Anatomy of a Dinner Party: a day in the life of a hospitalityaholic
 

Hostess Secrets

Written by Patti on August 31st, 2009

All successful hostesses have a bag of tricks up their sleeves. Normally, I want all my guests to think I’m magic, but now that I am a responsible blogger, I should share.

1. Matthews Hamper House: This is the mac daddy of all things containerable (I think I just made that word up). If you want to give your guests a parting gift and need something nifty with which to present it, these are your folks. Their space is very big and they have everything from little cello bags to giant baskets and everything in between. I could spend hours in this store at the State Farmers Market and just lose my mind. If you need something to put something else in, they’ve got it.

2. Ikea. No surprise here. The best prices on wine glasses and my beloved .49 tea towels that I adore using as napkins.

3. Goodwill (multiple locations). I consider the Goodwill my own personal treasure hunt. Every piece is unique. From vintage champagne flutes to pitchers painted to look like watermelon, I find something cool almost everytime.

4. Super H Mart This grocery store is outstanding. The absolute freshest produce at ridiculously cheap prices. The last time I shopped there I bought a beef tenderloin for $5 per pound! Its a bit of a hike (Duluth, Kathianne!) but so so worth it. 2550 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth – (678) 543-4000.

There you go. A few of my secrets are now yours. Go and seek out little shops off the beaten path. You never know what you will find.

xoxo, Patti

 

1 Comments so far ↓

  1. Talibah says:

    OK. I'm in love with your blog. I'm inspired to put on my big girl panties and start dinner partying it up as part of my Fab by Forty plan. It was a complete pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to dinner!

    BTW, a suggestion…add an email sign-up to your blog, so every time you post, email subscribers will get a notification. Kathianne or I can show you how. She's an expert now.