A Christmas shop on Fir Lane
Fir Lane Gifts (sample) opened in 2012 in an old haberdasher’s, with one window and a lot of baubles. It is open all year, and very busy in December.
Our story
We began by selling glass baubles from a painter we met at a winter market. Customers asked for something to put under the tree too, so the shelves filled with wooden toys, candles, socks and biscuit tins (sample).
The free wrapping started in the first December, when the queue at the till was long and the brown paper was cheap. It is still free, and the tags are still written by hand.
Every gift has someone in mind
Before a gift goes on the shelf, we ask who it is for. If nobody in the shop can name a person they would give it to, it does not come in.
- Most gifts cost under $40, and the till table is all under $10
- About half come from small makers we know by name
- Toys carry the maker's age guide, and glass is labelled as glass
Behind the counter
Five people, and three more in December who mostly wrap.
Martha Linden
Owner and buyer (sample)
Joe Abara
Shop floor and the till (sample)
Elif Demir
Wrapping table and posting (sample)
Tom Reyes
Wreath evenings (sample)
Hana Ito
Office gifts and orders (sample)
Bring your list, we will help you tick it off
Tell us who is on it and what you want to spend. We put gifts aside for a week, wrap them for free and post them in time (sample).