Ok, I’m a typical guy and I waited until the last minute to do most of my holiday shopping.  I like the holiday season, but shopping is not my favorite part and there are a lot of places I would rather be than in the mall during the holiday season.  As I was trying to figure out what to get my wife I thought about doing a themed gift package.  I decided I would get her gifts from Eliot.

It didn’t take me long to put together some good ideas.  Admittedly Eliot Neighborhood is not a shopping mecca, but I was pretty certain I could accomplish the goal.

The first thing I bought came as an idea from a previous blog I wrote about McMenamins Coffee Roastery back in June.  This time the wonderful smell of roasting coffee was waffing through the neighborhood in the morning.  It caught my attention so I stopped by to buy a pound of their Guatemalan Palo Alto Asul.  Like the last time I was there, the coffee was roasting before my very eyes.  I watched as the coffee came right out of the roaster and was sealed in the black bag. It was still warm as I walked out the door.  One gift down!

On the following Saturday, which was just a few days before the big gift giving event, I went to the “hardware store” or so I told my wife.  Actually I did make a quick stop by Hankins Hardware on MLK, then did some secret holiday shopping.

I stopped by Akasu Hair Studio and Spa on Williams Avenue first.  Akasu is in a beautifully restored 1890s Victorian house. There, I bought a gift basket that included a very nice fleece throw blanket and a one hour massage.  I also added a few dollars to the gift certificate so my wife could add a facial, pedicure, manicure, or whatever else she would like during her day at the spa.  After leaving I knew this was going to be something she would enjoy – I may even join her!

Next on the list was a visit to McGinn’s Russell Street Wine Merchants .  My wife really likes wine, as do I.  We usually visit several different wine festivals throughout the year along with Saturday tasting events at McGinn’s. This last year we discovered a Pinot Noir from Youngberg Hill Vineyards at one of those festivals.  While helping Jerry celebrate the 5th Anniversary of McGinn’s in November my wife noticed they had few bottles of the 2003 Pinot Noir.  I stopped by on Saturday during the weekly tasting, resisted the urge to taste myself, purchased a bottle and was on my way.

A few days later, while out and about doing some Friends of Trees volunteer work, I stopped by Goldrush Coffee Bar on the corner of MLK and Russell.  Since I had already purchased a bag of coffee I decided to get her a coffee gift certificate.  After all, we visit Goldrush almost every weekend so I knew it would be a gift certificate that would get used.  Actually…it already has been!

Valentines day is coming up or perhaps soon it is a special someone’s birthday.  McMenamins Coffee Roastery is located at 421 NE Knott Street. Akasu Hair Studio and Spa is located at 2037 N Williams Avenue.  You’ll find McGinn’s Russell Street Wine Merchants in the lower Albina portion of Eliot at 807 N Russell Street.  Goldrush Coffee Bar is at 2601 NE Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.  Perhaps you can find the perfect gift right here in our neighborhood!