Samara Kupferberg, Owner of Starry Eyes, Shows Some of the Warm Woolen Clothes That are Popular This Holkiday Season. Each Piece of Engel Underwear Made in Germany is $30.00.
Six Scents From the International Favorite Lubin Paris, Can be Sampled in These Testers at The Manor. Galaor is a Favorite of this Blogger.
A Candle by LAFCO With a Scent of Winter Current for Sale at The Manor, 75 Market Street. It Will Burn for 90 Hours and the Hand Blown Glass Has Many Subsequent Uses.
The Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook Contains 200 Maine Recipes. It’s a Hot Seller at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop, 49 Exchange Street and at Skillins Greenhouses, Falmouth. Skillins Has Had to Reorder Copies Several Times.
For Fun, is this Wooden Stacking Toy Made in Germany That Sells for $50.00 at Starry Eyes, 76 Washington Avenue.
“People are buying more wool winter clothes because their children are outdoors more. A lot of schools are spending more time outside because of the pandemic,” said Samara Kupferberg, owner of Starry Eyes, a children’s boutique located at 76 Washington Avenue on the east end of Portland.
She knows. That’s partly because her young son who attends a private school is spending more time outside this year than ever before. And that’s what her customer base is looking for she said recently – warm wool clothing.
With that in mind, Samara has stocked her shelves with wool clothing from Germany that parents use as underwear for those really cold days that are coming.
“This is the most reasonably priced line of wool in children’s clothing that I’ve found.” So far, it’s already been a “bigger market” for warm clothes than last year. Parents of young children don’t want to get left out in the cold if the supply chain causes shortages in warm, winter clothes for their offspring.
“I look for unique gifts for children and many of them come from overseas. I carry unique items that other Portland stores don’t carry,” said Samara. Samara’s mother, Sylvia Topp, is the author of – “Eileen The Making of George Orwell.” It’s now available in paperback – somewhere or other!
Selling extremely well this holiday season despite a lack of publicity on it’s behalf, is the Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook. published by Islandport. Press. Published last year as part of Maine’s 200th Anniversary, it fell below the radar because of the pandemic. But it’s re-emerged! This attractive addition to any collection of recipes includes suggestions from all corners of the state of Maine. Some of the contributors you may know and most you won’t know.
There is an outstandingly, funny recipe for Lunchtime Gloop submitted by mystery writer Stephen King. It must be read to be appreciated. For anyone who does not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this Cookbook could be a real gift. Recipes are simple and don’t require a lot of ingredients to prepare. They come from the 16 counties of Maine often accompanied by famly photos and handwritten notes.
There is a forward in the Community Cookbook by Governor Janet T. Mills, (D), the first woman Governor of Maine, describing her recipe for Public Policy. Cost is $20. plus tax and $2.00 of that goes to non-profits fighting food insecurity in Maine. This Community Cookbook is a popular holiday gift item at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop, 49 Exchange Street, Portland.
Although it is always heart wrenching for me to leave the huge inventory and friendly staff at Sherman’s in the Old Port, the next stop on my recent search for special holiday gifts for that special person was an unancitipated delight. It’s like walking into a living room this blogger wishes were mine! The Manor, 75 Market Street, is a cornucopia of gift items from which the discerning gift buyer may have difficulty making choices. There are so many unique to Portland items from which to choose!
A candle burning the scent of Winter Current, mindful of cranberries maybe, caught the affection of this blogger. It’s from LAFCO in New York City and will burn for 90 hours according to Heidi Norman, a principal at The Manor, a Hair Salon, Clothing Boutique and Home Decor, in the Old Port. The cost is $42.00. See above left photo.
Only one of about twenty venues in the US, The Manor carries perfumes by international favorite Lubin Paris. Six different testers on the counter assisted this blogger select Galaor as the standout favorite of them all. As a way of comparing, it reminds this blogger of Este Lauder’s Beautiful. Cost of Galaor is $298.00 plus tax for 3.4 ounces. Check it out and all the other gift possibilities at the one-year old – The Manor.
“It’s all good,” as the city’s former Director of Economic Development, Greg Mitchell used to say. ‘It’s all good.”