Swap O Rama Rama - Los Angeles - November 16, 2008

Oh joy of joys.... another Swap O Rama Rama date in the Los Angeles area has been announced.

Get out your calendar.  Make a big red circle around the date of November 16, 2008 and don't plan ANYTHING ELSE for that day!  This is one of the greatest events for a Bargain Queen (or King) in Training (that's YOU .... my readers).

I have now been to two Swap O Rama Ramas so I can report with certainty that this is a not-to-be-missed event.

OK... so enough gushing... I'll tell you about the event.

The next Swap O Rama Rama in the Los Angeles area will be on November 16, 2008 at The Shrine Auditorium at 649 West Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007 from 11 am to 5 pm (get there early... there WILL be a line.)

In order to get into Swap O Rama Rama, you can either bring a bag of clothing or accessories and pay a $5 admission fee or you can come without a bag and pay $10.  I suggest you bring a bag, not only for the cheaper admission fee, but to clear out your closet for the new goodies that will be a-coming.

Upon turning over your bag of goodies and your crumpled currency, you enter a swappers dream world.  Piled high upon tables are clothing items sorted into major groupings: tops, pants, coats, sweathers, dresses, etc.  On the floor under the table are shoes.  On another table or hanging on something are accessories.

Hugging the walls of the space are tables with sewing machines attended by helpful volunteers ready to assist you in redesigning your newfound treasure into something different.

At the last Swap I attended, I picked out a boxy shaped souvenir t-shirt.  Great color, great picture on the front.  Horrid fit.  With the help of the lovely volunteer (who, by the way, makes her living as a wardrobe mistress for a major movie studio) that t-shirt was restructured into a fabulous top that actually FITS me.  It's my favorite shirt and it is sooooo cool looking.

My teenaged daughter scooped up a pair of black leather Liz Claiborne knee-high boots.  As she was walking around, a lady saw them and said, "Oh, you got my boots.  I got them when we went to Paris and I wore them for one day.  But, I'm not a boot person, so I brought them here."  How cool is that?

This Swap O Rama Rama is also going to have a craft show.  These are members of the cutting edge of the Los Angeles Craft scene.  I know their work.  Get ready to shop for Holiday presents.

So, I can't say enough about this event.  Don't miss it.  After the last Swap, I felt so bad that I hadn't insisted that all my friends go.... so, I'm telling you now... don't miss this!

For those of you not lucky enough to live in the LA area, there are Swap O Rama Ramas in other areas of the world.  Go to SwapORamaRama.org to find or start a swap near you.