Stress free recipe for holiday shopping

To promote a more leisurely shopping experience, on Nov. 25 locally owned stores participated in a campaign to encourage consumers to frequent the variety of shops — open in downtown and in suburban shopping areas — that stock the unusual items one might not find anywhere else.

The atmosphere is friendly and usually the owners are behind the counters, eager to show off their wares and help with the shopping lists. Just remember two words to relieve the stress of holiday shopping — “shop small,” the name of last Saturday’s promotion — and repeat it as your mantra for the next month.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE ...

If you head to Ingleside Village shopping center, which stretches between Rogers and Corbin avenues, you have one long block that houses any shop you could need for gifts — plus the helpful staff at Karsten Denson Hardware Store to tell you how to keep the tree upright and what to do about those pesky twinkle lights.

At either end of the block are restaurants for a quick lunch, Ingleside Village Pizza at the Corbin Avenue end and Joe D’s Sandwich Shop at the Rogers Avenue end.

There are several antique shops on the street, among them Ingleside Village Antiques Center, managed by Cathy Brantley, that rents spaces to dealers who bring furniture, accessories and vintage jewelry that appeal to collectors ranging from the most sophisticated to the person looking for the most bizarre, primitive relic. Although he is not in the same block, William Slocumb is just across Rogers at the corner of Ingleside Avenue, at Ashley McLean Antiques, which specializes in 18th and 19th century furniture, housed in three buildings.

Eve McElrath’s Village Shop Antiques stocks 19th and early 20th century furniture, porcelains and rugs in the same cluster of businesses that houses Antiques at Ingleside, a mall arrangement of dealers that sell new and old furniture and accessories. For the person who has everything but would appreciate the unusual, one of these dealers has just the right gift.

To appeal to fashionistas of all ages, Jack and Darcy’s is stocked with the latest in casual clothes for the discerning woman. Furry vests are displayed on one rack, with other outerwear, and are the rage this year. Dresses in every length have made a comeback even though jeans, trim slacks and layered shirts are still popular and available for gift wrap at this boutique tucked between the pizza parlor and the markets.

Georgia Market House has been packing custom fruit baskets for the holidays for years, when the market was located downtown on Poplar Street and later on Second Street. Its neighbor, the Village Marketplace, which sells locally grown and canned food products, is the nearest thing to a grocery store the neighborhood has had in years.

William’s Toy Store, owned by Florence and Steve Allen, fills a niche in the local toy market with wooden toys, games and brain teasers that can become collectibles like the metal toys our grandparents kept for generations. The most popular sellers are the eco-friendly toys made from recycled wood. There are also games and toys that appeal to young teenagers and make ideal stocking stuffers.

After you think your list has been filled, head to Jeff Logan’s If It’s Paper, next door to the hardware store, for gift wrap, all sizes of boxes, candles, stationery and anything related to entertaining during the holidays. You also will find gift items on the shelves, like one for the hostess with the mostest.

Lamps by Ingleside can be the elf that preserves a special memento by converting it to a lamp or, if traditional lamps would be the best idea for friends on your list, the selection on display has something to complement any interior — from wall sconces to floor lamps. This is a full service lighting store that repairs fixtures and provides them with new lampshades from several fine manufacturers.

The Frame Shop, located in the center of the block, can frame favorite pieces of art work, and stocks original prints and paintings for sale. If you purchase something worthy of framing from the Middle Georgia Art Association’s gallery in Ingleside Village, you can drop it off at the shop without moving your car.

Creter’s Gift Shop, the largest retailer in the block, was once located downtown, but has anchored the Ingleside shopping center for decades. Originally a stationery store, it has expanded over the years to carry adult and baby clothing, furnishings, jewelry and Christmas decorations that, during the holiday season, fill one wing of the store.

This weekend, many of the shops are open through 5 p.m. Sunday for the yearly Christmas celebration. Make a new tradition to shop small and shop smart!

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Stress free recipe for holiday shopping."