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Listmania!

Clothes and clubs and other items of enormous import

By Gretchen Giles



Getting Dressed

Your parents aren't paying for $175 jeans any more--you are. Suddenly, $1.75 jeans become oh-so-strangely attractive. Search the outlet malls for deals (they're unfortunately often orange) and suss out the list of great secondhand and vintage clothing places we love.

Bargain Basket Thrift Store The general rule is, if it's in the swank environs of that chichi stretch of Napa Valley encompassing the swift triplets of Calistoga/St. Helena/Yountville, it's going to have da stuff. 805 Washington St., Calistoga. 707.942.9468.

Bella It's best to be skinny and rich to purchase clothes here--but that's the general rule anyway, right? We just read the magazines, we don't write 'em. Great stuff to long for. 1332 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415.457.1066.

Church Mouse There are three of them, forming a trilogy of excellent, OK and best forgotten. The Holy Ghost, as it were, is located at 18068 Hwy. 12, Boyes Hot Springs. 707.938.0188.

Goodwill Thrift stores have different personalities, and there are a dizzying number of Goodwill outlets to choose from. In Sonoma County, the best ones are 3535 Industrial Drive, Santa Rosa, 707.545.2492; 645 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, 707.570.2392; and the As Is outlet (affectionately known by Bohemian staffers as the Dig due to the adventurous sifting required to locate that prized item), 651 Yolanda Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.523.0550. The San Rafael store, however, is the best spot in the tricounty area to find weird and cool men's T-shirts. Also, a recent foray unearthed a man's double-breasted jacket, replete, bien sur, with hood. Worth the drive from any direction. 809 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael. 415.456.5273.

Hot Couture The hands-down, no-question, queen-of-the-pile, best vintage store. 101 Third St., Santa Rosa. 707.528.7247.

Kid Exchange & Zoë Women's Clothes High-quality consignment, smartly arranged by color rather than size. Who knew you could fit into a size six if only it were cute enough? 108 Kentucky St., Petaluma. 707.775.3239.

LaDonna Sweet and elegant women's consignment. 1822 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax. 415.485.0331.

Lolo's Vintage, consignment and more for all three of us: women, men and children. 1120 Main St., St. Helena. 707.963.7972.

Sax Eerily magnificent mix of consignment and new clothes. A perfect pair to its neighbor, the Wardrobe Exchange, listed below. Pencil in more than an hour for this section of San Anselmo Avenue alone. It's actually possible to have positive psychedelic revelations about a-lines, your thighs and the color green in these two stores. 629 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo. 415.456.7655.

Shards & Remnants Eclectic vintage from a large and almost unwieldy collection. 130 S. Main St., Sebastopol. 707.823.1366.

Simply Chic Not for the timid but well worth it for the stout of heart and clear of soul. Lots--and we mean lots--of terrific stuff. Best recent bling: a 20-pound hand-embroidered skirt emblazoned with mirrors and sequins for 30 measly bucks. 720 Third St., Santa Rosa. 707.578.8044.

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store Worth the trip to Monte Rio. Don't even go to the river. You're here to shop. 9869 Main St., Monte Rio. 707.865.1339.

Vicki's Secret Upscale designer consignment. Prada for less than a 30-year mortgage. 108 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707.765.2807.

Wardrobe Exchange See Sax above and swoon. 621 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo. 415.459.7317.

West Marin Community Thrift Store One of the best places around to get gently used Gore-Tex and other forgottens of the weekend warrior . 11431 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.9227.

Minor Concerns

Put that stupid, dangerous, illegal fake ID firmly away. Just because you occupy the live-music wasteland that is ages 18 to 20 doesn't mean that you can't have fun. It just means that you have to be a bit more selective about your pleasures than do your tequila-fueled friends. The general rule is, if a nightclub serves food, they will serve you . . . a soda. But you can generally stay and enjoy the groove up to an hour after the kitchen closes.

A'roma Roasters Super little independent coffeehouse with innovative music on the weekends and no worries about ID at all. 95 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. 707.576.7765.

Bagley's Bistro This restaurant and jazz venue often hosts musicians like Julian Lage, who are younger than you and your younger brother combined. They actually want newly-minted adults to dig jazz, so behave yourself. 740 McClelland Drive, Windsor. No cover. 707.838.3360.

Cafe Society This spot offers an ongoing cabaret experience in a cozy bistro style and a great place to hang. 1000 Main St., Napa. 707.256.3232.

Caffe Cicero Thursday night open mic, live music Fridays and free films on Saturday evenings. Bueno. 1245 First St., Napa. 707.257.1802.

Calistoga Inn & Brewery Live music on weekends, but you'll be leaving early. Nice place, however, to sit outside. 1250 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 707.942.4101.

Cellar Cat Live music outside on the patio while the weather holds, Friday-Sunday evenings. Jack London Village, 14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen. 707.933.1465.

Coffee Catz Progesterone-design deficit disorder may be a result of viewing the intensely icky girl-interior here, but fortunately, good live music and weekly Saturday afternoon acoustic jams are worth the agony. 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. $5. 707.829.6600.

Cafe Trieste Put on a beret and pretend to write poetry, you new Beat. Jazz jam sessions the first and third Thursday of each month. 1000 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.332.7660.

Downtown Joe's Restaurant & Microbrewery Live music nightly. They'll tolerate minors until midnight or so. 902 Main St., Napa. 707.258.2337.

Ellington Hall Don't just sit there! Nightly dance parties replete with lessons, no partner necessary. 3535 Industrial Drive, Santa Rosa. 707.545.6150.

Last Day Saloon There is usually one show a week here that's for 18 and over, though it might be hard to tell which is which. Call first. On Friday, Sept. 3, Chasing Today with March Avenue is open to 18 and up (yup, we called). Fifth and Davis streets, Santa Rosa. $3-$15. 707.545.2343.

Left of the Dial festival at Last Record Store Wicked weekly Saturday-night gig benefits public radio and the public in general. Through September-ish. This store often has live music; pay attention. $5. 1899-A Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. 707.525.1963.

Monroe Dance Hall More interaction under full lighting, which, you'll remember, is good for you. This place tends more to the country line than the jitterbug. 400 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa. $7-$10. 707.829.0234.

Mystic Theatre Excellent, marvelous, important venue that often offers 18-and-over shows. Upcoming examples include alt-country genius Rodney Crowell (Sept. 5; all ages), the only songwriter we're aware of who's managed to insert direct reference to masturbation into a hit song. Also, piano man Leon Russell makes a gravelly annual pilgrimage (Sept. 9; 18 and over); local hip-hop whiz Wisdom spins it (Sept. 10; 18 and over); and Todd "Is Godd" Rundgren threatens to strip to the waist when he brings his new band, the Liars, to town if only to say "Hello, It's Me" (Sept. 14; all ages). 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707.765.2121.

North Light Books & Cafe Free to be you and me at this all-ages cafe, where everything from poetry readings to skiffle gets great applause. 550 East Cotati Ave., Cotati. 707.792.4300.

Papa's Taverna Sunday afternoons are the deal here. Greek dancing, belly dancers, super views of the Petaluma River. 5688 Lakeville Hwy., Petaluma. 707.769.8545.

The Phoenix Theatre All-ages all the time with a mostly punk'd lineup that ranges from your neighbor's kid to Papa Roach and beyond. Upcoming gigs include local faves the Polar Bears (Sept. 5), Tsunami Bomb (Sept. 11), and the Lincolns (Sept. 17). 201 Washington St., Petaluma. 707.762.3565.

The Raven Theater Determined to wrest Healdsburg back from the tassled loafer set, the Raven consistently has something weird and wonderful on the go, often for 18-and-under audiences. For example, a press release describing this event is sure to cheer Mom up: "Saturday, Sept. 25, Skitzo, Plan 9. Local vomit-rockers Skitzo join forces with Sonoma punkers Plan 9 for an all-ages freak fest. Don't ever let it be said that the Raven Theater shies away from exposing kids to bodily fluids." Indeed. 115 North St., Healdsburg. 707.433.6335.

Zangria Get a little culture with your meal when this venue offers live flamenco performances at twice-nightly weekend dinner shows. 1370 Redwood Way, Petaluma. 707.795.0119.

Sitting in the Dark

The Rialto Cinemas Lakeside (551 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa, 707.525.4840) currently hosts Friday-Saturday midnight movies, ranging from the most marvelous Hedwig and the Angry Inch to Pee Wee's Big Adventure. The Smith Rafael Film Center (1118 Fourth St., San Rafael, 415.454.1222) has been putting on free outdoor screenings on the side of its building, which should continue with the weather. The Sonoma Film Institute (SSU, Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, 707.664.2606) reopens for the season on Sept. 10 with The Big Animal, a Polish satire involving a camel and a small town, with screenplay by late artiste Krzysztof Kieslowski.

And finally, the North Bay has an extremely lively theater scene, with most companies kicking into their new season with the advent of autumn. Look for "pay what you will" nights when the patrons determine the ticket rates based on the state of the wallet.

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From the September 1-7, 2004 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

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