Mother's Day Special: Moms Get Pampered with 'Nite Out' at Ross Park Mall

The event includes swag bag giveaways and more.

Calling all moms! With Mother's Day right around the corner, Ross Park Mall invites moms to a night of relaxation and pampering with a "Mom's Nite Out" May 9. This year, Mom’s Nite Out is presented at Ross Park by Bob FM and Q92.9, and mothers are invited to a night of fun, prizes and fashion. The free event is an excuse for moms to take the night off to relax and enjoy a celebration of motherhood. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a swag bag giveaway including samples from Mom’s Nite Out retailers and partners while supplies last. Over the next hour, moms will register to compete in a game called “Shopped!” and also have a chance to win some prizes. At 6:30 p.m., three names will be drawn to compete in “Shopped!”—the event's version …

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Black Friday 2012: Ready, Set, Shop!

Stuck in a traffic jam? Standing in line? Or sailing right through a checkout? Share your photos and experiences from the busiest shopping day of the year

For bargain-hunters, this is the big day. Are you braving the crowds today at the Ross Park Mall, the Cranberry Mall or Cranberry Commons? Snag a great deal—or at least a parking spot in the same zip code—at the Mall at Robinson, Robinson Towne Centre or another area shopping hot spot? What deals brought you to the stores? What's your best, worst or most surprising experience so far? Oh, and how's the Black Friday traffic out there in Wexford and around the Sewickley Valley? Share your photos of the fun. Click the "Upload photos and videos" button to get started. Then share your bargains, experiences and tips in the comments.

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How Much Will You Spend on Back-To-School Supplies?

You might be surprised at the national average—tell us what you'll fork out!

Cranberry area parents may breathe a sigh of relief at the end of this month when students return to school, but before that happens, there is work (and a lot of shopping) to do. According to the National Retail Federation, the average person with children in kindergarten through 12th grade will spend $689 while shopping for school supplies for their children. The biggest chunks of that expenditure are expected to be for clothing, at $246, and electronics, at $218. In 2011, the total expected expenditure was $603. For parents of college-aged children, the average expected back-to-school cost gets more expensive at $907. All told, that makes for an expected $83.8 billion to be spent on back-to-school shopping this year, which makes it the …

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News Nearby: Madewell to Open at the Ross Park Mall Today; Vera Bradley on Friday

Madewell is a casual woman's clothing store launched by J. Crew. Vera Bradley sells a variety of accessories for women, including handbags and stationary.

The Ross Park Mall has announced Vera Bradley will open Friday and the eagerly anticipated Madewell is continuing on track to open on Tuesday. Vera Bradley, located on the upper level across from the mall's food court, sells fashionable, colorful handbags, luggage, stationery and accessories for women of every age. For nearly 30 years, Vera Bradley has had a loyal following of customers who looked for the products among other retailers. This is its first store front in the Ross Park Mall.  Madewell, located on the lower level near Victoria’s Secret, is a casual woman’s clothing store launched by J. Crew. Madewell's offerings will focus on key fashion items like jeans, chinos, T-shirts and fleece tops.  Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. also will …

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News Nearby: Ross Park Mall to Add Three New Stores

Three stores catering to specialty clothing and accessories for women are expected to open at the mall this year.

Three new stores will open this summer at Ross Park Mall, mall officials said Thursday.  They include:  Along with store openings, Ann Taylor and Spencer Gifts will see renovations in 2012. “It’s only the beginning of the year and look at the additions that have been announced,” Lisa Earl, Ross Park Mall manager said in a prepared statement.  “Just imagine what the rest of 2012 has in store for Ross Park Mall shoppers.”  Which store are you most excited about? Tell us in the comments!

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Sarah Kovash

2:39 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012

I LOVE Madewell. This makes me very happy.   more ›

The Unhip Chick

Online Shopping Takes Some Stress Out of the Holidays

There’s no need to wait outside in the cold for stores to open at 4 a.m. when you can just fire up your computer.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful that I don’t have to join the throngs of shoppers waiting in the wee hours of the morning outside of Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s and other retail stores. Call me Scrooge, but I hate shopping during the holiday season. I enjoy giving gifts to my family, friends and coworkers, but I hate the hot, crowded stores and long lines. I especially dislike dealing with the frazzled nerves of other shoppers and store personnel. I speak from experience, of course. I spent one Christmas season during college working in retail. That was enough for me. It was not a pleasant experience. A few years ago, I had to run out to a local superstore on a Sunday afternoon just days before Christmas. The store was jam packed, and it was …

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Patch Poll: When Do You Start Your Holiday Shopping?

Is it too early to begin searching the racks before Thanksgiving?

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – even though it’s November and Thanksgiving still is about a week away. You can visit pretty much any retailer right now to witness the explosion of red and green decor. Heck, Santa Claus even is in town. The benevolent bearded one has been at the Ross Park Mall talking to good little boys and girls and posing for pictures since Nov. 11. The rare exception is the Nordstrom’s department store, also located inside Ross Park Mall. The company has a longstanding policy not to put up holiday decorations until the day after Thanksgiving. Where do you fall on this matter? Do you enjoy getting into the holiday spirit early? Or, for that matter, getting your shopping done in a timely manner? Do you …

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Own a Business? Feature It on Our Holiday Guide

Spotlight your Cranberry-area business this holiday season with the option to change your advertisements daily.

Dear Cranberry-area business owners,  How are you marketing your business this holiday season? Would you like the opportunity to advertise your business in Cranberry Patch in three places from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31 for a one-time fee? Well, you can!  And it gets better.  You will have the ability to change your advertisement daily to feature and promote your products and services this holiday season. Cranberry Patch will have an additional Holiday Guide tab. This section will be devoted entirely to business owners' holiday advertising and holiday-themed content. Your ads are on Cranberry Patch 24/7 in the Holiday Guide and will rotate throughout the internal pages (News, Announcements, Events, Places ...), in addition to being posted on …

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Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

For These Multi-tasking Moms, It's Always a '48 Hour Day'

Allison Beresnyak, Denise Richards and Jennifer Sikora launch a personal assistant service for those who can't cram everything into 24 hours.

Sometimes it seems as though there’s just not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be accomplished. Allison Beresnyak, Denise Richards and Jennifer Sikora know the feeling. The multi-tasking moms and neighbors from Seven Fields have been there. Now they’re lending their time to others in similar situations. In July, the women, who have children about the same age attending Rowan Elementary School, launched 48 Hour Day, a personal assistant service. Besides the usual running of errands, grocery shopping and pet-sitting, the women's business offers holiday decorating, wedding planning and arrangement of corporate entertainment. All three women came from professional backgrounds before giving up corporate life to …

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Jessica Sinichak

12:05 pm on Friday, November 11, 2011

Thank you for the clarification, Allison. I have changed "single moms" to "single men."   more ›

Annual Farkleberry Craft Show Heralds Holiday Shopping Season

Proceeds from the Cranberry Women's Club-sponsored event are given to local nonprofits.

Area residents got a jump on the holiday shopping season with the annual Farkleberry Craft Show at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center on Saturday. Sponsored by the Cranberry Women’s Club for more than 20 years, the event featured 109 vendors selling food, jewelry, Christmas decorations, quilts and numerous other crafts. Hundreds of people packed the halls of the building for the daylong show, which is why Lynn Keener, owner of Keener’s Just Nuts in Bethel Park, said she would keep coming back. This the second year in a row she’s displayed her glazed pecans, almonds and walnuts at the event, she said. “This is a very nice craft show,” she said. “There’s a lot of nice things and not junk.” Donna and Ed Montgomery traveled from Slippery …

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