Retail in Williamsburg

I love shopping in Merchants Square. I was only able to spend three hours there, but I know there are tourists who happily spend a full day traversing the little shops just up the street from Bruton Parish and all the other historic sites.

This year, my favorite shop was Shirley Pewter, opened in 1962 by a silversmith and Korean War vet named Shirley Robertson (a gentleman who, unlike Leslie Nielsen, must not have minded being called "Shirley"). It's not a big shop but it is a beautiful one. I found I appreciate pewter more than its hoity-toity cousins, silver and platinum. It all looked more substantial and had more character -- the same reasons why I'm more drawn to stoneware than china.

As a result of my time at Shirley Pewter, my friend Kathleen (the proud breast cancer survivor) will receive a pink ribbon charm, my best friend will get a nice, heavy horseshoe (to accompany his turtle, acorn and clover talismans) and I now have a lovely peace symbol pull for my wallet.

At the Colonial Garden and Nursery, I bought garden seeds for sturdy indigenous plants (Joseph's Coat and strawflower) for my mother's backyard. And at Everything Williamsburg I got everything else -- a sweatshirt for my oldest friend, a t-shirt for myself, a cap and a book (George Washington as action hero) for my nephew, sweet potato muffin and gingerbread mixes for my niece, and their choice of magnets or little canons for the folks at work. (I know it's crap, but I firmly believe that bringing tchotchkes back to everyone, and having everyone display them on their desks, makes us look and feel a bit more like a team).

There were boutiques I wish I had time to visit, too. Maybe next year ...