The Gifted

Neat little store that you might miss walking down the street. Nothing in the place really caught my eye though.

I found this little gem off Congress on one of the side streets a few years back, wandering on a Monday after ACL. I purchased a beautiful liquid metal bracelet but it has, over time, broken from my constant wear. I came back here to see if perhaps they had others I could buy, but alas, the owners wife no longer makes them. Apparently they didn’t sell very well. I did however find some lovely stack-​able gold and silver rings and a cute leaf inspired ring. I love that everything is made by local artists and I like to support that. I also like knowing that I have unique pieces of jewelry that very few other people are wearing!

This is a little hidden gem of a store. It is on the side street where Mi Casa is at the corner. There are beautiful pieces of artist made silver jewelry and imported items from Mexico as well as a bunch of other cool and interesting things.
You should check it out!

For the love of all that is holy, nothing tickles me more than kindness for no real gain. You give me some good old-​fashioned sweetness, and I’ll turn to customer putty. The gentle owner of The Gifted took my Guatemelan-​purchased «silver!» (it’s pewter) bracelet and spent 5 successful minutes applying my MacGuyver suggestion to adjust it. For free. I wanted to high-​five everyone in the shop: where has all this mild-​mannered niceness gone in the world? Into this one cool dude, that’s where.
While I was there (why not?) I purchased a lovely silver turquoise ring. It’s actually not little: the turquoise piece is quarter-​size, surrounded by a scalloped silver edge. The shop owner’s wife produced the adjustable ring, and while it is sometimes a pain (snagging, and thereby needlessly adjusting) it’s so pretty I couldn’t say no. A long time from now my future kids will negotiate on who gets it.
And there will be, so help me Jesus, a day when I will stroll into this enchanting capsule of awesome and, with the stars aligned just right, finally be able to purchase one of the large antique record players they occasionally bring in. The beautiful wood, contained speakers, the old knobs… Sigh. One day she and all her happiness will be mine.

This would be a worthy place to shop for gifts — for friends or for yourself. All varieties of art are represented: unusual jewelry, art prints from local artists, antique furniture, and things like Dia de los Muertos and Lucha Libre masks!
The owner was welcoming, and there were many people to welcome — lots of visitors coming in and out. He was very informative and could tell you about the items (since they were made by local artisans, a number of them by his wife).
Overall, there was something for everyone, and prices are fairly reasonable. Off on a side street (i.e not on SoCo itself), but don’t miss it – it’s definitely a worthwhile place for locals to remember!

Last night I made a fabulous discovery, I found a shop that not only has great taste in jewelry, but most of the artisans are local. Finding a combination like this is rare in my opinion. While having dinner off South Congress I happened to walk by this small shop and noticed a few pieces of jewelry that deserved a closer look. Although the shop sign said it was closed, I was waved in and ended up finding a few rings that I had to have. The prices were fantastic, work was unique and I was supporting artists that live in my neighborhood. Warm fuzzies inside. You must go, you will not find friendlier people, with this kind of talent. I’m officially a fan.