Midnight Madness and cupcakes

Davis square has the glorious tradition of allowing shoppers to do some Christmas shopping late night. A number of local stores have gotten together to offer discounts to shoppers if they wish to come around between 7 and 12 pm. As the night progressed so did some of the discounts.

This was the first year I knew about the event (thanks Twitter) after spending 3 Christmases here and I am so happy I decided to head up after dinner at Game On!. A couple of girls joined me and we had some major success not only shopping for others but also shopping for ourselves.

Magpie was the first store that I hit when I was wandering around waiting for my fellow shoppers. Since I started my shopping just after 9 pm, I got a 30% discount! Awesome! This allowed me to purchase more stuff for people, as I set budgets for presents and if I get discounts that simply allows for me to get bigger or better things as it is about what I spent, not what it was worth. Overall, this store is as adorable as it is small. It has tons of graphic t-shirtss that are snarky and clever. They also sell bags, calendars, magnets, aprons, and jewelry. There was an awesome tumbler set that I was so tempted to purchase for a friend of mine. The set that I was eyeing were Rolling Rock bottles. The artisan takes bottles, breaks off the tops, and then sands them down so they become glasses. Really awesome.

After my friends joined up we went over to D-squared. One of the items that we found particularly interesting were these feathered headbands. The discount here was only 15% and since the bands were around $42 we figured we would pass. Honestly, they were gorgeous, New Year's Eve worthy, but it would be harder to find another time to wear it.

Black and Blue was one of the final stores that we went into, it is a small clothing boutique. The stuff they sell and price range somewhat reminds me of Mint Julep. It was after 11 when we got there so, 40% off!!!! Here was where I got a present for myself. A beautiful purple wrap dress and crazy structured tank top.
I have wanted a wrap dress for a long time and have never been successful in finding one that flattered me. Here was the dress made for me. The color is amazing, the picture does not do the dress justice.

The tank top has all of this bunching to it that helps give a girl some shape. I can use all the help I can get. For a better feel of its powers, here is a picture with me in it. In general the tank would be worn as part of a more layered look as the shoulder/strap area is a little strange. 40% off was really the reason I went for it. After the discount, it was only a few dollars more than the tank tops I normally buy for layering and this one will provide so much more help with my shape.

Our shopping adventure concluded with us getting some samples of pickles from Dave's Fresh Pasta and then a discounted Lucky Cupcake from Kickass Cupcakes. (My fortune said "be afraid, be very afraid" - not so nice.)

In addition to getting myself a new outfit, I was able to get some Christmas gifts for friends. There were tons of people walking around, so I want to think the night was a success for the businesses. There were lines at every register. Keeping stores open late like this was genius. It is hard to be motivated to go shopping right after work, especially if you work late. Getting the opportunity to start shopping at 9 pm was simply amazing.