Every city has a favorite gift shop that shoppers go to for a clever greeting card, a thoughtful birthday gift, or a trinket for the hostess. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, it's Patina or Bibelot.

But the bargain spotlight shines on Patina today. Its outlet sale Thursday through Sunday offers plenty of good deals discounted 50 to 70 percent. The last outlet sale was in November 2010, so there's a lot of merchandise, including

jewelry, stationery, books, furniture, home decor, kitchen products, and seasonal items for Christmas and Halloween,

Larger items such as lamps (a nice selection), tables and chairs go quickly, said one manager.

Items can be overstocks, scratch and dents or samples. A few items such as wall hangings with inspirational greetings on them were in the regular store and at the basement outlet with a much lower price tag.

The sale is in tthe basement of the St. Paul Highland Park store at 2057 Ford Parkway, 651-695-9955. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23-26. As items get sold on Thursday and Friday, empty spaces will be re-stocked, but by Saturday and Sunday, things start to look picked over.