NEW BEDFORD — This Black Friday, when considering where to buy gifts, there are a few interesting and unique boutiques in the area offering the opportunity to support an array of other local businesses within their shops.
These specialized holiday gifts might not appear anywhere else and are waiting to be discovered at these local boutiques, making your holiday gift giving even more special this year. So get out and discover what local shops in and around New Bedford have to offer to complete your holiday shopping list.
The following are some shops in the area to check out.
An old school boutique, ready to help you shop
Margaret Silvia, owner of Details & Designs in South Dartmouth’s Padanaram, has not only lived in the area all her life but owned her lifestyle store for over two decades.
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“Back in the day, it was a donut shop and a barber shop on the other side, when you step up the steps,” she said.
Silvia said people come from far-and-wide to find clothing, antiques and fragrances in the store. It’s known for its old-world charm and great service, all about helping customers find the perfect items and then offering gift-wrapping and sometimes even shipping and delivery to the doorstep.
“I tend to be not in the dark ages, but kind of be an old school boutique type person. I like one on one contact with customers,” Silvia said, adding that she loves to help men shop for women.
“A man can actually call us on the phone. They can describe it, they can send a picture of his wife; will remember who she is. We will find it in her size, know the color she likes, what she already has at home, wrap it up and have it ready to go.”
Supporting local businesses in your stockings
AprilEvans Beauty Lounge is a local boho boutique that opened in August 2022, not only does it offer salon services but in the front half of its store features products from 11 local businesses at all different price points, from handmade jewelry to hot sauces, barbecue sauce and cocoa bombs.
“I would say that we have a lot of like grab and go stuff,” April Moses, owner of the boutique said. “It’s great stocking stuffing kind of gifts that everyone will like and you’re supporting local artists.”
Nature-themed gifts for gifting gardening lovers
Marisa Chappell opened Thallo – Home and Garden in March 2023, selling houseplants, herbs, green plants, blankets, ornaments, animal-themed items, healthy dog treats, candles (soy and beeswax only), soaps, lotions, gardening tools and terrariums.
“I’ll have a lot of little terrariums. I’m making one right now for a customer. She’s going to pick it up tomorrow for a gift,” Chappell said.
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The store caters to all, featuring several different owls, mushrooms, foxes, apples and cats. “I’m a big cat person. I rescue cats in my spare time,” she said.
Chappell had been managing a veterinary clinic and working as a veterinary technician in Wrentham prior to the opening. Named after the Greek goddess of green shoots in spring buds, the store is all about nature-themed gifts with a meditative garden feel inside the store.
“Sometimes people come in just to like feel the moss, because there’s nothing like that around here,” she said. “So I just think it’s really cool to have green space in the middle of the city.”
Encourage new artists with these artistic gifts
At the Art Loft in Fairhaven, Tena Collyer said she opened the shop dedicated to helping artists of all levels in the SouthCoast. Featuring 30 local artists’ work already, the store offers a wide range of supplies, with a focus on oil painting as well as top quality watercolor and acrylic products.
There’s also an array of exclusive products such as Rosemary and Company, featuring handmade brushes from England and Trekell, which is of comparable quality. Collyer said she is one of only three other stores in the United States to sell the product.
“To an artist, art supplies are like an addiction,” she said. “But I also want to be there to help all levels of artists, and give advice or be there to bounce ideas off with them.”
Not only is the shop perfect to find original art made by local artists, but it also features several different ways to encourage new artists. One product includes a paint by numbers kit by ArtWille, in which the set includes acrylic paint colors, 100% cotton canvas on a wooden frame, two paint brushes and instructions on learning to paint several different creations.
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports.Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.