A Blue Moon Rises In Bethel

By Kaaren Valenta

BETHEL — Once in a Blue Moon you find a store so unusual that every visit is an adventure.

Blue Moon Gifts at 178 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel is just such a store, a tiny shop filled with eclectic gifts, collectibles, and home décor items.

 For owner Irma Baun, the shop was a natural extension of the import business she has operated for more than five years. She grew up in her family’s import business in Hong Kong, but had her mind set on a career in accounting when she came to the United States at the age of 17. Her degree, from Fairleigh Dickinson University, gave her the skills needed to operate her own business, a definite plus once she decided that working as an accountant wasn’t for her.

“It was boring,” she admitted. “So it was logical for me to decide to do something I liked. My family’s business imported everything from furniture to machinery. I had been going to trade shows for years. So I decided to specialize in a small area, and I was able to do it from my home, using the tools of modern technology – a computer, phone, and fax.”

She moved to Bethel from New Jersey three years ago, when her husband, T.J., a mechanical engineer, got a job in Danbury. One of the first things she noticed was that shopping often was a chore.

“I always had to go to the mall to shop, wait in line, and get no personal service,” she said. “I began to think that what was needed was a store that would offer unique items and personal service.”

Because she goes to 15 trade shows a year, finding what to sell in her store wasn’t difficult. But it wasn’t until last September that a good location opened on Greenwood Avenue.

“I saw the space and decided that the time was right,” she said.

Blue Moon Gifts is filled with an eclectic mix. “Metal is really hot in decorating right now,” Ms Baun, 31, said, pointing out a large praying mantis garden accessory made from wood and metal and holding a flower pot.

“I try to ride the wave. You have to anticipate what people are going to want, and always be bringing in new ideas to keep the store fresh,” she said. “Things have to be up to date – not the same old stuff. It’s easy for me. I feature just a small amount of what I handle in my import business.”

The shop offers items to fit every occasion and price range. There are hand-blown glass figures priced at $6 that make great gifts for teachers and 50-hour candles that come in a fancy box and are popular housewarming gifts, for $19.95. At the other end of the spectrum there is painted French country furniture, priced significantly less than usual market prices. A wooden painted child’s playset that includes a table, two chairs, and a step stool is just $119. 

“Because I am an importer, I can keep my prices low,” Ms Baun explained. 

There are hand-blown glass paperweights, bone china from eastern Europe, wine racks, candleholders and candles, imported hand-painted tiles mounted on cork that can be hung or used as trivets, wind chimes that produce unusual melodies, clocks, hand-blown glass goblets and serving pieces, tempered glass cutting boards that can be washed in a dishwasher, garden accessories, a table of unique gifts for Father’s Day, unusual greeting cards, and even framed oil on canvas prints.

One display features 100-year-old tin ceiling tiles from a mansion in upstate New York that have been hand-painted with flowers by a New York artist; these sell for $24.95. There are unusual nightlights made from porcelain by a California artist in a lithophane process invented in Europe in 1827.

Even the collectibles offered in the store are those that are difficult to find.

“I carry rare Betty Boop items, a lot of 2001 Dreamsicles, Dezine Fairies, the Cow Parade, miniature shoes – these have been around for a long time but people still ask for them – Tiffany-style lamps and sterling and pearl jewelry. It’s the look that counts,” Ms Baun said.

Blue Moon specializes in custom gift baskets, corporate gifts, wedding themes, and special orders.

“Someone can stop in here on the lunch hour and pick out items that we can put together in a gift basket that makes a very attractive, unique gift,” Ms Baun said.

Blue Moon gifts is open seven days a week: Monday through Wednesday, 10 am to 5:30 pm; Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, noon to 5 pm. Call 798-6717 for more information.