Shortened Title: Ladies, what would you want and where do I get it?
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There are so many stores in Charlottesville that sell stuff that girls like. I mean soaps, lotions, pillows, jewelry, you know all that stuff that gets you a smile and you don’t really understand why?
I need to maintain my masculine by getting in and out quickly while making a perfectly executed decision. But, I need some guidance. As a uber-Masculine figure, I am freaked out by exploring any store that has any sort of pastel coloring and I need help shortening the embarrassment. If I have to walk in a store and look confused, I automatically become less Thor. What’s a dude to do?
Between Pillow Mint, Caspari, glo, Garden of Eve, all those lotion places, spa gift certificates, I am one confused clam. Please help me (and the other clueless men) on this site target our shopping. The quicker we can get in and out of a place, the happier we are. Browsing on racks and asking questions is a big no-no.
I need C-Ville gift ideas, where to get them, why you like them, what you don’t and anything else you can help solve my problem.
And, think about it this way, if your man reads this site you can tell them to take a hint.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Tagged as: Central Virginia, Charlottesville, Downtown Mall, Local Business, Questions, Shopping
Don’t know if this helps, but my wife always says, “get me something you would want to see me in”. Note: “Nothing” is not the right answer. And “the kitchen” doesn’t work well, either, although I’m sure she’d love a bigger kitchen. So, I’m out of ideas, too. I sure do hope your post works, and the lovely women of Cville can solve all our problems.
Here’s a tip to the “Uber-Masculine,” in my experience, women really dig on guys that are out shopping for their women. Yes, it’s a bit of an ironic situation since if you’re out shopping for your woman, you shouldn’t be trying to pick up the cute store clerk where you’re shopping, but still, even when your intentions are honorable, it’s fun to get fawned over by female store clerks while shopping for your woman.
Though I admit, it still makes me a tad uncomfy when discussing sizes to have a female store clerk ask you to use her own body as a comparison since that pretty much means you gotta’ check her out pretty carefully
Anyway, come on guys, get off your duffs and go hit the many boutiques around town. Just be careful not to raise the bar too high for the rest of us guys since inevitably, whatever you buy is going to haunt the store clerk’s boyfriend and that guy could be me
Go to Suzannah’s across 2nd Street from Fellinis. She has good taste, she’d have to, she’s a friend of mine
Just hold your shoulders tight and try not to knock anything over. It’s very confusing but everything in there is good quality and girl-like-proved.
Oh, I’m not really that scared of women’s stores, but absolutely I don’t have a clue what’s out there from the pre-approved by ladies side. Thanks colfer.
Go to Oasis on Water St. and spray all the testers. Miss Kore loves it when you do that. Feed stores don’t have testers.
Novel, on 4th St has some fun gifties. I bought my sister a preppie-ironic skull & crossbones belt there. Eloise is my favorite girl shop in town.
Hand made gifts rock over “shopping”, and Im going for broke.
This year I have completed: three hand bound works of erotic short fiction, three ’serious’ poems, a limerick, a half dozen mock haiku, several cartoons, a mobile (many foam core mounted hands reaching for dangling letter “u”’s - I call it: “Trying to Reach You on my Mobile”), and a painting (the first I have done in ten years) of a heavily abstracted human heart, a song, and am now on to the mixed cd’s with custom covers. My objective is to have one “thing” arrive in the mail every single day until christmas, culminating with the framed heart painting.
This is very foolish, as I will very likely get shot down in flames anyway, but the hopeless romantic in me has to try.
Btw… No magic rat, I do not need a pat on the back, and I promise not to talk about dj’ing anymore.
Scented lotion from a guy means “I’m not going to think of something special for you.” Mother, sister, wife, girlfriend: pay attention to stuff they like to do and support them in it! Anything but a drug habit.
One year, dad gave me $100 in credit for a take-out restaurant I love. It was so cool. I like working out to counter the take-out. Really quality workout pants I’d never get myself? Awesome. I like skiing. A ski lift ticket (and cute company for a day at Wintergreen) was really sweet one year. Giving a day trip or show ticket is a no-fail.
Plus, we do not want scents imposed on us, no matter how much you like whatever the cute spray tester girl is trying to sell to you (for her commission, not necessarily to get in your pants). We have to live with the scent. Whew! Exit soap box.
Oh for heaven’s sake just go to Priscilla’s on West Broad St in Richmond and buy the woman you love a fucking huge vibrator, that looks like a neon blue male walrus having an epileptic seizure whilst wearing a pair of novelty antlers…. oh and don’t forget the batteries at Sam’s Club because if she plugs that monster into the mains, the whole grid will drop.
Trust me… it’s the gift that never stops giving…….
Second Floozy.
b-yo- so many options for free! I think the best reception I’ve seen for a present I’ve given a guy was to a Flash video.
i’m gonna try this quote thing…maybe it will work maybe it won’t.
hey you can talk about dj’ing as much as you want. i personally thought the self-important cry-for-approval whine-a-thons were getting a little tiresome, and sort of strange for posting on a public forum, but maybe some people were into it.
and if you win over this lady with three hand-bound books of erotic short fiction, i will give you a pat on the back. not because you asked for it, but because you will have deserved it.
(That I made)
Lilith is right, give a gift to them that is something they would love to have for something they enjoy, but wouldn’t splurge on for themselves. Even if its something as small as a cool coupon wallet for your mom and her grocery store coupon collecting obsession. Or a cooking class for your girlfriend at the Seasonal Cook. Or a big box of cozy socks for your sister who just had a baby and is up at night, brrrr ……cold feet, nursing. Think about their day to day lives and what would be a special spark for them, and also a sweet reminder of you. I love giving gifts, and they don’t all have to be bought. I would love to give you more ideas Thor!
Vector cartoons. Sorry to leave you hanging
Sorry boys, I like jewelry, crazy-expensive jewelry like Mikimoto pearls from Keller and George. As for reasonable gifts, some of my favorites were…
Cashmere gloves from O’Suzannah - they had leather piping around the bottom so they were more fun than plain-jane J. Crew style gloves (any unique cashmere accessory will do, but the more “like” her style, the better - if you can say “I know you love your red coat so I thought you needed gloves to match,” she’ll know you pay attention). Potential shops to check out: Eloise, Scarpa
Gift Certificate for a massage at Oasis - I’d never buy myself a massage but damn are they fantastic (just beware of getting a gc for a facial - I’m not touchy but some may take this as an accusation of acne)
Old Editions of my favorite books - two of the best attributes of a good gift are that it is something rare/unique/hard to find and that it’s personal. This hits both those qualifications and Charlottesville is flush with used book stores.
Just don’t get her something vaguely nice but useless. I have a shelf full of lovely leather-bound journals from friends and boyfriends that I will never use. Personal and useless is fine, but pretty and useless is boring.
I totally used the html for bullets and it failed. boo. Sorry for being unreadable.
I’m all for supporting local business, but if a guy got me something frou-frou from Eloise, I’d think, “Wow, that’s sweet of you to spend too much money on this simple accessory for me.”
Yeah, colfer’s got it: O’Suzannah is a great suggestion. All their stuff is fantastic and unique; a regular girl-pleaser. Specifically, their jewelry and bags. And Oasis is a great idea on that give-them-something-they-wouldn’t-normally-splurge on tip (via colfer and jb). Particularly spa packages for massage/facial/pedicure, etc. Moxie does this, too, but I’ve never been there for anything more than a haircut, so I’m not sure how their services compare. On the flip side, gifts which require thought are *awesome*. For my birthday, my bf sent me on a scavenger hunt through Alderman Library: each book contained a puzzle piece to an overarching clue which was where I’d find him (and then we went to dinner). Dorky? Yes. But I totally loved it (and very inexpensive). But if you’d still rather drop $$, try to stick it the thoughtful route: keep ears peeled for stuff she seems to like or have an affinity for. Still too hard? I’ll say it once, and I’ll say it again, I’m a big fan Etsy. Their gift guides (this one is “Significant Other - Female“) are helpful, if nothing more than for ideas. And having stuff shipped to you sure beats store shopping this time of year. Good luck!
(Ooops, I didn’t give props to Lilith and Lys.) And, I forgot this one: ask her what she wants. There is nothing worse than either getting something and having to feign delight, or giving a gift that might cause disappointment. The trick with asking is, the further away (time-wise) you ask from something the better. Then by the time it rolls around, she maybe forgot that conversation and you get awesome points for being attentive and thoughtful. The close to Christmas is, a’hem, close, but it still beats getting her something “pretty and useless” ’cause that blows.
lilith, i’m of the opposite school when it comes to gifts (not so much the local thing as much as the price thing). I’d rather be given a belt from Georgie than a cashmere sweater from [fill in the blank mall chain] for the same price. I’ll always buy myself the sweater but I’d never buy myself the belt. I already have too much stuff - if it isn’t something I need, something I want, or something amazing, I’d rather not have to donate it to charity 2 years later after I clean out my closets.
That being said, I totally understand the equilvalent silliness of “little blue box” fever most chicks have for the crappy chunky bracelets from Tiffany’s when they could get much nicer jewelry from a boutique, but that’s a quality issue (not to mention you can get nicer stuff from T&Co that doesn’t have their logo splashed all over for the same price as the bracelts, but I digress).
The Ladies I know would be excited for sexy clothes, underclothes, shoes/boots, scarves, gloves, hats, and JEWELRY from any of the following stores:
Scarpa
Eloise
EG
Bittersweet
Chloe
Judy B.
Also Fun, Lavish houseware (serving platters and/or utensils, nice glassware, breakfast in bed tray w/ a promise of BinB) from:
Artful Lodger
And George
2 French Hens
I cannot stress enough how right lilith is about buying a scent for any woman in your life: DON’T go there. And not just for the “it’s not nice to tell someone how they should smell for you, regardless of their opinions” reasons. Perfume is chemistry. I still remember the Opium Debacle of the Late 1990’s. Everyone was wearing it. I sort of even liked the scent, but know enough to try a little of something and wait to see what happens. Everyone reacts differently to any chemical in existence. The perfume went on smelling lovely. Was putrid inside of an hour. It’s just always best to let a woman choose her own perfume, and frankly, whether she really wants to wear one at all. After all, it’s a gift which could be interpreted as a gift which says, “you don’t smell very good, so try this!”
I’m a huge believer in gift certificates. They may not feel very romantic or special, but they beat all heck out of guessing incorrectly. One from Eloise or Oasis or any of the many nice places mentioned on the mall would undoubtedly be VERY much appreciated. If you wish to accompany it with something more immediate, put it inside a box of Gerhardt’s chocolates. Yummy AND fun! Just order quickly. There isn’t an “oh, I’ll pick up the chocolates later” option at that place. Order ahead!
ThatGrrl, I LOVE your Gearhart’s box idea!
one VIP oxo gift certificate. I hear they’re selling like hotcakes.
Gift card for a massage is second to Belmont Yo’s gift, and it is optional whether you want to actually shell out money for a pro or just “do-it-yourself” either are greatly appreciated.
A “VIP” OXO gift certificate? The self love in this town is CREEEEEEEPY.
Does that mean they will serve you bud light if you request it?