MOMENTS MATTER...MAKE EACH ONE COUNT :)

Stop...

& Smell the Flowers...

Hug Someone...

Whisper Sweet Nothings...

Dream...

Sweet PDA"S...

Make a Wish...

Search for Treasures...

Celebrate...

Contemplate...

Take time to play...

Living Each Moment In My Life,
Kathleen Sforza


Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237


Websites:
Kathleen Rose's Collection (eBay Store) (new items)
Lorraine's Favorite Finds (eBay Store) (vintage, retro, & antique items)


Blogs:
Lorraine's Favorite Finds
Accessories By Ashley Rae

Byers' Choice 2012 Irish Girl and Leprechaun

Keep Ireland in your heart with this little Irish Girl dancing a jig in her shamrock skirt.

Size: 10" Height

Irish Girl
Item #ZBC73
$63.00



SOLD OUT

Legend says that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold, hidden deep in the Irish countryside!

Size: 10" High

Leprechaun
Item #ZBC72
$69.00

SOLD OUT

You can order here or visit our store:

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237
Store Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:30 until 5:00

Kindest Regards,
Kathleen Sforza

Click Below To Visit Us On Facebook & Become A Fan:
Town & Country Gifts
Kathleen Rose's Collection
Lorraine's Favorite Finds

Byers' Choice 2012 Valentine Girl

A box of chocolates on Valentine's Day is an age-old tradition that is certain to capture this little girl's heart.

Size: 10" Height

2012 Valentine Girl 412V
$63.00

SOLD OUT

You can order here or visit our store:

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237
Store Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:30 until 5:00

Kindest Regards,
Kathleen Sforza

Click Below To Visit  Us On Facebook & Become A Fan:
Town & Country Gifts
Kathleen Rose's Collection
Lorraine's Favorite Finds

The Taupe Scarf...Miracle

Small miracles occur everyday & I think sometimes...

we just need to become more aware of them.

The  Taupe  Scarf   Story...

Today, I had a scarf returned to my store. It had been a Christmas present & the person who received it wanted to exchange it for something else. I had hoped she would do an even exchange, because I realized I only had one $1.00 bill & one $100.00 bill in the register (duhhh...I forgot to go to the bank & get change for the store). After she left, I ran across the street to the bank. You know banks...short line, but long wait.

I left a note on the store door saying "I'd be right back".

While on line, I hoped that no one was waiting for me.

Finally, I get back to the store & started working around when suddenly...

I realize that I had forgotten to take the note off the door.

As I open the door to take the note down, a car pulls up & it's one of my customers. She comes in & asks me if I have a...Taupe Scarf...like the grey one she was wearing.

She tells me that the scarf is for "so & so" (intentionally leaving her name out...she is one of our customers & she happens to be this customer's best friend).

I asked her how her friend was feeling (friend was diagnosed with leukemia in September & the last time I saw her friend was around Thanksgiving when she had been in our store shopping with her sisters for the the holidays). She said that, unfortunately, she was back in the hospital getting treatment & hoping for a bone marrow transplant. She said that her friend had called her & asked if she could go & buy the scarf for her.

With this said, I didn't know whether I should tell her that the scarf had just been RETURNED...but I had to tell her because it was just such a coincidence. She went on to tell me that last week she was going to stop, but she said she wasn't sure we were open because she didn't see our "OPEN" sign &

that there was a note on door...So she told her friend that she didn't think that we were open & that she would stop back on Thursday (today) to get the scarf.

I said...

"Yes, we were open, but I wouldn't have had the scarf last week because the scarf was just RETURNED!!!"

A small miracle for someone in the hospital fighting for her life. If her friend had come in last week, I wouldn't have had the scarf in stock. I had sold out of the taupe color. I think that God knew that she wanted the Taupe Scarf & found a way to make sure that she would receive it.

Now I am praying for another miracle...

 that this beautiful young woman will go back into remission
&
finds a bone marrow donor.

Miracles come in all sizes & they are all important.

Looking for a miracle,
Kathleen Sforza

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237

Websites:
Kathleen Rose's Collection (an eBay Store)
Lorraine's Favorite Finds (an eBay Store)

Blogs:
Lorraine's Favorite Finds
Accessories By Ashley Rae

Christmas...A Time To Give...

Everyday I drive the same route to work & I've noticed that on certain days there is a very long line outside this one place.

Every time I pass...I wonder...What is that line for ???

Last week, on the way to work, I decided to stop & find out why.

When I got to the door, I realized that it was a food pantry.

I knocked on the door & a woman came to the door. I recognized her immediately (I had gone to her yard sale a few weeks ago). I said "I know you...I purchased a few things from you at your yard sale." At the yard sale, we had discussed her organization & how she wanted to rent the deli next to my store (Staten Island is such a small place).

She then showed me the food pantry. The shelves were bare & I asked what type of food they needed. She told me that at this time of the year...canned soups, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned tuna & chicken, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, cereal, & pasta are in demand. Each of these items can provide a meal...Soup & Crackers, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tuna or Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Cereal, etc....

On the drive back to the store, it really distressed me that I am always so worried about everything, but food in my home is plentiful. It saddened me that some people had to worry about food & how to pay for it & feed their families. When I got to the store, I told my sister, Lorraine, about the food pantry. While we were decorating the store for Christmas, Lorraine & I continued to talk about the food pantry & the economy in general. It scares both of us to think that this great nation we live in...is falling on such hard times. We decided that we needed to do something to help fill those shelves with food. My sister & I brainstormed & we thought that our store "Town & Country Gifts" would be a perfect drop off center for food donations for the food pantry. This time of the year is a busy time for us & it would make sense for our store to collect food for those less fortunate.

So...for the next 12 days, we will be collecting food for the:

SENIOR FOOD MART...
which provides emergency food supplies (three days' food once a month) to low-income persons. This is a "customer choice" style in which recipients select their groceries in a comfortable & dignified setting.

And in the spirit of giving...

With every drop off for the food pantry, we will put your name in a raffle drawing...We will raffle off three prizes...

A Cheerful Giver...Keeper's of the Light Juicy Apple Candle
Retail Value $25.00

A Bracelet
Retail Value $25.00

Picture to Follow...

An Annalee "Wannabe A Gingerbread" Elf
Retail Value $25.00

The first winner will have first choice.

The second winner will have a choice of the remaining two.

And the third winner will have the remaining item.

Drop-Off will start:
Thursday, December 8th through Sunday, December 18th.
The winners will be drawn on Sunday, December 18th.

Here is a list of must need items:
Canned Soups
Crackers
Boxed Macaroni & Cheese
Canned Vegetables
Canned Tuna
Canned Chicken
Cereal
Canned Fruits
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Boxed Pasta

Christmas is such a beautiful time of the year & the older my sister & I get, the more we realize that we get more pleasure in giving than receiving. So this season, we would like to give the gift of food to those who are not as fortunate as us. Please help us make this Christmas special to those who are in need.

Please drop-off at our store:
Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue (West Brighton corner Taylor Street)
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237
Holiday Store Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:30 until 5:00, Sunday 12:00 until 4:00

In the Spirit of Giving,
Kathleen Sforza
Lorraine Sforza Razzano

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237

Websites:
Kathleen Rose's Collection (an eBay Store)
Lorraine's Favorite Finds (an eBay Store)

Blogs:
Lorraine's Favorite Finds
Accessories By Ashley Rae

AMERICAN EXPRESS SHOP SMALL SATURDAY NOV. 26th 2011

The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday, November 26th 2011...

Small businesses are the backbone of this country, most work hard & struggle to survive & they need to be supported by their local communities. American Express is asking millions of people to shop small at their favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. We're hoping that our family & friends will help support all the small businesses here in Staten Island...because like American Express states "When we all shop small, it will be huge."

PLEDGE TO SHOP SMALL NOV. 26

Last year our local cable television station NY1 found our store on the internet.  Here's the link:
NY1 Shop Small Business Saturday at Town & Country Gifts & here is the blog post that led them to our store...

The Following is a REPOST:


AMEX...Small Business Saturday, November 27th 2010...

Of course, as the owner of a small business, I am embracing this...It has been a tough go for many of us during this "Great Recession". I am always an optimist & I want to think that all is well, but it has been and it still is a scary situation for many of us. In order to succeed...I must run a lean, mean, operating machine. And when all is said & done, it will be a matter of "Survival of the Fittest".


The small business owner in me knows that this time of the year is crucial to my survival as a retailer...but the spiritual human being in me knows the true meaning of Christmas. It is a wonderful, magical time of year "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

I must put my faith in God that all will be fine & that things are as they should be. So, as the season of Advent begins...I will try to remember that...

JESUS is the REASON for the SEASON

Keeping Christ in Christmas...
Kathleen Sforza

Websites:
Kathleen Rose's Collection (an eBay Store)
Lorraine's Favorite Finds (an eBay Store)

Blogs:
Lorraine's Favorite Finds
Accessories By Ashley Rae

12 Days/Months of Christmas...

The Twelve Months of Christmas

When you live retail...your year revolves around Christmas. There is a song the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I have my own song the Twelve Months of Christmas.

On the first month of Christmas...JANUARY

The new year has arrived & you may still have a tree or two around the store with a 50% or maybe a 75% OFF sign. The first trade show of the year is in Atlanta GA. & guess what you buy...CHRISTMAS for the following year!!!

On the second month of Christmas...FEBRUARY

You've been a little lazy or a snowstorm has caused you to close your store, but get your boots on...it's time to go to the NY TOY FAIR & guess what you're buying...CHRISTMAS !!!

On the third Month of Christmas...MARCH

You start receiving panicked phone calls from some of your vendors "YOU NEED TO GET YOUR CHRISTMAS ORDERS IN, IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THE DATING PROGRAM".

On the fourth Month of Christmas...APRIL

More panicked phone calls..."CHRISTMAS ORDERS NEED TO BE IN STAT !!!" (but, I think I still have one tree left up from last year, oh well...maybe I'll just leave it up & no one will notice).

On the fifth Month of Christmas...MAY

Flowers are starting to bloom CHRISTMAS orders are arriving at the store. Where will I put all the boxes ??? What was I thinking ???

On the sixth Month of Christmas...JUNE

Time to start planning our CHRISTMAS in July sale.

On the Seventh Month of Christmas...JULY

You know "CHRISTMAS in July" Sale !!!

On the Eighth Month of Christmas...AUGUST

It's back to the trade shows the NY GIFT FAIR & last minute decisions on what to bring in for you know...CHRISTMAS.

On the Ninth Month of Christmas...SEPTEMBER

Time to start planning the Christmas displays, go over orders & the bulk of CHRISTMAS orders are arriving daily. What was I thinking ??? & how am I going to pay for this stuff ???

On the Tenth Month of Christmas...OCTOBER

Let the decorating begin. Customers start asking have the CHRISTMAS Annalees arrived yet, when will the Byers' Carolers be in, etc. ???

On the Eleventh Month of Christmas...NOVEMBER

The Annual "Holiday Open House". The CHRISTMAS season has arrived & every one's complaining that we retailers are pushing the season. THANKSGIVING HASN"T EVEN ARRIVED YET !!! they scream. I know, I know, but we are grossly understaffed (a staff of two me & my sister, Lorraine). & I really need to start early so that I will be able to keep my eyes open when CHRISTMAS finally does arrive.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...DECEMBER

The rush of the season, when we hope that we made the right decisions. That everything will sell & customers will like our assortments. All the while, we are hoping that we can pay all our bills & survive to see another CHRISTMAS.

But, when I sit & really reflect on CHRISTMAS, it is & it will always be about CHRIST & the true meaning of CHRISTMAS & how I should live it each day of the of the year. I will try to remember like the 12 days of CHRISTMAS song that...

1 True Love refers to God.

2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues.

4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists.

5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation.

7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments.

8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes.

9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments.

11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed.

Living, Breathing, & Decorating Christmas 12 Months a Year,
Kathleen Sforza

Town & Country Gifts
1213 Castleton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10310
718-447-8237

Websites:
Kathleen Rose's Collection (an eBay Store)
Lorraine's Favorite Finds (an eBay Store)

Blogs:
Lorraine's Favorite Finds
Accessories By Ashley Rae