By Kathy French

Mall and chain store parking lots are packed with holiday shoppers looking for those perfect gifts, but what most folks don’t know, is that you can find the most unique gifts at one of the many art galleries in Northwest Arkansas. And, although you can find some exquisite art pieces with corresponding price tags, can also find some super items for less than $20. Try Dark Star Visual’s bead room, find rag dolls ($10) at Heartwood Gallery, the Pink Bird of Hope ($11) at Terra Studios, and when you’re in Eureka Springs, be in sweet heaven at Two Dumb Dames or Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
In addition to regular hours, many of the galleries have special holiday shows planned this holiday season.

Here’s a list of special events and just a few of the many galleries and arts centers where you can shop this holiday season.

Special Open House Events

December 4
ddp gallery
7 E. Mountain St.., Fayetteville. 442-0001.
Holiday Sale 5 to 8 p.m.
The ddp gallery and Kathy Thompson’s Studio 3 are in the same block, just east of the Fayetteville Square and they’re both holding special sales on Dec. 4.
ddp gallery will have a “small works” show with functional bronze sculptures by Chris Weaver, ceramics by Susan Hutchcroft, pieces from “stasis” by J.J. McCracken, paintings by Gregory Moore, James Kunzelmann, Zack Pinson and Jon Lee. Moleskin sketchbooks and art books by Cicada Books, functional ceramic items by Amanda Salov, silver jewelry by Flannery Grace Horan and coffee sleeves made from recycled materials by Jill Anthes. Regular hours are noon to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. The holiday show runs through Jan. 10.

Kathy Thompson’s Studio 3
3 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville. 521-1502
Slapp Holiday Sale 5 to 8 p.m.
Studio 3 is holding a Slapp sale (Support Local Artists and Products) for one night only. The sale emphasizes sustainability and recycling. Purchase a contract for winter vegetables from Winne Farms, delectable eats by Joseph Brajcki and candies by Jacqueline Shin all suitable able for giving. Find art by artists Kathy Thompson, platters and paintings; Meredith Boswell, ceramics and ottomans; Cindy Arsaga, small encaustic paintings; Mary Thompson, recycled warm wearables; Adam Posnack, functional porcelain; Laurie Foster, home grown wool blankets; and Tonya Tubbs, magnetic dolls.

Dark Star Visuals
106 N. Block Ave., Fayetteville. 443-2323.
Part of the Progressive Shopping Party from 5:30 to 9 p.m. (See Highlights)
Find or make one-of-a-kind jewelry at Dark Star Visuals, or, order a custom piece from the beading elves at Dark Star. This longtime favorite just north of the Fayetteville Square carries a large array beads in glass and other elements that are just waiting to become a personal masterpiece. There is a $6 studio fee to make your own, plus the cost of the beads and the shop elves are more than happy to answer your questions. Stacey, the shop owner, is doing fine silver custom designs this year. But get your orders in by Dec. 1. The shop also offers gift and boutique items. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Tuesdays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Heartwood Gallery, An Artists Collective
428 S. Government St., Fayetteville. 444-0888.
Heartwood features handmade items by local artists and is part of the Progressive Shopping Party from 5:30 to 9 p.m. (See Highlights). The variety at Heartwood is outstanding. Heartwood carries a selection of works by Charles Banks Wilson, who is well known for his Indian paintings and drawings. There are handmade guitars and mandolins by Bayard Blain, carved spoons by Steve Holst, and wooden jewelry boxes by Ed Hejtmanek. Fabric arts like jackets, baby clothes and sewing accessories by Jennifer Sharpe; crocheted, knitted and felted hats, scarves and wearables by Karen Chotkowski; scarves, shawls and hand towels by spinner and weaver Barbara Worth, who specializes in Tartan patterns and even makes kilts.
Find Rae Dunn’s whimsical utilitarian sculptures of nursery rhyme inspired tea sets, pots and cookie jars; pottery by Marg Shore and the Double Springs Pottery artists: Mary Curtis, Duncan Martin and Janet Greeson; and Raku, pottery and glass by Maura Miller.
Find hand blown glass items, from ornaments to chandeliers by Gary Carter and Ed Pennebaker; baskets by Susan Bell; decorated gourds by Pat and Ron Duncan, and old fashion rag dolls by Ann Brown. Browse the jewelry, mobiles and ornaments by Anita Hejtmanek; porcelain jewelry by Judy Goodwin; and silver jewelry by Esyule Gamache; etchings and prints by Richard Stauffacher; paintings by Path Hennon and Cedar Kindy; photos and cards by Julie Jeannene, nature photos, some printed on shirts, bags and magnets, by Laurie May; and nature drawings by Courtney Trimble. CDs by local musicians can also be found at Heartwood. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and everyday in December from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Little Mountain Bindery
572 W. 6th St., Fayetteville. 587-0238
Just around the corner from the Heartwood Gallery and also part of the Progressive Shopping Party (5:30 to 9 p.m.) is Little Mountain Bindery, a center for creative book, paper and printmaking arts. You can find book arts, handmade gifts and stationery and sign up for a class. Open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

December 5-7
Holiday Art Sale at Goodfolk
229 N. Block St., Fayetteville. 587-8920
7-9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec 6-7
The big Victorian house near the Fayetteville Square is known best for the live music, but once again, Goodfolk will play host to the annual three-day holiday art sale by several local artists. Selections will include pottery and cards by Marie Demeroukas; fanciful wool hats by Karen Chotkowski; hand-bound journals, cards and notebooks by Michelle Berg-Vogel; watercolors by William Mayes Flanagan; rugs by Debra Dubois; photography by Steve Moore; beaded earrings by Susan Shore; pottery by Victoria McKinney; paintings, boxes and mirrors by Elizabeth Nevin; and handmade bags by Jessica Robin.

December 6

Citizens Bank Gallery
116 E. Buchanan St., Prairie Grove. 790-0342
Open house with drinks and nibblies. Locally made handcrafted arts and crafts. Works include functional ceramics pieces by Carmen Weaver, mixed media sculptures and handmade clay pieces by Chris Weaver, photography by Michael McKenzie, Elizabeth Vos and William Van Horn, paintings and drawings by Jan Gosnell and Betsy Allen, pastels by Mary Talbert, hand whittled wooden pieces by Kivel Weaver, and other interesting items. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment.

Northwest Arkansas Community Creative Center
Nadine Baum Studios, 505 W. Spring St. Fayetteville. 927-2491
Holiday Bazaar & Family Craft Day
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shop for gifts, visit with local artists, make your own cards and ornaments or sign up for a class. The center has classes for both kids and adults. Find art by Northwest Arkansas Artists and the NWACCC eachers and students.

Fayetteville Galleries

Four Square Fine Art Gallery
112 W. Center St., Fayetteville. 422-8607.
Four Square Fine Art Gallery features work by local and regional artists including portraits by Robert Andes, abstracts and mixed media by Robert Glick, landscapes, skyscapes and mixed media shadowboxes by Tanya Johnston, still-life and  landscapes by MM Kent, rural landscapes in acrylics and pastels by David Mudrinich, prints and painting reflecting the African American perspective by John Newman, and paintings and prints by Golsa Yaghoobi. Open noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment.

Terra Studios, The Muse Gallery & Coffee House
12103 Hazel Valley Rd., Fayetteville. 800-255-8995.
Take a little drive past Elkins and find Terra Studios, filled with pottery and glass homewares, gifts, sculptures, fine art, silk scarves, jewelry, board games, and of course, the original Bluebird of Happiness. Terra is located on several acres which includes a mural garden. Find pottery and sculpture by John Ward, Rita Ward, Maura Miller, Reba Burris, Daisy Ogden, Marilyn Rodgers, Maeve Corteau, and Cheryl Buell, and glass works by Ron Mynatt, Gary Carter and others. The Bluebird of Happiness now comes in a variety of forms: regular blue, cobalt, or irridized glass; young or adult; single or paired. There is even a Pink Bird of Hope, which supports the Susan G. Komen Ozark affiliate. In December there will be special Angel Oil Lamps, and free Bluebirds (one per family) along with showcases of all Terra’s 30-plus regional artists.
Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Eureka Springs
Voted one of the best art towns in America by American Style magazine, Eureka Springs is filled with galleries. Here are jut a few to checkout. There will be a gallery stroll Dec. 13 when all galleries are open until 9 p.m. In addition to the usual items, some galleries will be participating in the Ornament Project and offer signed, limited edition ornaments for $50 with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society.

Eclectic Edge
49 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 253-2766.
Eclectic Edge is a funky little shop featuring works by 27 area artists. Find lots of paintings, photography, prints, glass and even furniture including paintings by Larry Mansker; sculptures by Jason Feltorpe; paintings and prismacolors by Sherry Young. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Jewel Box
77 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 253-7828.
The Jewel Box features handmade jewelry from painted porcelains pieces by Karen Mills, feather earrings and Mardi Gras-style masks by Gwen Bennett, classic, modern and vintage-style beadwork necklaces and earrings by Elaine Ferreira, wooden boxes by Gary White and carvings by T.J. Brown Open 10a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

Quicksilver
73 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 253-7679.
Quicksilver has art by 60 area artists including landscape smoke drawings by Ed Lorhum, watercolor prints by William McNamara, hand blown glass by Sharon Fujimoto, photography by Jim Mayfield, laminated chrome jewelry by Scott and Jill Elisabeth. You can also find drums, gongs, Tibetan singing bowls, and other musical instruments and playing is encouraged. Open 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Zark’s Gallery
67 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 877-540-9805.

Zark’s has an extensive collection of jewelry and glass-work including blown glass chandeliers, sconces and clusters by Ed Pennebaker, sculptures by Rollin Karg, blown glass by Leon Applebaum and even glass golf putters by Ray Matthews, and yes, they are usable. Find decorative and functional porcelain by Gary Eagan and Steve Beacham of the Spring Street Pottery Studio, and bronze sculptures by Tim “The Frogman” Cotterill. Don’t forget to say “hello” to Leo the gallery cat. Open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

It’s no surprise. With this summer’s high fuel prices and the steadily rising cost of food, the cost of the annual Thanksgiving dinner — the turkey, stuffing, yams, green beans, rolls, and of course, pumpkin pie — is up again. This year a family of four can be fed, farm groups say, for just under $46 to $49. That’s up a whopping 6 percent over last year’s $41 to $46 feast. And there’s no relief in sight, with projections for next year’s dinner already topping $50 and possibly hitting as high as $55!
The sad part is, as we all know, the dirt farmer out in rural America is not seeing any extra profit, but he is feeling the impact of the fuel costs and the failed farm subsidiary programs, which are pinching family-owned operations.
Even the big boys, like Pilgrim’s Pride, Tyson, Honeysuckle and others that come to mind when thinking about oven-roasted turkey, are hurting in this economic mess.
Just days ago, in a White House Rose Garden ceremony, President George W. Bush, one of the lamest lame-duck presidents in history, will have pardoned the annual White House turkey to some petting zoo instead of the dinner table. All the while, the duck has done little to ease the inflation and recession to help out the family farms and families struggling to place food on the tables in this country. Gobble, gobble folks. Enjoy the holiday.

Big Question
What percentage of Americans earning more than $100,000 a year say they live paycheck to paycheck? Answer at the end of the column.

Call Boom
Malvern, down in Central Arkansas, is the latest city crowing about getting a call center. Some 500 jobs are projected, the city proudly proclaims. Call centers, as Fayetteville remembers, come and they go. Anyone remember West coming to town and leaving?

Wal-Mart’s Army
The U.S. Army Reserve is now in a partnership with the world’s largest retailer. The one-of-a-kind agreement allows both organizations to recruit, train and employ individuals interested in both serving the nation and pursuing a career in the retail industry. Can you say “Salute” and by the way, “Welcome to Walmart!”

New Name
The old Billiard Palace out along U.S. 62 has been renamed. It’s now The 62 Event Center and the adjacent venue, The 62 Lounge. This is a Catropa enterprise.

Danny Ford
The name of this former Razorback football coach has come up for various big-time head coaching jobs around the South. So what is the former national champion coach of Clemson doing these days? Well, he’s helping the missus and a daughter run a framing operation in South Carolina while overseeing his small ranch of beef cattle. It don’t take a rocket scientist to guess that he won’t coach again.

Big $$ Gifts
If you are reading this, you are probably too late to run to Sam’s Club and get the best big dollar gifts this holiday season. You see, those who can spend the big bucks are already spending. For the holidays, Sam’s offered such “gems” as a speaking role on “As the World Turns,” at $13,500, a front row seat at the Critic’s Choice Awards in LA, again at $13,500, or how about four tickets to a Kenny Chesney concert in Dallas, only $9,900. Who said Neiman Marcus has anything on the Walmartians?

Legacy Sold
On the courthouse steps a big sale. The big, new, mostly unoccupied Legacy Building in foreclosure was sold to Legacy National Bank for $11.25 million, much less than the $18.72 million mortgage held by the bank. The bank, of course, bought the property to recoup its investment. This was one of the many projects of Brandon Barber and the Barber Group.

Big Answer
Almost one-fourth of Americans making more than $100,000 a year, actually 21 percent, say they live paycheck to paycheck.
Got a tip? E-mail to Daddy W. at daddyw@freeweekly.com.

Americans generate around 25 percent more waste during the holiday season — and between the gluttony of Thanksgiving, the societal norms of gift giving at Christmas and your unabashed addiction to celebrating the college football bowl season (OK, maybe that’s just me) it’s easy to see how this has become the case.
Despite the correction in our global economy, consumerism will take its annual place on center stage over the next month. With this in mind, I am bringing you some ideas on how to sail through the season with an eye on greening your holiday decisions. And like so many ideas toward resource efficiency, you may just save some money and come away feeling good about yourself at the same time.

• When buying gifts, look for those packaged in recycled and recyclable materials. This, at the very least, gives the giftee the option of recycling. I hate it when I get something in polystyrene foam and have to put that in the trash knowing it is going to sit in a landfill forever.

• Buy local. An incrt of Fayetteville’s charm is its locally owned businesses. The money paid to these businesses often goes right back into the local economy.

• Don’t buy junk. I know this is a subjective term, but when you really don’t know what to buy someone, feel free to buy them an experience. A gift certificate to Greenhouse Grille, Nightbird Books or perhaps some place you know they will enjoy but are unlikely to visit themselves. A gift certificate may seem impersonal, but they will be grateful for the nudge to branch out and you can feel good knowing that your gift isn’t in the trash.

• Gift your time. My grandmother’s tiny little house cannot possibly hold another picture of a great-grandchild or trinket so I started gifting her unconditional use of my time. In the past it has been a trip to dinner, but could easily be free labor around the house or driving her to an appointment.

• Recycle. If you only make one trip to a recycling drop-off site a year, Dec. 26 is the time to do it. Seventy-five percent that goes into the landfill can be recycled, so collect the wrapping paper, wine bottles, and steel cans so they can make another trip through the loop.

• Change a habit. I am reluctant to do this with the actual gift because it is supposed to be about the giftee not the gifter, but use the holiday as an opportunity to educate. I may go ahead and buy my aunt the DVD that is on her Christmas list, but I may give it to her in a reusable grocery bag. Then when she thanks me for the DVD, BAM! I tell her the reusable grocery bag can reduce our dependence on oil and her personal carbon footprint. I am nothing if not sly.

• This last one has nothing to do with green, but while you’re braving the holiday stress do something nice for a random person.

Happy Holidays!
John Coleman is the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Fayetteville