It’s time for that other holiday tradition: After-Christmas sales.

At Red Barn Mercantile, we’re marking every holiday item half off while supplies last. If you’ve had your eye on a dazzling ornament, a soft hand-stitched star, Christmas towel or children’s book, then hurry in before they disappear like Santa up the chimney. 

You can view a sampling of our Christmas items in the Seasonal section of our site, but you’ll need to visit the store to see our full selection of decorations, ornaments and other festive items. We’ll be open during normal business hours this weekend and next week, but closed New Year’s Day.

Welcome CyberMonday shoppers! To help you out with your holiday purchases, we are offering you a special 10 percent off today only.

To receive your discount, enter the coupon code cybermonday at check out. This offer is good today only and only applies to online orders, so don’t delay.

Need help with your gift purchases? See our Holiday Gift Ideas. And if you still can’t make up your mind, purchase a Red Barn Mercantile Gift Certificate, good online and in-person.

For me there are few gifts as personal and enriching as the gift of books. A well written story or a collection of beautiful photographs transports me to another time and place. It’s a chance to relax, an opportunity to escape. And when I give books I want them to remind the recipient of a good time we shared or of a warm memory they shared with me.

We’ve added several gift-worthy books to our online collection and you will find many more in our store, including classic children’s books. Here are just a few of my favorites that I thought you might enjoy — or enjoy giving — as well:

• The Coast of Maine, $17.95, photographer Carl E. Heilman captures Maine’s famous sandy beaches, tree-covered mountains, tidepools brimming with life, historic lighthouses and more.
• The 10 Best of Everything, $19.95, a very cool travel book with top 10 lists in dozens of categories by veteran travelers Nathaniel and Andrew Lande.
• Cape Cod, $35, a newly republished and illustrated edition of Henry David Thoreau’s 1865 classic about 19th century life on the Cape.
• Bob Dylan Lyrics, 1962-2001, $45, truly the ideal gift for any Dylan fan or classic rock aficionado. This hardback contains lyrics, vintage photos, album art and copies of handwritten lyrics.
• Scenes From the City: Filmmaking in New York, $49.95, from Annie Hall, Taxi Driver, Law & Order, no other city has starred in as many movies and TV series as New York. If you love New York, or the movies that called it home, you’ll love this book.
• Style and Substance: The Best of ELLE DÉCOR, $45, if you like ELLE DÉCOR, you will love this book. It takes a closer look at hundreds of rooms that were once featured in the magazine. Tres chic.
• The Blackberry Farm Cookbook, $60, this sumptuous cookbook offers a collection of more than 100 recipes that are as inspired by the traditional rustic cooking of the mountainous South as they are by a fresh, contemporary sensibility.
• Katharine Hepburn: A Life in Pictures, $45, captures this Hollywood giant from her early years in the studio system, through the famed Spencer Tracy period to her later career. A star; a fashion icon; and the quintessential class act.

And, in honor of Cyber Monday all purchases made today will receive 10 percent discount. At checkout, enter the coupon code cybermonday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am so very thankful so many of you have chosen to shop at Red Barn Mercantile for your home and holidays. The kids are still asleep, and the holiday craziness is still a few hours away, so I thought I would take a moment to offer some more gift ideas.

One of my favorite holiday memories — and one I am passing on to my children — is waking up on Thanksgiving Day, snuggling up on the couch and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Dan will make breakfast as the kids and I snuggle under our giant comfy quilt downstairs. My son has recently become a fan of Spiderman, so I know he’ll love the giant Spiderman balloon, and my daughter has worn out the Peanuts Thanksgiving video — she’s sleeping with Snoopy tucked under her arm right now. So she’ll squeal when the Peanuts characters float by. And they’ll both impatiently watch the entire parade waiting for you know who to make his first TV appearance of the year.

I’m sure you have similar Thanksgiving memories, or remember cuddling up with your favorite duvet or quilt. If you want to relive those moments everyday, or want to pass along the comfort of quality bedding, then I would suggest our new designs by John Robshaw. Each duvet, quilt and coverlet is prewashed and rewashed for extra softness. The prints are cool and colorful. And once you feel the 300 thread count percale cotton sheets you’ll want to wrap yourself up in them too. So without further ado, today’s gift list includes:

• Samode Pink Duvet cover, $425 for king; $365 for queen; and $300 for twin.  
• Lotus Sams, $90 for king; $75 for standard.
• Lotus Quilt, $375 for king; $350 for queen; and $300 for twin.
• Periwinkle Quilt, $375 for king; $350 for queen; and $300 for twin.
• Primrose Bolster Pillow (with insert), $246.
• Blossom Pillow (with insert), $100

Also included in the photo above is the ecru Pinwheel quilt by Mateo, $495. It isn’t available online but you can order it by phone at 703-838-0355 or buy it in person at the store.

We won’t be open today, I’ve got snuggling and cooking to do, but we will be open tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. And don’t forget our Black Friday 10 percent discount — buy from one Old Town Boutique District store and your receipt will get you 10 percent off your total purchase at any other participating store. For a complete list of stores, and more information, visit the Old Town Boutique District Web site.

Looking forward to seeing you all this Holiday season.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Take care,

Amy

From now through the holidays we will periodically offer a collection of gift ideas. Check back often or subscribe to our e-mail updates for new ideas. This week, we’re featuring items for your holiday soirees, including:

• Ivory White Christmas Wreath with glass bulbs, $52.
• Sol Cerveza Tumblers, $10.25 each.
• The Ultimate Bar Book, by Mittie Helmich, $19.95.
• Red Stripe Tumblers, $10.25 each.
• Horn bowls, large – $45; small – $20. 
• Brass Ball Bottle Opener, $24.
• Peterson’s Holiday Helper, by Valerie Peterson, $16.25

These and other gift ideas can be found in our Gifts section.

If you are still stumped on what to buy, consider a Red Barn Mercantile Gift Certificate, which are good online and in-person.

Please join us from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 5, for the unveiling of our holiday décor and gift offerings. This is our second annual Holiday Open House and we can’t wait to show you all the wonderful things we’ve collected to make your holidays brighter and more enjoyable.

This year’s open house will feature four themed trees, including a fun and funky hand-made found-object tree. There’s also our Arctic tree, kids tree and the Scandinavian tree. Plus, we have a great collection of vintage ornaments and world ornaments, which include Bavarian dancers, fortune cookies, Eifel Tower globes, American flag ornaments and more.

The first 100 guests will receive a free ornament from this year’s collection. And cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Stroll the aisles, chat and see all the new gift merchandise, such as vintage Hungarian grain sack oversized towels, more from Fishs Eddy and a large assortment of great new gift books.