Housewarming Gifts
Our Picks
Text by Carrie Belt
Photography by Darl Bickel
Finding the perfect gift to celebrate owning a home is often a matter of perseverance, knowledge of the marketplace, and sheer luck. Not only should the gift be useful in the home, but, ideally, it also should last.
1. Reference resource Have a new friend or neighbor just moving into the area? Kelly Justice, manager of Shockoe Slip's Fountain Bookstore, recommends the book "Where I Live" by Laura Palese. "It's a book that you fill in with information for the local dry cleaner, Chinese restaurant, and places in the neighborhood," says Justice. "It would be fantastic for someone that's new to the neighborhood."
• The brightly-colored, spiral-bound notebook is available at Fountain Bookstore for $12.95.
2. Chef's delight For the friend who loves to cook, consider giving him or her the gift of a mandoline (not the musical instrument.) "A mandoline is not something everybody has, but it's useful because it perfectly slices food with straight edges, like a manual food processor," says Leslie Fellows, owner of Compleat Gourmet in Carytown.
• Prices for a mandoline range from about $12.99 to $225, depending on the manufacturer and whether the device is plastic or metal.
3. Audio-file Rob Moore, a technician with Audio Exchange on Broad Street, recommends buying a music server for the music-loving new homeowner. Much like the average MP3 player, a music server stores music from a computer or other source and can be connected to speakers.
• Music servers range in price from about $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the server capacity. But, says Moore, if your budget is more limited, consider an iPod dock, which plays music from an iPod and can cost as little as $100.
4. Get spacy Head over to the Science Museum of Virginia for a truly spacy gift: collectible celestial glass paperweights. There are 33 unique styles in the collection, each featuring an artist's rendition of celestial objects in colored glass.
• "The Milky Way is the most popular," says Jennifer Morehead, assistant director of museum experience. The paperweights cost $109 each.
5. Spice up the walls If you are in the market to buy some art for a new homeowner, head over to Crossroads Art Center at Broad Street and Staples Mill. The center features artwork in all media from more than 250 artists, including oil paintings, acrylics, mixed media, fused glass, and more.
• Instead of choosing the art yourself, purchase a gift certificate, suggests Rachael Worsham, gallery manager. Prices for the art range from $10 to $10,000.
6. Go green For the environmentally friendly new homeowner, consider a gift of bamboo towels, suggests Kevin Korda, owner of Renovation Resources on Broad Street. Bamboo towels are made of organic cotton and bamboo and are "very plush, luxurious, antibacterial, and green," says Korda, who recommends pairing the gift with natural soaps and sea salts.
• The price for the towels generally begins at about $16.99 and can be purchased in sets.
7. Move in with style Have a firsttime homeowner on your shopping list? Consider a gift certificate for an interior decorator, says Kathy Corbet, owner of Kathy Corbet Interiors. "A gift certificate is especially good for young people; every young couple wants to know what color to paint the walls and what sizes of furniture to get for their homes," Corbet says. Plus, she notes, young people often have more wall space than art, so artwork might also be a useful gift.
8. The gift that grows For the plant-lover in your life, consider purchasing an indoor or outdoor plant that will grow with the homeowner. Gene McAuliffe, president of Cross Creek Nursery on Courthouse Road, recommends giving a new homeowner a tree to plant in the yard. "Dogwoods are popular in shady areas and crape myrtles are good for full-sun areas," he says. If you are more inclined to give an indoor plant, McAuliffe recommends a variety of blooming baskets, lilies, or orchids. "You'll probably have two or more months to enjoy an orchid bloom, and then you will have a green plant until it blooms again," says McAuliffe.
• Prices for trees and plants vary based on size and type but can be as low as $15 for a fern or as high as several hundred dollars for a tree.
9. Give the kids a zip For the new homeowner with children, consider giving the gift of a Fun Ride, suggests Debbie Smith, owner of Toys That Teach. The Fun Ride is more popularly known as a zip-line and can be attached to two trees in the backyard. "Make sure to read the installation instructions," warns Smith, who says that the line should run parallel to the ground from two level points.
• Prices for the Fun Ride range from $50 for a small line to $150 for a line that can hold up to 250 pounds.
10. Stylish guy Need a creative housewarming gift for the man in your life? Christy Walsh-Smith, manager of Lane Sanson in Carytown, recommends lacquered trays painted by artist Annie Modica. "Some of the trays look like old-fashioned cigar ads and are great for a bar area," says Walsh-Smith.
• Other designs may feature a beach scene or still life. The trays range in price from $189.50 to $321.50, depending on size.
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