Gift Where

Needless to say shopping season is in high heat. Tired of department store sameness? This is where the burgs and villes we all drive through to get from route this to route that absolutely shine. The small stores. Call them "mom and pops"..."boutiques"..."shop(pes)", the off-the-beaten track gems of customer service and uncommon goods. Like The Back Porch. You really have to search for it as it is, literally, at the back of a group of stores (including my favorite pizzeria, Joe's) located in Martinsville on Washington Valley Road. During a recent stop-by I saw things like handblown glass pendants...best-selling Kobo candles in a variety of delightfully subtle scents..."Walligraphy" (clever wall art of words and phrases)...and a lot more beautifully displayed in this cozy setting, holiday and hostess gifts so distinctive you'll wish you were on the receiving end! Look for their signpost out on the street. The Back Porch fronts the block's very commodious parking lot.