Looking for holiday gift ideas? The LCN asked some local businesspeople a handful of questions to get the creative juices flowing. Check out their responses:
Elaine Eskesen, owner of Pine Tree Yarns. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Elaine Eskesen, owner
Pine Tree Yarns
74 Main St., Damariscotta
563-5003, pinetreeyarns.com
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
Hand-knit scarves, beautiful hand-spun yarns, starter kits for rug hooking.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
A painting
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
Marzipan
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
The smell of the Christmas tree coming in. Putting up my Danish flags on the tree, and my Danish candles.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
I always like a good bottle of wine.
Rosie Bensen, of Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop, recommends a good mystery for holiday reading. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Rosie Bensen, co-manager
Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop
17 Backstreet Landing, Damariscotta
563-7807, skidompha.org
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
We sell a lot of trade paperbacks, mysteries, and we sell a lot of nautical books. And, you know, Maine and New England books.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
A good potboiler – fiction. Somewhere to escape during the hectic holidays. Something to curl up with on a cold winter’s day.
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
I would just say something surprising. It’s fun when it’s something I don’t expect.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
I love Thanksgiving, I’ve got to say. I just love the idea of giving thanks before shifting gears before the Christmas season starts.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
A glass of wine, white or red. I’m not particular.
Jane Solorzano, co-owner of Alna General Store. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Jane Solorzano, co-owner
Alna General Store
2 Dock Road, Alna
586-5515, facebook.com/alnageneralstore
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
My top sellers are my Mexican food, my unique selection of wines, and probably my interesting selection of beer.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
A gift certificate to the store.
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
Actually, my favorite thing to receive is socks.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
Making our family foods from both sides of the family. My side of the family is Slovenian, so we make potica (pronounced “poteetsa”) every year. It’s a fancy bread, a yeast bread with a sweet, pureed walnut filling. I’ve had that every Christmas probably my whole life.
And we like to make Mexican hot chocolate at Christmastime.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
Probably mulled cider. I love smelling it when you come into a space. It’s like my favorite thing ever.
Jessica DeShiro, owner of Mammy’s Bakery, stands before a photograph of “Mammy,” her grandmother. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Jessica DeShiro, owner
Mammy’s Bakery
767 Main St./Pine Tree Plaza, Damariscotta
504-4104, facebook.com/mammysbakery
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
The sfogliatelle, or lobster tails (puff pastry filled with almond ricotta cream). Those are super popular.
The Italian cookies – the ricotta, the anise.
Cookie platters for the holidays. We have two sizes, the small and the large.
We have our holiday menu. It has a bunch of stuff in it, like tiramisu – that’s a top seller.
The ricotta pies. People like the ricotta pies because a good ricotta pie is hard to find.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
A gift certificate. Or call to have a gift basket put together.
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
A gift certificate to the spa.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
My favorite one, by far, is our family trip to New Hampshire, and before we come home, each one of us stops and picks out a Christmas ornament to put on our tree.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
A hot toddy. It warms the soul — to me, it does.
Melissa Ellinwood, owner of The Accessories Shop. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Melissa Ellinwood, owner
The Accessories Shop
153 Main St., Damariscotta
563-3933, maineaccessoriesshop.com
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
Christmas decorations are probably No. 1.
Baby gifts or a child’s gift, like puzzles.
Soaps and lotions.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
Jewelry, and soaps and lotions as well.
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
I always like a gift card to a local restaurant.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
Every year, I have my family over for breakfast at my house.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
I don’t like sugary, fancy drinks. I just like wine. I’m pretty boring in that aspect.
Alexsondra Tomasulo, of Salt Bay Art Supply in Damariscotta. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Alexsondra Tomasulo, employee
Salt Bay Art Supply
458 Main St., Damariscotta
563-8377, saltbayartsupply.net
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
Strathmore drawing pads, acrylic/oil/watercolor paint kits, and a variety of pencils – watercolor, colored pencils, charcoal. Gel pens are a big seller also.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
For adults, a fine pencil with a bound journal.
For kids, we have a variety of kits that allow for creativity, such as the woven notebook kit and a printmaking kit.
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
My million-dollar check, of course!
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
Gathering with friends.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
Any one I don’t have to buy. (Laughs.)
Rhea Butler, owner of Alewives Fabrics in Damariscotta Mills. (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Rhea Butler, owner
Alewives Fabrics
10 Main St., Damariscotta Mills (Nobleboro)
563-5002, alewivesfabrics.com
What are your top three sellers this holiday shopping season?
Tilda fabric kits from Norway, Anna Maria Horner fabric, and Lucy Boston kits.
What’s the best last-minute gift one can give from your business?
Definitely a gift certificate.
What are you hoping to find in your stocking?
Personally, I hope to find a trip to Europe.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
Celebrating my son’s birthday, because he was born on Christmas.
What’s your favorite holiday drink?
My favorite holiday drink is definitely the elderflower Prosecco that Bobby Whear makes at the (Damariscotta) River Grill.
