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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SHOPPING
Brits, a store located at 929 Massachusetts St., sells products primarily from England. An increase in the popularity of British culture has expanded the shop's customer base.
Brits, Au Marche offer speciality products from overseas
CALLIE BYRNES
chvnes@kansan.com
Whether you're an anglophile or you're considering applying to the London Review study abroad program, which has a preferred deadline of Oct. I, Brits and Au Marche are the places for you. At the two side-by-side shops — 929 and 931 Massachusetts Street — you can get a preview of the sort of treats you'll find in Britain and Europe and goods not typically found in America.
"When we first opened, we didn't really know any other stores that were like ours," said Sally Helm, the co-founder and owner of Brits. "We just knew that if people were half as interested in Britain as we were, people would come." As it turns out, Helm was right. Brits focuses primarily on British products, and while the store does attract travelers from Britain and other European nations, it also brings in anglophiles from all around the Kansas City area. As British pop
culture has become more popular in the United States, the store has attracted a larger variety of people.
attracted a larger variety of people "My favorite part of the store is probably the fan base," said Sean Gardner, a retail associate at Brits. "We have a lot of regular customers, and after 'Doctor Who' got big, it expanded into new demographics." The store offers merchandise from various pop culture phenomena aside from Doctor Who, including Harry Potter and One Direction. They also sell an assortment of tea, and food
typically found in Br. looking for delicacies from other European countries, however, you can head next door to Au Marche. While Brits and Au Marche are not directly related, the two shops work together closely and feed off one another. Both attract
"We just knew that if people were half as interested in Britain as we were, people would come."
SALLY HELM Co-founder and owner of Brits
an eclectic group of consumers.
"There are a lot of customers from
of well-traveled people," said Alex Montgomery, a cashier at Au Marche and a junior from Overland Park. "Plus working downtown with the Lawrence locals is always a cool experience. You
always meet interesting people." Helm said that opening the stores
in Lawrence was pure luck, since she just happened to be living in town at the time. While she hadn't expected Lawrence to bring in a large group of customers, she realized she was lucky to be in what she considered a "quirky, cool" town. "I love being here in Lawrence," Helm said. "I've had a lot of support from the community and I've made a lot of friends. It's been a wonderful experience."
TREAD LIGHTLY
— Edited by Emma McEthaney
Don't ruin 'Breaking Bad' for students missing out
KAITLYN HILGERS
khilgers@kansan.com
—the final season of "Breaking Bad." Being left out of a social experience sucks and those who are clued in just don't understand. Now, I'm not trying to say that "Breaking Bad" isn't a wonderful television show; it's critically acclaimed and apparently everyone
The "outside looking in" are never fun shoes to wear. And you know what makes it worse? When everyone and their mother is rubbing in the fact that you're not in the know. For just one Sunday, I would love to log into Facebook or Twitter and not see constant reminders that I'm missing out on a huge social phenomenon
thinks it's the best thing to hit TV in a while. In fact, it been on my list of shows to watch. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. But since these final episodes are all anyone can talk about, I'm slowly realizing that I'm, yet again, missing an opportunity to connect with all my peers. How can I know who to root for in the unending battle between Walter and Hank if all I know about them is their names?
Most of you are probably thinking, "Kaitlyn, an easy fix to that is watching the show (since the first 4.5 seasons are on Netflix) and then you'll be caught up in time for the series finale. What's so difficult about taking a weekend off and binge watching every season?" Nothing I've done that exact
Nothing. I've done that exact
thing before. However, that's not currently an option for me because I'm already tied up in too many shows. Also, when I'm not watching shows on Netflix, I'm busy mentally and emotionally preparing myself for the return of "Downton Abbey," "The Walking Dead" and "Parks and Recreation."
Also, at this point wouldn't it be best just to wait? Watch the entire series at one time and not add stress to my life by waiting anxiously for the next episode on a weekly basis? I think so. However, the announcement of a spin-off series makes this option less attractive - what if I can't finish the series and end up on the wrong side of that metaphorical window? I would once again be left with unanswered questions and lonely Sunday nights.
tions and lonely Sunday nights. In the end, I'm not asking y'all to hold back posts or avoid talking about current hot TV shows. I totally understand your excitement and desire to share that with the world. I also realize that "Breaking Bad" makes people feel emotions that need to be talked about. However, I speak for those of us who haven't joined in yet: Please, no spoilers.
If you can promise that, then I promise that you'll see no spoiler posts from any of my nights spent glued to the television. Remember: there's always someone on the outside who might want to talk about something else. Actually, pretty much anything else.
— Edited by Kayla Overbey
AMC
MUSIC
SONG OF THE DAY An easygoing genre combination
Artist: Sharks Keep Moving
Song: Sailor
Album: Sharks Keep Moving
Label: Status Recordings
Sharks Keep Moving is the former band of Minus The Bear's singer and guitarist jake Snider. The band is a blend of spacey riffs and jazz-influenced percussion. "Sailor" is the first track off of their 1999 self-titled release.
Tom Dehart
STATUS RECORDINGS