Holiday shopping: 12 gift ideas from 12 Washington County shop owners

Holiday shopping doesn’t have to mean crowded malls, long lines and online carts. Across Washington County, local businesses are offering something more personal — gifts made with care, stories behind every item and shop owners who know their customers by name.

“Gift giving is about empathy,” Linda Sager, owner of the Santa Clara boutique SoenHaus, explained. “You think of the other person that you’re buying gifts for. It’s not about the price. It’s how thoughtful you are about them and really appreciating and respecting who they are as an individual… It’s not about you, it’s about them.”


She suggests finding “little luxuries” that a loved one or friend would never think to buy for themselves, or who doesn’t have the extra money to spend.

Our gift to you this holiday season is this curated list of 12 local businesses where you can shop for loved ones. From cozy candles and Americana clothing to LEGOS and 3D printed board games, you’re sure to find unique gifts paired with a personal shopping experience you can’t find at a chain store.

Reclaimed, 37 E. St. George Blvd., St. George

Jennifer Hawkins created Reclaimed over 10 years ago when she inherited a bedroom furniture set from her grandfather. Instead of paying someone to fix it up, Hawkins, 51, discovered chalk paint and became obsessed with renovating pieces in her living room, kitchen, basement, patio and garage.

Over the years, Reclaimed has evolved from selling furniture and furniture paint to include gifts, souvenirs and eco-friendly items like homemade soaps. “I love to make people laugh, so there are things around the shop that are a little off color,” Hawkins said, like her hand towels that say, “Many have eaten here, few have died” and “Hi Mom, you were right about a lot of s—.”

Two years ago she started 3D printing, which she said is environmentally responsible because you’re not importing goods overseas. Her 3D printed items are made of plant-based plastics that are biodegradable and recyclable. Hawkins said, “Teaching people how to just rethink what they have and reuse it is my whole ethos.”

Hawkins’ go-to holiday presents are her 3D printed goods. There are fidget toys and Connect 4-like games for children, book stands, bookmarks, bird houses and pistachio bowls for adults. She can create custom prints too, like a leg lamp from the movie “A Christmas Story.” Prices start as little as $3 for a keychain to $25 for a pistachio bowl.

“Reclaimed is where you come in St. George to buy gifts for people that you actually like,” Hawkins said. “There’s something unique for everybody here.”

Rock House Records, 31 E. St. George Blvd., St. George

Rock House Records is a family-run business born out of a love of collecting vinyl. One of the owners, Ethan Osness, said a camping trip in 2020 prompted the idea of opening a record store.

Osness’ parents used to own a punk music-oriented store in St. George before Osness, 26, and his brother were born. After having children and another business, they shut down the store but Osness’ father would buy and sell vinyl records online. “We had a garage full of used records,” Osness explained. “[We] just had the idea of ‘Why don’t we open a record store?’ Because there’s not really anything like that here.”

The store has grown from one row of records to several thousands of records. “We’ve got a little bit of everything,” Osness said. “If you’re looking for something, [there’s] a good chance we’ve got it.” They sell band T-shirts, posters and used vinyl. They also host album-listening parties, local band live shows and specially released records only available at physical record stores for Record Store Day Black Friday, Nov. 28, from artists including Benson Boone, Post Malone and Talking Heads.

For newer records, you can expect to spend $30 to $40. For used vinyl,records are as inexpensive as $5. Collectibles run around a few hundred dollars. “If you do want to go for a Christmas album, Bing Crosby is like the all-time greatest,” Osness said. “He’s got the best [Christmas record] out there.”

The Book Bungalow, 94 W. Tabernacle Street, St. George

Owner Tanya Mills created The Book Bungalow in 2018 for her son, Jason, who has high-functioning autism, so he could have a career. Mills, 70, said by the third time he interviewed at Barnes & Noble, they still wouldn’t hire him. “That made me mad,” she explained. “If Barnes & Noble’s not going to hire him, I’m going to open up my own independent bookstore… Give him a job and give him the training that he wants and needs.”

As the only independent bookstore in St. George, she carries a wide range of genres, with sections like influential women, classics, self-help, romance, humor, children’s books and local authors. “As a writer, I wanted to support local authors, whether they’re traditionally published or independently published,” Mills said.

The Book Bungalow does more than sell books; it hosts events every month. You can expect a Local Authors Night, Open Mic Night where writers read their work, and multiple book clubs like the International Literature or the Mystery/Thriller clubs. For the holidays, every Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, Santa Claus will be making an appearance for children.

Mills’ gift recommendation for book lovers is the Bibliophile Advent Calendar, which has 24 mini books, and is priced at $45. She said, “You get into a smaller space like this, and you can just wander from one little section to another and it’s… [a] more pleasant experience.”

Daisy Blume, 2711 Santa Clara Drive #400, Santa Clara

What started out as a mobile flower truck where shoppers could create their own floral bouquets has turned into a brick n’ mortar store called Daisy Blume. It includes a flower bar, gifts, custom arrangements and workshop nights.

Daisy Blume creator Kaitlen Polatis, 33, was inspired by seeing Amelia’s Flower Truck in Nashville on Pinterest. “I was like, ‘St. George needs to have this,’” she said. “I would always budget [flowers] into my grocery budget for the week… but they [were] just all the same, it’s all the same varieties.”

She created Desert Daisy Flower Truck March 2021, and opened Daisy Blume in September 2025. Prices range from $25 for small bouquets to $55 for larger ones. If you don’t want to make your own bouquet, you can order a premade arrangement.

Polatis is hoping to launch a monthly floral delivery subscription in December, which will include a mobile app to make purchases. “Our goal is to make it as accessible as possible so that if someone’s having a bad day or someone’s celebrating something, you can just jump on and send it,” she said.

Her holiday gift suggestion is Baby Blue Eucalyptus, especially for the colder months and for those who experience allergies. “You take the Baby Blue Eucalyptus, hang it upside down in your shower, and then when you shower, the steam from your shower activates the oil on the leaves and it helps your sinuses, it helps your skin, it helps everything.”

Cosy House, 904 W. 1600 S., St. George

Owner Nancy Van Matre, 60, moved to St. George nine years ago and created Cosy House in 2018 after wondering where everyone goes to shop or buy gifts. Her store is all about making everyday items be beautiful and comfortable.

Think Nancy Meyer’s aesthetic — a blend of elegance with a lived-in feel — and that’s exactly the vibe you get when walking into her home goods and decor store. “We make practical things pretty for everyday use,” Van Matre said. “We have to clean the kitchen, we have to do dishes… so why not make it more enjoyable and have a pretty dishbrush, and a beautiful smelling soap, and a pretty platter to put everything on?”

Cosy House has furniture, bedding, picture frames, books, utensils, soaps and lamps — anything to decorate a home. Prices fit a range of budgets, with dishes starting at $6 and going up to $32.

For Christmas, the store will be decorated in garlands, faux greenery, bells and ribbons. “There’s simple ways to implement Christmas [into decor] that aren’t so expensive,” Van Matre said. Her holiday gift suggestion is candles to create a comforting environment or classy, green hand towels for your kitchen, costing $14.

“We want to make our homes a safe, beautiful, comfortable place for our family,” Van Matre explained. “That’s where we have control, is within our home, with our people.”

SoenHaus, 2711 Santa Clara Dr. #300, Santa Clara

Soen, meaning “hand” in Korean and Haus, meaning “house” in German, is a vintage boutique full of “beautifully crafted” furniture, clothing and gifts. Owner Linda Sager, 62, has been curating items since her early 20s. “Every object has a soul, and I know the backstory,” Sager explained. “Even if it was sourced from somewhere or if I picked [it up] from a vintage store a long time ago, I know exactly where I got them.”

Sager went to design school at Parsons School of Design in New York City and said her clothing is ‘80s, ‘90s and Y2K. She sells Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood items. Her clothing prices range from $35 upward to hundreds because of highly collectible pieces. She also sells jewelry, dishware and kitchen items.

For Christmas, Sager is making holiday bundles with items like graphite pencils, Japanese round soap and rubber bands recycled from bicycle tubes, ranging from under $50 to $200. Her holiday gift suggestions are Hibi incense or Meurisse Belgium chocolate. Hibi is made in Japan and the company collaborates with the country’s oldest match company to make them. “Each incense [stick] burns for about 10 minutes,” she explained. “It’s incredible aromas and they’re all made from natural ingredients.”

You can buy one incense box for $14 or a Christmas pack with three scents for $45. A four-pack of Meurisse German chocolate bars costs $49. “I don’t want my customers to come in and find things they find anywhere else,” Sager said. “I want them to feel like they’re finding little treasures, things that are unique.”

Red Mountain Bricks, 929 W. Sunset Blvd. #2, St. George

As a LEGO enthusiast who grew up with the Denmark-made toys, Katy Jones, 43, created Red Mountain Bricks with her husband and parents. It’s a veteran and family-owned, independent authorized LEGO retailer store, where you can buy lego sets, find pieces for missing parts or participate in classes that promote creativity.

They have retired LEGO sets, collectible items and even custom pieces, like a Santa Clara Swiss Days cow or a Utah Tech University bison mascot. “I just love the fact that someone [is] coming into our store and taking home a build that represents southern Utah,” Jones said.

They also partner with community organizations, like the St. George Children’s Museum, on LEGO-themed events to help the museum generate revenue. “We just want to be more than a store. We want to be a community asset as well,” she added.

For Christmas, they have winter village LEGOS available. “We work really hard to get in exclusive Christmas sets that are retired, that maybe some people haven’t seen before,” Jones said. They will also do a holiday treasure hunt, where they hide gold presents around St. George that have coupons and promotions from Red Brick Mountain and other local businesses.

Her holiday recommendation for children under the age of 5 years old is DUPLOs, which can be taken apart and put together easier than LEGOs. Jones said, “​​If you have an adult LEGO fan, we have lots of superheroes and Star Wars and those bigger, icon sets.”

Papois Plushies & Toys, 929 W. Sunset Blvd. APT 1B, St. George

Papois Plushies & Toys isn’t your typical claw arcade where you can’t seem to get a prize — it’s a Japanese inspired arcade where you are designed to win. Owner Sam Cabana, 32, created the arcade with his fiance with their children in mind. “Trying to entertain five kids can be difficult,” he explained. “We find ourselves at arcades all the time and we thought, ‘Why not have one ourselves?’ So [our children] can come and play here all the time.”

The claw machines are different because they have grips. “The Japanese model is these claw machines are meant to be easier,” Cabana said. “​​The whole idea is we want you to take things home. We don’t want you to lose. We want you to win… When you see how happy the kids are, you’ll never trade that for more money.”

The cost is $1 per token, and you can trade smaller plushies for bigger, more recognizable behind-the-counter ones. Papois also sells authentic plush blind boxes, which are mystery collectibles from a themed series. They also sell Labubus for $55 and Asian ice cream.

For the holiday season, they’ll bring in Christmas-themed plushies for the machines. Cabana’s gift recommendation is the blind boxes. They sell brands like SKULLPANDA, Noci and Sanrio, with characters including Hello Kitty.

“We want to bring [blind boxes] to St. George because we obviously know that people like this stuff here, too,” Cabana said. “Seeing how my daughters react [to plushies], I mean they just hold them and it’s just the cutest thing in the world.”

Mimi and Coco Kids Boutique, 3063 Santa Clara Dr., Santa Clara

Mother and daughter-in-law duo, Stephanie Webb, 62, and Lindsay McMullen, 34, were inspired to open Mimi and Coco Kids Boutique after family trips to Europe. They wanted to bring high quality European children’s clothing to St. George, opening the store in a historic 1930s cottage they renovated.

They strive, said McMullen, “to buy brands that you can’t find anywhere in Utah, and definitely not in St. George. So we have exclusive brands to our area.”

The store has clothing for boys and girls from sizes birth up to 12 in some styles, shoes, hair accessories, non-toxic wood toys made in the United States, and stuffed animals. Prices range from $44 to $100 per item.

They also have a program called Love for Dove, where they donate clothing to the Dove Center, a domestic violence shelter and resource center in St. George. “We outfit [children] at summertime, when they don’t have clothes to wear, and back-to-school time,” Webb said. “When people shop in our store, they’re helping to give back.”

Webb said they will be launching Christmas pajamas with plaid patterns for the holiday season. Their gift recommendations are their London-designed Meri Meri advent calendars. They have dinosaur and train station calendars for boys, and ballerina stage setup and DIY charm bracelet calendars for girls. They have over 10 different kinds of advents to choose from, ranging from $30 to $100.

Rise & Wander Co., 199 N. Main St., St. George

The pandemic sparked the creation of Rise & Wander, a family-run business owned by Monica Bracken and managed by daughter Kaitlin Vega, 32. While traveling to multiple U.S. cities in a trailer during COVID-19, Vega’s parents visited various downtown shopping areas. “They were like, ‘I think we need to make that community in St. George and the downtown area, and make it somewhere people want to come and gather around,’” Vega said.

Rise & Wander has a little bit of everything for men, women, children and dogs, including clothing, candles, jewelry, temporary tattoos, lip balms and magnets. They carry Free People and Seager clothing, bringing boho and Western fashion to St. George. Because it’s family-run, there are family pictures on the walls and candle products featuring Vega’s great aunt and great grandpa.

“One thing that we also pride ourselves on is a lot of the companies we work with have a purpose behind it,” Vega said. “We have a lot of women-owned businesses, we have a lot of businesses that give back. We have a business called Bitchstix [a line of lip balms] that helps domestic violence survivors.”

For Christmas, they’ll have exclusive Ranger Station candles in the limited-edition scent Cowboy Christmas, described as smelling like amber, Montana juniper, frankincense and whiskey. You can also buy diffusers and car fresheners in the scent. Vega said the company is based in Tennessee and hires aspiring music artists to work part-time while they focus on creating their music. Prices for candles are $39 and diffusers are $54, and they burn slower, making the product last longer.

FR3NZY, 250 Red Cliffs Dr. #19, St. George

Natalee Hoff, owner of FR3NZY, wanted to create a store that offers something shoppers can’t get online. Which is why you’ll be greeted by four towering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when you enter the vintage candy and collectibles store.

Hoff, 50, owns it with her husband Aaron, who both have hospitality backgrounds and have owned businesses separately and wanted to start one together. “He’s a huge, avid collector, and I’m very vintage,” Hoff said, explaining the store’s vibe. “We wanted to do a cool, experience store that you couldn’t find online, something that would be… multigenerational. Kind of a piece of Americana, walking through your childhood to what’s popular today.”

FR3NZY specializes in old fashioned candy, drinks, imported chocolates and Salt Water Taffy made in Utah. They have Harry Potter, Star Wars and Hello Kitty-themed gifts and sell T-shirts that are music or Utah-themed. “We also have signed memorabilia that all have certificates,” Hoff said. Signed items include sports cards, movie posters and autographs from classic rock legends to modern pop icons.

During the holidays you can buy Christmas baskets that include salsa and guacamole dip with serving spoons, burlap taffy bags under $10 and stocking stuffers. “The stocking has become more personalized in the last few years than the presents under the tree, dare I say,” Hoff said. Stocking gifts include goat’s milk soap, small 3D printed items, and themed-candy from the TV show “The Office” and the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Comics Plus, 352 W. St. George Blvd., St. George

Owner David Roland, 54, has owned Comics Plus since 1990 — the super hobby store that sells comics, cards, games, toys and figurines. He bought the business from the previous owner when he was 20 years old because he didn’t want to see the store close. “I’ve always loved everything nerdy and just gravitated toward comic books over my years,” Roland said. “I do collect comics myself, so I’m more than just a retailer.”

There are two types of comics: the first is floppies, monthly comic books and the second is trade paperbacks, a collection of floppies made into book format. He sells newly released comics, back issues and decades-old collectible editions. There’s also a children’s section.

“There’s more studies that’ve been coming out over the past 10 years… showing that comics are a great gateway for young kids that struggle to read,” Roland explained. “We see a lot of parents that come in and compliment that and say, ‘I can’t get them to read a book, but they’ve read your comic book 20 times and the cover fell off.’”

Prices for comics and toys range, with the average price of floppy comics at $3.99. During the holidays, Marvel and DC will make Christmas-themed comics that Roland will sell.

Pokémon cards is one of Roland’s gift suggestions, with one pack of cards costing $9.99. These cards can be used for stocking stuffers and care packages. His other recommendation is the trade paperback comics because they have an entire storyline. Otherwise, when customers buy single-issues “it’s kind of like walking into the movie 15 minutes after it started, and leaving 20 minutes early before it ends,” Roland said. Trade paperbacks range from $9.99 to $49.99.