By Colleen Sparks
Managing Editor
It could be hard to find a “partridge in a pear tree” and might be expensive to buy five gold rings, but people can find a variety of unusual, fun gifts to get their true loves at locally-owned stores in Scottsdale and the East Valley this Christmas season.
Independent stores and organizations in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Scottsdale offer specialty candy, as well as vintage and quirky misfit toys, Arizona-made clothes, glitzy jewelry, retro video games and collectibles for everyone on the gift list.
Here is a look at local businesses with one-of-a-kind merchandise that make thoughtful gifts:
d’VINE GOURMET
Address: 4955 S. Alma School Road, Suite 4, Chandler
Phone/Website: 480-275-5320, stores.dvinegourmet.com
What they offer: Many different gourmet gift baskets featuring what are touted as the best products made in Arizona. The store and website has wine and gourmet foods including chocolates, candy, jellies, jams, oil and vinegar, condiments, along with State Forty Eight T-shirts (made by the Chandler-based, independently-owned company), candles and necklaces. Items can be shipped anywhere in the world.
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN
Address: 1345 S. Alma School Road, Mesa
Phone/Website: 480-626-1970, fmscmarketplace.org
What they offer: Handmade, unusual gifts sold in the Feed My Starving Children MarketPlace include jewelry, scarves, home decorations, coffee mugs, coffee, chocolate and hot sauces. FMSC MarketPlace offers fair wages to artisans around the world that receive meals from the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. Every gift purchased allows the organization to make more meals and feed more children. Shoppers can also buy gift cards to be used in the store only.
CUDDLES
(part of Goochie Goo Garbs, LLC)
Address: 8912 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite F-7, Scottsdale
Phone/Website: 480-659-2964, store.goochiegoo.com
What they offer: Goochie Goo Garbs baby and children’s blankets/”blankies,” available with monogramming, custom order blankets and throws, photo opportunities with a children’s photographer, pillow shams, pillow cases, as well as superhero-style garbs, capes and blankets, children’s toys and books.
HOT PETUNIAS
Address: 15029 N. Thompson Peak Parkway, Suite B105, Scottsdale
Phone/Website: 480-748-8442, hotpetunias.com
What they offer: Trendy women’s clothes including denim dresses and comfortable Arizona apparel, yoga pants and other activewear, candles and collectible home items, earrings, sandals and other fun merchandise.
JUDYWEAR BOUTIQUE
Address: 950 E. Riggs Road, Suite #6, Chandler
Phone/Website: 480-802-6757, judywearboutique.com
What they offer: House slippers, Hidey Socks, Popcorn knit ponchos, scarves, jewelry, handbags, candles and new lines of women’s clothing with several of them made in the United States. Handmade cards, jewelry, purses and scarves are made by Arizona residents.
LULUBELL TOY BODEGA
Address: 126 W. Pepper Place, Mesa
Phone/Website: 480-733-5858 (LULU), lulubelltoys.com
What they offer: Artist-designed toys, with the niche being on sofubi (soft vinyl) toys made in Japan. These are more collectable in nature, are completely handmade, and vary from cute to monsterish. In the brick-and-mortar store in downtown Mesa, shoppers can also find small unique toys, the popular “blind box” toys, cute stationary items, as well as plush items and candy from Japan. Unusual, original art and art prints from local artists to international artists are available at the store.
1UP GAMES
Address: 2111 S. Alma School Road, #6, Mesa,
Phone/Website: 480-765-2875, 1up-games.net/location
What they offer: Mostly video games, with many vintage ones from the 1980s and 1990s including Pac-Man and Frogger, as well as some video game figures from “Star Wars” and the Mario Bros. series. The games are suitable for play on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and other consoles.
NELSON ESTATE JEWELERS
Address: 2051 S. Dobson Road, Suite 10, Mesa
Phone Number/Website: 480-459-9867, nelsonestatejewelers.com
What they offer: A full-service jewelry store that buys, sells and repairs jewelry, it offers a novel selection of estate, reconditioned engagement rings, as well as many new designs, diamonds and other precious center stones including rubies, emeralds and sapphires, fine watches, gold watches and estate and designer jewelry.
OLD TOWN CANDY & TOYS
Address: 4000 N. Scottsdale Road, Suites 101 and 102, Scottsdale
Phone Number/Website: 480-247-7332, oldtowncandyandtoys.com
What they offer: Old-themed candy and toys, as well as books, stuffed animals and novelty items including magic kits and old board games like Parcheesi and Yahtzee. It has more than 150 bins and baskets of bulk candy, vintage candy bars, including Charleston Chew and Zagnut ones, homemade Barbie dresses, cowboy hats, puppets, cactus candy, Arizona-themed magnets and postcards.
POMEROY’S MEN’S AND MISSIONARY STORE
Address: 136 W. Main St., Mesa
Phone Number/Website: 480-833-0733, pomeroysclothing.com
What they offer: Dress apparel for men and women who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to wear on their missions, including pants, shirts, belts and skirts. They also sell men’s pant suits with two pairs of pants paired with each coat, as well as dressy shoes for women and men, ties and luggage.
SAGEBRUSH COFFEE (and its subsidiary, Hackberry Tea)
Address: 985 W. Chandler Heights Road, Building E, Suite 1, Chandler
Phone Number/Website: 480-250-7159, sagebrushcoffee.com
What they offer: Single origin, direct-trade coffees roasted in its headquarters in Chandler. The diverse beans come from farms in Guatemala, Ethiopia, Honduras, Brazil and other countries around the world. The beans are roasted once customers place their order and then shipped via FedEx 2Day service so they will stay fresh. The business also carries Hackberry Tea, which are teas from other blenders, as well as coffee brewers, coffee grinders and press brewers.
SCOTTSDALE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (SMoCA)
Address: 7374 E. Second St.,
Scottsdale
Phone Number/Website: 480-874-4666, smoca.org
What They Offer: Guests can shop the museum’s retail store, Shop@SMoCA to find imaginative gifts from one-of-a-kind jewelry, prints and decor by local artists to children’s gifts that inspire a love of art, architecture and design. Visitors can purchase a gift membership for their loved one in-person or online ranging from $50 to $500. Gift cards to the Shop@SMoCA store can be purchased in-person. The museum provides diverse programming from free to ticketed events that embrace the worlds of music, literature, dance, performance and film.
ZAK’S CHOCOLATE
Address: 6990 E. Shea Blvd., “Sweet” 116, Scottsdale
Phone Number/Website: 480-607-6581, zakschocolate.com
What They Offer: The international award-winning small-batch craft chocolate maker and an artisan chocolatier makes 100 percent of its own chocolate by starting with ethically-sourced cocoa beans. Everything is done by hand including sorting cocoa beans and wrapping bars. Zak’s crafts single-origin bars in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate and also offers a variety of bonbons in Earl Grey Lavender, Ginger tangerine, cinnamon plum and other unusual flavors as well as gingerbread, candy cane crunch and other seasonal flavors. It also makes caramels and peanut butter cups and sells freshly roasted cacao nibs. Zak’s provides private chocolate and wine pairing events and a four-hour Chocolate Making Experience.
