There’s always that one individual that makes you sweat come holiday shopping time – because they have absolutely EVERYTHING. They’re on top of trends and have the “it” gadget before it's available to anyone else on planet Earth, they also have a vintage collection that museums would fight over and they’re non-expressive and unimpressed (though polite), whenever it’s time to open your present. But…maybe they don’t have one of these:

Picture this: the soft glow of fairy lights, the scent of fresh pine, and a tree sparkling with ornaments that feel like they came straight out of a winter wonderland…this is how I feel when I walk into Boxwood in December. And Jim’s Marvin’s ornaments are one of the reasons why.

Since Alexandria is what I consider the best collection of independent retailers around, this Small Business Saturday, a group of over a dozen stores have collaborated to do a day of gifts with purchase. Stop in, shop and get a little gift from us. Just a thank you for shopping small this holiday season and helping us keep the doors to our shops open another year!

As we approach our holiday reveal in just a week and a half, I can’t help but feel a mix of nerves and excitement bubbling within me. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of planning, with UPS and FedEx deliveries becoming a regular sight outside our door. We've been unpacking an astonishing number of boxes—truly, tons of them! I couldn’t be more excited to share what we have planned for you—our cherished customers, friends, and neighbors, both new and old.

At Boxwood, I adore this time of year, September kicks off fall and holiday season planning. We conquered our summer entertaining with vibrant shades of pink, blue and yellow, with picnic baskets and acrylic champagne glasses and beautiful linen napkins. Now we welcome with open arms – the oranges, reds and browns.

Perhaps you’ve seen them when you’ve stepped into Boxwood. They’re about 10 to 15 inches high, come in a variety of colors, and with a gentle tap on the base they provide a nice stream of light. I just never thought – they would be one of our bestsellers – but the cordless lamps by Zafferano have been flying off our shelves since introduction.

If you're looking forward to traveling this summer and staying with family or friends, and you want to show your appreciation in a special and thoughtful manner, we have the perfect gift for you. These are items that will last much longer than that bottle of wine and will be a nice reminder of you whenever they see it in their home.

We've now hit that mark -- where we've moved the layout around a bit, know where all our items are stored, when the mail arrives, etc. --  and we're ready to celebrate our Grand Opening on Upper King! Join us this Saturday to toast to the journey and the strength of community.

Some of you have heard, but for those who haven’t, Boxwood has moved! We are excited to have found a new space for us to grow on Upper King Street.