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With Black Friday a day away and a host of stores even open on Thanksgiving this year, holiday shopping is no doubt underway.

For those who prefer to avoid the crowds at major retail chains, yet aren’t looking to spend all their time browsing goods online, there are plenty of alternatives for finding that perfect gift.

Take antique stores, for example. They’re plentiful around Northeast Ohio, yet each stocks its own unique merchandise.

“Even though we have three antique stores here on the (Chardon) square, not all of them have the same stuff,” said Pat Martin, who owns and operates Antiques on the Square and has been for nearly 33 years.

Martin said the holiday shoppers she sees this time of year are looking for different kinds of gifts, items that either bring back fond memories, remind them of the person for whom they’re buying or go well in someone’s collection.

“With us, you’re buying something one-of-a-kind: that special quilt, a piece of jewelry or a piece of furniture that you’re not going to see coming and going like with a big-box store,” she said. “And with this store, we have a wide variety — anything from a 50-cent piece of merchandise to a $5,000 piece. I think that’s why we’ve been so successful for so long.”

But don’t just take the shopkeepers’ word for it. Customers Larisa and Lauren Maji, who are a mother and daughter from Parkman Township, said buying gifts from a store like Martin’s is a special experience.

“I come here a lot,” said Larisa, who added that she works in Chardon, so it’s always close. “I’ve spent several lunch hours here just browsing. You can absolutely always come in here and find something different.”

Her daughter agreed, saying it’s more of a meaningful way to shop.

“I think that’s the good thing about stuff like this: It’s not mass produced. It’s personal,” Lauren said, adding that it’s the kind of place where gifts almost find shoppers, instead of the other way around.

Martin confirmed that the shop sees lots of holiday shoppers this time of year, especially with upcoming promotions like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and the store’s own 33rd annual Christmas sale, which is Dec. 2-3, when all merchandise is 20 percent off.

Another nontraditional gift-shopping venue available to area residents not only offers uncommon treasures, there’s the thrill of a chase and an energetic atmosphere involved.

Andy Bokovitz owns and operates The Auction House in Perry Township and said his patrons are often looking for more than just a place to browse.

“A lot of people come here because they like the excitement of bidding on something, or they find some one-of-a-kind thing they’d never expected to see, like ‘Oh wow — I had that when I was a kid!’ That’s the cool thing about a place like this — you never know what you’re going to find,” he said, adding that some folks even come to the auctions for their date night or as an alternative to seeing a show or some other kind of entertainment.

In terms of advice for those looking to do some gift-buying this holiday season at an auction house, he said it’s always best to move fast.

“The No. 1 thing I’d say is that, if you see something you’re interested in, buy it when you see it because you might turn around and, the next thing you know, someone else picked it up instead,” he said. Bokovitz added that with the growing popularity in auctions and estates brought on by shows like “American Pickers,” “Storage Wars” and “Flea Market Flip,”it’s not just a consumer outlet these days.

Regardless of who’s buying, however, Bokovitz said auction houses like his are just the place to shop for unique and interesting gifts.

“The variety’s the thing,” he said. “It’s the hunt for something different. It’s like a treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to find. And, no matter what it is, when you buy something at this auction, you’re going to come away with a story about it, too.”

Coming from a guy whose last auction saw folks buying everything from exercise machines and tools of all shapes and sizes to a 75-pound Civil War cannonball, that seems accurate.

The Auction House’s next auction is scheduled 6 p.m. Nov. 30.

Somewhere on the unique-gift-shopping continuum between antique stores and auction houses are locally owned niche shops like The Country Pedlar in Mentor, which sells a variety of specialty home decor items not often stocked in the mainstream retail chains.

Greg Carroll, who owns and operates the business with wife, Lynn, said they often have to clarify to newcomers that it’s not an antique store.

“They’ll come in and say: ‘Oh — it’s antiques.’ But it’s not antiques. It’s home decor,” he said, adding that they sell a lot of unique home furnishings like curtains and valences, candles, lamps and other decorative accoutrements.

Carroll said that, although the store has been at the same Mentor Avenue location for some 20 years, they’ve gotten quite a few first-time visitors this year, for some reason.

“We do have regulars that come in,” he said. “But, believe it or not, surprisingly, we have gotten a lot of first-time customers coming in over the last year. They’ll say something like ‘I’ve lived in Mentor 20, 25 years and I’ve driven by your store a thousand times but I never stopped in.”

He said some of those folks walk three steps in, realize it’s not for them, turn around and never come back. But others become frequent fliers throughout the two stories and nine rooms they have jam packed with warm decor.

One such regular is Willoughby resident Denise Mayernik, who said she’s been shopping there for more than 30 years, ever since its initial owner opened the original location on Center Street in Mentor.

Mayernik said she routinely buys Christmas and other gifts there and it’s the vibe the store’s stock gives off that keeps her coming back for more.

“There’s a warmth to these gifts,” she said. “They’re unique and they have character — so much character.”

She said she finds the kinds of gifts at The Country Pedlar that almost tell you who they’re for.

“When I go there and I’m looking for a gift for someone, someone I know well and whose personality I know well, I can find them a gift that almost speaks their name, like it was meant for them,” she said, adding that she especially appreciates the candle selection there.

“I’m looking at my candles I have at home now and they make me happy!” she said.

Mayernik also said she appreciates the quality of the merchandise available there.

“I don’t think people value quality like they used to,” she said. “It’s such a throw-away society today. So, when I find somewhere that has quality merchandise, I tend to shop there a lot.”

Original article can be found here.