Travel Souvenirs With Memories

A good many of the people who visit Mountain Made are from out of town. We have seen visitors from as close as just down the road as  Hendersonville or Black Mountain NC, to as far away as Hawaii, Australia, Tibet,  Great Britain and parts of Eastern Europe.

While many drop by just to see what’s available, others are looking for artwork that will fill a special spot in their home.

But others come in the gallery with a mission on their mind. They want to take a piece of the Western North Carolina mountains home with them. Basically they are looking travel souvenirs with memories.

Travel can change you… from just a simple weekend “retreat” that relaxes and rejuvenates you to a journey to place halfway around the globe, you are never truly quite the same after your trip, vacation or travel adventure.

Travel has always been about experiencing new sights, tastes, smells and different people and cultures. This is why everyone wants a travel souvenir – a reminder of all the fun, the extra-ordinary things that happened during your journey.

Naturally, here at Mountain Made we do our best to help people find just the right souvenir or gift item – even if we have to recommend another shop or gallery (as much as it pains us).

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So with finding the right souvenir in mind, we want to share with you some quick tips on bagging the best trip memories by travel blogger, Carolina Ayerbe,

Make It Meaningful

Does it speak to you about the place you visited?

Ayerbe says,”Ideally you want to buy things that are reminiscent of where you went, that have a direct connection with the site you saw and the experience you had.

Maybe something in that place moved you or made you wonder. Maybe it reminded you of something else, or some other trip.  Or maybe something related to the history of this particular place.”

Stop the Cliches Already

Is it too obvious?

Ayerbe goes on to say,”Well, of course you’re going to encounter that Eiffel Tower key chain. But why not go for something different? Something more special? That same amount of money can be better spent in something less that you can’t find in every corner of the city.

Maybe something you don’t even know how to use! Find out what the item is used for and imagine if looking at it at home will make you want to come back to the place.

Avoid the Mass Produced

Is it generic merchandise?

“Try to stay away from the mouse pads, coasters, mugs and baseball caps, you can find those anywhere you go on this planet.” says Ayerbe.

“Sometimes you find items that look beautiful and that in context speak to you of the place, but really, is this basically the same candle holder you can buy at home?

Go for things that have unusual shapes or unusual uses, something perhaps that is only [handcrafted or] used at that location.”

Finally, Always Honor Your Feelings!

Not sure if this art piece or that other one is the one you should buy? Here at the gallery we have seen people faced with this same dilemma walk around for hours, conflicted and confused. Yes, really.

Our advice? Check out what your gut is telling you! Often our intuition knows exactly what is right for us. Listen to your intuition and follow your feelings!

Here at Mountain Made, we offer the unique works of over 150 artists and craftspeople; all living and working in the Western North Carolina area.

There are few places in Asheville that offer the varied selection of arts and crafts that we do.  So if you still searching for that special travel memory then we invite you to come by and see the wonders we have in store for you. > Directions to Mountain Made, an Asheville Art Gallery