Fearless Fave Five: Unique Abilene-Inspired Gift Ideas

I know if I want to put a smile on my wife's face on Christmas morning, that I can buy her a gift that is available only here in Abilene. If I want to hear my daughters scream "this is awesome Dad!", I had better be shopping at several places right here in Abilene.

I would like to share with you several ideas that make gift-giving more local and unique. When I shop local I get to hear "COOL! Dad, where did you get this?" or "Wow, this is freaking amazing!"

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So I make it a point to shop at Abilene stores first and look for what you will not find at the big box stores or on Amazon. As for the gift that has my wife shouting "Yes, yes, these are mine, all mine!" - any of the chocolate-covered treats from a little place in downtown Abilene called Candies by Vletas will do. The chocolate-covered strawberries are her favorite.

When it comes to my daughters, they generally love items that say "Abilene", that they can take to work and proudly display, like coffee mugs, paperweights, or jewelry. As for my sons, they are foodies and love the gifts that convey "let's have a party".

One place I shop that screams Abilene is the Texas Star Trading Company on Cypress Street in downtown. They have a ton of great history books about Abilene, the Big Country, west Texas, and Texas in general. But they also carry a lot more as you'll discover.

Here are my "Fearless Fave Five" ideas for Abilene-specific gifts:

1. Candies by Vletas / 1201 North First Street

2. Texas Star Trading / 174 Cypress Street

3. Perini Ranch Steakhouse / 3002 FM 89, Buffalo Gap

4. Leddy's Legacy / 1220 North Treadaway

5. Frontier Texas / 625 North 1st Street

Below is a photo gallery of other great gift ideas. Have fun shopping. Have a very merry Christmas, and remember to deck them halls, y'all!