wal mart gift

Getting Personal With Personal Gifts!

In today’s world of giant elephants such as Wal-Mart, Target, K-mart and many other oversized and under-personalized businesses, what happens when you want to give someone special something that is actually special? Craft shows with handcrafted items available do still occur, however, they are occasional, and ordinarily happen only at specific times of the year. They are also becoming increasingly geared towards simply a day out rather then getting some real shopping done.

So, what does is the typical person to do? Buy a generic gift card and have the gifted people choose for themselves? Fortunately, there are still alternatives. Even today, there are still a few gift shops that specialize in handcrafted items. Handcrafted means not only is everything individualized so you do not have the cookie-cutter present, it also means you can get it actually personalized. What if you really love the style of a necklace for someone, but know the person does not like that particular color? Get one made in a color you know they do like! Shops such as Cheeky’s Crafter’s Faire in Chesapeake, Virginia feature just such items. Wouldn’t you prefer something personal, something you know that special someone took the time and effort to choose just for you? And beyond that, to know that your gift was handcrafted, created with a person’s energy and talent rather then a machine, is immeasurable!

A common gift shop has many items with names; bears, necklaces, key chains, etc. etc. etc. However, they always have the same, everyday names. There are a good percentage of people today that are opting to name their children unique names, or at least names that are uniquely spelt, for this to work for a good portion of the country. How about getting an item personalized with your child’s name, no matter the name or the spelling? Perfect!

These perfect for the getting personal shops really are out there, you must simply be diligent in looking for them. Moreover, when you do find one, support it. Make sure these small businesses stay around for the next generation. Out of the four similar shops in the Hampton Roads area, Cheeky’s Crafter’s Faire in Chesapeake VA is the only one left, as in just the last year, three handcrafted specialized shops closed for various reasons. Supporting these small shops will help the stores, of course. However, they will also help the artists, and the community.

Cookie-cutter gifts may be perfect for chefs, however, unless your friends and loved ones are really into their culinary skills, make sure personally made, and personally bought is your choice!

What about Fair Trade? Ever hear of it? It is a wonderful program that allows people in poor villages to use natural products to create wonderful items and get a fair price for the work. Then the items make their way to many countries, including the US so that we have the opportunity to enjoy their efforts. This is the perfect way to help other help themselves while getting some pretty fantastic items for our own use. Jewelry made of seeds, ornaments handcarved by Peruvian gourd carvers, handcarved toys, dinnerware, and so much more! Take a look at some of the items at cheekyscraftersfaire.com under their Fair Trade section and you will get just a sampling of what amazing things you can buy to help others!

Though everything in the brick-and-mortar store is not available online, there is a good selection of Fair Trade, Red Hat items, clothes and accessories for American Girl Dolls, and much more at: cheekyscraftersfaire.com.

About the Author

Julie is the owner of Cheeky’s Crafter’s Faire in Chesapeake VA. She concentrates her store on handcrafted and/or unique gifts and is extremely proud to sell Fair Trade items. Her newest product, her own creation, is the Training Driver signs for young drivers. They have been a wonderful new addition to Cheeky’s and can be found at: cheekyscraftersfaire.com.