In photo l to r: Magda McNulty, Maggie Moses, Liz Whalen, Doreen McNulty, Perry Ellsworth, Town Manager and David Burke, Council Chairman.

A ribbon cutting was recently held to welcome one of South Berwick’s newest businesses.  Check it out.

SoBotique,439 Main St, South Berwick, ME   384-8811 Facebook

Hours: Tues – Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm    Sun: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

SoBotique is a resale shop that carries items from vintage/retro to trendy! A portion of their profits will go to South Berwick nonprofits. They accept donations.

I took a trip to Full Circle today with my camera to take some pictures of some of the things they have that would make good gifts. Here is only a sample, and there are always new things coming in every day. It is worth the trip.

They have a whole little room full of holiday decorations, from lights, to ornaments, to things like these penguins fishing.

There are lots of housewares, including dish sets, glasses, vases, and cooking utensils. I have found some great kitchen gadgets over the last year that I’ve been wanting but didn’t want to pay the price at fancy kitchen stores; at Full Circle they are usually under $8 and often in the $1 – $2 range. You could put together a really nice cooking accessory kit for under $20. Today there was a brand new garlic roaster for $3.

They have a big room of clothing. I didn’t get any good shots of clothing but browsing through the racks I saw labels like Brooks Brothers, Talbots, and Ralph Lauren. There were lots of sparkly sweaters and tops for holiday events and a nice selection of scarves. There is also a selection of fun jewelry.

In the children’s area there were many gift ideas. How cute is this felted sweater at $8?

Besides children’s clothing there is a nice selection of games, crafts, and books on cds that would make great gifts or stocking stuffers.

Or for the lunch box collector:

And a whole room of books, tapes, and cds.

Full Circle Community Thrift Store, 150 Dow Highway Route 236 Eliot, ME 03903 ( PH: 207-703-0266 ) (across from Dunkin Donuts). They are open Monday-Friday 10-5 and Saturday 10-4.

I went to Full Circle today to do this story but couldn’t resist and walked away with two big lamps that look like they came from the Mad Men set, a pair of fleece gloves, and some etched appertif glasses (total $26).

Just a few of the many unique gifts available at the Center for Wildlife's Call of the Wild Bazaar

The Center for Wildlife’s “Call of the Wild” Holiday Bazaar is going on this weekend and next and is a great way to pick up unique gifts and support a good cause at the same time.  The sale runs from 1-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays Dec. 11 & 12, 18 & 19, 2010 at the Center for Wildlife, 385 Mountain Road, Cape Neddick ME 03902

Gracie

Not only can you shop for nature theme gifts , many handcrafted by local artists and craftspeople, you can learn about the work of the Center for Wildlife, the region’s largest wildlife education & rehab center.  And you can enjoy delicious baked goods and hot beverages and meet some of the Center’s beautiful wildlife ambassadors!

For more information visit www. YorkCenterforWildlife.org

When you shop at Nature’s Way Market you are supporting an independent locally owned business. They stock many local products so you are doing a double whammy shop local experience that is good for our local economy.  One product they carry is White Heron Tea of Rollinsford, NH.  The teas are all organic and taste great.

Nature’s Way also has a great selection of jams, sauces, marinades and salsas, including Stonewall Kitchen of York and Appledore Cove of North Berwick, as well as their own label.  These make great gifts on their own or as part of a gourmet gift basket.

One of my favorite gift items are the giant fortune cookies from Fantastic Fortunes of Rollinsford, NH.  These are really fun and unique.  They taste good too. l l L l

Last but not least, there is the chocolate.  Nature’s Way always has a great selection of handmade chocolates as well as premium chocolate bars.  Who doesn’t appreciate the gift of chocolate?  See you at the market.

Nature’s Way Market, 271 Main St., South Berwick, ME 03908, (207) 384-3210

Doodlebugz Studios is full of paint your own pottery and fused glass projects to make your own gifts from the heart.

There’s nothing like the feeling of making a gift for the special people in your life. Doodlebugz Studio in Rollinsford offers the opportunity to make your own painted pottery or fused glass gifts.  Doodlebugz offers all the supplies, assistance, and firing to make a variety of projects, starting at $2.  There are no studio fees.   Many projects are easy enough for children, so they can have the pleasure of making a gift.  A Doodlebugz gift certificate is a great way to give someone a chance to exercise their creativity in the new year. You can also find a selection of ready made gifts at the studio.  Find out more at the Doodlebugz website.

Doodlebugz Studio is located at 72 & 74 Front Street, Rollinsford, NH 03869, next to The Black Bean Cafe.

Doodlebugz Studio has ready to be painted pottery in every size and shape.

At Price Point Eyewear I found Tony Lemmo, President of South Berwick Networking (left) chatting with Paul Vaspoli, owner of Price Point Eyewear.   Tony will be playing Christmas carols at The Early Bird Cafe’s open mic during the stroll.  Paul will be hosting holiday karaoke.

Down the street, Jessica Morgan, owner of  The Early Bird Cafe , and Mark Gagnon of P. Gagnon and Son were talking about the event.  The Early Bird will be holding an open mic night for local musicians during the stroll.  P. Gagnon and Son will host Santa who will meet local children.

Joe Dionne, owner of  J.A.D. Mercantile is taking part in the Home for the Holidays evening stroll for the first time ever.  He is looking forward to meeting residents who may not have had a chance to check out his new book and gift store.  Joe will be hosting children’s book illustrator Carey Ellis-Armstrong.

Katherine Adams-Gary, co-owner of Stained Images at 438 Lower Main St. is getting ready for the stroll.  The store will be open so strollers can check out the stained glass, jewelry, and gifts.  Katherine will be up at 243 Main St. where children can paint glass icicles.

I didn’t get to see him today, but I heard rumors that Phil Hughes, owner of the Black Bean Cafe in Rollinsford is busy practicing for holiday karaoke at Price Point Eyewear.  Last year Phil made quite a name for himself as the king of South Berwick karaoke.  Don’t miss him.

Home for the Holidays is a little like black Friday for local merchants.  A better economy begins locally, so come out this weekend and show our local merchants some love–spend some of your holiday money here in town.

Be sure to check out their children’s section to find quality bargain children’s books, and games, puzzles, and educational items.  Many of these are by Melissa & Doug®, known for excellent products.

Illustrator Carey Armstrong-Ellis will be signing books at J.A.D. Mercantile during the Friday Night Stroll , 5-7 pm

Friday Night, during the Home for the Holidays Evening Stroll, J.A.D. Mercantile is offering a special opportunity. Author and illustrator Carey Armstrong-Ellis will be there to meet strollers and sign her books. Ms Armstrong-Ellis lives in Cape Neddick and has a studio at Salmon Falls Mills. Her illustrations and fiber art creatures are charming. Among the books she has illustrated are: Happy Bees! by Arthur Yorinks, Miss Tutu’s Star by Leslea Newman, and The Twelve Days of Kindergarten, The Twelve Days of Winter, and the Twelve Days of Springtime, all by Deborah Lee Rose. Her whimsical style makes even slugs lovable.  Find out more at her website:  slugworksrocks.com .

Book Signing: Carey Armstrong-Ellis,   Friday. December 3, 5-7 pm at J.A.D. Mercantile, South Berwick.

Dana Spence, owner of Nature’s Way Market, and Dick Currier and Michele Lacroix of South Berwick Pharmacy, look over one of the 32 new flags adorning the downtown this holiday season. The SoBo woodpeckers are the logo of Home for the Holidays, which runs 5 to 8 pm Friday, Dec. 3, with the annual downtown evening stroll and Women’s Holiday Art Sale and continues Saturday, Dec. 4, with the art sale, church fairs and more from 9 am to 2 pm.

South Berwick’s downtown streets are home to lots of woodpeckers this holiday season. The woodpeckers, as it turns out, flew in on 32 flags purchased by merchants, non-profit groups and individuals to formally usher in the holiday season.

The SoBo woodpeckers, as they are now being called, are the official logo of the annual Home for the Holidays downtown celebration. Nature’s Way Market owner Dana Spence had the idea of putting the logo on a holiday flag, and the community jumped on the idea.

Volunteers with SmartGrowth South Berwick, which organizes the downtown event, say this flag represents not just the joy and fun of the holidays, but also the commitment of many people in town to support local independent merchants.

“When I look at the bright red, black and white flags, I feel proud to live in a place where business people, churches, citizens and schools all work together to make this a stronger and healthier town,” said Jayne Morell, a citizen who volunteers for Home for the Holidays.”

The flags were designed by local artist Rachel Schumacher for SmartGrowth South Berwick. Holiday lights are being provided this year by South Berwick Rotary and volunteers.

Business and organizations that donated flags were Becker Antiques, Civil Consultants, Edward Jones, First Parish Federated Church, P. Gagnon & Son, Historic New England, JASS Fitness, Kennebunk Savings Bank, Stained Images, Lassel Architects, Lenk Orthodontics, Nature’s Way Market, People’s United Bank, Pepperland Café, Salmon Falls Woodworks, SoBo Central, South Berwick Pharmacy, Vacuum Village and the Women’s Holiday Art Sale. Several individuals also contributed.

Fused glass jewelry made by South Berwick resident Hope Murphy

South Berwick resident, Hope Murphy fuses glass to make one-of-a-kind jewelry, belt buckles, and even cabinet knobs.  Vivid colors and bold designs make her work stand out. FuZing! Glass makes a memorable gift.  Check it out at fuzingglass.com or see it at the Women’s Holiday Art Show, Art Sale Annex, 245 Main Street, South Berwick, ME, Friday, Friday, December 3, 5-8pm, Saturday, December 4, 10am – 2pm, sobocentral.org