Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Tj till you Drop ia’s 5 Points offers many shopping ities for the holiday season BY CAITLIN COKER THE GAMECOCK It’s that time of year again. Christmas themed movies hit theaters and stores bulk up their aisles with green and red plastic trash, ushering in hordes of holiday shop pers who are searching for a gift for their Nana or tacky decorations. Some people might feel like a tool of con sumerism, wasting their money on items that the receiver does not really need — and all for the benefit of those blood-suck ing corporations that take advantage of our holidays. But some people might just want to find something special that more uniquely declares their sentiment for an other person. Either way, shopping at local vendors serves both types of people. By shopping at the independently owned shops in Five Points, people are able to put their hard earned moolah back into the community while perusing a plethora of unique gifts. Melissa Tucker, a first-year religious studies student, is a holiday shopper who hopes to escape such trappings of corpo ratism — and maybe even find a few pri mo gifts for her family and friends. “There is no variety in corporate stores anymore. Variety in locally owned stores is broader, and you get better quality be cause it is not mass-produced,” Tucker said. Furthermore, business ethics drive Tucker away from dominating chains like Wal-Mart and into the loving embrace of smaller stores. “It pisses me off that giant corporations take all the business and offer blase, ho mogenous products,” Tucker adds. Ambling down Greene Street, Tucker first came across Papa Jazz. When she en tered, the massive number and variety of LPs, CDs and tapes blew her away. “Hey! They have the Doo Hop Legacy’s ‘Rappin’ is Fundamental’ for only $3!” Tucker exclaimed. As their Web site says, Papa Jazz defi nitely has the “rarest, coolest stuff around.” Its new CDs range from $7.95 to $11.95, and its used CDs cost between $4 and $8. Plus, they carry “rare funk/R&B, hip-hop, punk/indie rock, progressive rock, classic rock, reggae and pretty much anything you might be looking for. ” Next, Tucker perused one of the con signment shops on Saluda Street. Legacies and Labels for Less offers discount cloth ing from $5, along with jewelry and other miscellaneous items. Angel McCray, one of the shopkeepers, enlightened Tucker on the origins of the merchandise. “Most of the jewelry and clothing come from department stores, and then we mark them down,” McCray said. She next visited Gibson’s on Saluda. Initially, the kitschy craft displays and greeting card aisles frightened her, but the beaded purses lured her inside. “I really like these funky purses,” Tucker said. “And they have Christmas or naments. You can never go wrong with giv ing grandmothers these things.” Walking down Saluda Street, Tucker spotted a striped train conductor’s hat in the window of Revente, a consignment clothing and accessories shop. Revente is more upscale and expensive compared to Legacies and Labels. Its prices are gener ally $15 and up. ♦ SHOPPING, SEEPAGE 11 : am * PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK Marley Smith, a first-year sports management student, looks through clothes at Luna's in Five Points. LSAT higher r test scores ™ guaranteed » or your money back nuci iu cm i^uiicu v/iaoaco ui 11 iar\c up ocooiui io, uuiii^icic cm scheduled tests, and do your homework. If your score doesn't improve on test day from your Kaplan diagnostic or a prior official test score, you can choose to repeat our program for free or get a full refund of your tuition?* It’s that simple. MCAT classes: 1/10,1/24 FEB LSAT classes: 1/4,1/10 World Leader in Test Prep GRE & GMAT starts in Jan! and Admissions •Test names are registered trademarks of thetr respective owners. ^B | V | V 1' ^B **To be eligible for this offer, you must be enrolled in Kaplan's full classroom, tutoring, or online courses. In addition, you must 1 ~800~KAP~TEST present a copy of your official score report . and your course materials within 90 days, kaptest.com