You can’t deny shopping is going on — money changes hands all afternoon, certainly, and packages get carried to the car.
But the people tasting wines at Stargazers Vineyard are mostly having fun, spending the afternoon in the country and discovering new wines. And occasionally someone will drift away from the bar to stand in an open door and gaze out over the vineyard, drinking in a vision of pastoral peace. You don’t see that too often at the mall. But this is a different kind of shopping.
Different Kind of Shopping
Most of us will buy gifts this holiday season. And many of us love shopping at malls and online.
For others, though, that’s not so much fun. Online is convenient but detached. And some of us, especially during the holidays, don’t enjoy the mall experience. You fight for a parking space, then push through a huge, crowded, dizzying maze stocked with utterly predictable products. It’s combat shopping — a frustrating chore that, for some at least, can chill our warm feelings about seasonal sharing.
But there’s another way. The new emphasis on eating locally produced foods may inspire you to consider looking for gifts made near home. You can find outstanding products and have fun in the process.
And local businesses return money to the community, helping everyone. Cinda Baxter’s 3/50 Project encourages people to choose three local brick-and-mortar businesses they care about and spend $50 in them each month. Buying locally helps your friends and neighbors. “Buying locally isn’t just a fun thing to do,” says Stargazer’s winemaker John Weygandt. “It really makes a difference.”
Fine Food and Drink
First, remember that local foods and drinks make excellent gifts. Our area is blessed with wineries, breweries, cheese makers, orchards and local food producers of every description producing world-class products. Most strive to make visiting their shop or winery an enjoyable experience. You learn about the production process and get a bit of fresh air. And as the visitors to Stargazers Vineyard would tell you, it’s simply a fun way to while away a weekend afternoon.
Special-Interest Shopping
Museums offer enjoyable experiences and shopping possibilities, too. Got art lovers on your gift list? You won’t find much for them at the mall. But you will at museum shops, like the one at the Brandywine River Museum.
It’s famous for its selection of books on art, says shop manager Erika Bucino, and it has a wealth of local decorative craftwork as well — pottery, wood carvings, jewelry and the like. The experienced buyers at the Museum shop have done the legwork for you, saving you time, effort and stress.
Interested in environmentalism? So is the Brandywine Conservancy, which is allied with the museum. They were keeping the area green “before it was hot,” Bucino says, and the shop naturally has gifts for people committed to sustaining the environment.
If you want a gift that reflects the beauty of Wyeth country, and you want to support an organization that’s preserving that beauty in more than one way, it’s a perfect place to shop. And of course, buying from any local association you believe in helps support its mission.
Bountiful Boutiques
If you stroll up West Chester’s High Street and step into Éclat, you’re reminded of chic shopping districts in New York or Paris. Gleaming glass cases offer a rich array of artisanal chocolates in flavors that chocolatier Christopher Curtin searches for around the world and finds from local sources too. “It’s fun to collaborate,” Curtin says. And with its commitment to excellence, Éclat allows you to spend a few dollars and give a gift that’s among the best in its class.
Just steps south on High Street you’ll find A Taste of Olive, specializing in olive oils and vinegars to use in exquisite salad dressings, pesto or tapenade, or just for dipping with bread. Need something a bit more durable? North on High Street is Penwick design, an award-winning card and gift shop.
West Chester, Kennett Square, Media, Malvern and Phoenixville all offer strollable downtowns with growing numbers of unique shops. Browse at your leisure, then have a glass of wine and something to eat at the restaurants interspersed among the shops.
There are other such communities, and worthwhile individual stores can be found just about everywhere in our area. For instance, there’s the Antique Store in Wayne, with a wide variety of dealers with one common characteristic: they’re all experts in their field, and you can learn fascinating things from them as you shop.
Expert judgment also makes the difference at the area’s many art galleries. Barbara Moore features established regional, national and international artists at the Chadds Ford Gallery — she specializes in the Wyeths, all three. She offers work from more than a hundred regional artists, and also mentors local up-and-coming talents, giving them an audience when they’re ready.
Serendipitous Shopping
Once you start consciously shopping locally, you’ll find your new favorite store on your usual route — a few doors from your dry cleaner or across the street from your bank.
Willowdale is a busy intersection, but step inside The Carriage House and you’ll find an oasis of calm. Celtic music plays softly, scented candles perfume the air, and all around are decorative furnishings that evoke Chester County’s quietly elegant homes and manicured farms.
Owner Laurie Dougherty says businesses like hers cater to their customers as individuals — it’s all about service. And unlike the online experience, their merchandise is right there. “You can smell it, you can see it, you can touch it,” Dougherty says. What she’s most proud of, though, is how much her customers simply enjoy her store.
And that’s what local shopping is all about. If you love shopping at malls and online, consider yourself lucky. But if you dread shopping, then don't. Visit a museum, browse an art gallery, taste some wine, stroll around a town center and pick up gifts in the process. Have a fun, adventurous, interesting excursion.
Give something to your friends and family, to your community, and most of all, to yourself. You might find you’ve done all the buying you need to without ever really shopping at all. -CL-
Gifts of Local Food
The perfect gift for the locavores on your list is local food. Also a great choice for those who appreciate gifts that always fit, don’t need to be dusted and disappear soon! A few suggestions:
Wine — 8 local wineries comprise the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. Check for events and locations.
Cheese — Shellbark Hollow Farm, Birchrun Hills Farm, Highland Farm, Hendricks Farms
Meats —Sugartown Smoked Meats, Dr. Elkins Angusburgers
Chocolates — éclat, Christopher Chocolates, Bevan’s Candy, Wilbur Chocolate
Herr Foods — long-time favorite source for local taste treats.
Gifts from Local Sources
Support local shops and celebrate our area with gifts from these sources.
Museum Shops
• Brandywine River Museum
• Chester County Historical Society
• Delaware Art Museum
• Longwood Gardens
• Winterthur Museum
Antique Shops, Art Galleries, Gift Shops
Check out “Some of our Favorites” for more information about these unique shopping venues.
Holiday Open Houses
Thank goodness for seasonal traditions like the November and December Holiday Open House, when specialty shops unveil their seasonal offerings, with an extra dash of festivity. And you are cordially invited…
November 3-7
Dragonfly Decor
1600 Yellow Springs Rd. Chester Springs, 610-827-1220. Anniversary Sale. Tues, Thurs-Sat, 10 to 5:30; Wed, 10 to 7.
November 5-8
The Carriage House
Rts. 926 & 82, Willowdale Town Center, Kennett Square, 610-444-6770. Thurs, 5 to 9; Christmas Open House, refreshments Fri, 10 to 8; Sat, 10 to 5; Sun, 12 to 4.
November 6-7
Equinox
831 E. Baltimore Pk. Kennett Square, 610-444-8275. Fri, 10 to 8; Sat, 10 to 6. Open house with light refreshments.
Heritage Design Interiors
1064 Main St., Blue Ball, 717-354-2233. Open House with refreshments, Fri, 9 to 8; Sat, 9 to 4.
November 6-8
John W. Bunker & Son
431 E. Lincoln Hwy. (Rt. 30), Exton, 610-363-7436. Christmas Open House. Fri-Sat, 10 to 5; Sun, 12 to 4.
November 7
Oley Valley Reproductions
6321 Oley Turnpike Rd., Oley, 610-689-5885. Live 18th-century music, specials on showroom items, Johnston Benchworks upholstery sale and seasonal specials and surprises. 10 to 4.
November 7-8
Waterloo Gardens
Exton: 200 North Whitford Rd, 610-363-0800; Devon: 136 Lancaster Ave., 610-293-0800. Annual Hol-iday Open House and grand opening of their Holiday Wonderland. There will be amazing sales throughout the store.
Bittersweet Farm
8 Reese Ave., Newtown Square, 610-355-1776. Holiday Open House with light refreshments. Sat, 10 to 5; Sun, 10 to 4.
November 7-December 19
Irion Company Furniture Makers
1 S. Bridge St., Christiana, 610-593-2153. Open House every Saturday with special pricing on select furniture. Refreshments served. 9 to 2.
November 13-14
Heritage Design Interiors
1064 Main St., Blue Ball, 717-354-2233. Open House with refreshments. Fri, 9 to 8; Sat, 9 to 4.
November 13-25
Ash Hill
880 Kimberton Rd., Chester Springs, 610-827-7107. Special offerings including 20% off everything storewide. Tues-Sat, 10 to 5; Sun, 12 to 5. Closed Monday.
November 14
Evelyn & Harriette’s
1232 Oysterdale Rd., Oley, 610-987-6055. Holiday Open House with refreshments, open 10 to 5.
November 14-15
A Taste of Olive
40 S. High St., West Chester, 610-429-0292. Holiday Open House with special product tastings, holiday recipes and 10% off gift baskets. 10 to 7.
November 25-December 31
Herr Foods
Rt. 1 to Rt. 272 to Herr Dr., Nottingham, 800-63-SNACK. Holiday light display open to all from dusk ‘til dawn.
November 27-29
Christopher Chocolates — Fine Foods
3519 West Chester Pk., Newtown Square, 610-359-1669. Holiday Open House with tastings, drinks and fun for all. There will be prizes, discounts and give-aways at the register. Fri-Sat, 10 to 6; Sun, 11 to 4.
The Five Senses
133 W. Market St., West Chester, 610-719-0170. Be sure to stop by for grab-bag specials and refreshments. Fri, 10 to 6; Sat, 10 to 5; Sun, 11 to 4.
Longwood Art Gallery
200 E. State St., Kennett Square, 610-444-0146. This festive gallery will be serving hot cider and cookies to kick off the the holiday season. 15% off custom framing this weekend.
November 28
Walter J. Cook Jeweler
Chestnut Village Shoppes, 36 Chestnut Rd., Paoli, 610-644-5347. Holiday Open House with refreshments, 11 to 4.
November 29
John W. Bunker & Son
152 Telegraph Rd., Coatesville, 610-363-7436. Magic Holiday Christmas Tour of the Bunker’s historic home. Everyone is invited to enjoy hot cider, warm fires and shopping in the barn. 11 to 6.
December 2
Dragonfly Decor
1600 Yellow Springs Rd., Chester Springs, 610-827-1220. Holiday Open House with storewide sale and refreshments. 10 to 9.
December 4
Webb Jewelers