Ladies and gentlemen (well, probably just gentlemen), your unofficially corporately branded bounce track of the summer, courtesy of Mr. Ghetto. Note: if you work or live at the sort of place where wild, unstoppable ass-shaking is frowned upon, perhaps you might want to skip this particular video.

Various eateries and shops inside the new Mercado San Agustin have been opening quietly over the past several months, but this weekend is when the place and its incredible courtyard officially opens to the public.

The opening celebration starts today, Friday, May 13, and continues through the weekend with brunches, live music and a chance to check out the new cake shops, taquerias, snow-cone shops and other businesses calling the market home. You can also check out the impressive commercial kitchen with all its fancy new appliances and square miles of stainless steel.

We were told by a woman speaking on behalf of the market that Argentinean restaurant Casa Marita Restaurante Argentino will not be a tenant after all. An unnamed group is opening a restaurant in the space instead, but there's no word on what it will be or when it will open.

We've also heard that the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market—held weekly on Thursdays—will be relocating to the market, but we're still working on confirming that.

There's more information on the market's website.

I'm not in the mall often, but when I walk past Spencer Gifts these days, I'm usually just amazed by how much Twilight stuff they can jam into a window—but apparently there's a darker side to the store that I just wasn't aware of, if a location in Illinois is any indication:

About $22,000 in "sexually explicit" merchandise, including sex toys and love dolls, was seized from Spencer's Gifts at Orland Square Mall — and a teenage clerk was arrested — after a store manager told police his bosses wouldn't let him hide the wares from minors.

Following a mall shopper's complaint to police about seeing "various sexual aids and other sexually explicit merchandise" on display at Spencer's, an Orland Park police officer visited the store on Dec. 1. Inside, the officer saw the sex toys, inflatable love dolls, lubricants, gels, sado-masochistic products and sex-themed Christmas merchandise, according to police....

On Dec. 3, a 17-year-old and 15-year-old working under cover for the police went to the store and bought a sex toy and a "bondage fantasy" item which depicted a woman in ankle and wrist cuffs, police said. The minors were not asked for identification before the sale, according to the police....

The cashier who sold the items, a 19-year-old Bridgeview woman, was charged with distribution of harmful materials and taken into custody. The woman said she did not receive any training regarding the sale of sexually explicit material, Sgt. Scott Malmborg said.

A gift idea for all of the Justin Bieber fans out there:

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (in 3-D) will open as a sneak preview at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011. Tickets to see the film and receive a gift pack are on sale now.

Each gift pack includes a ticket to the movie sneak preview; a pair of limited edition purple “JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER” RealD® 3D glasses; a souvenir VIP event lanyard; and an official “JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER” branded glow stick and bracelet.

Click here for tickets and info. Limit is six tickets per credit card transaction. Supplies are limited.

One can learn about humanity by reading craigslist, and I mean more than how much musicians love music jargon, or how lazy students can be these days (for example, one ad in the "writing gigs" section simply states: "home work - don't care"). An even deeper insight into the state of humankind can be found in the "free" section of craigslist, where words rise to great heights of depth, and one can find all the "free rabbit manure" one needs.

Photos mean little in the "free" section. Someone's "free flagpole" photo shows, as best as I can tell, no flagpole at all! The lister enigmatically ads "email if you have questions on how to find it, or if you would like me to check if it is still there." Yes, it's the words that intrigue here, though spelling errors abound. For example, free "concrete ruble" I imagine is NOT a prehistoric Russian coin, especially when described as having "small chuncks." But, let's forgive spelling, ignore the scant visuals, and savor the written content.

One post offers "a few things in a box." These things are (in no particular order): "a wig," "a few stuffed animals - frogs," "a southwestern style shower curtain," and "pantyhose - not used still in box." (I assume that would be an additional box inside the larger box.) Never mind, this is already uncomfortably personal because I'm thinking about

Trading in a stack of Will Ferrell DVDs or pawning off the gold bracelet you got from ol' what's-his-name could cost you $3 if a pawn tax proposed by the Tucson Police Department is approved by the Tucson City Council at tomorrow's meeting.

Under current pawn law, such sales require that a slip is filled out at the time of the transaction, and the store must hold items for 20 days in an effort to catch stolen goods.

But, if the new pawn tax passes, TPD will charge $3 for each slip filled out, a measure which Bookmans Entertainment Exchange owner Bob Oldfather calls "incredibly, incredibly detrimental to businesses."

"All it's going to do is swamp the police department with more paperwork," Oldfather says. "They already can't keep track of all the pawn slips they already get, but because there's this demand for revenue, they're going to increase it."

If the pawn tax is approved by the City Council, most businesses will deduct the $3 tax from the total amount the seller receives, but because of the other options available to Bookmans' sellers—Craigslist, Amazon, Ebay and yard sales— Oldfather said he will have to find

• Aleksa Brown
• Preen owners Emilie Marchand and Erin Bradley have a new home on Fourth Avenue.

A few weeks back, Lexi Brown told us the plight of the ladies who run Preen, a Congress Street boutique that was facing eviction to make room for Mr. An's new downtown bar and restaurant.

Here's good news from Preen co-owner Emilie Marchand. Mark your calendar for a big party on Friday, Feb. 26:

I'd like to let you know some details about Preen—a boutique featuring vintage goods, alterations, and original designs—and our upcoming move.

We will be closing our doors at the current location on Congress Street on Feb. 18. This means that our last door open here is on Feb. 17. After a few days of moving and setting up, we will re-open at 210 N. 4th Avenue. For those of you who aren't familiar with the space, it was most recently Conrad Wilde Gallery and is nestled between The Shanty and The Book Stop. We are thrilled about this new shop! With twice the square footage we will be able to have increased inventory, a much larger sewing studio and more emphasis on local music and vintage records (as well as a baby grand piano!!). Our hours will be changing to Tuesday through Saturday from 10am until 6pm and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

To celebrate, we will host an opening reception on Friday, February 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Along with refreshments, this party will feature the music of Bajo Turbato (a new project by Chris Black and Gabriel Sullivan), tunes spun by DJ Singularity, and mingling models provide by Black Cherry Burlesque who will parade to the Rialto for "Powhaus Productions Presents POP" at the end of the evening.

• ©KISH'10

Recent observations show our dress-down concession now includes: flannel shirts, jeans, sneakers, shorts, shorter shorts, way-too-short shorts, leather jackets, spandex, hats with feathers, hats without feathers, bowling shirts, wallet chains, knee pads, fishnet anything, overalls and T-shirts printed to look like overalls.

That's all good, though, for as our fashion bar descends, we can increasingly use Tucson's most prolific natural resource. No, I don't mean grey water. I mean the natural resource that aids our charities and helps our community. No, I don't mean voter bond funds. I mean, of course, Tucson's many and varied thrift stores! From the orderly Savers, to the tiny one-offs whose interiors look like a fabric bomb went off, pretty much everything in thrift stores meets "Tucson casual" standards ... and it's cheap.

I wouldn't know how to shop any other way. When I find myself in a big-box store, I'm shocked at the high prices and lack of variety. Do people really spend that much money to wear the same tent-like shirt that a thousand (million?) other people are wearing? I'm more into scoring Italian, single-stitch dress shirts for $3 at Re-Threads on Pennington. H.O.P.E. on Sixth Avenue sums it up with their simple phone book ad: "All Clothing $1."

Of course, there's more than clothing available at our local thrifts. Restore on 22nd comes to mind for household fixtures. Where else can you buy an oven without an oven loan these days? Their premixed paints come in a range of unwanted colors, and are labeled with a dollop on each can's lid. Downtown, St. Vincent de Paul has nice knick-knacks, a groovy vintage section, and a Dali-esque outdoor space crammed with a plethora of slowly deteriorating objects. Down the street is the Salvation Army, where I rescued the ample desk upon which I'm now writing.

Thrift store shopping is recycling at it's best. Ever wonder where the contents of your blue recycling bin are headed: incinerator, landfill, loading dock at Wienerschnitzel? When you shop at Tucson's thrift stores, you're giving new life to something that would otherwise be discarded, while helping an altruistic cause. So, start digging for those plumed boas, rainbow suspenders and terry cloth sweatshirts, because "Tucson casual" is the only way to go.

Twenty nine businesses and restaurants on Fourth Avenue between University Boulevard and Ninth Street are coming together to provide sales and promote local shopping Friday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, other shopping areas with specials are Campbell Village, La Placita and Maynard's Market. All are part of Local First Arizona, an organization that supports local commerce. From their Web site www.localfirstaz.com, a description:

Local First Arizona (LFA) is a non-profit organization working to strengthen communities and local economies through supporting, maintaining, and celebrating locally owned businesses throughout the state of Arizona. We educate citizens, stakeholders, business leaders, and legislators about the significant environmental, economic, and cultural benefits of strong local economies. We build vibrant communities that make residents proud to call home.

In addition, Etherton Gallery will hold a holiday book sale starting Friday through Jan. 2. They will offer signed fine-art photography books for 25 percent off retail prices. They are located at 135 S. Sixth Ave. Call 624-7370 for info.

Remember, when you shop local, 45 cents of every dollar you spend stays in Arizona. When you shop at national chains, 13 cents of every dollar stays in the state.

Veterans Day is Wednesday, Nov. 11. Here's a sampling of discounts offered to veterans at some local and national establishments. Hats off to these organizations, and to all current and former members of the military, thank you for your service.

Every day:
-Sport Clips offers veterans and active-duty service men and women a 20 percent discount. On Veterans Day, all stores in Arizona will be donating $1 from every haircut to the VFW's Operation Uplink, "the premiere calling program for deployed service members that provides free phone time to active-duty military personnel and hospitalized veterans." (7625 N. Oracle Road and 1880 E. Tangerine Road)

Now through Wednesday, Nov. 11:
-The Home Depot offers a 10 percent military discount for in-store, single-receipt purchases.
-Lowe's offers a 10 percent discount for active, reserve, honorably discharged, retired military and their immediate families on in-store purchases.

Mondays: Nov. 9, 16, 23 and 30
The Salsa Soulseros team invites veterans from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom to a free, introductory salsa class. (512 E. Sixth St. 396-4864)

Wednesday, Nov. 11:
-Applebee's: Veterans and active-duty military will be able to choose a free entree from six menu favorites.
-Simoniz Car Wash: Veterans and active military will receive a free full-service car wash.
-Chick-fil-a (3605 E. Broadway Blvd.): Veterans will receive a free eight-count order of chicken nuggets.
-Participating locations of Outback Steakhouse will offer veterans and active-duty military a free bloomin' onion and beverage.
-Dollar General (155 W. Valencia Road): Veterans, active-duty military, National Guard and Reserve and their immediate families will receive a 10 percent discount with a Veterans Day coupon (available at the store).

Monday, Nov. 16 (5 to 9 p.m.):
Golden Corral offers a free thank-you dinner for veterans, retired, currently serving, National Guard and Reserve personnel.