Get Your Gifts in Downtown Elgin

Mom, Dad, and anyone else on my Christmas gift-buying list, if you’re reading this, stop right here. The following article contains top secret information about your Christmas gifts. And I’ll totally know if you read it by the fake look of surprise when you open them on Tuesday. So, shoo.

Okay, everybody else, you’ve got just a few hours left to get some really unique gifts in Downtown Elgin for those hard to buy for people on your list. Yes, you heard me right, there is shopping in Downtown Elgin. I have proof. Allow me to explain.

So, I’m looking for a wine rack for my parents. But not one that when people come over they say, “Oh, I have that wine rack. Target, right?” I want a really nice wine rack that elicits a “Where on God’s green earth did you get that wine rack, it’s so cool!” kind of response. Yes, some people do get that excited about wine racks.

I go to the typical places. I brave the horrendous traffic on Randall Road to deal with people whose Christmas spirit is clearly waning. And I see the same few pieces of metal welded together to hold a couple bottles of wine. Blah, blah, blah.

But then, I go to Lily Falls in Downtown Elgin. Vicki has four different wine racks to choose from, each one as cool as the next. And she crawls around on the floor playing with my one year old while I shop. Plus, while I’m there, I find something for my sister-in-law and my girlfriend. Score!

Next was the mother-in-law. What to get for the woman from whom you stole her only son? I suggest a gorgeous antique pin from Keeney’s.

Patricia Keeney’s family has been in business in Downtown Elgin for 125 years – she not only sells treasures, she is one. Her grandfather transitioned the business from a drug store to a sporting goods store back in the 1930s. And Patricia put her two cents in, as she has been known to do, by adding P.K. Antiques to the mix. She has some really beautiful antique jewelry and some fabulous 1970’s coats. So, I got the gorgeous pin for my mother-in-law, and I got a letterman’s jacket for my Elgin High football player nephew. Score, again!

Now, if I was a husband with a brilliant wife who wanted something dazzling to celebrate their seven wonderful years of marriage and the sacrifice that she endured to carry their first-born child, I might stop in to Shockey Jewelers or Elgin Jewelers. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Gift certificates are always great, too. How about two tickets to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and a gift certificate to a downtown restaurant? Or a day of pampering at the new Salon Couture? Or coffee for a month at Ravenheart or Let’s Meet for Coffee?

There is something for everyone on your list, especially if you’re looking for something unique and you want a little personal attention. See all that Downtown Elgin has to offer, for the holidays and everyday, at http://www.communitywalk.com/downtownelgin.

I can’t wait for Tuesday when my parents open their gift and people ask “Where on God’s green earth did you get that wine rack?” and I can say, “Downtown Elgin.”