Shop Local, NJ! Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

by Alice Magdziak • December 21, 2011 • Essex, Shopping • Comments (0) • 2494

Still got some last minute holiday shopping? Why not check out downtown Maplewood? With this article, we’re winding up our Shop Local, NJ! holiday series where we’ve been taking you to NJ towns with tons of independent shops and restaurants. Hope you’ve had some fun reading these articles because we had a great time shopping all these towns for you.

First off, we were in town to check out the Bee & Thistle which reader, Stacie Varanelli, told us about on Facebook.

What a great store! Filled with kitchenware, ornaments and gift ideas for anyone on your list, this store is bound to have what you’re looking for and maybe even something to spark your interest when you have NO idea what to get someone. Got someone who needs a chicken in their kitchen? You know the theory that a chicken in the kitchen is good luck? Bee and Thistle has a lot of neat looking chickens. Don’t just go for that, though, they really have a lot of beautiful and unique collections.

[Words] Bookstore is one more of New Jersey’s great independent bookstores!

They’ve got a fantastic children’s section that’s not just an afterthought at the back of the store. They also have a really cool gift section if you’re not sure what kind of book to get your bookworm friend or librarian mother who’s probably read everything already. You can get her a booklight, tote or something else while you browse your way through the store.

Another store you should see when you go to Maplewood is Perch Home. They had lots of gifts options with local towns on them. Need a South Orange sign or a Maplewood tea towel? Perch Home is the place to go. They had really unique winter ornaments and home decorative pieces that you should see, too.

Finally, we stopped in at KoKoRo. This great store had a good wind chime collection and some beautiful Asian vases and tea sets that would make lovely gifts. They had a nice jewelery and scarf selection, too.

You should also check out Arts Unbound. They have art pieces from artists with special needs and every piece is beautiful. If you like to give art as gifts, you should definitely check out Arts Unbound!