BARGAINS : HELLO & GOOD BUY$ PERFECT FOR INEXPENSIVE HOLIDAY GIFTS.

Byline: Trisha King & Deborah Newmark

How is it possible that it's already November? If you haven't started your holiday shopping, you might want to make Hello & Good Buy$ your first stop of the shopping season. Opened just three weeks ago, this new boutique has everything - from hostess gifts and Christmas ornaments to decorator and household items - at a minimum of 50 percent below retail.

For hostess gifts, flavored cooking oils in attractive bottles run $6.70 to $9.30 each. With a guaranteed shelf life of five years, similar oils retail elsewhere for at least double the price.

For those who appreciate an ever-changing, eclectic selection of household goods (as gifts or for the home), Hello & Good Buy$ will probably become a favorite place to shop.

Owners Nancy and Howard Greenberg buy directly from American and international manufacturers and distributors. Some items are regularly ordered, others are one-of-a-kind.

On the day of our visit, Hello & Good Buy$ had a very nice selection of crystal, suitable for just about anyone's budget. For example, crystal stemware in several styles was priced two for $10 ($20 or more retail). On the more expensive side, a beautiful pair of cut-crystal champagne flutes attractively packaged in a velvet box ran $59 instead of $120 retail.

Christmas ornaments make great office gifts, and Hello & Good Buy$ has a room devoted entirely to holiday decorations. There are more than 350 ornaments, from traditional to funky, at year-round discounts of 50 percent below retail.

For example, glass ornaments included a soccer ball for $3, a vintage Santa for $5.50 and a frosted globe with poinsettias in red flocking with hand painted leaves of green and gold for $11.50 ($6 to $23 retail). If you're into retro, giant Tootsie Roll Pops and Lifesavers were $4.50 each ($9 retail).

Hello & Good Buy$ is located at 17612 Ventura Blvd. (one block west of White Oak), Encino; [phone]. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

If posted hours don't fit into your schedule, appointments are available. American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. No refunds; exchanges only. Plenty of parking in back.

Inside info

Mark your calendar for a festive evening of Italian food and drink while shopping at Dormire's annual floor sale. Dormire features unique Italian beds, bedroom furniture and linens. Floor samples will be 20 percent to 40 percent off retail. In order to attend the sale, reservations are a must. Dormire is located at 1345 Fourth St., Santa Monica; [phone]. Sale is Nov. 18 only, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Game Doc now manufacturers Ms. Pac-man cocktail video games and sells them for $18.95 (retail $21 to $38.95). They also sell reconditioned pinball machines starting at $495 (if new $2,000 retail).

Game Doc is located at 800 Wheatland Ave., Sun Valley; [phone]. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.