Our shop is called 52 Gifts & More. We opened on August 17 of this year, a bit later than our more-hopeful date of July 4! It was truly a family effort to open this store, with Fred Greene, the owner, providing building materials and sweat equity. Ann Hale and David Sizemore contributed advice about changing the existing structure- a single car metal carport- into a cozy, welcoming space. You will probably find Ann there during business hours, minding the store or dropping off crochet projects she’s completed.

There are several vendors who have contributed both time and merchandise to get us going. Doris Standen, who makes gift baskets and diaper cakes for the store, contributed time and effort during the start-up phase and now works in the shop frequently. David also continues to contribute with ‘Hillbilly Wine Glasses’ and outdoor decorations that he makes by hand. Tony Hale hand ties flies for the store and will also take special orders if you have a fly fisherman (or person!) in your household. Alicia Stephens’ hand-made quilts, purses and other hand-sewn items are always on display.  We have a selection of tools for the guys- or girls!

As a business, being located in the Hillsville / Fancy Gap area is ideal. The rich tourism opportunities provide lots of traffic in front of the store, and business is steadily picking up as we have more and more word-of-mouth publicity. That’s why we thought joining the Chamber of Commerce would be a great investment. It provides start ups like ours the opportunities for publicity and growth that aren’t always feasible with smaller businesses.

We’re right on 52, about six miles south of Hillsville. Just look to your left right before you get to Skyview Church Road, and we’re located just before the Sidna Allen Home. You can visit us on the web at http://sites.google.com/site/52giftsandmore or email us at 52giftsnmore@gmail.com.  Our business hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We hope to see you there!