By Laurie Hindman
The Berthoud Recorder

I no longer need the image of a lighted pine tree my son put on my computer, with the minute-to-minute countdown to “the big day” to tell me that I have less than one week left until Christmas; I can hear Santa’s sleigh bearing down on me like a train wreck. Cards aren’t written, gifts aren’t wrapped, packages aren’t mailed, and cookies aren’t baked. On the bright side, my shopping is done! I got so carried away visiting all the wonderful shops in Berthoud I even have a couple of gifts left over and I have no idea who I had in mind when I bought them.

However, for those of you still shopping and perhaps beginning to panic, sometimes the easiest and the best present, is the gift certificate. These are great for teachers, babysitters, the mail carrier, and the teen who walks your dog or cuts your lawn, or even the hard-to-please spouse or parent.

But before we get to that, I am dying to tell you about a place in Berthoud so amazing and exotic that upon entering, you feel like you are in a textile museum or the market scene from the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” If you have not been to Castle Cleaning & Oriental Rug Company on the corner of Third Street and Massachusetts Avenue, you simply must go.

Photo by Laurie Hindman

“Dude,” the newly acquired shop golden retriever, demonstrates the comfort of hand woven dog beds available at Castle Cleaning & Oriental Rug Company.

Many of us are familiar with the main showroom, filled with carpets of glorious patterns and colors, but few have seen the rooms upstairs, a stunning display of collectibles, weavings, carvings, and artifacts from all over the world, piled on the floors and covering every square inch of wall space. Owner Phil Auserehl is more than happy to give you a tour. Not only do they carry the most extensive selection of high quality carpets in Colorado, they have unique, hand crafted jewelry from Africa, saddle bags from Afghanistan, intricately decorated felt saddle blankets from Russia, hand carved jewelry boxes inlaid with brass, woven place mats and table runners, purses, pillows — each item distinctive, hand made, and from such distant lands as Iran, India, China, Turkey, Armenia, and Nepal. Some are items are centuries old and others are recently created with contemporary designs. Granted, most of us are not in the position to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a hand woven rug, but many items, such as hand-tied mats with animal designs (llamas, bison, camels, etc.) sell for less than $200. A ring from Africa is a mere $20!

I guarantee you will fall in love with at least one carpet (I did), but Auserehl advises against purchasing a large rug as a gift for someone else. “Buying a rug for a main room in someone else’s home is not a good idea,” said Auserehl.  “A carpet sets the design and tone of the entire room and you may be imposing your taste on someone else.” Instead, Auserehl suggests a small area rug or a gift certificate, which leads me back to the main thrust of this week’s “Buy Berthoud” shopping guide.

One of the best places to buy gift certificates for women or teenage girls on your list is a salon. I stopped in at Renaze Salon and Day Spa, which offers a large selection of services any woman would love, including facials, massage, manicures, pedicures, make-up products and make-up lessons (great for pre-teens and teens who may just have started experimenting with make-up) and of course, full hair services. They have spa packages that sound divine: You can exfoliate your dry skin, get an “aroma body wrap,” a sea plant masque, a purifying stone massage — even escape to the Caribbean islands with a mango butter rub! Back in the day, when we had younger kids, I used to always buy gift certificates for manicures for our favorite babysitters (it pays to treat your babysitters nicely). Alas, we are beyond babysitters and are at the scary time of life where you leave your children home alone while you go out, eating quickly and nervously, hoping that nothing is on fire at home. Since Renaze carries a huge selection of skin and hair care products, I settled on bottles of seaweed shampoo and conditioner for one of my sister’s gift bags.

I also stopped in at Jamie & Friends hair salon, which also offers hair and nail care, massage, and even acupuncture. Jamie & Friends is near and dear to my heart because that is where both of my boys had their first haircuts (sniff). The service is friendly, the stylists are excellent, and haircuts are reasonably priced. They are located right on Mountain Avenue, next door to the Nightwinds Tack Shop.

For some reason, we seem to have an abundance of hair and nail salons in our little town and there is not space to list them all, so pick your favorite and buy that woman in your life a gift certificate for a little well- deserved pampering (hoping my husband reads this).

Want to add a little “zing” to your marriage? Or just not end up bruised or dizzy when you dance with your spouse at weddings? David Mineo’s Berthoud Dance Company offers gift certificates for ballroom and salsa dance lessons.

“It’s sometimes difficult to get the men to come in,” admits Mineo, “but our ballroom dance instructor is a third generation farmer so he does a good job connecting with the stubborn men.” Mineo stressed that home practice is very important, so that couldn’t hurt your love life either (though it might hurt your toes). The Berthoud Dance Company, located on Third Street next to the Habitat store, also offers ballet and tap lessons for kids and adults.

Another great source for gift certificates: restaurants! And we have some wonderful dining spots to choose from.

Santiago’s has the best green chili on the Front Range; Grandpa’s, the best breakfast (not to mention I had an excellent chicken parmesan with homemade marinara sauce a couple weeks ago); and The Jumping Bean offers delicious soups and salads in addition to their extensive coffee bar. The Lighthouse Café has yummy wraps and grilled sandwiches that you can eat while relaxing in front of a cozy fireplace. For elegant dining, how about a gift certificate for The Wayside Inn? It offers an eclectic and scrumptious menu as well as great “pub” food.  J.B. Clymer’s has a juicy burger you can really sink your teeth into and you can’t beat John Dough’s for its pizza: fresh ingredients, homemade dough, hot subs, and much more. Speaking of pizza, there is also The Brick Oven, which makes a mean pie as well; and there’s Pizza Hut, whose buffets are a great way to feed the family, especially if you have growing boys.

I am thrilled that we can once again eat French cuisine with the opening of the “Retro Bistro” on Third Street. Both the food and the prices are excellent and my husband and I love the charming, intimate atmosphere in the dining room.

In short, who doesn’t love eating out? Buy a dining gift certificate for a friend and while you’re out, grab a bite to eat yourself (come on, you deserve it — shopping is stressful and exhausting). Afterwards, don’t forget to stop in for dessert at Berthoud Candy (you knew I would work in chocolate some way).

I hope you have been inspired to shop locally and I apologize if I have over looked any business — I tried to cover them all. It has been fun and rewarding shopping in Berthoud; no crowded malls, long lines, chain restaurants, or sappy elevator music, but a charming, friendly, small town with unique shops, personable customer service, and great food. Get out there and see for yourself, buy Berthoud, and have a merry Christmas!