Check Your List Twice Before Taking Your Shopping To Town
By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The holiday season is, once again, upon us. It is a time of giving, a time of gathering with family and friends, a busy time of excitement and festivities. For many, it is also a time for shopping.
Many people love the holiday shopping experience. Some dread it. Either way, holiday shopping can become a complex, time-consuming, and even frustrating experience. Often local residents go far and wide, travelling hundreds of miles and burning up hours in travel time, trying to find the perfect gift for each person on their list. In some cases that may be necessary.
But in many cases, shoppers may be making long shopping trips needlessly. Many are not aware that the exact same items may be available right down the street in local stores and small businesses.
The wide variety of holiday goods and services available on Moapa Valley’s main street might come as a surprise to many local shoppers. This article will highlight a significant number of local options available to Moapa Valley residents for their holiday shopping.
So before taking your holiday shopping list to town, check out what these local businesses have to offer. You might find that you can save a good deal of time both in travel and in frustration. And that alone would be money in the bank.
Clothing and Accessories
Just a couple of years ago, there was really no place in the Moapa Valley community that sold clothing. But over the past year or two we have seen a number of local stores open in town that now provide stylish and high quality apparrel at a reasonable price.
Jasmine’s Boutique has quickly become a trendy spot for local shoppers to check out. As a small boutique, the store offers one-of-a-kind items that make great gifts; including women’s tops, pants, handbags, jewelry and other accessories.
Shoppers will be pleasantly surprised that they won’t be paying boutique store prices at Jasmine’s Boutique. Many of the unique gift items in stock are well inside of the $20 range, with a lot of them being much less.
Since opening in the spring of this year, business has grown to the point that Jasmine’s has had to expand. The store recently doubled its square footage. So it has been able to offer much more merchandise and apparel to its customers. It’s a great place for local holiday shopping.
The previously home-based Xtreme Stitch custom embroidery business, that opened earlier this fall, has already grown to the point that its owners are actually opening a new storefront in downtown Overton. This week, the new Xtreme Stitch location held its grand opening event at 395 S. Moapa Valley Blvd Suite 1; in the same building as the Inside Scoop restaurant.
The new store will offer an array of clothing items including T-shirts, polos, woven shirts, jackets, caps, activewear and more. It will also carry bags, backpacks, totes, blankets, scarves and other items.
But the real benefit of Xtreme Stitch is in its custom embroidery. You can buy all of these clothing and accessory items blank, if you’d like. But you can also take it a step further and have your own custom artwork embroidered proudly on them. That includes company logos, family symbols and even MVHS Pirate paraphernalia.
The grand opening coinciding with the holiday season also creates an opportunity for some special values for customers, says Xtreme Stitch co-owner Vernon Lytle.
“We are having some great holiday specials for our opening,” said Lytle. “So it is a great time to come in and take a look at what we can offer.”
2DA9Z, the clothing boutique with the enigmatic name, is located at 550 West Pioneer Blvd in Mesquite. But since store co-owner Kylie Bundy lives in Moapa, and markets the store to a local clientele, we gladly include it in our shop local coverage.
2DA9Z carries all of the latest trends in limited quantities. The store makes frequent orders of new products and never stocks too much of one item. So shoppers are not likely to see anyone else wearing the same things that they purchased there.
The friendly staff at 2DA9Z will even work with customers to find the perfect outfit for a unique and personal look.
“We have people come in all the time and tell us that they have no idea what they should wear,” said Bundy. “So we help them build a complete outfit that works great for them.”
The store has tops for under $20 and jeans that range anywhere from $16 all the way to $100 for the well-known brand names. They carry sizes from XS through 3XL.
They also carry unique accessories like necklaces, earrings, purses, scarves, hats, boot covers and more. A full list of what the store has in stock now is available at 2da9z.com.
Local Thrift Stores also offer great slightly-used clothing options for the budget-conscious holiday shopper.
The Moapa Valley community is fortunate to have two thrift stores. The Cappalappa Family Resource Center Thrift Store is located at 189 N. Moapa Valley Blvd in Overton and is open Monday-Friday 10am -2 pm. The Overton Senior Center Thrift Store is at 475 S. Moapa Valley Blvd and is open Wed., Fri., and Sat. from 8 to 11:30 am.
Both stores depend upon local donations. Proceeds of all sales in each store goes to the operations of the non-profit organization which runs it. So not only are you getting holiday gifts for a great price, but you are helping in the work of these two important organizations in the community.
Of course, the stores are not limited to carrying clothing. They each receive a wide variety of donated items for resale to the public. So it is worth giving the thrift stores a try in gift shopping, you might just find an unexpected treasure or two.
Home Decor/Specialty gifts
Sage Health and Home has a new line of elegant furniture for the home. The one and only local furniture store is now selling beautiful dining room sets, bedroom sets, coffee tables and end tables in a variety of beautiful wood finishes.
Of course, the store still offers a range of comfortable sofas and recliners, including power lifting chairs, all of which come in your choice of materials or fabrics.
And, of course, they still offer the very best in quality mattress brands.
“A lot of people come in, in advance of the holidays, wanting to buy furniture that will freshen up their homes for the holidays,” said store owner Deborah Henrie. “They might be having a lot of company over and want to get something new. Or they just want things to look nice.”
Henrie explained that the store offers a 90 day same as cash financing plan upon credit approval.
“That way people can enjoy the furniture during the holidays and have some flexibility to pay for it after the holidays have passed and things have settled down,” Henrie said.
The pricing of the local store is kept comparable to larger regional furniture stores in the area, Henrie added.
“We go out and comparison shop at the big furniture stores,” she said. “And usually, they have their opening price shown, then that is crossed out and you have several discounted prices that finally come down to a final close-out sale price. That final price is usually our everyday price for comparable items.”
The Front Porch is much more than just a florist shop. Make no mistake, they do flower arranging beautifully. And they offer a variety of holiday flower arrangements for centerpieces or other home decoration. Currently, customers can pre-order fresh poinsettias and fresh wreaths that hold up remarkably well through the holiday season.
But there is so much more than flowers! The store carries an amazing variety of tasteful and classy home decor items for the holidays. These include ornaments, ribbons, candles, silk flower arrangments and more.
Also in the way of home beautification, the store now carries a variety of chalk paint dust products by My Savvy Sister. This product can give a vintage furniture piece a stylish new finish.
The Front Porch is also full of unique gift ideas. They have a new line of jewelry, hats and purses that make great gifts. They also sell delicious Spokandy brand chocolates, brittles, toffees, caramels and nuts. This local store is a great place to find high end, classy gifts for the holidays at a great price.
Fire Canyon Gifts is actually the new name for the little downtown shop that has been known as the Wild Horse Gallery. The recent name change comes in an attemtp to clarify that the little store is much more than just an art gallery, said shop owner Mary Kaye Washburn.
“I am not sure that people realize that we are not just art pieces here,” said Washburn. “We have a lot of cute things; things that would be wonderful as gifts; and they are at very reasonable prices.”
She is right. The store is packed with small treasures for gift givers. These include jewelry, watches, Christmas ornaments, candles, soaps, books by local authors, note cards, post cards, small toys, Lego brand watches for kids, decorations for boots (that Washburn calls “boot bling”) and much more.
And in addition to all of that, about one third of the shop still exhibits and sells the stunning works of local artists. There is amazing hand-made jewelry by local resident Jana Ward. There are paintings and artwork by top-notch artists like Nancy Glazier, J.D. Challenger, Ken Kaylor, Janet Trobough, Nick Yamashita and more. These are all unique gifts that one can’t get anywhere else.
GraphX is another downtown shop that is perhaps perceived too narrowly by local shoppers. Many think that it is just a print and banner shop. But there is a lot more there.
GraphX is able to offer a range of holiday print products. They can do holiday-themed greeting cards with a photo of your choice on the front. They also offer personalized Christmas ornaments and decorations with family or individual photos on them.
They also offer invitations, envelopes, stationery and other products appropriate for the holidays.
Using your choice of photos, they can print the image on a large art canvas and then gallery wrap it for display in your home. This makes a lovely gift.
The store offers art supplies as well as tools and supplies for leatherwork.
Lost City Museum gift shop is often overlooked by local residents as a place to do their holiday shopping. This is a great place to go to buy gifts for family and friends who may live far away in other areas.
The store is stocked with unique items with a local flair, including Native American jewelry, crafts, books and much more.
The museum will be hosting its holiday open house this weekend on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. The free event will feature live local entertainment and light refreshments will be served. The gift store will be open during this time. And raffle tickets will be sold and prizes drawn for a variety of great gift baskets and other prizes.
Toys for young & old
Of course, what would Christmas be without toys? And Moapa Valley businesses come equipped to offer toys for every age group.
Ace Hardware in Overton has recently made a specialty of radio-controlled vehicles of all kinds.
To start off, they carry a full line of Traxxas brand cars, trucks parts and accessories. They also sell RC helicopters and airplanes at the store.
For those already into the RC hobby, the store offers the Power Up program where customers can bring in their old parts, motors or vehicles and trade them up for more advanced technologies that will add speed and excitement to the experience.
Of course, the big craze nowadays is in the line of drones; and Ace has them. The store sells unmanned flight vehicles in price range from $30 for a mini drone, up to $1,150 for a large model with studio quality video capabaility and all the other bells and whistles. There are models of drones for everything in between as well. You have to come into the store to learn all of the amazing things that these machines are capable of!
In the more grown-up area of tools, Ace Hardware has a full line of tough Craftsman power tools and hand tools. They also carry DeWalt and other popular power tool brands.
Finally, Overton Ace Hardware is known throughout the region for its line of rifles, shotguns, handguns and ammo. They sell guns used and new including youth rifles for the youngster’s first deer season next year.
The staff reminds that purchasing guns as a Christmas present has some time sensitivity. If you want to have the gun itself under the Christmas tree, and not just a photo of one, you’ll need to purchase it at least two weeks before Christmas to allow time for the background check.
Home Hardware has been going through a major transition in recent weeks. Store owner Randy Tobler and his staff have been re-arranging the layout of the store, updating every department with new products and expanding everything in time for the holidays.
The store will be offering a unique line of toys; classic favorites that nowadays are difficult to find in big box stores. These include John Deer tractor toys, metal Tonka trucks as well as a variety of craft toys, puzzles and unique board games. Home Hardware has also expanded its toy section to include drone aircraft and other remote control vehicles as well.
Also in stock is a variety of small specialty gadgets like pocket knives, flashlights and other small accessories that make great stocking stuffers.
Another new product line being offered at Home Hardware is Stihl power equipment. The store now sports a new display including Stihl chain saws, woodwork tools, blowers and more.
“That was a pretty big deal for us,” said Tobler of becoming a Stihl dealer. “You don’t just sign up to sell those products. You have to prove out your location and show that you will be good for providing the products to your area. They don’t just hand them out to everyone.”
Of course, Home Hardware continues to sell the broad range of quality power tools and hand tools that it always has.
For the holiday season, just after Thanksgiving, the store will be partnering with Star Nursery in offering cut Christmas trees.
And for the green thumbs among its customers, Home Hardware will be selling small live Christmas trees; the kind that can be permanently planted in the yard after the holidays.
Napa Auto Parts is a great place to find toys for the man of the house. It is a center for anything automotive from wrench sets to rear view backup cameras. They even have automotive toys for the little men in the family.
Store owner Mike Cook said that he probably has something of interest to just about everyone in his store.
“If you are looking for a gift for anybody that has a car, you will always find something here that they will like and they will use,” he said.
Logandale Auto, LLC is now offering a new line of products that could be considered toys for those looking for higher performance in their cars and trucks. The auto shop, now has a new high performance, hot rod section in the store. In stock are things like vintage air kits, big brake kits, unisteer rack kits and more. A whole array of gas, diesel and import performance parts are available for sale on all cars and trucks. And the shop can even install them for you.
And right across the room at Logandale Auto is the new location for Mike’s Bikes. This little store specializes in entry-level bicycles as well as a variety of skateboards and parts.
With brands like Schwinn, Mongoose and Stolen; bikes start at around $125. Skateboards start at around $100.
In addition, the store sells some sports apparel items like Skechers shoes and Ink Addict clothing.
Presents for Pets
Alicia’s Pets, Feed and Grooming, located at 1701 E. Highway 168 in Moapa is a Christmas wonderland for pets.
The store carries an array of pet kennels, beds, toys and food items.
“We have everything that you can think of for your four-legged friends,” said shop owner Alicia Hull.
In addition, the shop offers professional pet grooming services to pamper your pet for the holidays.
“This is the place that you can bring your pets to get them beautiful for the holiday season,” Hull said.
Home Hardware, with its new layout, now has an expanded pet section. With a wide selection of pet food at a competitive price, it is a great place to get stocked up for your pet.
In addition, the store stocks chew toys and other pet playthings that are great for holiday gifts to your beloved animals.
The store even sells a variety of the pets themselves; like reptiles, fish and birds; that can make great gifts for animal lovers.
Holiday Food & Catering
Lin’s Marketplace in Overton is our first stop in this category for the broad-ranging scope of its offerings.
The store’s deli is ready to provide for any holiday party whether it be a big company meal or an intimate family gathering. Lin’s deli manager Chrissy Christensen enthusiastically refers to her deli counter as “party central.”
“We can put together whatever people want,” Christensen said. “They can call in their order ahead of time and just let us do the holiday cooking for them.”
Available at the deli counter are vegetable trays with dips, hand-made cheese balls, specialty cheeses and quality meats. They can even make pizzas in whatever quantity or variety needed.
In addition, the deli counter has a variety of Hickory Farms® meats, cheeses and sauces in stock which make great gifts.
The Lin’s bakery department has also geared up for the holidays with its delicious hand-raised donuts and made-from-scratch cookies. The bakery can also serve up fresh bread bowls for soups or dips.
Lin’s bakery manager Angelo Moreno specifically mentioned the brand new $5 table at the bakery. “There are cinnamon rolls, filled croissants, our specialty sandwich cookies, donut holes, corn bread loaves and more that we keep on the table,” he said. “They are a great value.”
Lin’s meat department offers various options that are already prepared and just need to be cooked; things like cranberry stuffed turkey breasts, stuffed bell peppers, rib-eye roasts and more.
The produce department has a range of freshly cut vegetables and fruits including stir fry, sweet potatoes, fruit trays, cut vegetables and more.
Sugar’s Restaurant is what many locals think of when they want home-style comfort food. The staff at Sugar’s is ready to bring that home-style goodness to your home or party place.
“We offer full holiday catering both large and small,” said Sugar’s owner Judy Metz. “If you are having a small family dinner or hosting a business Christmas party we can handle it.”
While Sugar’s can cater a party with anything on the menu, they can also provide other foods that may not be on the menu. “We can make anything that you want to serve,” Metz said. “We will work with you on whatever is best for your party.”
And for those who prefer a quiet evening out for their holiday dinner, Sugar’s is offering its renown Prime Rib dinner specials on the weekends before and after Christmas.
The Inside Scoop restaurant in Overton is also ready to take your orders for holiday parties large and small. They can provide their famously-good sandwiches to any party. Or they open their entire menu for family or party platters. Finally, The Scoop is also equipped to handle any other order you throw at them, even things not on the menu.
Restaurant owner Tish Cook pointed out that there are a few real holiday favorites that The Inside Scoop is known for year after year.
“We will be serving up our Ultimate Turkey Sandwich from now, through the season until January,” she said.
This masterpiece of a meal includes delicious turkey, roasted fresh in their kitchen; start to finish. On top of that is home-made stuffing, mayo and The Scoop’s well-known cranberry relish: a secret family recipe, according to Cook.
Another favorite is The Scoop’s own fresh-baked pumpkin pies. “We use my mom’s recipe and it is all hand-made right here in the store,” Cook said.
The restaurant also offers a variety of other kinds of pie as well.
Kim’s Smoothie & Espresso Kart is a new option that many may not think about for the holidays. But this new mobile business, operating out of a cart parked in the lot just north of the Logandale Post Office, has some delicious offerings that can put folks in the holiday mood.
For the holidays, Kim’s is serving up some new and festive flavors to their customers. These include a Pumpkin Pie Latte, Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea and a Peppermint Mocha. They are also offering these beverages at some terrific holiday special prices.
You can check out their Facebook page for more information. Just search for “Kims Smoothie Kart.”
Home Vendors
The Moapa Valley is also home to a growing number of people who sell specialty products and gift items from their own homes. This is often done by holding in-the-home sales parties.
This holiday season will afford local shoppers a unique opportunity. A large number of these home-based salespeople are getting together to throw, what they are calling, a “Super Home Party.” And the whole community is invited.
The Super Home Party is being held on Tuesday, December 8 at 5-9 pm in the Old Overton Gym. It is meant to bring all of the valley’s favorite home-based parties together into one event for the holidays.
“Instead of attending a different party for every product, we are having 15 different parties all come together in the same place,” said Natalie Jacobsmeyer, who sells Jamberry nails and is helping to coordinate the event.
In attendance will be 15 different home-based business owners. They will include representatives for Advocare supplements, Beach Body (workout programs and nutrition supplements), Do-Terra (essential oils), Jamberry (nail art), Pampered Chef (kitchen tools), Papparazzi (jewelry), Plexus (health products), Scentsy (candles), Tupperware (containers), Thrive Life Food, LuLaRoe (clothing line) and more.
Like any at-home party, there will be door prizes, demos and plenty of samples for attendees. There will even be local entertainment, and refreshments will be served.
