The Depot, in Midland Park, New Jersey is a Treasure Trove of Fabulous Gifts

There is a small town not far from Ridgewood , N.J. This is Midland Park. Midland Park ahas a lovely antique center and right around thecorner from that is The Depot. The Depot is a wonderful , well stocked emporium of the most unusual hand crafted items and fabulous gifts imaginable. The store is in a Victorian house so there are many rooms to explore. Each room is stocked with beautiful things. All the profits from the sales go to support Children's Aide and Family Services so when you purchase something there you are not only getting a gift but giving one. The staff are all volunteer.Many of them have been there for years. I've been shopping there and selling my crafts there for years and have come to know many of the staff on a first name basis. The staff will be happy to walk you around and be your personal shopper.

You can park your car in the rear. As you walk in there are usually some pretty seasonal items by the front door. RIght now there are antique painted sleds out side. They will do custom sleds as well. Once inside you will see a jewelry area in the far right corner. A lot of beaded necklaces and bracelets are there, made with love by crafters. I make the beaded book marks, some other women make thier versions of book marks. There are glass ornaments in silver frames, some very unusual crochet like necklace/scarf items made with trellis thread, and some wonderful pins. If you know someone who wants to be wearing something different this is a great place to look. Near that area is china that is often hand painted. In the center of this entry room there is a huge display of interesting Santas since it's the Holidays. The Depot also carries small items of furniture that are hand painted by some very talented artisans. The opposite wall and the wall across from that is bedecked with every kind of ornament for Christmas. The Snowman corner is there as well, some made out of fleece, some out of stiffened canvas, all very appealing.

Look up and you will see wreathes hanging from the rafters. Behind the register are wonderful hand painted slate items and water colors originals. Any hand crafted item that is brought in for sale has to be juried. In other words, looked at and approved by the main staff to make sure it meets with their standards. Items although hand crafted have to be very professional . Their items are more artisan made than crafty little things. This isn't church bazaar stuff it's more collectible looking.

Moving into the next room you see the doll charolers, and interesting entertainment pieces for your Holiday table. To the left is the card area, to the right is afghans, books, pretty signs and more entertainment items. Tucked in this are is a tiny clearance section. There are two more rooms beyond that. They have garden items, birdhouses , teacup birdfeeders, statuary and a room with the latest .

They often carry very nice hand made quilts.One room is devoted to Vera Bradley's line of hand bags, eyeglass cases, and the like. So though the store has quite a bit of items by artisans they also carry some nice high end items for sale as well. They have some beautiful lamps with odd shades, lovely linenes for the table, interesting looking serving pieces. They have very pretty serving pieces and butter knives with beaded handles.

Upstairs you will find all the items geared to babies and young children, painted table and chair sets, blankets that they will custom monogram, hand knit hats, mittens, blankets and sweaters, adorable stuffed dolls, framed pictures, small games, hand painted pictures that will incorporate the child's name and animals and other items made with love.

They take credit cards, do some wrapping and they do have after Holiday sales.

So,if you want to avoid the Holiday crowds at the Malls this is a wonderful place to shop. In general ,all year round and for all the other holidays The Depot is a find. You won't walk out of there empty handed.