Shopping Around 

This time of year, the punishing heat, sluggish economy, and the community’s general urge to purge gel together nicely for the biggest bang for your buck. 

By Lisa H. Knapp
Columnist 

Hello, Neighbor! I’m Lisa Knapp, your new columnist and voice for the Miami SunPost, Aventura edition. Welcome back to Points North, offering insights into the “aspirational” lifestyle of your coastal community.

Last week, I “showered love” on Aventura. This week, I would love to sprinkle just a tinkle of Aqua Velva on the hordes of the unbathed jogging with me on the Fitness Trail around Turnberry. Even the chicks reek this week. It is just way too hot. But we’re lucky to live on the coast. The ocean breezes keep us much cooler than all those “Howards” out west in Broward-land’s exclusive “waterfront” properties. You know – those estates that come complete with a big alligator crawling up the curb for lunch on your dog.

There’s only one thing that this oppressively, sweaty weather is good for: end-of-summer clearance sales and scandalous bargains. While South Florida’s transient population provides a buffet of liquidation opportunities year-round, August is primetime for full-time residents to find the best deal – whatever the category. This time of year, the punishing heat, sluggish economy, and the community’s general urge to purge gel together nicely for the biggest bang for your buck, especially if you’re prepared. That means if you want to cash and carry you need to carry cash, and then negotiate your best price. Even retail.

My husband, Kevin, and I bought our first digital camera from Sears last week. We noticed that the lowest priced camera advertised appeared to be unavailable, so we naturally asked the salesman for that camera. He said that Sears was out of the $129 Kodaks but yada, yada, yada, we were upgraded to the $180 Samsung Digimax 240. The Samsung also included a camcorder mode and other gadgets (that I’m too Amish to understand) – all for $129.  (It pays to ask for something that’s out-of-stock, eh?) Free upgrades, whether on an airplane, a rental car, or a department store substitution, are tricks to shop like a pro and save dough.

One of our sweetest deals ever was in summer, 1998. We zeroed in on a Mazda Miata Convertible at Warren Henry’s Dealership on Hwy. 441. We arrived about 40 minutes before closing and approached the hungriest-looking salesman. (Literally, the hungriest-looking salesman.) Bluto greeted us and blew his bugle about the closing time (and dinner time.) Kevin said, “Okay, pal. We were hoping for time to buy this particular car – tonight. But we need to drive it first.” 

The salesman salivated and said “make it snappy.” Little did Bluto know that he’d soon be swallowing Kevin’s bait, served with a side of Lisa’s bull. The Miata is a 2-seat roadster, so I rode shotgun as passenger, while the salesman let Kevin take a test drive (noting that he usually comes-with, but would make an exception this evening.) As we drove, I told Kevin that I loved the car but was really hungry and needed food to fortify me for the negotiations. In the spirit of the test drive, we decided to “see how the Miata handles in a drive-through situation.” We approached a Taco Bell on 441, gobbled Burrito Supremes in the new car, and decided that this one should be ours, crumbs and all. Plus, we’d be sharper, operating on full stomachs and stabilized blood sugar while negotiating with the stomach-growling, diverticulitis-stricken Bluto. We brought the checkbook and used our levity to close on the price point we wanted by the end of the night. We felt satiated from palate to wallet. 

Cool It 

Hey, if you need to cool it, the Aventura Mall is the place to scavenge for values in air-conditioned comfort. There are deep discounts to be bagged for under $6 with summer clearances and so many area stores closing. 

Lord & Taylor’s, the rejected, conservative clothier, closes a little more each day. Sadly, Joanne Zitko, Ralph Lauren Specialist at Bloomindales-Aventura, said they were discontinuing the Lilly Pulitzer and Tommy Bahama brands for ladies. “There was a lack of support. We just didn’t sell enough of it here at this Bloomy’s. Come for terrific close-outs on Tommy Bahama and Lilly – through the end of August.” I conducted some commerce with Tommy B. and Miss Lilly, too. The prices were fabulous. (I also recommend contacting a Tommy Bahama outlet store for 40% savings over the Las Olas mark-ups. Several outlet stores are scattered across the country; I usually call the St. Augustine outlet at 904-808-8680.)

 The Baer’s Furniture Store in Sunny Isles is closing its location on 2725 NE163rd Street.  All the floor models are 50 – 70% off, and the store may close during the first week of September. Hurry over for the great deals.

The Katz Grocery in the Waterways has been closed for a while, but I really like the new Fresh Market on Biscayne. The ambiance is pleasant, the food is high quality, the prices are reasonable and the staff is helpful. I personally prefer the Fresh Market to that Whole Paycheck Store (‘er, Whole Foods.)   

Coming Up ACES 

All these sales should get you and your students back to school in style. The Aventura Charter Elementary School (ACES) is the first municipally sponsored charter school in Miami-Dade County. Its very first day of school is August 25.

Next door, the recreation center’s open house was a big smash last Sunday. The odyssey of N.E. 188^th Street is just beginning, with the transformation to include new residential living areas, too. Points North will keep you updated on ACES and its neighbors, so stay tuned. 

Seeing Red? 

If you’re finally seeing red, then you can ride the bus with the rest of us! The new, red shuttle bus will begin service on September 1, increasing our free transit system to four routes. Additions to the red route include service for residents in central Aventura, namely the new Classic Residence by Hyatt and Turnberry on the Green.

The shuttle busses are divided into four routes: the red and green routes service central Aventura, with the yellow serving south Aventura and the blue bus, serving north Aventura. The busses operate year-round, Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. – 6:20 p.m. (and Saturday until 9:20 p.m.), excluding the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  The new map and bus schedule will be available to all condominiums in mid-August, but you can still call the Shuttle Hotline at 305-932-1BUS (1287) or log onto the city’s website for more details.