New boutique for stressed-out Pierce County shoppers has gift boxes starting at $25
It smells like the holidays inside CURATED-Gig Harbor.
The fragrance of juniper berry, sage and wood floats through the air inside the new boutique, which replaced Arch & Starr General Store in downtown Gig Harbor after Arch & Starr owner Starr Hall sold the business Sept. 20.
In the back corner, a small tree is hung with ornaments in wine and turquoise tones. The rest of the store invites shoppers to stroll through slowly: sniff a candle here, stroke a dish towel there.
Short anecdotes about different small-business vendors are displayed next to their handmade creations and invite customers to pause and read about where each item is from.
The store’s soft opening was Nov. 14 during Shop Social, Gig Harbor’s annual downtown shopping event.
Owner Tiffany Brooks thinks gift giving doesn’t need to be a burden. She told The News Tribune in October after buying Arch & Starr that she’s asked several people what makes gift giving hard for them, and said she’s heard everything, from: “I get so much anxiety” to “I’m overwhelmed” to “I feel like they’re going to hate what I’m giving them” to “I shut down.”
CURATED is her way of helping the disillusioned or stressed-out shopper find the “perfect gift,” she said.
Besides a collection of novel finds and specialty items, the store at 7807 Pioneer Way has a designated gift-wrapping and boxing station where staff will put the finishing touches on customers’ gift boxes. Shelves behind the gift-wrapping table hold spools of ribbons and thread, crinkle paper for filler and an array of different boxes and baskets. They also have holiday stockings for stocking stuffers.
There might be a service charge in the future, but for now, staff will wrap and finish customers’ gift boxes for free. Customers only pay for the merchandise inside, Brooks told The News Tribune at the soft opening. Gift boxes start at $25.
“With extensive retail experience, the owner has worked hard to create the kind of store people are looking for today — thoughtful, curated, and locally connected,” Carrianne Ekberg, executive director of the Waterfront Alliance, wrote The News Tribune via email. “Small businesses like this are vital to preserving the character of Gig Harbor’s waterfront by adding vibrancy and encouraging locals and visitors to shop and explore.”
Brooks said she comes from a background in luxury retail and hospitality in an interview with The News Tribune last month. She was also a “personal shopper,” or someone employed to shop on behalf of someone else, for a high-end retail store in college.
That role involved getting a list from her clients indicating the people they were buying for and how much they wanted to buy for each person, forcing her to think carefully about the perfect gift, Brooks said.
“It really gave me insight as to how challenging it can be,” she said.
The store’s grand opening is planned for sometime in mid-January, though the store will remain open from Nov. 14 to then. Brooks said she wanted to support the Gig Harbor Waterfront Alliance by participating in Shop Social, which is why the store opened early. The store will have more inventory in January and Brooks is also arranging to have some of her vendors host pop-ups at the grand opening, including a jewelry maker from Seattle and a coffee vendor from Tacoma.
They want customers to be able to come in, have a glass of wine, and maybe even spend money they got for Christmas on some self-care items, Brooks said.
“People are going to be burned out so we wanted them to have something to look forward to,” she said.
Brooks’ favorite item in the store right now? Hand-poured beeswax candles shaped as oysters, with pearls embedded in the wax. They’re made by a small woman-owned company out of New Jersey, according to Brooks, and “smell amazing.” She’s also excited about their dog treats on “barkcuterie” boards and mismatched socks for kids sold in sets of three, since it’s common for kids to lose one.
Customers can expect to see different products in the store over multiple visits. Right now, the store is scented with Cedar Street Candle Co.’s “Sweater Weather,” but that could change later on. They want to have consistency with their products while constantly rotating the smells and sounds in the store, according to Brooks.
“We want to have our customers see something different every time they’re here,” Brooks said.
The store is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. CURATED is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 1:56 PM.
