Day 34: Discovering more to love in Grand Rapids

I have a tendency to buy greeting cards I like without a recipient in mind. This one is so me - and will likely hang on my refrigerator for years. 🙂 6.25 Paper Studio - I will be back!

(Catching up after the holidays – here’s Saturday’s post)

The McNabb family did a gift exchange among my five brothers, two girlfriends and myself this year. I seemed to have misplaced Sarah’s gift so I went on a mad dash to find a replacement. I saw a pretty scarf a few weeks ago that I thought she would like, but the store was closed. I drove to Monroe Center to visit Gina’s Boutique and Lia Rosa to see if I could find something equally cute, warm and fuzzy. I noticed the shops next door called MoDiv. I’ve heard of this establishment, but wasn’t sure what I’d find inside. I figured it’d be art galleries and other shops filled with novelty items I can’t afford. I decided to take a quick walk through.

Boy, was I wrong. In the former Little Bohemia location on Monroe Center and Division, MoDiv is filled with small shops and wonderful merchandise:

• I found unique greeting cards, a reusable shopping bag and other paper products at 6.25 Paper.
• I bought Sarah’s gift (a pair of warm, knit slipper socks) a pretty ring, and zip-up sweater vest (best deal!!) at Chai Boutique.
• The twins got their first bibs from the adorable kids clothing store Sofia Bella.
• My eye caught sight of beautiful wedding gowns at Vue Design, too; I just love that they’re custom designed and created by a local Grand Rapidian.

Considering the number of goodies I bought, the prices were obviously quite decent. On my way out, I noticed beautiful Christmas decorations at Eastern Floral. These will be perfect for my new home, I thought. I made a mental note to return Tuesday night since I was already pushing it for arriving on time to the Thompson family Christmas Eve celebration.

As I drove home, I got to thinking, what’s with this “someday when I have a house” mindset? It typically dictates many of my home-good purchases. I don’t want to buy things that only work for my dwelling place of a year. I buy stuff for the anticipated room I don’t yet have, which means a lot of my stuff is currently mismatched. The thing is, my furniture and decor have been in use in three apartments since 2008. And once I get to a place of permanence, I guarantee the same stuff will fill the rooms, and I won’t have that much more space.

One thing I can guarantee, my home will be much more festive at Christmas time, and I’ll start with new holiday decorations from Eastern Floral at MoDiv!