The Daily Deal for December 28, 2007

I'm not a fan of encouraging you all to buy stuff that will create clutter and waste. I like useful, needful things. The umbrella stand is not usually something I'd encourage. But when things transcend their thing-ness and become more artful -- well, I'm swayed. Especially when a bargain is involved.

Enter the 'Rain Bowl' umbrella stand from DWR. Long my favorite wishbook, the DWR catalog is filled with modern furnishings and the occasional odd gift. "Modern" is, of course, another word for "spendy," and the regular price on this simple die-cast aluminum umbrella stand is a vastly expensive $180. But today? It's only $68, bringing it at least further down the spendy spectrum to fulfill the "within reach" part of the retailer's name.

The product doesn't appear to be available elsewhere on the internet, so this is likely the best price you'll ever see.