Just a reminder that Gastown shops will be offering sales and pre-Christmas discounts for Black Friday — the biggest U.S. retail sales day of the year at the end of November — to keep Canadians shopping local.

The sales begin Friday Nov. 29 and continue on Saturday and Sunday Dec. 1. The weekend discounts will be revealed on Nov. 27, so stay tuned. You can also check the Gastown blog for more info in the days ahead.

Angel Vancouver will be offering special discounts on select clothing that weekend, just in time for people starting to shop for Christmas gifts.

Angel Vancouver has the largest selection in Vancouver of the Bacelona-based Desigual clothing line for men, women and kids.

We recently received a new Desigual shipment that included a number of fall coats and sweaters for women. And we carry Desigual women’s shoes and boots, including some colourful rain boots.

And you can click here to have a look at some of the spring/summer 2013 collection we still have in stock.

We also carry another Barcelona clothing line called Smash! Click here to see what we have in stock from the Smash! Queendom collection for Winter 2013.

If you don’t see what you’re looking for, we might be able to order it in and ship it to you. We ship worldwide.

Angel  also specializes in custom hand-painted shirts. I’m now taking orders for Christmas. Locally made, painted by hand. Call (604) 681-0947 or email me at jackie @ angelpaint.com

Angel Vancouver is located at No. 2 Powell Street in the Gastown district of Vancouver, Canada. Our store is on the corner of Powell & Carrall Street in Maple Tree Square, which is where Vancouver began.  The photo above shows what my store looked like in 1886.

Desigual’s slogan is La Vida es Chula (Life is Cool)!

Today’s music is Sweet Mama by Les Respectables, a Canadian band based in Montreal: Sweet Mama – Les Respectables, lyrics:

I left my home up in Canada
And headed down south to see the Mardi Gras
Met a Louisiana queen in some faded jeans
She showed me how to do it down in New Orleans

She had a Jesus statue in her motor home
A lady concerned I had never known
I couldn’t be a saint when she came marchin’ in
With those faded blue jeans, said ‘Let the joy begin’

She was a sweet mama
Not a rolling stone
I guess she didn’t wanna be alone
Looking for a man to call her own
But she couldn’t get Jesus on the telephone

We skipped the jambalaya and the carnival
Clean forgot about my mama back in Montreal
‘Cause she blew my mind like a hurricane
And soaked me down just like the Louisiana rain

Sweet mama not a rolling stone
I guess she didn’t wanna be alone
Looking for a man to call her own
But she couldn’t get Jesus on the telephone

We let the good times roll as the band played on
Just one more song and I have to be gone
Oh such a night

Now I’m back in cold Canada
Just a young man dreamin’ ’bout the Mardi Gras
But I know what it means to miss New Orleans
And that God-fearing woman with her faded jeans.