I think it's really amazing that Shelbyville has a bookstore on the square. The storefront is so…read morecute and there's a cafe next door where you can grab coffee. It's pretty small, but they have a good selection and quite a bit of things for kids too. I noticed a lot of nice things that would make great gifts in addition to the books. We visit during the Indy Indie Book Crawl weekend and the person working in the store was super nice.

This independent bookstore has an exquisite collection of children's books and puzzles. I was…read morepleasantly surprised to find several books for young readers that address complex social issues. They carry the best selection of Melissa and Doug giant puzzles that I've seen and prices are comparable to discount stores. I could have spent all day in the Children's book section. Adult books are out front with an ok selection. They offer an interesting selection of gift cards by local artists. The shop is cozy, long and narrow and winds around the coffee shop next door. The staff is super friendly and helpful.

Fun selection of items and gifts. Great for special events. Gifts and just around the houseread more

If you like finding unique gift ideas for yourself or friends, I suggest stopping by this little…read moreshop that sits on the Sullivan Hardware property. After walking through the hardware store, this shop is on the south end of the property. After climbing a few stairs to enter, the house turned shop has lots of nooks and rooms for a wide variety of items. Gift cards, holiday items, women's clothing, themed socks, kitchen items, etc. can be found inside. If you need help finding anything, the staff seemed helpful and answered questions. I found a few items and the checkout process was smooth and quick. I'll bring my wife next visit so that she can check out the merchandise. Review #3439

If you are in the Columbus area Wed - Sat with some time on your hands (recommended) be sure to…read morestop in the local shop on Washington. Not only will you enjoy browsing the multiple rooms of original handmade items, but you can also sign up for classes, or even just watch a video and make something on your own! They have the supplies for a lot of art/craft projects and you simply let them know whether you want to try it then or sign up for something. And if you aren't artistic on your own, there is no pressure to sign up...just browse through the wide range of items. There are paintings, photos, soaps, candles, wood items, jewelry, ceramics, glass items, etc. All items were made by artists in the region and seem to be affordably priced (especially compared to many of the galleries I've been to.) What the shop is interested is in giving the customer an experience, not just selling you an item. They can't out "Amazon" Amazon. But they can provide you a creative experience that Amazon can't. If we had more time, I think my wife and I might have taken a shot at making something. If you are interested, you might contact them ahead of time to get an idea of how to dress and get an idea of how long you should plan for making something or when the classes are. I did include a photo of a price list for some of the DIY projects with my review. If you are looking for a unique gift and/or want the option of making something yourself, plan on stopping by this shop. Review #2230

Great locally owned and operated small town store located downtown in the heart of all the other…read morebusinesses and activities. All types of artwork inside such as paintings, clay crafted items, wood work items, children's handcrafted clothing, home made soap and great smelling candles. If you seek a unique gift or item be sure to stop in here and take a look around. The place is a very long and deep building with several rooms of all types of cool items.

I was very pleased with with the service provided by owner, Gena…read more I needed a Bible embossed for my granddaughters birthday. The service was quick and professional. You can make an appointment easily on the website and sit down with Gena to review exactly what you want. You can pay with cash or credit card, with a very small fee for CC.

Gena does a fantastic job engraving. She can engrave on anything at very reasonable prices.read more

I decided to stop and check out Brianne's Boutique in Greenwood, Indiana and hopefully get some…read moregift ideas for an upcoming birthday. When I walked in I was greeted and was checked on a few times to see if I needed help with anything. I liked the layout of the store and the items available, which ranged from clothes to jewelry to greeting cards and much more. Being that this is a boutique the clothing was higher priced, as was some of the purses and other accessories. And there was so much I wanted to buy that day but I will need to return. If you're ever in the area go and check out Brianne's.

Trusted them to send my purse to Brighten, to be refurbished. It said on the receipt they would…read morecall me when it came back. It said on the receipt that it would be a longer wait than usual. In the mean time, my mother died and then my sister died. I finally called to check on my purse. It has been a YEAR!!!! And no call!!! So they checked and said they'd called me. They did not!!!! Nothing they can do, they said. Brighten won't make it right. And Brianne's won't help me either. Oh well!!!??? Right?????? So don't trust them. Ive spent a ton of money there on clothes and accessories. Too much! I'm so sad that I'm just out a brighten purse. And they don't care!!!!! I'm telling g everyone that will listen.

Global Gifts is unexpectedly interesting and filled with exquisite artisan gifts and goods that are…read moreguaranteed fair trade. The shop is a hidden gem in a tiny strip mall in Nora. We stopped by after visiting a neighboring restaurant. The clerk was part of a volunteer staff and was friendly and welcoming. She told us about the sourcing of the merchandise. She also reminded me of their second location on Mass Ave. Several things caught my eye, especially the hand crafted "quilled" greeting cards. The handmade dresses and shirts are colorful and lovely. Handmade baskets, carvings and stuffed animals were among the merchandise. Prices are reasonable. I snagged a dark chocolate candy bar before leaving and have my eye on a pair of earrings. There's plenty of parking in the strip mall lot. Worth a visit.

In a weird way, I've grown up with Global Gifts. Global Gifts is an Indy-based fair trade and…read moreethically made gift shop. It's a non-profit organization that has grown since it's first location opened in 1988 on north Michigan Road. At the time, I was a fumbling and bumbling adult and the manager, Julie, was a kind-hearted soul who welcomed my presence even though my income at the time meant I hardly ever spent anything. Global Gifts now has multiple locations and the Michigan Road spot is long gone. I now live in Lawrence and this spot is likely my closest option. I believe the other two locations still open are Mass Avenue here in Indy and a spot in Bloomington, IN. Global Gifts began in the 1980's as a project of First Mennonite Church with a commitment to Fair Trade products. 30 years later, Global Gifts continues its strong commitment to fair trade - this means the products you buy at Global Gifts support fair wages, gender equity, and dignified working conditions. They work with some familiar names, such as Equal Exchange, while also including lots of other individual and organizational vendors from around the world in offering products that are reasonably priced and free of a lot of the ethical concerns so often associated with coffee, jewelry, and other products from around the world. As a non-profit, a good number of the folks you encounter in the stores in each location are volunteers with a few paid staff that work across the organization and manage the retail centers. As I noted, this particular shop relocated recently from a spot in in the same strip center as Whole Foods. Due to some decisions by Kite Realty, several of the longtime vendors have departed and Global Gifts found this spot in a small strip center just south of East 86th Street on Westfield Boulevard. They are directly next to the new Illumine Coffee. Global Gifts is at the north end of the Strip Center. There's a ramp right at the end of the building and it's better to use than the south end (though the south end is more visible, I noticed multiple obstacles to access on the strip center's sidewalk. It's an older strip center and the sidewalk is somewhat narrow). Global Gifts noted during my visit that they'd already noticed a problem with accessibility when their door is open due to the narrow sidewalk. It's nice visiting businesses who are aware. This location is a bit longer than its predecessor. However, it's a tad more narrow. That said, I found this location MUCH more wheelchair friendly. No comparison. It may be how products are placed, but I was amazed how much it felt like I could wheel around without being concerned about hitting anything. The store itself is usually packed with a wide variety of goods made from around the world. While you can certainly spend a decent chunk of cash here, the prices are easily below many retail outlets in most cases and, again, you're supporting indie artisans and a non-profit organization. There's a strong "craft" vibe here with items ranging from jewelry to paper goods to home interiors to coffees, teas, and candies to children's toys to books and much more. I'm not quite ready to say that Global Gifts is 100% Fair Trade, given that they do support and carry some items from local people (especially in books) but I can easily say the vast majority would qualify as Fair Trade and I know the shop itself is certified as Fair Trade. There's a progressive spirit here - for example, their book options nearly always celebrate banned books and indie publishers. There's only a few books here, however, they're always great ones. While I'm a lot less bumbling than I used to be, I still love the staff and volunteers here. I learned today that the assistant manager actually drives from Lafayette to work here. That's commitment. A word of caution to the "quick" shopper. As most of those staffing the store and the cash registers (there are two) are volunteers, you may not necessarily get the hyper-speed of your usual retail outlet. Sometimes, volunteers have questions or have something happen they don't quite understand. It's helpful to have just a little bit of patience here. I've never reached the point of frustration myself here, but those more geared toward quick in-and-out visits may want to lower expectations a notch. They also have a rewards program that is worth signing up for. You can also order an awful lot online. Overall, Global Gifts remains one of my favorite places to shop for just about any occasion and for myself. The shop is small, but the mission is large and with a 30+ year history they've clearly succeeded in building something special here. If you're in the area, give them a try and now that they're next to an awesome coffeeshop this is just a great corner to visit.

What a cute shop! As soon as you enter the staff welcomes you and invites you to browse. My first…read moreimpression was of amazingly creative Indiana and Indianapolis signs, posters, coasters and other items. The shop is long and narrow so they take advantage of the length to give you wall to wall creativity. They had Christmas music playing but very softly and a it provided a calming spirit which was appreciated in the midst of crazy shopping during the holidays. Their items are handcrafted in many different countries and reflect great gift options as well as home decor. We loved so many of their items we had a hard time picking from the choices. They had ornaments, T-shirt's and glasses all sporting Indiana logos which are great gifts for far flung friends. We loved this shop and left with several unique items. It is a fun boutique and for sure you can find some great items.

Tuggles was the venue for the Connection Indy craft workshop. It's a cute and cozy gift shop with…read morelots of great, fun, locally sources gifts. It was a lovely experience to check out each item and pick up nice trinkets and gifts to give to my loved ones.