V-Day men's gifts this year include mixers, money clips
Jan. 31—With Valentine's Day less than two weeks away, local residents and merchants are dropping gift suggestions to ensure every husband, boyfriend, and partner feels the love.
Members of the What's Happening in Tahlequah Facebook group were asked to share their gift ideas on Jan. 31.
"I make all his favorite meals, treats, or snacks from scratch. Always a card," said group member Veronica Ronaszeki. "He loves it."
Making "do-it-yourself" gifts for Valentine's Day may be more popular with women than men.
"In 2021, an estimated 40% of male Valentine's Day shoppers in the United States were planning to buy gifts in brick-and-mortar stores," said D. Tighe, a research expert at Statista. "In contrast, approximately a third of female consumers intended to use this channel. There were, however, more women planning to visit DIY stores to look for Valentine's Day presents that year.
Twenty percent of women surveyed planned to DIY their Valentine's Day present, versus 12.4% of men.
For those looking to shop for their significant other, a stroll downtown can inspire several ideas for love day presents.
"We love showing our Brighton for men. We have handsome, beautifully tooled leather items in this line — belts, wallets, money clips, keychains, and cigar holders." said Bryn Smith, owner of Beautiquey and the Beast. "We have gorgeous scarves for men, dapper hats, silk ties, and many light-hearted novelty items.
Robert Rogoff, a jewelry specialist at Meigs Jewelry, recently put together a holiday lookbook featuring pieces from the shop. For his "date night look," Rogoff paired a rose gold-tone, stainless steel case Seiko watch with a bracelet from Roberto Demeglio, a yellow gold cross pendant from Gabriel & Co, and a William Henry Studio Clan Bracelet.
"The watch speaks for itself," said Rogoff about the look. "Such a statement piece, and when ever I have this on, I feel like I am on top of the world."
For men who prefer a more laid-back present, Smith suggested a Bloody Mary mixer by the brand Bentley's.
"It's unique. It's hot. It's delicious," she said. " It's made by the Bentley family in Texas. It starts with a barbecue sauce base. They create it in small batches. It's fabulous straight out of the bottle, mixed with your choice of liquor, or mixed with oil and vinegar to use as a dressing for steak salad. We use it to marinate meat, mix in meatloaf or meatballs, or add to soups."
Beautiquey also has a Sasquatch T-shirt unique to the store. Smith said the shirt is "a Tahlequah thing" and has a fun story behind it.
"Tahlequah native R.E. Glenn wrote a book recently, titled 'Bigfoot Comes To Town.' [Glenn's wife] Jennifer Stevens painted its delightful cover, featuring her rendition of Bigfoot in front of the Seminary building," she said.
Store Manager Diana Gordineer, Smith said, dubbed the creation "Tahlesquatch."
"We were granted permission to print the painting on T-shirts, selling and returning $10 back to the artist for each tee sold," said Smith.
