Beyond the China Pattern
Getting married doesn’t mean having to feign elation over a sombrero-shaped chip ‘n’ dip server.
Most couples avoid writing thank-you notes for such clunkers by making their wants known via registries in department stores or other emporiums. But what if you’ve registered for a dozen place settings of Oneida, Wedgwood and Waterford and want still more loot?
The following is a sampling of some lesser-known registry possibilities for people with plans to fill home and garden with gleaming merchandise. For more information, check the phone book for the store nearest you.
Adventure 16: This emporium offers the ideal alternative for couples who’d opt for his ‘n’ her backpacks over pima cotton sheets any day. Camping stoves, outdoor apparel, sleeping bags and tents are nestled throughout the log cabin-inspired decor. Prices range from a couple of bucks for backpacking snacks to $700 for a tent. The six-outlet chain has no computerized registry, but individual stores promise to fax copies of their handwritten forms to any location on request.
Bombay Co.: This store’s merchandise evokes the British colonies, a la “Out of Africa.” Antique-inspired benches, chairs, tables and beds share space with an array of accessories perfect for couples who are replete with dishes and flatware. Reproductions of a pair of tureen prints (22-by-27 1/2 inches) by Italian artist Luigi Valadier are showcased in antique silver-finished wooden frames and sell for $199. Imari-style porcelain fish bowls are $99 each. Couples can sign up at any of the 350-or-so stores or by mail order. The registry is not computerized.
Home Depot: What could be more practical? The no-frills, warehouse-type store, with 416 locations, stocks everything from ceiling fans to tulip bulbs. Such big-ticket items as window blinds, closet organizers or barbecue grills make sense for a lot of young couples, particularly new homeowners, but 2-by-4s? Lumber has made its way onto bridal registry lists, a Home Depot rep says. The store’s bridal consultant walks the aisles with couples, helping them select and record desired items; the data is then fed into a computer. Gift certificates are also available.
Pottery Barn: Inventive tableware, moderately priced furniture, home decor accessories and renovation supplies such as paint washes make this retailer a favorite with brides bent on redecorating. Prices range from $2 for candles to $500 for a table. Once a couple registers (by appointment only), a shopper in any of the 40 stores nationwide can access the information via computer. Shipping of wish-list items is free. Another bonus: registry announcement cards to enclose with shower invitations. (Of course, etiquette experts frown on such blatant tactics.)
Smith & Hawken: Gardening provisions--tony tools, massive pots, tiny herb plants and outdoor furniture--fill this upscale chain with area locations in Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Costa Mesa. Prices range from $12 for basic digging devices to $500 for gardening benches. The registries are not computerized, but forms can be faxed from store to store upon request.
Target: Couples can fill every broom closet, linen cupboard and kitchen island with essentials via the retailer’s Club Wedd program. They simply walk through a participating store with a scanner gun and zap the bar code on whatever strikes their fancy. The information is entered into a computer and can be accessed at any of the 673 in-store Club Wedd gift centers (translation: a vending-type machine) nationwide.
Williams-Sonoma: The culinary-minded can clean up on professional-caliber bakeware, cookware and cutlery, among other hardware, in any of the retailer’s 140 outlets nationwide. Items range from the ordinary (paring knife) to the exotic (French tart tins). Prices range from a few dollars for a basic kitchen tool to $400 for a cookware set. Couples fill out their wish list in writing, and the data is fed into a computer.
