Big Sales for the Home Décor and Quality Gifts Are Selling at Gift Stores

As Americans start entertaining at home again, retailers report booming sales of charcuterie boards, coasters, and vases. And after cocooning during the pandemic, consumers are splurging big — whether on décor for their newly renovated houses or for high-end gifts.

“People just don’t worry about how much they spend right now,” observed Carolyn Leiter, who with husband Richard owns REVIVED Furniture and Home Decor in Londonderry, N.H. “They just want to fix up their house, and they’ll spend hundreds and hundreds and not even think about it.”

At the 7,000-square-foot store, faux flowers are a hot ticket for home decor, along with oversized ceramic vases to display them in. Black is trending, often mixed with metals or white prints for decorative shelving or wall decor. Revived also sells a lot of natural accents — rattan baskets, seagrass trays and the like. Charcuterie boards and accessories like jams and jelly containers are also flying off shelves at the six-year-old store.

“People did a lot of nesting and home improvements over the last year or two,” noted Pamela Robinson , owner of Junction 71, a housewares and gift shop in Amherst, N.H. “Now, they’re refining that space. They’re spending more for specific items that are one of a kind.”

At Robinson’s three-year-old store, farmhouse chic is still a popular aesthetic. “Clients enjoy that vintage, antique look — repurposed or handcrafted goods,” the retailer noted. “They’ll blend it in with items they already have, because it adds character.”

At the 5,000-square-foot store, wooden items like charcuterie boards, clocks and farmhouse tables are hot sellers. Robinson said her customers think nothing of shelling out at least $100 on a quality gift — about double what they might have paid for the same occasions a few years ago. She sells a lot of chalk or mineral based paint that clients use to refinish existing pieces, being creative about upcycling what they have, Robinson noted.

Accent pieces like wall hangings or objets d’art are

Junction 71’s best-sellers. “They provide a focal point in a room — something to build a room around, or tie everything together,” Robinson explained.

New York City retail remains diminished from prepandemic times, but retailers like Joy’s Flower Pot are adapting. Owner Kelly Nguyen has increased her stock of decorative vases due to demand from gift givers splurging not only on flowers, but on the lasting gesture of a receptacle. “People like to choose a cute vase,” Nguyen said. “It’s an add-on item — a look people like to have in their homes, even without flowers.”

Nguyen has seen both trends and clientele change over a decade at the 400-square-foot store. While big splurges still happen for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and the year-end holidays, Joy’s customers have shifted away from fresh toward dried flower arrangements. “People like them because they last,” Nguyen explained.

Boston-themed Christmas ornaments are the yearround best-seller at the Old North Church gift shop, an historic attraction in Boston. “People like their destination tree — they’ll have all the trips they’ve taken that year displayed on their tree,” explained Pam Bennett , director of retail operations at the 1,000-square-foot store. Pewter nativity sets made in Canada are another top item, despite their price tag of $40-$200. “We sell them all day, every day,” Bennett said. “People don’t hesitate. Paul Revere fans snap up tin lanterns, a quality accent piece for both indoors and outdoors.

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