Gifts of All Stripes Sell Solidly at Country and Variety Stores

At country and variety stores, the gift category is as broad as the stores carrying them. From folksy to festive, fun to functional, customers can find all kinds of gifts at these stores.

Retailers like Nina’s Department and Variety Store, a 3,500-square-foot shopping destination in Spring Green, Wis., stock a wide range of merchandise, most of which is perfect for giftgiving. “We have a specific gift boutique, but throughout the store, every department has a giftware component,” said Owner Joel Marcus , who described Nina’s as a “hybrid department/ variety store”. “In housewares we have everything from novelty-type kitchen knickknacks to clever towels and potholders. In menswear we have giftware like tools and doodads men need. In our baby section we have gifts for newborns. We also have an extensive yarn department which my wife oversees—she always manages to find things like unique knitting needles.” Marcus said customers’ gift-buying habits were altered by the pandemic. “People were spending a lot of time at home, and that changed the nature of what people were buying. Home décor and anything that added to the comfort of being at home was popular—anything from candles, to serving ware, to wooden signs

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NOVEMBER 10-13, 2021

Gifts of All Stripes (From page 64) with uplifting messages. Many people adopted dogs and cats, and the pet-themed giftware did very well.” Marcus’ family has owned Nina’s for 105 years.

Variety stores have a long tradition of carrying “a little bit of everything” for their customers. Kate Hopkins , owner of Main St. Variety in Alma, Neb., said their best-selling gifts change depending on the occasion and season—“toys for kids’ birthdays and Christmas. RADA knives for wedding gifts. Yard décor, especially seasonal flags and rugs for Mother’s Day, a woman’s birthday, or Christmas,” she said.

Country stores stock a range of items, most with a primitive or “folksy” flair. “For gifts we run the full gamut, from candles and home décor, souvenirs, art, crafts, antiques, wine, and a full line of specialty gourmet food items,” said Michael Strait , who co-owns The Hearth and Home

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Exterior views of the Hearth and Home Country Store. In addition to food gifts, the store stocks everything from candles, home décor and souvenirs, to crafts, antiques and wine.

Gifts of All Stripes (From page 66)

Country Store in Island Pond, Vt., with Tim O’Bar. He pointed out specialty food items are among the best-selling gifts in their 6,000-square-foot store because “they are something everyone enjoys and can use.” Gift-giving is universal. Vacationers tend to seek out unique souvenirs for themselves or loved ones; lo-

It’s a Wrap Trends in Wrap and Bows

Attractive wrap and bows add the finishing touch to make any gift extra-special. Retailers give customers various options for wrapping gifts.

“We carry Hallmark cards - we have an 8-foot section of gift wrap and bows. Our biggest seller are gift bags,” said Spring Green, Wisconsin’s Nina’s Department and Variety Store Owner Joel Marcus. “We have our cards spread out along two walls of our store—they make an L-shape. The gifts are in the ‘crook’ of the L. We want people to buy a gift, pick out the wrap and cards. Hallmark has been adding a shelf to the top of their display with the gifts. It’s called ‘Bag and Go’—people can buy a gift, one of these gift bags, so rather than the wrap you get a bag, put in the gift, and go.”

Michael Strait, who co-owns The Hearth and Home Country Store in Island Pond, Vt., with Tim O’Bar, said they do not sell wrap and trimmings at Hearth and Home due to competition from dollar stores. “It is very difficult to sell a $5 or $6 roll of wrapping paper when [a customer] can go down the street and get it for a dollar. We do offer free gift wrap as well as free gift basket service,” cal customers seek out favorite nearby shops for the perfect special occasion gift. Pam Patten , owner of Country Keepsakes in Trenton, Maine, said her oneof-a-kind gift inventory is a mix of “Made in Maine” items and products reflecting life in Maine. Patten’s biggest seller is lawn and garden décor. “We sell a lot of whirligigs—little wooden toys which were popular he added.

Pam Patten, owner of Country Keepsakes in Trenton, Maine,, does not sell wrap or ribbon. Instead, “we don’t wrap the gift, necessarily, but we arrange it in a gift bag with tissue paper so the customer doesn’t have to worry about that.”

Kate Hopkins, owner of Main St. Variety in Alma, Neb., sells wrap, bags, and bows, and offers free gift wrapping. “We do most of our free gift wrapping for last minute shoppers. Especially men on Christmas Eve,” she said. She also offers extra touches for shoppers during the holiday season: “During the holidays especially, our shopping bags are black. We have a lot of parents that want to make sure their kids don’t see inside the bag. We also have a Santa letter ready for kids to fill out while they walk through our toy aisles. We get a lot of parents who ask for a copy and come back later without their kids to shop. We’ve held later evening shopping nights that correspond with kids’ church nights so parents have a chance to shop without their kids,” she said. ❖ all the way back in the 1920s, a lot of Amish lighthouses for outdoor décor, lighthouse birdhouses, and things like magnets, souvenirs, and jams and jellies made in Bar Harbor,” she said. “We sell a lot of Made in Maine products because not too many people carry them. Not many people sell the whirligigs. I sell a lot of unique products—not everyone has what I have. That’s why I’ve remained here for so many years.”

Because COVID changed customers’ buying habits significantly, there was no one gift trend over the last 16 months. “People are buying everything right now,” Marcus said. “There are certain themes that we carry out because we’re in a rural, touristy area. North Woods goods always do well for us—farm- and country-themed goods. Americana and garden-themed items always do well. We constantly change our displays so we’re very seasonoriented.” Because of the supply chain shortage and the difficulty with stocking certain items, Marcus said identifying trends is even more of a challenge—“Now we’re

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