Holiday Shopping: Kerrytown

This month, The Chronicle is highlighting Ann Arbor area businesses where you might find just what you need for people on your holiday gift-giving list. Our reports are a sampling – we welcome readers and business owners to add their own suggestions in the comments section. We’ve previously looked at local shops selling used/rare books, and made some suggestions for the political junkies in your life. Today, we’ll look at a few of the shops in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown district.

For the kids: On the second floor of Kerrytown Market & Shops, two adjacent stores cater to kids. Elephant Ears sells clothing for children up to 12 years old, plus items like umbrellas and bedding. Next door, Mudpuddles Toys carries games, books, puppets, Thomas the Train and all manner of kits for wintry-day projects.

Kids can also meet Santa at Kerrytown on Saturdays this month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The shops will have carolers singing holiday songs as well, similar to the festivities reported in a recent Stopped. Watched. item.

Eclectic gifts: The Chronicle was nosing around Found Gallery earlier this week and talked with owner Mary Cambruzzi, who told us that the silver spoon angels they sell, made by local artist John Marchello, are among their most popular items.

As its name implies, the shop (also on the second floor of Kerrytown Market) carries a mix of vintage items – antique ornaments, for example, or a copy of your favorite Bobbsey Twins novel – as well as re-purposed objects like the silver spoon angels or jewelry fashioned from old typewriter keys, by local artist Amy Lagler.

Going down to the first floor, Hollander’s is best known for its amazing variety of specialty papers, but Tom and Cindy Hollander also sell notecards and other stationary, bookmarks, work by local artists, and supplies to make your own books. They’re also known for their workshops – is anyone on your list a potential bookbinder?

Though one advantage of Kerrytown Market is the fact that it houses several stores under one roof, if you go on the weekends you can also browse local vendors outside at the Farmers Market on Saturday or the Sunday Artisan Market. These folks deserve a visit for toughing out the sometimes brutal December weather, and you’ll find a wide range of wares for sale, including clothing, food, jewelry, artwork, birdhouses, cards and more.

Clothing: In Kerrytown Market & Shops, Vintage to Vogue and Mathilde’s Imports both sell lovely frockery for women. And if you venture outside to the opposite end of the Farmers Market, you’ll find Collected Works, another women’s clothing store that sells jewelry and other accessories, too.

Food & drink: Everyday Wines on the first floor of Kerrytown Market carries a wide selection of wine and champagne, as well as wine glasses, coolers, wine openers and other items. Owner Mary Campbell is often in the store and willing to help you make a selection. On the day we dropped by, she introduced us to “cork pops,” a novel kind of bottle opener. She also sells gift cards – for values of $50 or higher, she donates 5% to Food Gatherers.

Monahan’s Seafood Market and Sparrow Markets (a butcher shop and grocery) are both on the main floor of Kerrytown Market & Shops, and owners Mike Monahan and Bob Sparrow are usually behind their respective counters. And that’s really part of the beauty of shopping at locally owned stores – you can get to know the people behind the counter.