The Christmas Shop Offers Affordable Gifts and Ornaments for the Holiday Season

Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Susan Pruitt

Have Yourself an Affordable Christmas - (pictured above) Carole Bulloch, owner of the Christmas Shop in Monticello, sells handmade ornaments for $4.95 to $6.95. Bulloch also makes bows as Christmas tree toppers.

   With consumers spending money on multiple gifts for loved ones, the Christmas Shop, located in Monticello, offers affordable and unique gift ideas.

   Carole Bulloch, owner of the Christmas Shop, said she sells mainly less than $20 gifts because people spend so much money buying Christmas gifts.

   "I even have the store in a trailer to keep expenses down for myself and mainly for my customers," Bulloch said.

   Bulloch said she first opened the store in 1988 because she likes to make jewelry and ornaments and because of the rarity of seasonal shops. The Christmas Shop is open from mid-October to the end of December.

   “I’ve been making jewelry for years and I try not to make anything alike. A lot of costume jewelry and things I carry are very reasonably priced,” Bulloch said.

   Bulloch said most of her handmade ornaments range in price from $4.95 to $6.95. She said if you buy three ornaments you get one free at the same or less value. She said she also makes wreaths, bows, mother's bracelets and large ornamental balls.

   “I carry personal type things like soaps and lotions. I carry these Tussy Mussy’s, which are wash bags. They have fragrance and oatmeal in them and they last about two months. Those are $7.25 and is affordable for people,” Bulloch said.

   Bulloch said one thing she carries is a bra protector, which was developed by an Army colonel. She said the colonel wanted to develop something to keep bras from being ruined in the wash.

   “You put three or four in there and then you fold the thing around and throw it in the washer, then hang them out to dry,” Bulloch said.

   Bulloch said she maintains a list of her customers and sends out cards reminding them of the store’s opening. She said one of her customers told her they spent $350 on Christmas items at another location, but when the customer came back to the Christmas Shop, she realized she could have gotten the same merchandise for half the price.

   “I remind customers because they kind of forget about the store being here because the store is not right on the road,” Bulloch said.

   Bulloch said she shows customers how to make bows to top Christmas trees. She said she also likes to give people creative ideas for Christmas decorating.

   “A girl came in here the other day and asked if I had any tree skirts. I told her to take netting or pretty scarves to wrap around the bottom of the tree. There are a lot of ways to improvise and it’s cheaper,” Bulloch said.

   Other items in the Christmas Shop include:

• purses
• watches
• porcelain figurines
• coffee scoops
• framed crosses
• quilted throws
• decorative cell phone covers

   The Christmas Shop is located at 224 Hwy 425 South in the white trailer with the big red bow. The store stays open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

   For more information on the Christmas Shop, please contact Carole Bulloch at 367-3588 or by e-mail at carolebulloch@sbcglobal.net.

   For more information on Bulloch's handmade jewelry, please visit her Web site. 

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