Top Toys Bradenton Kids are Asking For

Find out what’s in before you head out to take advantage of Black Friday savings.

Making sure to put just the right presents under the tree for kids can be a trick even for Santa. If you’re hoping to find out what’s hot before you head out to shop on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, we’ve put together a few suggestions. Retailers themselves are generally the best judges of what’s in. Here are what some of the biggest toy retailers in the Bradenton area and beyond are saying: Toys ‘R’ Us This retailer has a Top 15 list of toys for boys and girls. Some of its suggestions include: To see the full list, visit Toys ‘R’ Us online. Target This store agrees with Toys ‘R’ Us on a few counts, but has its own suggestions, as well. They include: To see the full list of suggestions, visit Target online. Walmart This retailer…

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Small Business Saturday Deals In Bradenton

We're compiling a list to help you find the best Small Business Saturday Deals.

Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 24 this year, two days after Thanksgiving. It is a day for everyone to support the small businesses their community thrives on. This year, Bradenton Patch is putting together a list of local Small Business Saturday deals. If you are a small business owner, leave your deal in the comments section below, and it will be added to the list.  American Express founded the day in 2010 to help small businesses get exposure during the holiday season, when they might be otherwise overlooked. With retailers buzzing around the holidays, it is great to support local small businesses that rely on neighbors like us in order to thrive. Last year, 100 million people nationwide participated in Small Business Saturday by …

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Bradenton Business Spotlight

Oliviea Beauty Products are Natural and Locally Crafted

Bradenton native, Joshua Dunsmore, creates all-natural beauty products in his family-owned local hair salon and nail spa, The Olive Branch Hair Studio.

Bradenton boasts a unique boutique salon that is part hair studio, part nail spa and part beauty product apothecary. Located a few blocks east of the Manatee Memorial Hospital at 506 Manatee Avenue East, Olive Branch Hair Studio is not only a hair and nail care oasis, but also the workshop where Joshua Dunsmore crafts skin products, colognes, perfumes and candles from recognizable, all-natural ingredients such as olive oil, fragrant essential oils and kosher salts. Brother and sister team, Joshua and Sage Dunmore, co-owners of downtown Bradenton’s Olive Branch Hair Studio, believe that beauty and luxury can be achieved without the assistance of the harsh chemicals found on the ingredients lists of most commercial hair products. Joshua …

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Bradenton Business Spotlight

Retro City Serves Up Diner Classics With 1950's Flair

Downtown Bradenton restaurant, Retro City, features a fun and funky 50's theme and diner classics.

It may be one of the newer restaurants to hit the downtown Bradenton scene, but Retro City is all about nostalgia. The 1950’s-themed diner and deli is precisely the kind of place where, in a bygone era, one might expect to run into leather jacket-clad greasers and girls in poodle skirts splitting two-straw milkshakes on their way to the sock hop or a drive-in movie. The restaurant décor includes old motorcycles and guitars, mounted antique car parts and photographs and images of retro celebrities and cultural icons such as James Dean, Elvis and Betty Boop. The menu features a wide array of classic diner fare with a few fun twists. Located in the Suntrust building at 1001 3rd Avenue West, the restaurant opened its doors to serve breakfast …

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Bradenton Business Spotlight

Life is a Beach at A Room With a Hue

A Room With a Hue specializes in hand-painted furniture, murals and more in west Bradenton.

Bright, tropical colors and balmy beach themes characterize the interior space at the west Bradenton art studio and boutique, A Room With a Hue, where owner and artist, AnnMarie Nicholas, designs and sells hand-painted furniture, art and murals. Located just east of the bridge on Cortez Road, A Room with a Hue specializes in commercial and residential art projects, ranging from large-scale murals to faux finishing on furniture and décor — or, as Nicholas puts it, “anything that involves paint.” Prior to opening A Room With a Hue in 2005, the Staten Island, N.Y. transplant made her living as a flight attendant for thirteen years, and before that, in the finance industry — a far cry from her current career as a full-time artist. “I received …

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