My Two Cents: Local merchants; more than meets the eye

Jana Mathia | Nov 26, 20090

Gazette Columnist

Every year there is an emphasis on local shopping for gifts, especially in small towns. One of the biggest excuses for not shopping locally, especially in small towns, is the lack of choices. But if you take a second look, there might be more available than you realize.

Within an hour of looking in downtown Colfax, a shopper can find hand-carved wine bottle openers, handmade pillows, crystal, truck accessories, homemade soap, vintage items, John Deere toys, home décor signs, evening purses, blankets, apparel, books and much more.

Of course, Colfax offers a lineup for gift shops such as Cottage Gate, Flowers & More..., and Tick Klock Drugs, but this is more about the inventory oddities.

Many shops carry merchandise you wouldn’t expect. Truck accessories like running boards or steps aren’t something one would expect to find in a glass and window store, but if you look, you can see some displayed on a wall when you drive by Steve’s Glass.

Main Street Books carries mostly books and book accessories, but there are wine bottle stoppers, soap and locally grown wheat and barley for sale.

John Deere items sit next to watches and beaded purses in Glaser’s Jewelry.

“We’re loaded in here,” said Diane Hall, Glaser’s general manager.

Discovering the true extent of local shopping options means more than window shopping. Window displays at Grady’s Corner showcase only two businesses, but there are five more shops upstairs.

Store owners have different reasons for their variety of merchandise.

Steve’s Glass started carrying automotive accessories because of an employee who was familiar with auto body accessories. The employee moved on, but the shop continued to carry the line, noted Sandy Trump, manager.

Others support smaller businesses by carrying their merchandise, such as non-literary items at Main Street Books.

“I don’t know if you usually find soap in book stores,” proprietor Joan Claussen commented.

Hall said having items like the John Deere toys helps draw people in and give children something to look at while their parents shop.

Regardless the reason, shoppers benefit when stores diversify their merchandise. All you have to do is be willing to step in and look around.

Carrying a variety of items is the very nature of several stores throughout the county. Stores like Once In a While in Garfield carry items from area crafters. Selections so eclectic they can’t be listed are at other stores like Open Eye Consignment, Palouse, and Lily Bee’s, Pullman. Other stores specialize in having a wide range of gifts on-hand all year round, including seasonal items.

“The most important thing for people to do is ask,” said Laura DeYoung, LM Sign Design. “Don’t just assume we don’t have it.”

DeYoung makes signs, for home décor, window decoration, magnets, walls and more. With her business, as many others, a buyer is limited first by their imagination.

Older and used items are also worth considering as the demand for antiques and sustainability increase. Not only are there a variety of stores carrying antiques, but a number of thrift stores throughout the county offer a creative buyer something old which can be converted into something new. Trump noted they sell a lot of used windows that people use in different ways.

Some people will continue to shop and spend their dollars at big name stores, regardless. But if your excuse for not shopping locally first is lack of selection, it may be time to put the car keys away and hoof it up and down local streets. The merchants are there to help you find what you want. In the process of looking and asking, you may find the “same-old” has the new and unexpected tucked into a corner.