Tag: festival gift shopping

Some of the best holiday gifts you’ll give this year are sitting in booths at summer festivals right now, waiting for someone smart enough to think ahead.

That exquisite Cherry & Golden Walnut Yarn Bowl you spotted at Pine/Strawberry Arts & Crafts fair in July? Tuck it away in your closet, and come December, watch your crafty friend’s eyes light up when they unwrap something they never would have expected. The story makes the gift even better: “I saw this at a festival months ago and immediately thought of you.”

We’ve noticed that our most satisfied gift-givers are the ones who shop festivals during the warmer months. There are practical reasons for this — better selection, no shipping scrambles, more time to plan complementary gifts around a main piece. But there’s something deeper too. Shopping early for someone specific shows a level of thoughtfulness that’s rare in our last-minute world.

Festival shopping offers something department stores can’t: the story. When you give someone a handcrafted pen, you don’t just say “I got you a pen.” You say “I met this veteran woodworker at a festival, and he told me about the wood in this piece, and I thought you’d appreciate the craftsmanship.” The gift becomes a narrative, not just an object.

There’s also the serendipity factor. You can’t plan to stumble across the perfect piece — it has to find you. Rex often talks about customers who weren’t looking for anything specific but left with exactly what someone on their list needed.

Early festival shopping also means you get first pick of truly unique pieces. By December, artisans have sold their most striking work. In the fall, you have access to pieces that will never be made again — one-of-a-kind items that can’t be found on any website (everything we sell is on ours though! LOL) or in any store come holiday season.

We’ve started keeping a “gift notes” file for customers who buy pieces months ahead of when they’ll give them. “This cutting board is for my son’s wedding in October.” “The resin pendant is for Mom’s birthday in February.” It helps us remember the stories behind the purchases and adds a personal touch when we see them again.

The anticipation factor is underrated too. There’s something wonderful about having that perfect gift already chosen and waiting, knowing that while everyone else is fighting crowds in December, you’re already done — with something infinitely more thoughtful than anything they’ll find in the rush.

So next time you’re wandering through a summer festival, don’t just think about what you want for yourself. Think about the people you love, the occasions coming up, the joy of giving something that no one else will have thought to find.

The holidays are coming whether you’re ready or not. But the perfect gifts for them? Those are available right now.