Mike and Laureen Blakemore were delighted to hear from Eden Stuart, with Virginia Living magazine that their store, Uncommonly Gifted, had been voted among the Best Gift Shops in Southwest Virginia by readers of Virginia Living Magazine.
Uncommonly Gifted opened on Nov. 2, 2013, and is located at 208 S. Main St., in downtown Blacksburg.
Mike and Laureen Blakemore moved to Blacksburg from Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, in 1996. They fell in love with the town during a visit in 1995 and have been here ever since. Laureen works as director of Downtown Blacksburg, Inc. and became interested in opening a gift shop business to complement the other stores in the downtown area. Uncommonly Gifted is truly a family owned and operated business staffed entirely by the Blakemores, their children and Laureen’s parents.
Uncommonly Gifted offers a wide range of quality gifts, novelty items and cards for all occasions, and some quirky British themed items including Solar powered Queen Elizabeth and her corgi figures, Dr. Who and Monty Python merchandise as well as some wonderful British greeting cards. The store also boasts a supply of "Blacksburg is for Lovers" items with a delightful, unique design.
Laureen became aware of the Best of Virginia Readers Survey in January and asked the store’s Facebook friends to vote for the store.
“I thought it would be fun to get customers thinking about what our store means to the community. I never expected to place, we’ve only been open for a few months after all! We are extremely grateful to everyone who voted for us!” she said.
Uncommonly Gifted’s information will be published in the Best of Virginia 2014 special issue in early May, at which time it will be announced if the store placed first, second or third.
Submitted by Laureen Blakemore
