Stranger Things
When it comes to gift buying in the Gables for the holidays, sometimes it’s more fun to leave the ordinary and look for something unusual. We took a look around the downtown and picked up a few items that are sure to raise an eyebrow – and remain unforgettable – for the person lucky enough to receive such a strange present.
November 2019
A Dracma for your Thoughts?
What could be more unusual than an ancient coin for a holiday gift? Fortunately, Gables Coin & Stamp has just what you want: Coins from Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. For a mere $25, you can acquire a Tetra Dracma coin with the face of Ptolemy (55-51 B.C.). Or for $155 a Roman coin with the face of Emperor Claudius (41-54 A.D.).
Gables Coin & Stamp | 82 Miracle Mile | 305.446.0032
The God of Wealth
Dzambala, also known as Jambhala, is the Tibetan God of Wealth. It can be spiritual or material wealth, but the main thing is the attainment of financial stability so that you can then go on a spiritual journey without worries. At the Silver Dragon, you can acquire a handmade Dzambala, with a 24-karat gilded gold face. for $279. Welcomed by all friends, relatives and bankers.
The Silver Dragon | 81 Merrick Way | 786.307.5575
Simpler Time
With so much sex streaming across the internet, it’s hard to imagine what a more innocent time was like. A helpful reminder can be acquired from the Books & Books gift shop at the Coral Gables Museum – a vintage Playboy magazine. Preserved in plastic sleeves, your gift will take its reader back to the 1960s, when Playboys sold for 60 cents. Today they are yours for $15.
The Gift Shop by Books & Books in Coral Gables Museum | 285 Aragon Ave. | 305.603.8067
Alien Kitchenware
The art of design can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Take the common juicer for an orange or lemon. At Luminaire, they have taken the routine item and made it a work of art. The squeezer – the Juicy Citrus Squeezer by Alessi (aluminum $105, lacquered white $85) – looks like a martian spaceship but works like an earthly dream
Luminaire | 2331 Ponce de Leon Blvd. | 305.448.7367
Off the Grid
The collection of listening devices, tracking tools, hidden cameras, etc. at Spy World will surely have something unusual that you can gift. For us, the best present in the house is a purse which shields your phone from the electromagnetic spectrum. What that means is that when you drop your cellphone in the Phone Blocker Case, voila, no one can track you. You disappear for $59.
Spy World | 96 Miracle Mile | 305.542.4600