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The Second Annual Strangercrombie Holiday Gift Catalog

Photography by Victoria Renard

At the spur of the moment last year, we tossed together a gift catalog modeled after the quasi-pornographic Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs that light up our mailboxes every year. We gathered up some swag from around the office, asked a few businesses to kick in some merchandise, and even put our own pages up for sale. Plus, we made the thing a benefit for beloved local food bank Northwest Harvest--without even asking them first. Then we crossed our fingers and hoped to raise a thousand bucks.

Thanks to the generosity of businesses who kicked in goods and services, the publisher of The Stranger who allowed us to pour hundreds of hours of staff time into Strangercrombie, and, most importantly, all the Stranger readers out there who went online and bid, Strangercrombie wound up bringing in more than $6,000--every penny of which went to Northwest Harvest.

So how could we resist making our Strangercrombie Holiday Gift Catalog and auction an annual event?

In Strangercrombie 2003, you'll find all sorts of irresistible gift packages to bid on, from two full-series passes to SIFF to lunch with Mayor Greg Nickels to a $500 shopping spree at Sonic Boom Records. There are also gift packages for stoners, film lovers, sex toy fans, and body-hair phobes. You can buy portraits by four famous artists for the art lovers on your holiday shopping list, or a slot at the Capitol Hill Block Party for your favorite local band. We're also auctioning off The Stranger again, from the cover (put whatever you want on the cover!) to an installment of Celebrity I Saw U (it'll be all about you, you, you!) to a guided tour of the dark corners of the city by crime expert Charles Mudede. Look over the items in the catalog, and then head on over to www.thestranger.com.

The total value of the goods and services in the catalog is more than $12,000--and that doesn't include the value of such priceless things as lunch with Greg Nickels, getting to be a guest expert in Savage Love, or tying one on with Stranger Ombudsman A. Birch Steen. Last year some items went for less than their retail value, others went for more, so there are definitely bargains to be had. We're hoping that this year's Strangercrombie brings in $15,000 for Northwest Harvest.

All you need is a computer and a credit card. Log on to www.thestranger.com/specials/strangercrombie any time after midnight on Saturday, December 6, and start your bidding! The Strangercrombie Holiday Auction will continue for 10 days, closing at midnight on Tuesday, December 16, after which time the purchased items will be available for pickup at The Stranger's office.

SO SHOP! BID! BUY!

Happy Holidays from your friends at Strangercrombie.