Shop Online or In-Store This Weekend & Contribute to Relief Efforts

I read on Hands on Nashville's Twitter feed (@HONashville) today that from May 2 through today, 11,401 people have volunteered approximately 48,460 hours of their time for flood related opportunities organized by HON.  And in ten days, HON volunteers have made a projected economic impact of $1 million.  Incredible!  Clean up is still going on which means volunteers are still needed.  To sign up or for more information visit www.hon.org.

There are lots of opportunities to shop and contribute to flood relief efforts this weekend.  Many of these are online opportunities so non-Nashville readers take note!  This is your chance to shop and support our relief efforts too.  

Whats-in-store started their online campaign this week.  Their goal is to raise at least $100,000 for flood relief to benefit the Red Cross, Community Foundation and Hands On Nashville.  A selection of accessories and gifts will be sold online only and 100% of the sales price will be donated.  New items will be added daily so please be sure to check back often.  

Jewelry designer, Freshie & Zero has listed a number of items on her Etsy site.  50% of all Etsy sales during May will go to flood relief efforts.

Through the end of May, Troubadour Vintage will donate 30% of each purchase to flood relief. 

Closet Case Vintage will donate 10% of each purchase from her Etsy shop to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee through May 15.  

50% of proceeds from items purchased from MouseVox Vintage will be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennesse through May 17.  

100% of proceeds from items purchased from Little Ocean Annie will be donated to Hands on Nashville through May 15. 

Two Elle, our May Stella Spotlight store is still taking clothing donations.  And for every Two Elle exclusive, super soft Nashville tee shirt sold, Rachel will personally donate a clothing item.  So print out your Two Elle Stella coupon, grab your clothing donations and head over to Two Elle this weekend.   

In case you don't have a Two Elle coupon, check your Inbox for a Stella email.  If you're not on our email list, sign up and we'll send it to you!

This Saturday from 10am-6pm fill a bag for $10 at the Goodbuy Girls Flood Relief Parking Lot Bag Sale.  Proceeds benefit the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Monkee's of Nashville, and Two Elle neighbor, will be a collection spot this weekend for gently worn or newly purchased shoes.

Make sure you save the date for these events coming up in the next few weeks...

Stella fave, Amanda Valentine, is one of the featured designers at this show.

Hey Chicago readers...The Squasht by Les Grand Opening is next week!  

We wish Lesley all the best with her brand new store and we can't wait to visit!

We'll update this post throughout the weekend as we hear of more special offers, so check back often.

Happy Shopping!

Shop Local Retailers and Help Flood Relief Organizations

It's amazing to see some of our favorite Stella stores and vintage dealers graciously offering to donate percentages of their sales to flood relief efforts throughout the month of May.  The outpouring of generosity I have seen and heard of this week is just astounding.  It makes me very proud to be a part of this community.  Shop these stores this weekend, volunteer if you can, donate if you can, conserve water and don't forget your Mom this Sunday! 

Goodbuy Girls are collecting vintage and contemporary clothing donations.  Proceeds from these collected items will go to the Community Foundation of Middle TN.  Drop off any fashion goods including dresses, purses, shoes, etc., this Saturday from 9am-6pm at their store at 307 N. 16th St. next to Alegria.  Please click HERE for more details.

Speaking of Alegria, now through Sunday, 10% of every purchase will be donated to flood relief programs.

The Hip Zipper will be collecting household items, clothing and pet items throughout the month of May. These items will be delivered daily to those organizations who need them.  Also 25% of all profits will be donated to flood relief efforts, specifically Hands on Nashville.  Please click HERE for a detailed list of items the Hip Zipper will collect. 

Two Elle is our Stella Spotlight store this month. So print out your Two Elle coupon and take any clothing donations you have to the store this weekend.  Don't have a Two Elle coupon?  Check your Inbox for a Stella email or if you're not on our email list, sign up and we'll send it to you!

Update! For every exclusive Two Elle "Nashville" t-shirt sold, Rachel will donate an item of clothing to flood victims.  Shirts are only $25!

Venus and Mars - The Showroom on Belmont has partnered with Ashleigh Prince to be a drop-off location for clothing items.  Please click HERE for more information.

Online, check out jewelry designer, Freshie & Zero.  Congratulations to Freshie Beth who just had a baby!!  Her website shop is closed until June while she is on maternity leave, but she has listed a number of items on her Etsy site.  50% of all Etsy sales during May will go to flood relief efforts.

For the next 30 days (well, 28 now), Troubadour Vintage will donate 30% of each purchase to flood relief. 

Closet Case Vintage will donate 10% of each purchase to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee through May 15.  Carmen wrote a great blog today which you can read HERE.  She posted a few heartbreaking photos of the city and also featured some awesome new items she has up for sale at her Etsy shop.

For more information on where you can volunteer or make donations, please refer to this post from Nashvillest.  It is the most comprehensive list out there and they continually update it.

As I finish this post, tonight's Flood Relief Telethon just ended.  $1.7 million was raised.  Yazoo and Imogene + Willie each raised $6,000 at their respective events tonight and last night the Mercy Lounge raised over $11,000.  Truly amazing.

Keep supporting these events and keep supporting your community!  We are Nashville.

JUST ADDED!

May 7 - Donate furniture this week to Nest Interiors in Edgehill Village and receive 30% off a purchase of your choice in the month of May!  Make sure you stop into the Nest with your donated items, so they can add you to their list for this special offer.

May 8 - Via fellow blogger Annie of Annie Spandex, we learned of two more vintage dealers who are donating percentages of purchases to local flood relief. 50% of proceeds from items purchased from MouseVox Vintage will be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennesse through May 17.  100% of proceeds from items purchased from Little Ocean Annie will be donated to Hands on Nashville through May 15. 

Other boutiques taking donations are...

West End boutique, Boutique Bella is collecting non-perishable food, bottled water, toiletries, sunscreen, cleaning supplies, pet food & supplies, clothing & shoes, & financial donations.  You can bring these items to Boutique Bella & receive 15% off your purchase during the month of May.

Flavour on Demonbreun is collecting household items like toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, diapers, cleaning supplies, staple food items, boxed fans, etc.  Hours are 10:30am-8pm Monday through Saturday. 

When the Levee Breaks

Yesterday I was watching "It Might Get Loud" and the Led Zeppelin song, "When the Levee Breaks" came on.  It was unfortunately appropriate given the rain that has fallen on us the past few days.  I had a different post planned for today, and will post it later on, but Mizzie and I couldn't not comment on the flooding that continues to wreak havoc on most of Middle Tennessee today.  We hope you and your families are safe and sound and haven't had to deal with this heartbreaking amount of loss.

For those readers outside of Tennessee, take a few minutes to watch this video posted by photographer, Michael Deppisch. The images are stunning and are concentrated mainly in and around downtown which is just a small portion of where the flooding has affected people. I had no idea until I watched this video that just a short distance from my house the water at one point yesterday was about four feet deep.

Here is video of Opryland Hotel which was evacuated last night because of the threat of flooding. There is now 8-10 feet of water inside.

If you're wondering how you can help either by donating or volunteering, a great local blog, Nashvillest, has done a terrific job the past few days of keeping everyone informed of what's going on and how people can help.  You can view the complete post here and please continue to refer back to it as it will be updated as they learn of additional opportunities.

Following is an extract from the Nashvillest post "So Nashville is Flooded...How Can I Help?" (Flood 2010).

DONATE

• Middle Tennessee Red Cross: Donate online at www.nashvilleredcross.org, by phone at 615-250-4300 or by mail at 2201 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203. Remember, the Red Cross is not a government agency and is funded solely by your local donations.
• Kroger: Food donation barrels in all area Kroger stores, monetary donations accepted at checkout.
• Second Harvest Food Bank: Provide monetary donations to Second Harvest HERE. Second Harvest is currently working to relocate their inventory from Metro Center.
• Salvation Army: Monetary donations are preferred and can be made online HERE or by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Drop off your donations of bottled water, mops, brooms, heavy duty work gloves, masks, sponges, squeegees, scrub brushes, plastic gloves, bleach, all purpose cleaner concentrate, trash bags and paper towels at the 631 Dickerson Road center.
• The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee: In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, donate online to the Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund and/or the Tennessee Emergency Relief Fund HERE (checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 440225, Nashville, TN, 37244).
• Graceworks Ministries: Graceworks is working with the Red Cross to collect donations for flood victims. They are in need of non-perishable food items, toilet paper, detergent, dry beans, pasta, canned soup, toothbrushes, bottled water, clothing, diapers (sizes 2, 3 and 4) and furniture. Please separate men’s, women’s and children’s clothing donations. Drop off donations at 104 Southeast Parkway, Franklin TN.

SHELTERS

• Lipscomb University: In need of towels, blankets, pillows, bottled water. Bring to Allen Arena. No perishable foods.
• Gordon JCC: In need of towels, pillows, limited toiletries. Please no more volunteers or food right now. Bring to the front door.
• Al Menah Shrine Center: In need of male & female underwear, some socks, comfortable clean clothing, blankets, approximately 50 pillows. Please no more volunteers for now. Bring donations to the front door (1354 Brick Church Pike).

VOLUNTEER

• Hands On Nashville: Again, all Metro Nashville relief efforts are running through Hands On Nashville. Sign up to be notified of opportunities HERE. Relief efforts are expected to begin this afternoon/evening.
• Samaritan’s Purse: Samaritan’s Purse has deployed an emergency unit to Nashville and is working on assessing the damage and connecting with local churches. Sign up HERE (select “Nashville TN Flood Relief”) to volunteer with them.
• Second Harvest Food Bank: Contact volunteer@secondharvestmidtn.org to help prepare meals for the Salvation Army and Red Cross once they are able to get on their feet again.
• Graceworks Ministries: Contact cdublin@graceworksministries.net for volunteer opportunities. They will need help sorting & processing donations for the Red Cross.

MISC OPPORTUNITIES

• Trevecca Nazarine University: Group is taking food, water, first aid and toiletries to flooded neighbors around the university. If you’re in the area and want to help distribute, call Dan at 941-518-6740. Drop off donations at the Boone Business Building.
• East Nashville: Teams are being organized to help neighbors who need furniture moved, debris bagged up or removed, help getting things out of water’s way or cleaning up once it’s gone. To help or receive help, call Catherine at ArtHouse Gardens at 828-9223.
• Hendersonville Flood Relief Facebook Group
• Housing: Have space to offer in your clean, dry, not-flooded house for displaced flood victims? Sign up HERE and we will work to connect you with shelters or other organizations placing families in homes.
• Animals: Animal Ark Animal Hospital is taking in pets of displaced families on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please stay safe everyone,