By Ken De Laat "Remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt."- Dave Barry We at N3 World Headquarters & Christmas Decor Emporium have long held a soft spot for the non urban downtown areas to be found throughout our bipeninsular paradise. There are always fun little finds in the shops along the main drag of these towns and Newaygo is no exception to this rule. In fact the business landscape in downtown River City has become a bit of a Mecca for shoppers who wish to look at potential purchases up close and personal and not via a screen. Thus, after sweeping through a few suggested stores in Fremont we headed east (10 miles or so) to check out the places our readers put forward as present purchasing opportunities. Our first stop was the Downtown Threads Boutique, a fun and funky little shop with a wide variety of gifting items on display. It seemed to us store co-owner Rachelle Nausadis had sprinkled the shop with every clothing item needed what with bathrobes (a traditional Christmas gift among winterbound Michiganders), sleepwear, shoes, hats, purses, and what we learned that day are ‘shackets', a shirt/jacket cross breed that are rather popular according to Ms. N. and our other discovery was freeze dried candy. Apparently the process creates a lighter puffier texture. We were offered a sample however, when asked if we liked peanut brittle, we politely demurred without explaining the rather unpleasant encounter with pb that continues to haunt. Downtown Threads is a very cool addition to the main drag and just a message for 99% of the men out there considering a clothing item for the women in your life... Go with gift certificates.. Trust me on this. Do not guess on size or style. You can thank me after Christmas, Next we stopped into an old favorite, the New Ewe, the shoppe that has long been a destination spot drawing fiber minded folks from throughout the state. From Fat Quarters to Fabric they not only have it all in supplies, they can teach and advise folks on everything yarn or quilt or any of their other products. It’s also one of the coziest shops around and the chairs around the fireplace are comfy enough to settle in when spousal companion Lil is looking around. I will caution though, falling asleep in those chairs, while not noticeably frowned upon by the staff, is apparently seen as a bit of a faux pas by the person you’re waiting for. We wandered down to Market 41 where a plethora of items new and not so new can be found in this multi vendor space at the classic building that also houses the Muskegon River Inn. We wandered about enjoying the array of gift possibilities and were captivated by the Newaygo items including a sweatshirt emblazoned with the Three Kings on the hill and if anything says Christmas in Newaygo it’s the Three Guys. And no, it doesn’t have the annual Reid Sherwood quote “And all is well with the world” on the shirt. While looking about we were drawn to a box that had a bunch of toys sitting near the checkout. “Toys for Tots?” I asked. It wasn’t, I was told. It was Forever 6. That’s when Tina Merryman told me about her granddaughter, Emma Christine Philips who was taken from the family in a tragic automobile accident this past Spring at the oh so tender age of 6. From the flier: “Emma was fun loving, sassy and such a joy to be around and we miss her so much, especially when the holidays approach and we are unable to enjoy her smiling,laughing face as we come together as a family. “We have decided to honor Emma by creating Forever 6, a charity to help others in our community by helping with food and gifts for this Christmas season.” What a terrific way to honor Emma’s legacy. So… if you’re stumped about getting something for the people in your life that are hard to buy for because they have everything they want, and you’ve made the acquaintance of 1 or 2 sassy little 6 year olds in your life, consider donating to this cause. Stop in at Market 41 and find out what they might need and do it in the name of your giftee. They’ll be happy. You’ll be happy, and some deserving child out there will likely be very, very happy. Ok we’re wrapping up Newaygo this week so if there’s a suggestion out there let us know ([email protected].)
“Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.”- Eric Severeid
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