04/30/08

Discover Jag Jeans! We have lots of Jag Jeans coming in these days. You are going to be hearing a lot about Jag this year. I was just talking to their rep and you should be seeing Jag ads in magazines such as Oprah and Real Simple starting this Fall.

Jag Jeans are launching a new line of sustainable, organic cotton jeans that are worth noticing. Expect more news about that in May.

For those who have not discovered the great fit of Jag Jeans, here is how they discribe their customers:

The woman who wear Jag Jeans is style conscious, yet does not chase fads. She desires contemporary looks that fit her mature body. She constantly searches for the perfect balance of fit and fashion. She wants modern and distinctive: not too trendy but in style. She aspires to current looks. She seeks out quality products and appreciates subtle details. She shops in better department and specialty stores.

Remember to send pictures (be nice!) of our gear/clothing in action with manufacturer name, style or style number to me at: images@sonomaoutfitters.com

03/19/08

The North Face Returns! We have had lots of requests to bring back The North Face, so we have. Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Backpacks are the first to arrive, soon to be followed with North Face Hiking Shoes for Men and Women.

Check out the North Face Foundation Tents - we have the 2 person, 3 person and 4 person versions. North Face Backpacks are definitely a great fit, we even have them for kids.

This fall marks the arrival of North Face Clothing. We are really excited about what North Face is making these days, so watch some really excellent Jackets, Fleece, Down Jackets, Soft Shells, Fleece and Down Vest, Hiking Boots, Winter Boots, Trail Shoes and more.

Oh, and don't forget to send us some pictures of of you, your friends, kids, even your dog wearing or using our gear! We will feature these photos on our product pages.

Send ( nice ) pictures with manufacturer name, style or style number to me at: images@sonomaoutfitters.com

02/20/08

Men's and Women's Coats on Sale! We have put lots of great coats on sale for men and women. There's plenty of cool and cold weather left, so be sure and check out these great bargains! >> Men's Sale Coats >> Women's Sale Coats

Shop Women's coats by Columbia Sportswear, Icebreaker, Lolë, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia, prAna, Royal Robbins, and Tsunami. Just about every kind of jacket is on sale: fleece, GORE-TEX, down, faux-fur trimmed, casual, skiing, light weight rain proof jackets for those Summer showers, and more. There are a number of hoodies that will come in handy all Spring and Summer too.

Don't forget to send us some pictures of of you, your friends, kids, even your dog wearing or using our gear!

Send ( nice ) pictures with manufacturer name, style and style number to me at: images@sonomaoutfitters.com

02/19/08

Send Pictures! We really want to make shopping online at Sonoma Outfitters the best there is. It occurs to us that one of the hardest things about shopping online is getting a real sense of just what that merchandise really looks like outside of a photographers studio. That is where our great customers come in.

Please send us pictures of you, your friend, your dog, anyone using stuff you bought at Sonoma Outfitters. We will put those pictures on the individual product pages as an "Alternate View" - Think of how much nicer it will be to actually see what something looks like on, or being used! Who knows, maybe we will start offering some sort of perk beyond the nicest, most thoughful customer award...

A picture really does say a thousand words and with thousands of products, think of the potential! Depending on the time of year, our site gets around a half million views a month!

Send ( nice ) pictures with manufacturer name, style and style number to me at: images@sonomaoutfitters.com

02/13/08

UGG Classics Shipment Arrived Today! We are just now unpacking UGG Classic Short Boots and UGG Classic Tall Boots for women! We have Chocolate, Sand, Chestnut, and Black back in stock in all sizes.

These are going to really fly out the door, so get them quickly, otherwise they will not be available until Fall '08.

All of the Classic Tall and Classic Short Boots are now showing as available on our site.

Also in this shipment are the very popular UGG Cove Boots - now in a luscious smooth leather finish. We have it in Rust and Espresso. This is a very nice look for the Cove Boot. The colors are rich and the smooth leather really sets off the boot's styling.

02/06/08

New Crocs Style Arrived Today! We are just now unpacking the new Crocs Specialist. With the closed heel and closed toe design, the Specialist is designed to meet general workplace standards. For example, this line of Crocs Work Shoes were designed without holes to meet Hospital Workplace Dress Code Compliance Standards. Not to mention the fact that these shoes are perfect for the rain!

This very comfy shoe has excellent arch support and the footbed circulation nubs mean all-day comfort, everyday. Crocs uses their exclusive, revolutionary croslite™ material that reacts to heat creating a custom fit by conforming to your foot. Also, the metatarsal area is thicker than other Crocs to help protect the top of the foot.

The Crocs Specialist has a nice loose fit allowing your foot room to bend and expand naturally, thus reducing fatigue.

This is an excellent shoe for nurses and day care providers as it is really easy to wash and sterilize with water and bleach. The material is also slip resistant, odor resistant and bacteriostatic.

We have men's and women's sizes in black and white in stock.

02/04/08

Send Us Your Pictures! For quite a while we have been tossing around the idea of putting photos on our web site that our customers send us showing them wearing clothing and using the gear they bought at Sonoma Outfitters. The photos supplied by the manufacturers are nice, great even, but nothing beats an action shot for getting a feel for what something looks like on, or being used in real life.

01/30/08

Okay, so it's official, we are going to be carrying North Face again! We really like what North Face is making these days and are very excited to have their clothing and gear in our store again.

We are hoping to be starting out with camping gear, Spring 2008, transitioning into Jackets, Windproof Fleece, Fleece and Pants for Men and Women. Watch for the Aconcagua Jacket for men and women coming this Fall. North Face calls it a "luxurious, down-filled, insulating jacket constructed for warmth and comfort." WeI would certainly have to agree with that!

The Redpoint Vest uses PrimaLoft® eco, a synthetic insulation made from a minimum of 50% recycled materials combined with standard PrimaLoft® fibers providing high loft performance insulation. This highly sustainable material, made from recycled plastic bottles, yields fibers that are water resistant, lightweight, warm and super soft.

01/18/08

We went to the UGG Australia 2008 Preseason show this week and were able to view all of next season's newest colors and styles. We will post photos of the most exciting Shoes, Boots and Slippers as soon as UGG gives us the okay.

In the mean time, here is the low-down on what they were showing: First the good news - the must-have Classic Crochet is being joined by the Suburb Crochet. Now this is a very cool addition to the line. Imagine a Classic Crochet boot with a leather upper. Or kind of a hybrid Classic / Classic Crochet boot. This one features the excellent qualities of both. Leave it to UGG to keep coming up with great designs that are oh-so-comfortable. Colors? Black and a luscious Heathered Brown.

The Classic Cardy looks like it is going to really take off in '08. Big buttons, crochet upper and new colors really add a fresh look to boots. New colors include: Grey, Oatmeal, and Stout.

Okay, news about the the Classic Short. New in '08 is the Classic Short Paisley, available in Grey and Sand. Also joining the Classic Short line are some great new colors. Black, Chestnut, Sand and Chocolate will be joined by Grey. A very nice addition. The Classic Metallics were very, very popular last year and this year the news is a soft gold. This is a great color.

The Classic Tall comes back in all the same colors with the addition of Grey. Now this looks really, really nice. A perfect neutral when black is just too dark. Metallic Gold is Back joined by Metallic Pewter. Again, an excellent choice for a versatile neutral color.

For slippers, you can't go wrong with UGG, no matter where you live. This year joining the Scuffette and Fluff Scuff II is the Pearle available in Baby Pink and Vanilla. A leather version comes in Silver and Gold.

The bad news? Yeah, well the price is going up a bit. But, UGG's really are worth it, aren't they?

01/04/08

Thoughts on "Going Green"... There has been a lot of talk lately about going green. We haven't jumped in with declarations about how "green" we are simply because green has just been the way we have lived for so long - it doesn't sound much like news. Guess maybe it's time for us to bring the subject up, eh?

We have been recycling for decades, way before it became popular or for that matter, easy. Many of our employees arrive by bicycle every day, and the owner has been riding a motorcycle for longer than anyone here can remember. Decades ago he just couldn't justify driving a car to work each day, feeling that a mototcycle, with milage well over twice that of a car, was a more sensible choice. It is pretty rare to ever see him drive a car.

At Sonoma Outfitters, we have made it a priority to find clothing and gear made from sustainable materials whenever possible. It has been hard to watch so many manufacturers taking their production facilities over seas the past few years. Knowing that the working conditions have been far from acceptable for the workers in those factories has concerned us greatly. We applaud the recent trend towards improving the working conditions for the foreign factory workers.

It is also great to see some production starting to return to the US. Products manufactured here use significantly less energy simply because they don't have to travel such great distances to arrive at their destination.

Reusable and stainless steel water bottles have certainly captured a lot of attention lately. We have been urging our customers to make the change for years. The amount of empty water bottles and coffee cups ending up in the trash each day is mind boggling. With a little planning, it is usually very easy to fill up a bottle of water before going to work, hiking or taking a drive in the car. Stainless steel water bottles keep the water cool much longer than plastic, are safer to use, and weigh almost nothing on their own. Many coffee places are offering hefty discounts for filling up your own cup.