Madison Avenue Luxe Businesses Band Together to Help Sales
01.01.70
UPPER EAST SIDE — Maja Efendic has only been in her job for one month at Madura, a Madison Avenue outpost of a French chain that sells curtains, pillows and lighting. She's already made herself at home.
Efendic, Madura 's director of U.S. stores, spearheaded an effort to get her neighbors on board to turn holiday shopping into a fun event with wine and cheese and lots of discounts. With the help of the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District , she enlisted several stores on Madison Avenue, between East 84th 86th streets, to remain open late for three Thursday nights — Dec. 8, 15 and 22 — and throw parties while hosting sales promotions.
Her shop, at 1162 Madison Ave., for instance, which is offering 20 percent off pillows and $20 off purchases of $100 or more, will be throwing a wine reception on Dec. 15.
"We wanted to make shopping exciting and have parties and to say to people they should stay and shop in the neighborhood," said Efendic.
Source: DNAinfo
Nespresso Lattissima Plus: Your Personal Barista
01.01.70
After opening the box, the machine took me about two minutes to assemble. A few times I needed to check the instructions to make sure I was on the right track. (Doesn't everyone tear open the packaging and start putting things together immediately?)
The water tray in the back of the machine is removable and can easily be filled with tap water. There is a drawer on the front left side of the machine which holds up to 12 used capsules, and an adjustable shelf which allows you to move it according to the size of your glass.
The milk frother detaches from the machine and can be stored in the refrigerator. This is such a convenient feature and allows me to refill and clean it out on a regular basis. Do you usually order your latte without foam? The top of the frother has a setting that allows you to decide how much froth/foam you want in your drink. If you prefer larger drinks, the container will have to be refilled fairly frequently with milk.
The top of the machine has four buttons that you can select: espresso, lungo, cappuccino or latte macchiato. For the latter two, the milk comes out first, and then the espresso. A few times I had difficulty, and water came out of the machine instead of espresso, but it seems that no other person has really had that problem. (Sometimes, technology hates me.)
Source: ABC News