At the Yuletide Winter’s Gathering earlier this month, the downtown area of Tipp City was filled with holiday shoppers hoping to catch a glimpse of what the local businesses had to offer for the upcoming holiday season. From Tipp City staples like Browse Awhile Books to the premiere of brand new popup shops like Vita Nova and MADE, shoppers in downtown Tipp City had quite a bit of unique, local merchandise to sift through.
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So, for those who did not have a chance to attend the event, or even for those who want a clearer idea of what holiday shopping in Tipp City could look like, we have gathered a list of some of the best and brightest holiday offerings at the local boutiques and stores in Tipp City. Happy shopping!
BIRCH
Located at 108 E. Main St. in historic downtown Tipp City, Birch is a stylish boutique created by two local stay-at-home moms, Tricia Bowser and Kristen Gray. When they started the business in a basement shop in 2015, both women had only one goal in mind: to create stylish school spirit clothing for their children. From there, the business truly blossomed into something much more than school spirit, finally allowing them to open their brick and mortar location. Now, Birch offers stylish school spirit attire and everything from home goods to unique personal gifts.
“By utilizing a custom and unique design approach, the Birch staff prides themselves in forward thinking business that compliments the offerings of their Downtown Business Merchant Partners and contributes to bettering the community around them,” Bowser and Gray said.
On Dec. 13, Birch will be offering a personal shopper event where shoppers can either call in or visit the store to shop with a personal shopper who will put a gift pack together on their behalf. This event can make it possible for last-minute shoppers and busy folks to create a sentimental and unique gift without lifting a finger.
Fans of the store can visit Birch's Facebook page for the latest news.
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VITA NOVA BOUTIQUE
Despite the fact that the Vita Nova Boutique has only been open for a little over a year, the Troy-based online store has already caught the attention of the public. This year, the boutique was named the runner up for “Ohio’s Best Online Boutique,” and continues to find new fans all across the country. What sets this boutique apart from the others is many things. For one, the owner, Kari Carter, is truly passionate about making high end fashion accessible for people of all shapes and sizes. Currently, her boutique carries stylish gear that ranges from small to 3X. And secondly, I can say personally from observing her at her popup shop above Bodega, is that Carter is an incredibly vivacious character and she truly cares about making every person feel welcome in her boutique. It is this vivacious spirit that has set her boutique apart from the others.
Holiday shoppers and winter attire enthusiasts will find quite a few reasons to shop at Vita Nova Boutique in the coming months.
“A lot of our popular items for the holidays are our winter accessories (beanies, hats, and gloves), and our fuzzy, warm sweaters that keep our customers warm and stylish,” said Carter. “We are already planning on some hot sales and giveaways for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!”
Currently, the Vita Nova Boutique is only a warehouse operation in Troy, though Carter hopes to open a brick-and-mortar version of her business in the near future. For now, shoppers can shop online at www.vitanovaboutique.com or download the boutique's app, available on both the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
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THE TIN PEDDLER
Since 1974, Jim and Susan DeCurtins have made their passion a career. Located at 113 E. Main St., The Tin Peddler sells handmade replicas of 18th and 19th century lighting. Using only simple tools that their predecessors would have used over 200 years ago, the pair crafts truly unique goods that can’t be found anywhere else. Over the years, the pair’s work has been spotted in museum stores, restoration projects, and other special exhibits across the United States and beyond.
During the holiday season, Jim DeCurtins admits that there are a few lighting staples that customers flock to in their quest to decorate their homes for the holiday season. The store’s biggest sellers during the holiday season are tin icicles that customers can add to their tree, tin lamps, and tin window rings.
Aside from stopping in to view the unique lighting decor for yourself, customers can visit www.tinpeddler.com.
CUSTOM ART BY SHERRY BUCHHOLTZ
A portion of Tony’s Bada Bing also became a designated space for popup shops and side hustles. One of those side hustles was proudly put on display by its creator, local artist Sherry Buchholtz. When Buchholtz isn’t creating art, she is busy serving as the Branch Manager and Vice President of Chase Bank in Tipp City. More than anything, Buchholtz is just happy to have a place to showcase her passion project.
“Tipp City is a small town with a community full of incredible people,” said Buchholtz. “I love how events like the Yuletide Gathering bring people together where they can do fun things with their friends and families. This is the first time I have had the opportunity to display my art in a public place so for me it was a privilege to share my work and socialize with those who visited.”
TOPSY TURVY TOYS
After the much-beloved Cairns’ Collectibles closed in the spring of 2018, many wondered what would come next for the iconic space. Luckily, Cathi Hall, the owner of Topsy Turvy Toys in New Bremen, decided to open a second location of her equally-beloved toy store in that space. For the second year, the toy store welcomes those of all ages to come and play with an impressive and unique assortment of toys, games and other fun oddities.
“Topsy Turvy Toys believes that ‘play matters!’, said Hall. “We hope that every visit to our toy stores will be a fun and authentic play experience. The toys at Topsy Turvy Toys are carefully selected for all ages and ranges of abilities. Our favorite family game this year is Clack Categories, by Amigo Games. Each November, our team plays a range of games and chooses our ‘Game of the Year.’ Our choice for this year’s adult/family game is Kwizniac, by Continuum Games. Roll & Go Color Coded drums, pianos and xylophones are our “must-have” gifts of the year. We also have the latest selection of Mad Mattr’, a moldable material that can manipulated and played with by kids of all ages.”
Visitors can look forward to to special sales on Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 30, and every Sunday in December. In the meantime, fans of the toy store can check out the store's other special offerings at www.topsyturvytoys.com.
FOX AND FEATHER TRADING CO.
Located at 125 E. Main St., the Yuletide Winter’s Gathering event saw the premiere of Fox and Feather Trading Co.’s new location. Previously, the store was a popular destination just a few doors down at 115 E. Main St. in downtown Tipp City. The family-owned lifestyle boutique is run by siblings Nicholas, Jasmine, Jessica and Juliana Kreider and their mother, Linda. Three weeks out from the event in Tipp City, the family, consisting of 10 siblings in total, came together to prepare the space for shoppers on Nov. 9.
“We absolutely love our new location, the downtown merchants and the community around us,” they said. “Some of the more popular items during the holiday season are our KanCan Jeans, Sweaters and Sherpa, Swan Creek Candle melts, and, of course, hats, gloves and blanket scarves. We carry a variety of items including clothing for men, women and children, home decor and gift items. We have even started working with local groups at the schools for spirit wear fundraising events.”
Fans of the store can look forward to sales and specials on Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 30, and throughout the month of December. To get the latest updates on brand new store merchandise, special events and sales, you can follow their Facebook and Instagram channels.
LIVING SIMPLY SOAP
Since 2011, the Living Simply Soap store in Tipp City has been a local favorite. When the building tragically erupted in flames on Feb. 26, the community rallied around its owner, Tanya Brown, and with their help, she was finally able to reopen her shop in its original space at the Yuletide Winter’s Gathering on Nov. 9. The store had been operating from a temporary space across the street. It was clear from the massive crowd inside of the store that the local community has a soft spot for this downtown Tipp City treasure.
Though Brown admits that it was quite an undertaking to get the store back up and running for the holiday season, she says that she couldn’t have done it without the local community. “The community outpouring was amazing,” said Brown. “We would not be here without them and, well, without a lot of hard work as well.”
Living Simply Soap is especially popular during the holiday season, when shoppers can put together unique gift baskets full of the brand's holiday line, pictured above. Everything from bar soaps to bath bombs come in an assortment of holiday scents, from candy cane to gingerbread. For upcoming holiday offers and offerings, follow their website, www.livingsimplysoap.com, and Facebook page.
•MADE• GIFTS AND GOODS
Existing above Merchant 31 during the Yuletide Winter's Gathering event, the pop-up shop •MADE• Gifts and Goods soon became the talk of the town. The popup shop featured the work of four local businesswomen: Saba Haas of Bitty B's Boutique, Sarah Gillenwater of SarahGCreative, Jess Sergent of Gemini Rain Handmade, and Christine Herring of Seventh & Plum.
“As four separate Etsy shops, we decided to come together for the holidays and create a pop-up shop that would provide a brick-and-mortar experience to our usual online storefronts,” said Gillenwater. “You will find unique items like hand-painted globes, our best-selling ornaments, macrame, wood wall art and hand-made youth apparel.”
The pop-up shop will remain open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the end of the year. On Small Business Saturday, Nov. 30, visitors to the shop will have a chance to win a raffle prize that includes a special piece from each shop. You can keep up to date on the latest news from this popup shop by following them on Facebook.
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