The Savvy Shopper

Ordinarily, shopping provides me with a sort of retail therapy where I can forget any unfortunate predicaments of the day and free my mind to ponder more important topics – like, would that antique lamp complement the living room rug, or, do these jeans make my backside look slimmer?

HOWEVER.
Holiday shopping is a whole other bag. Or bags, plural. “Get this for that person” and “that for this person,” and don’t forget Aunt Nancy’s allergic to wheat, so only buy her special gluten-free treats, and Uncle Joe’s put on a couple pounds, so an XXL is preferred, and Cousin Brandon already has every game ever manufactured nationwide for Wii, so you better stick to Japanese games. This has always been my holiday shtick until I realized there had to be a better way. And there was: the heaven-sent boutique-hopping and shopping in the Central New York Region.

Thus, my hopeful journey for relaxed holiday shopping began…

I commenced my holiday 2010 gift-hunt in Madison County, on Cedar Street, to be exact, at The Market at Oneida Commons a neat, little year round mall (where I inhaled one of their gourmet coffees… mmm Hazlenut… to ensure my keen shopping senses were alert and ready.) Antiques, crafts, jewelry, books, furniture, locally-produced foods and other odds and ends stretched as far as my half-open, half-asleep eye could see. Naturally, I picked up some gluten-free biscotti for Aunt Nancy and went on my way to the next destination, Cazenovia Jewelry. Let me just preface this particular sojourn with the fact that it took all of the self-restraint I could summon up to not buy out the entire store (I suppose my maxed out credit card would have had a role in inhibiting this had my will power failed.) I resisted and reluctantly stuck to my list of holiday gift ideas. For my parents, whose beloved pet George (a shih Tzu) just turned 12, I wanted something special and dog-related to commemorate his long life as their ultimate companion. I heard Cazenovia Jewelry had some very innovative pieces, but when I spotted the custom engraved identification tag gift idea for pets, I was beyond thrilled. I chose a sterling silver tag with a fresh water pearl. So unique, I knew my parents would love it! (And George too, of course. Although at 12, he may forget he has a neck, let alone what the collar looks like around it.)

Next up? Time to up the glamour of this shopping trip at SWANK on Eaton Street in Hamilton. Again, it took a lot out of me to not purchase anything for myself, but I was good and I refrained. I narrowed down my armful of unique gifts – including three decorative wooden balls, an intricately designed wall hanging, a delicate crystal necklace, a lightweight sign with “Once Upon a Garden” inscribed in calligraphy on it, two bright turquoise-colored, scaly-textured, fish-shaped dishes – to just the fish-shaped dishware for my best friend from college who recently bought a new house. I also picked up an ornate watch for my niece Kayla. Two birds with one stone!

Next person to buy for on the list? The dreaded mother-in-law. Next destination on the list? The Garden Bug Gift Shop on Fort Hunter Road in Montgomery County. Shopping for even the most impossible, persnickety person is made easy at this country gift shop. Right away, I found some delicious-smelling hot apple pie & cinnamon Bumpy Candles and the perfect wreath made of dried flowers for my mother-in-law’s front door. The decorative ladders, country prints, cute placemats with sayings and adorable throw rugs kept my attention a little too long… I had indeed been bitten by the Garden Bug.
After applying calamine to my imaginary, itchy bug bite (I’ve been known to be somewhat of a hypochondriac before) everything was looking picture perfect. That could also be because I was standing on the sidewalk outside Picture Perfect. Ehh, maybe just a coincidence. At Picture Perfect, I dropped off a photo to be custom-framed of greener than green rolling hills in an Irish pasture to satisfy my father-in-law’s undying love for Ireland. While there, a handcrafted cast iron bracelet caught my eye, and my wallet, as the saleswoman wrapped it up with a sweet little bow for my sister-in-law. Holiday shopping in Central New York has certainly felt like a breeze so far, unlike previous mall-meandering years.

After a spot of lunch at Schoharie Valley Farm’s Carrot Barn (including homemade carrot cake for dessert, of course), I bobbed for goodies at the Apple Barrel on State Route 30 and came up with a jar of raspberry rhubarb jam and a pink, plaid-patterned stationary kit that suits my grandma perfectly. Another person on my buy-for list bites the dust! (I probably shouldn’t use that phrase for my grandma.) For my grandpa, Cobbler & Co. in Sharon Springs is just the place to find a treasure trove of antiques that jog his memory with nostalgia and remind him of when he was just a young boy. Up on the second floor, I found just that – a collection of magazines from decades ago that I knew he’d get a huge kick out of flipping through. Good deal. For my last stint in Schoharie, I ventured to Conglomerate on Main Street in Middleburgh, where it really is like having 18 specialty shops under one roof (their tag line). For my husband, I decided to buy some sharp-looking martini glasses, an ice bucket and a martini shaker so that we can host our own intimate happy hours every now and again on Friday, rather than spending extra money at a bar. I also picked up a wine stylus so that I can write him a special note on a bottle of his favorite pinot noir. What can I say, I’m a romantic and maybe a bit of a wino at times.

Next stop on the gift-giving train: West Camden Country Store in Oneida. It’s my step-mom who’s up (did I mention I have a large, extended family? No? Well I DO.) She’s an art-lover, so the canvas signs, some floral, some with decorative phrases like “Coffee” with an arrow work well. And for my dad, who happens to own a camp with my step-mom, an antiquated “Lost Lake Lodge, Back Country Luxury” sign is perfect for hanging on a wall in the camp’s living room. At the Westmoreland Antique Center around the corner in Westmoreland, I was able to add on to my dad’s antique bottle collection with some neat milk bottles from the 1940s! Remind me again which stores in the mall offer anything remotely as unique as the boutiques lining Central New York? Riiiight. None!

It soon came time for my second cup of gourmet coffee for the day… this time at Tom’s Coffee, Cards & Gifts in Greater Binghamton, where there were 80 freshly roasted to choose from! Must. Keep. Shopping. Oh, like it’s that hard. At Tom’s I found some truly original women’s clothing for my pre-teen niece, Lily. The funky patterns and bright colors were sure to be right up her alley, drawing attention to her spotlight-loving, drama queen self. (I say that with much love.) For my sister, Kim, Lily’s mom, I stumbled upon a gorgeous chocolate brown and turquoise hand-blown glass vase. (Not literally, or I would’ve had to buy her another one.) I then broke down and did a little perusing to benefit my own wardrobe. Cut me a break, I resisted long enough! I dressed my shoulder up in different purses at Binghamton Bag Company on Court Street, ogling the soft materials and pretty colors available; I browsed the most fairytale-esque dresses I could find in On The Town Dress Boutique; and caught up on the latest fashion trends in M.Y. Boutique on Washington. It was dangerous, but I was triumphant in my endeavors. Nothing was added to my bill, only my Wish List for those shopping for me this season.

After grasping hold of my second wind (which of course arrived while shopping for myself), I headed to Chenango County for Seasons gift shop goodies including seasonal cards to send out to my long-distance family and friends this year (as part of last year’s semi-defunct New Year’s resolutions to keep in better touch with them.) I then took a gander at Charlotte’s Antiques on South Washington Street, basking in the beautiful displays of vintage treasures adorning the place. To remind my husband of fond memories from his childhood, I picked up a vintage train to set out around the holidays. Although he might otherwise choose a new golf club if he had his pick, he does appreciate sentimental gifts like this once in a while.

In Herkimer County, I strolled through the always-amazing Shops at 25 West in historic Canal Place and decided to take my cousin Brandon’s video/Wii game obsession into my own hands. Like it or not, I bought him a few solid, teenage guy-appealing books, including an adventure novel, a fantasy and a non-fiction history-based tale (clearly the least interesting and the biggest dust collector of the three, judging from what I know of my cousin and Generation Y.)

Ready for one last hoorah, I visited the Marketplace on Chestnut in Otsego County, one of Central New York’s largest antique stores! Instead of spending my time sifting through fascinating antiques like I had in much of the other stores today, I decided to focus in on one item particularly desired by my niece Mya – anything Vera Bradley. It wasn’t an easy decision to pick which pattern she’d like the best (or that she didn’t already own in five different color schemes) but I prevailed, cute overnight bag for Mya in hand. I grabbed my third coffee of the day from the onsite café and I was on my way, hitting the dusty (snowy) trail towards home after a largely successful, even relaxing I might dare say, holiday shopping experience in the Central New York Region.