My favorite things in the shop…
Today we are going to talk about my role as a merchandiser. Being a merchandiser is as fun as it is daunting. Trying to source things that are good quality, not cliche, affordable and not clutter, on top of trying to purchase from small businesses is a tall order. Not to mention that I want to have something for everyone for a one stop shop. My goal with the gift shop is that it is a contemporary store where everyone can shop for anyone and find the perfect gift that will not just be tossed out or sent to the thrift store. I am very intentional about the items carried here. You will not find a plethora of coffee cups or funny wine glasses. While those can be a good gift for someone, I find the shelves at the thrift store are filled with these items. With that said, these are my 5 favorite products in the store right now (and links to buy them online!).
My first favorite is this sweet Grateful For You journal. It has a beautifully designed cover with a sweet and simple journal outline on each page. Each page has 5 short journal spots for parents to list what they are grateful for about their kiddos. For me personally, this is perfect because I didn’t do a baby book or a scrapbook (except for 1 when my oldest was a baby). You can start this at any point in your child’s life. Maybe I should give one to my parents for Christmas to start working on for me ;)
This rustic soap dispenser and soap concentrate is a favorite for me in the shop. It’s from one of my favorite artisans and brands from central Illinois, Corn Crib Candles. While I am absolutely obsessed with their candles, I wanted to highlight the soap because I find it very underrated. It is very affordable and made with pure, clean ingredients. The soap is a concentrate so all you have to do is dump in the small bottle and fill up the rest with water. The scents are all great, you’ll want one at every sink!
In a world of Pinterest and TikTok recipes, I am old school and like recipes written down. This is for several reasons, like losing the video of the recipe that I liked or it getting lost in a montage of endless recipes that I’ll likely never try. That is why I love this adorable recipe tin. It comes in the beige gingham pattern and also this cutesy floral pattern. Each tin comes with dividers and a small stack of recipe cards to get you started. We also carry additional bundles of the recipe cards to fill your tin. Write down your tried and trues and keep them organized in an adorable container.
This one is for the kiddos. We have these beautifully crafted wooden book box sets that are perfect for the littles. We have Old McDonald, Cinderella, Noah’s Ark and a Nativity set coming soon. They have wooden characters that are easy for little hands to hold with the story written on the inside.
I don’t know about you, but I could always use a little more r&r time. In the past couple years, I have started to enjoy a nice hot bath with epsom salts. I would just get the cheap salts from the box store that I am sure are not the most pure formulas. This natural bath salt has four different flavors and has been an amazing addition to a hot bath and a glass of wine. We carry Relax, Self Love, Energy and Emotional Detox.
Obviously, I love everything in the shop, because I bought it in the first place, but these are some of my favs that’ll be the first I point out when people ask for advice. Feel free to see a lot more of our products at The Sweet Pea Collective. Anything here can be shipped in the US.
Thanks for reading.
Talk soon!
NK
