artwork and one way to preserve a special drawing created by the young artist in your family is to mount and laminate it. The same is true of graduation certificates, special awards, class or team photographs and so forth. The later would also make great gifts for teachers and coaches. Rob and Nicole Repose purchased their shop from Batz Trophies in 2005. Since that time, the store, which continues to offer a complete selection of engraved trophies and awards, has also evolved into an attractive and interesting gift shop with a large selection of unique items for special occasions. For information call 986-7557. Special award In 2004, when Marie Kosen opened her shop, The Pear Tree European Country, at 28 Railroad Ave., she already possessed the talent required to attractively arrange, display and market her hand-picked collection of fine furnishings, gifts and accessories. Kosen had a background in interior design and had also been a professional make-up artist. One of the products attractively displayed at The Pear Tree is the VIETRI collection of handcrafted dinnerware and decorative accessories. The quality products are handmade by skilled Italian craftsmen using centuries-old techniques and classic Italian design. VIETRI is the largest importer of exclusively Italian handcrafted products for the better specialty market and is represented by thousands of retail outlets. And each year the company honors stores that excel in merchandising, product selection and customer service. On Friday, June 15, Andria Mangione, a VIETRI representative, traveled to Warwick to present the company’s VIETRI Best Award for 2007 to Marie Kosen. “ The Pear Tree represents our line the way we want it to be represented,” said Mangione. “This is a beautiful small town independent shop and the customers are always talking to the same person each time they return. You can’t find this at the mall.” Kosen agreed. “If you’re going to open a business,” she said, “you need to make it special. The big stores are no competition.” For additional information call 986-0600 or visit www.peartreeeuropeancountry.com.