GiftOasis

12/05/2024

The 2024 White House Christmas Tree comes from North Carolina. The Fraser Fir was grown by Cartner's Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, NC, and delivered to the White House.

CNN reports that this is the 16th time a North Carolina Fraser Fir has been selected for the White House, more than any other state in the nation.

First Lady Jill Biden receives the 2024 White House Christmas tree, which was harvested from North Carolina after Helene.

11/25/2024

Handmade in North Carolina

This weekend, Carolyn and I discovered these beautifully handcrafted wine boards, serving trays, and cheese slicers at Arts on Market. We were impressed by the craftsmanship and how each piece showcases the natural beauty of the wood.

Lockheart Design, based in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, creates these and many other high-quality wood items that make perfect gifts.

11/09/2024

Exploring Artistry and Connection on the Orange County Artists Guild Studio Tour. A visit to Joe Sink Pottery.
https://www.giftoasis.com/blog/nc-made-gifts/orange-county-artists-guild-tour-joe-sink-pottery

Orange County Artists Guild

11/06/2023

I love these beautiful blown glass pumpkins made by the talented glass blowers at Starworks in Star, NC. They still have some available for purchase.

08/08/2023

Welcome to Star, a tiny North Carolina town that has attracted artisans from as far away as Japan and Estonia. Why? You might ask. I wondered too. So, I got in my car and went for a visit. It's a great story. https://www.giftoasis.com/blog/nc-econ-dev/starworks-hot-glass-cold-beer-and-econ-dev

Starworks

04/01/2023

At FireFest in Star, NC today!

12/22/2021

This really made me smile today. Very true.

06/19/2020

Work continues on building the GiftOasis Marketplace platform. Our goal: make it easy to purchase unique gifts made by small businesses in North Carolina. Someday we hope to help small businesses in other areas as well.

03/06/2020

02/23/2016

Unfortunately, Google continues it make it harder for small businesses to compete:

Google stops showing ads on the right side of search results - Google’s latest move may increase the pressure on retailers to bid to be in a top spot for their most important keywords.

07/21/2014

05/28/2014

Met Tom Earnhardt of UNC-TV's "Exploring North Carolina" today. I met him while they were filming in the NC Botanical Gardens. We had a nice chat about how they capture stories so well. What a nice guy.