If you are still stuck on what to give the person who has everything this year, I’ve got a tip for you. Wood. Usefulwood, to be precise.
Last week, I was poking around the Gaslamp Antique Mall, and in the Gaslamp, Too building, I stumbled upon a display of exquisite wooden bowls, serving trays and other items produced by Usefulwood. The creator of these items is Bob Sheldon, who makes each piece by hand in his Brentwood home.
The bowls and trays and whatnot come in all shapes and sizes and price points, with many around $25-$50 (but as much as $200). And they’re made from a variety of woods, including cherry, walnut, maple, sycamore, hackberry and other burled woods, hardwoods and fruitwoods. Some are natural, and some are finished with food-grade oil. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, too. Which means that even if the person who receives this wonderful gift already has wood bowls or trays, they do not have one just like any of these.
If you can’t make it to the Gaslamp location in One Hundred Oaks, you can also purchase the pieces from Sheldon’s Etsy store, where he also accepts custom orders.
