With a little more than a month to go until the Fall 2008 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale in Fort Wayne, I thought I would talk a little more about what you can expect to find there.  I remember the first sale I attended - I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  This is surprising, considering that I live in the Fort Wayne area, and each sale receives a lot of media coverage by our local newspapers, television news, and even radio stations.  However, none of these media outlets covered the questions I really wanted answered.

So, for this post, I’m going back in time, and remembering back to the questions that I had before I attended my first Vera Bradley outlet sale.  With any luck, hopefully these questions are some of the same ones that you may have, and you will be able to find your answers here.  If not, feel free to leave a comment below. 

Here goes… Read the rest of this entry »

Two more days until the 2008 annual Vera Bradley outlet sale here in Fort Wayne.  This weekend, our local newspaper, the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, had an interesting “fact sheet” about this year’s sale.  If you are still on the fence regarding whether you want to attend, here are some of the more interesting facts included in the article. 

25%-75% off!
150 - item styles to select from
50 - color/pattern choices
$2,500 - purchase limit per person
60 - cash registers (10 more than in 2007)
41,000 - number of customers who visited the 2007 sale

Still undecided whether to make the road trip?  Well, I will be reporting later this week to let you know my experiences at the sale.  I’ll be uploading some pictures too (if they let me take my camera in). 

Looking for more ways to spoil yourself after the Vera Bradley outlet sale?  With Easter quickly approaching, it brings another must-visit Fort Wayne destination to mind.  Fort Wayne is a leader in making fabric handbags, but did you know that we also make some of the best chocolates you will find in the States?  It’s true!  I’m talking about DeBrand’s Fine Chocolates. 

 You won’t find DeBrands chocolates at your local Wal-Mart (or any other regular retail store, for that matter).  Nope, Godiva fans, not even at Macy’s!  That’s just how seriously this Fort Wayne company takes their quality.

While you are here for the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, schedule some time on your itinerary to tour the DeBrand’s chocolate factory and see how the chocolates are made.  If you have a group of twelve or more joining you, you can schedule a tour in advance.  If not, DeBrands offers tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays - their website has specifics.  If you can’t make the tour, it’s ok - just make sure you sample some of their chocolates before leaving town! 

Shopping Destination #1 - Glenbrook Mall

After attending the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, there are a couple other shopping destinations in Fort Wayne that you will want to check out.  The first is the Glenbrook Square Shopping Mall, located just a couple of miles north of the Allen County Memorial Coliseum (the location for this year’s outlet sale).  With two levels of shopping, and Macy’s, Sears and JCPenney as anchors, this is one of my favorite places to shop year round.

While out and about at Glenbrook Mall, make sure you show off your new Vera Bradley purchases.  Don’t be surprised if total strangers come up and ask you about the outlet sale - it’s par for the course around here!  I usually can’t even run a short errand to the gas station during the outlet sale weekend without running into someone who admires my bag and shares their great finds.  It’s part of the fun!