Gifts

Holiday Gift Guide 2022: Your guide to finding the perfect gift

Cellar Stories: Closing the book… store When it comes to finding unique used books, Cellar Stories is unmatched. As the largest used and rare bookstore in RI, the store’s 40 years of operation have carved out an important space for book collectors, the stop-by-once-per-year crowd, and everyone in between. In the shop, you’ll find around […]

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Going Bananas for Bananagrams: a word game with special RI a-peel

When Rhode Islanders think of a local game company, they think of Hasbro. But there are other Providence-based game companies that have ripened to international stature. That’s right, we are talking Bananagrams.  “Bananagrams stemmed from my family’s passion for games,” said Rena Nathanson, CEO & Co-Inventor. “At the time we developed it, in the mid-2000s, […]

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Still an RI Institution, Even After “Knock It Off”: Frog and Toad continues to impress

In 2001, Erin Piorek Schofield and Asher Schofield found some retail space on Hope Street in PVD which they made their own to pursue Erin’s dream of being an entrepreneur. They chose the name due to their childhood admiration for Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad books; the shop, they decided, should aim to mimic Lobel’s […]

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Give the Gift of the Green Stuff: Jordan’s Jungle has great gifts for plant enthusiasts

Plant parents have one thing in common: They always get excited about adding more greenery to their collection. In a time when saving the environment is a top priority for so many Earth-conscious individuals, a plant is often the perfect gift.  Jordan’s Jungle in Pawtucket describes itself as a 10,000-square-foot “tropical oasis for all plant […]

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Hands from Heaven: Athena’s Home Novelties saves your dry hands

Last year, hand sanitizer was a popular not-really-a-joke gift. This year, you can make up for it with a locally produced and sold magic hand formula. Dry, chapped hands can be painful, especially during the COVID era of extra handwashing and sanitizing.  Instead of grabbing some chemical-filled concoction from the local drugstore, if you’re looking […]

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More Fantastic Than Umbrellas: Charlestown’s Fantastic Umbrella Factory Inspires and Delights

The Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown describes itself as “a 19th century farmyard shopper’s paradise and international bazaar.” Understandably, we thought this sounded pretty cool.  Stop by the South County complex to visit a number of local artisans, including Small Axe Productions, selling domestic and imported gifts, musical instruments and more; The Purple Shell, an […]

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Squid’s Ink Holiday Gift Guide: Not that we’re being greedy…

This month, since we were already on the naughty list, we hacked Santa’s database and discovered what some of our public officials and institutions are asking for this Christmas… Gifts for the Politicians Buddy Cianci wants another comeback. He’s thinking Governor again this time, figuring he couldn’t be any deader than Dan McKee. US House […]

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