Sep 4, 2008

Gift shop goes global — on the WebBy Barton HorowitzSILive.com

Staten Island, NY — During a recent visit to Checkerbells in West Brighton, I happened upon the gift shop’s owner planning to re-decorate the storefront display window for autumn. Laura Walsh would soon be featuring an array of Halloween items, and was eager to share her newly arrived, illuminated orange and black-accented miniature village with passersby and steady customers.

“I’ve just gotten these in,” said the owner of the store at 643 Forest Ave., as she pointed to a selection of Department 56 holiday houses and accessories.

As alluring as popular brand-name gifts may be, however, don’t be fooled into thinking that Checkerbells is an ordinary gift shop.

When she opened her store seven years ago, Ms. Walsh planned to carry items that were “more colorful and vibrant than a typical gift shop.” In keeping with her goal, most of Checkerbells’ inventory is both “highly unusual and affordable, with just a hint of trendy items that customers might ask for by name,” Ms. Walsh said.

Ms. Walsh, who has a special fondness for gifts and jewelry created by local artists, devotes approximately 35 percent of the store’s products to children, from newborns to teens, with the remainder focusing on women’s accessories, home accents and seasonal items.

Also new this fall: Checkerbells is on the Web.

The store “is finally journeying into the Internet world by setting up a . . . store on eBay,” Ms. Walsh said.

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