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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1987)
1 m J5 S& ~ Cb ^ ^ ^ - tJr 'W/r ;/M «3ar X. * lhp ^S if# \*!‘ ^&kA Hu Y \3Sr — - ^Ssa «>' -A 1 ^* y?-l i^’ «w ^^L-' 1-of-a-kind presents hide in crannies, nooks By Chris McCubbin Staff Reporter One of the indisputable belief its of going to college in Lincoln is that you have access to Christmas gifts that can not be found back home at the Wal-Mart, or even while “bringing all your Christmas needs to the many friendly merchants of downtown Aurora,” as the TV ads say. Unique gifts can be found in the city, many are in shops that arc close to campus and they can be found even in a student’s narrow price range. College towns tend to be stock ing stuffer heaven. There’s some myste rious clement in the post-adolescent psyche that creates an inescapable need to buy and display as many comical but otherwise pointless knick-knacks as humanly possible. Lincoln merchants are aware of this phenomena and take full advantage of it. Although Dirt Cheap Records and Gifts, 217 N. 11th, has declined since its glory days as Lincoln’s premier counter-cultural boutique, the store still carries some truly outre items. Of particular interest is a selection of outrageous costume jewelry guaran teed to send any would-be mctal-head or any valley girl’s younger siblings into Nirvana. •Gold-colorcatcarringsby Laurel Busch - $25.00 • Silver-color, heart-shaped bird pin - $17.00 • Art nouveau style pin; green enamel on black and gold - $6.00 • Silver-color safety-pin bracelet - $19.95 • Gold-color safety-pin earrings; square - $14.95 • Art nouuvcau-style gold li/ard with rhinestones - $20 • “Fossil” brand watches - $40 to $50 The local crown for the most comprehensive collection of trendy, expensive junk probably goes to the Nebraska Bookstore, 1300 Q St. This year the Nebraska Bookstore is fea turing one of the Midwest’s more notable collections of dinosaur para phernalia. • Inflatable dinosaur in a Santa suit - $4.95 • Dinosaur magnets in red, blue, yellow and green - $1.95 • “Dino Soap.” Soap shaped like an egg with a plastic prehistoric ani +*£**£• • r mal, such as a saber-toothed tiger, in the middle - $4.95 • Plastic “just hatching” dinosaurs that squirt water - $2.50 • Dinosaur-topped pens - $1.75 • Opaque white dinosaur with a light inside - $47.95 In addition to fully living up to its name in the greeting card department, AvantCard, 1325 0 St., stocks small toys of the wind-up-hopper and scary-plastic-bug variety. The store also stocks inflatable jungle and cir cus animals. • Lifesizc, inflatable Reagan bust - $19.98 • Yellow, stuffed Triccratop dino saur - $32.95 • “Is it Voodoo?” red cloth dolls - $4.95 All the above businesses sell a selection of interesting T-shirts, but • JMC it* ^ Lincoln’s most unusual T-shirts can probably be found at Cosmic Comics at East Park Plaza. Cosmic also offers a huge selection of cartoon books that will delight any sibling from the sublitcrate to the precocious little know-it-all. Class is a characteristic not nor mally associated with the knick knack market, but there’s class a plenty at the Sheldon Art Gallery gift shop, where you can find today those frightfully interesting little innova tions that will be filling the shelves of other gift shops next Christmas. Of course class costs, but prices at the Sheldon range from a few dollars in to the triple digits. • Handcrafted porcelain and cloth doll with porcelain mask - $95 • Handcrafted porcelain and cloth doll with frog face - $140 See GIFTS on 11. Tacky or tasty, they're gifts from the Heartland ' By Scott Harrah Night News Editor Those looking for the unusual Christmas gift may want to pur chase something that’s uniquely Nebraskan. Several Lincoln merchants have Nebraska items that make great Christmas gifts. Bill Cummins, a buyer for Nebraska Bookstore, 13(X) Q, said the shop slocks a variety of generic Nebraska items such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, glasses and key chains. “Go Big Red” boxershorts were one of last season’s big sell ers, he said. Although Nebraska lost to Oklahoma, Comhusker items arc still in demand. “Just about everything with Nebraska on it is selling well,” he said. Some of the items available at the Nebraska Bookstore are: • Men of Nebraska, Women of Nebraska calendars for 1988 - $7.95 • Nebraska T-shirts, like “Ne braska Crossing,” - $7.75 and up • A Nebraska windbreaker, red and grey - $65 • White sweatshirt with “Ne braska” in right-hand corner - $36.95 • Herbie the Husker stuffed doll -$19.95 • Stuffed bears wearing “Ne braska” or “go Big Red” sweaters -$11.95. • Kit to needlepoint Herbie the Husker-$18.95 • White toilet paper with red “Go Big Red” lettering - $3.95 Vil Rizijc, a co-owner of The Big Red Shop, 242 N. 12th, said this Christmas season’s most popular item is a red Nebraska phone. The phone, regularly priced at $19.95, is on sale for $15.95 through the holiday season. said. “Wc get a lot of orders from out-of-state. There’s alot of Big Red fans all over the country.” Kim Bichlmcier, a clerk at the UNL Dairy Store on East Campus, said Nebraska cheeses have be come a tradition at Christmas. Cornhuskcr blankets for $22.95 arc also selling well, he said. The shop also sells a variety of Nebraska novelties. “We sell alot of phones, Christ mas stocking stuffers and Ne braska license plate holders,” he *4? The store makes and sells the following types of cheeses: Husker, Husker Jalapcno, Husker Caraway, sharp cheddar and smoked cheddar. A variety of cheese gift pack ages are available. A one pound gift pack sells for $4.99. The larg est gift pack, six pounds, sells for $21.00. Mail order prices arc slightly higher, ranging from $6.99 for the one pound pack to $24.50 for the six pound pack. “The cheeses arc known,” Bi chlmcicr said. “People have come for several years to buy them.” The Nebraska Games and Parks Commission will send out gift subscriptions of “Nebraskaland” magazine. With the subscription comes the special January edition of the magazine, which this year will feature Nebraska wild game recipes. A calendar full of scenes of Nebraska with subscription. Local bookstores, like the Ne braska Bookstore and University Bookstore, have books written by Nebraska authors, such as Willa Cathcr and Mari Sandoz and poet Ted Kooser. * JL v jA “COME LET OS ADORE HIM” W 0 <«$ Patty's Shop ^jf;Centrum Plaza - Ground Level 477-8014 • *.—g—■■ ’—nr ■■ ■ """t ■ ■ A Monday-Friday 10-9 Saturday 10-5:30 Sunday 12-5 Stocking Stuffers This holiday season, stuff their stockings with the gift of style. Give a gift certificate from Command Performance Styling Salons -they’re redeemable for any of our services. Free consultation with every visit 20% OFF gift certificates through Dec. 24th Command# Performance STYLING SALONS We've got the style for you. Centrum 2nd level Gateway North 474-0281467-3625 -\ I<§RMELKORN« I XT ^Tl SHOPPE I - f Great Gifts in Good Taste | $5-$10-$l5-$20 range 1 _Oronqg Uuliu^ | Kodak & Fuji fj FILM SALE i OUR COST IS YOUR COST g ON COLOR PRINT FILM g THE BEST PHOTOFINISHING SINCE 1946 | 1 HOUR PHOTOS | CENTRUM PLAZA i! 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