By Gibron Rahim

PICKING out a Mother’s Day gift can be tricky. There often does not appear to be a present or card that can encompass all that our mothers are to us. But there are gift ideas that closely approach that purpose, whether we choose to purchase or create them ourselves.
Everything Makes Craft recently reopened its doors at its new location on the second floor of the Kei-Shar’s building on Hadfield Street and there has been no slowing down since.

Owner Christine DeCambra related that at the beginning of the process, she took a step back to re-evaluate. As many mothers who work or own their own businesses can attest, balance is essential. In the future, DeCambra hopes to speak more about her experiences during the process. In the meantime, she is not without the support of collaborators.

Yogita Persaud began working along with DeCambra part-time late last year when they met at one of Everything Makes Craft’s Card-Makers Brunches. Persaud initially helped out with events and then, when DeCambra decided to reopen a storefront, she approached Persaud to work along with her in the store. She has been working full-time at the new storefront since March this year.

Persaud told the Pepperpot Magazine that work is still ongoing at the new location. She noted there was not much focus on promotion in March since they spent the time unpacking and sorting. Additionally, the construction work in the store had not been fully completed. “But for last month we had a very good turnout,” Persaud said. She noted that DeCambra has related to her that the new location still has a way to go in terms of customer turnout. “It’s still picking up,” she said, “and we’re back to advertising and promoting.” She added that they have been using Everything Makes Craft’s Facebook page as the main avenue of promotion.

The business received a lot of support during the days leading up to Valentine’s Day as Persaud noted. “Valentine’s was amazing for us,” she said emphatically. Their pop-up shop at Giftland Mall did not initially receive much support on the penultimate weekend leading up to Valentine’s Day. However, the tide turned the weekend before Valentine’s with many women making purchases. The decision was made to set up shop again on the day before the holiday. The turnout, especially from men, that Tuesday eclipsed that past weekend’s turnout.

Everything Makes Craft’s annual Bunny Fun Day was also among its events for this year so far. “It was the store and the Bunny Fun Day happening in March,” related Persaud. “March was quite a busy month,” she laughingly added. The business has also had numerous smaller events this year as well. They were also part of the Department of Social Cohesion, Ministry of the Presidency’s Harmony Village held this past April on Main Street, to celebrate Guyana’s diversity.

For Mother’s Day, Everything Makes Craft was at Giftland Mall the weekend before the celebration with plans to return this past Saturday. Persaud noted that they have also been offering their usual décor services for events such as weddings and birthdays. Notable too is that regular pop-up shops at Giftland Mall include a craft station for kids, in addition to the handmade items on sale.

There were multiple gift options to choose from for Mother’s Day in store. Among them were picture frames, note packs, handmade jewellery and locally made scented candles. Among the items available were pieces created by graduates of DeCambra’s upcycling class. There were also “treat cups”, handmade and decorated paper containers filled with goodies. Persaud explained that the cups can be put to other uses afterwards. They can be used as containers for pens or other items on a desk or for jewellery on a vanity. The jewellery available for purchase included pieces made from upcycled materials. “Other than the jewellery we have purses, all handmade” Persaud said displaying some of the crotchet and straw purses. There were also framed pieces of art made from buttons and other upcycled materials.

For those who might have been feeling crafty, for Mother’s Day and beyond, Persaud noted that they also stock materials to be used in creating handmade cards, including cardstocks and stamps to be used for embellishment of craft pieces.

The key to a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift, regardless of whether it is made or purchased, Persaud explained is knowing your mother. “You can’t just go buy something and give it to her,” she pointed out. “You need to know what she likes, you need to know what she would appreciate and you need to know what she needs. Those are the three important elements – what she likes, what she needs and what she appreciates.”