Sale Proves Clothes and Hangars Do Go Together

Westsiders are accustomed to large post-holiday sales in local department stores. But this year the clearance sale at Barneys New York may top them all.

The New York-based retailer, which has an upscale shop in Beverly Hills, recently commandeered the 40,000-square-foot Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport to sell excess merchandise from its 17 stores.

Since the sale began at the end of January, thousands of bargain hunters have flocked to the spot to grab upscale men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, accessories and baby clothes at up to 70% off.

“We’ve had thousands a day come through, but it doesn’t feel crowded because the space is so enormous,” said Stella Hall, a company spokeswoman. “There are no dressing rooms, so people have been changing in the aisles and hiding behind their friends.”

A number of movie and television stars have also been seen among the ample pickings.

“We’ve had a lot of celebrity sightings. It’s the funniest thing--everybody loves a bargain,” Hall said.

SMOKE OUT: Ah, and after finding that designer suit at a steal of a price, what better way to celebrate than with a good . . . cigar?

Well, it’s true enough that cigars are in vogue--sales are up in New York, Chicago and, yes, even the health-conscious Westside, where more men and women seem to be lighting up.

But that trend long has been on a collision course locally with anti-smoking laws. And once again, the anti-smoking forces have prevailed.

At Schatzi on Main, the lively Santa Monica eatery owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state’s new prohibition on indoor smoking has had a direct effect on the restaurant’s festive Cigar Night--an evening dedicated to fine food and wine topped off by, what else, cigars.

In a recent letter to regular patrons of Cigar Night, the restaurant said the new law will prevent any cigar smoking in the dining room. Period.

From now on, patrons have been told, the Cigar Night will be held every Monday, but the event will be restricted to the patio. One more thing, because space will be limited, the dinner tab of $50-per-person for a four-course meal, cigars, appetizers, port wine and table-side magic tricks, will be non-refundable.

EXCUSE ME, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY . . . : It all worked out in the end. Oxnard factory workers can stop wearing diapers, and Westside activists can keep enjoying their Grey Poupon.

It seems a group of female workers at the Nabisco plant in Oxnard recently filed sex-discrimination complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that plant managers severely restricted their access to lavatories during work hours. Some workers said the situation grew so bad they had to wear diapers during their shifts.

News of the complaints reached West Hollywood City Councilman Steve Martin, who threatened to lead a Westside boycott of Nabisco products, including Grey Poupon, the fancy mustard produced at the Oxnard plant. Martin also introduced a West Hollywood City Council resolution in support of the workers.

“This is about respect for labor,” Martin said. “These are people who put food on the table.”

Last week, however, Nabisco officials and union representatives reached an agreement to expand break times and open previously closed restrooms. Martin cancelled the boycott, although the West Hollywood City Council on Monday passed a resolution supporting the workers.

Martin sees his efforts as bringing activism closer to home.

“If there’s an issue involving South Africa or Cuba, West Hollywood is always there” with a resolution, Martin said. “Ventura is just one county over.”