Grand Opening!

Saturday morning dawned overcast and rainy, but even the dismal weather could not dampen the mood at 2660 West Main Street in Littleton as Chiaroscuro celebrated its grand opening.

The store delighted the steady stream of customers who escaped the weather and stepped through the charming double doors to discover a wide range of offerings. I work for Sam in her marketing department and had not gotten an opportunity to see the store as a work in progress, so I was eager to pop in and be dazzled by Sam’s latest and greatest offerings to the world.

I took my 22-year-old daughter along, and that may have been a mistake for me. She went crazy for all the hip furniture and décor, cool frames, and unique chandeliers. Now it’s put her in the mood to do a little redecorating.

I was going to a baby shower later in the day and already purchased a gift, but I couldn’t resist buying a growth chart for the new baby. It’s such a clever idea. It’s a clear plastic tape measure that has frame openings next to the measurements so that you can tuck in a photo of what the baby looks like when she’s two feet tall. It goes all the way up to five feet. Cute!

I never imagined that there were so many different ways to display photographs. There were lots of photo displays and so many different styles. My daughter is after me to buy the one that fits on the corner of a wall and wraps around to be viewed from two different angles.

I had no idea that Sam would have purses and cool shirts for sale too. And also larger bags to carry lots of stuff. The lotions and candles smelled delicious. It was almost difficult to focus on one great item when so many unique things were screaming for your attention: clever packaged card games (I bought the game that has cards you pass around the Thanksgiving table to generate interesting conversation), cute signs, lamps -- you just have to see it to believe it.

Oh, and I’ve got to mention the gift baskets. They’re not your usual food-and-cute-nonsense items you find in common gift baskets. They are custom designed by Chiaroscuro and have thoughtful, appropriate items combined with at least one photo display. They are made for almost any occasion you can think of. Chiaroscuro will be a nice resource for my future gift giving.

Chiaroscuro is a store that really has something for everyone. So if you’re in the area, do yourself a favor, and check it out.

~Megan DiMaria
PS: No kidding -- get yourself down there and do some holiday shopping!