Need a last minute gift? 4 basket ideas from Columbia stores
Around the holidays, you can’t help but get stressed about gift-giving. You search for something the recipient does not already have and you can feasibly give.
One option that may have fallen off your radar is gift baskets. A far cry from the shrink-wrapped baskets of yore, local shops customize and assemble an assortment just for you. Here are three local stores that are happy to help. Just don’t call them elves.
Uptown on Main: “If it’s someone you don’t know very well or you don’t know what they like … everybody eats,” said Martha Studstill, owner of Uptown on Main. “So if you can give them something that’s consumable, they will be happy. They will find something in a basket that they like. And we have a lot of tasty South Carolina products.” Basket items can include grits and biscuits from Adluh, apple butter from Lexington, coffee roasted in Blythewood, recipe cards, peanuts, cookies, caramel corn and to finish it all off: a chocolate made in the shape of South Carolina. Even the baskets are made in Lake City.
1204 Main St. (803) 661-7651, www.uptownsc.com
Gourmet Shop
“We get a lot of our gift basket business in December,” said Leah Mossman, floor manager. “Sometimes people will come in and shop for the items themselves or some will say ‘I want 10 baskets at a $50 budget’ ... so different tiers.” More of the popular items people choose are wine, champagne, Panettone (an Italian dessert bread) locally made items like honey and teas or really anything from their impressive snack shelf stocked with dips, chips, pretzels and cookies. “A lot of our customers send them to other offices, so we include things that are easily sharable,” said Mossman.
724 Saluda Ave. (803) 799-3705, www.thegourmetshop.net
Casual Pint: “We wanted to cover different varieties of beer,” said manager Jeremy Neal. “But we also included glasses and our German growler, which holds 64 ounces. It’s solid glass and imported. We give them a gift card to go toward getting it filled or just enjoying a beer in the store.” Koozies go along with the assortment of beer. “We chose the beers based on popularity,” said Neal. “This one is all IPAs, and IPAs right now are the going trend in beer. There’s different levels, from East Coast-style to West Coast-style, so people can start with a little less hoppy and work their way across. The Elysian Space Dust we put in here is probably our No. 1 seller for draft and bottle.”
807 Gervais St. (803) 832-7468, www.facebook.com/casualpintvista
Cromer’s: “We have several different gift options,” said retail sales associate Kasey Brown. “We have a Cromer’s threesome box. It has caramel corn, cheese (flavored popcorn) and peanut brittle. It’s nice because it comes already gift-wrapped. And those are our three most popular products, especially this time of year. We also have gift tins, which are really popular this time of year as well. The typical setup is three different corns. So you have the cheese, regular butter and our caramel corn. We also have a Cromer’s variety box, and you get a taste of everything here.”
1700 Huger St. (800) 322-7688, www.cromers.com