P.D. Walsh's has wares from 65 consigners

FALLS VILLAGE — The goal: finding Christmas presents with a Northwest Corner touch. The hitch: not a whole lot of cash to spend.

The solution? For this reporter, it was a trip to P.D. Walsh’s Country Store on Main Street, where even the most finicky and/or penurious shopper (such as myself) should be able to find something from the wares available from 65 consigners, almost all local.

A quick trip through the store last week found notecards with regional scenes starting at $2. Printed (not iron-on) T-shirts from the Falls Village Historical Society are $12.  There are handmade tote bags and purses, and an entire corner devoted to items from Habitat for Humanity.

Don’t forget the penny candies and “honest� toys such as balsa wood airplanes with a propeller and rubber band.

And of course there are antiques and collectibles — including a really good Teschel gents hat, about a size 7 1/2 or so, for a double sawbuck. (Sawbuck? A $10 bill. We’re trying to keep the old-timey vibe going here.)

For pet lovers, there are also Dog Bites, pocket-sized bags of wholesome treats (made by two Lakeville Journal staff members) that will fit perfectly in a holiday stocking.

There are other things happening at the store, too. Every other Saturday night there’s acoustic music.

On Nov. 27, the performers included Lakeville guitarist and singer Joel Blumert, accompanied by Frank Tarsia of Sharon on harp and Lakeville’s Charles Knox on bass. Blumert said that Knox organizes the musicians and acts as master of the ceremonies, such as they are.

Store owner Patricia Walsh brings in pizza for the 6 p.m. start of the open mike shows and a regular crowd has developed — including a 91-year-old lady who hasn’t missed one yet.

The store is hosting an open house this Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors can enter a raffle for a holiday gift basket — and that could solve a whole bunch of Christmas shopping problems with one stroke.

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