Shopping: MY FAVORITE THINGS

Gifts are Deanna Bender’s love language.

She loves giving them. She loves curating them. And now with the opening of her own gift shop, My Favorite Things, in downtown Madison, Bender loves helping others speak her language.

Bender has always dreamt of opening her own gift shop and with her last child graduating high school in May, the stay-at-home Mom felt a new project was just what she needed.

“The idea has always been kind of back there in my mind, but I never thought I would actually get to do it. I really think it was a God thing in a lot of different ways,” Bender said. “It just all fell together, and the space opened up and I just jumped right in.”

The space, 204 Main Street, used to be a part of Noble Passage Interiors. Bender worked for Nobel Passage owner Deborah McDaniel. After working for the shop awhile, she told McDaniel that if she ever wished to downsize that she would be interested in leasing one of the buildings.

“We made the agreement when she was ready, and she let me do my thing over here. It’s a sweet space and the store itself was turnkey,” Bender said. “It’s a fun little street. I didn’t come to Madison much before working here, but I like the uniqueness of this area and this space.”

When it came to purchasing inventory, Bender used her gift-giving thought process which is based on a one-stop shop.

“When I buy gifts, I usually hop from here to here to here. I wanted a place where I could curate a gift for anybody,” Bender said. “I want my customers to be able to find everything for everybody in one place.”

Bender describes My Favorite Things as Anthropologie if it were a gift shop–a shop full of unusual, “cutesy” items. She acquired inspiration from gift shops she visited in places like Savannah, Georgia and London to establish a unique vibe. That vibe, including fun music, vibrant colors and eye-grabbing inventory, hits customers as soon as they cross the threshold of the business. Bender, along with family and friends, assemble a sample of all the puzzles sold in the shop, frame them and use them as wall decor, adding to the eclectic ambiance.

Naming the store was easy for Bender. She simply envisioned brown paper packages tied up in string, hence the Sound of Music namesake.

“I thought it would be clever. And it is literally a collection of everything that I’ve found to be my favorites,” Bender said.

Choosing only her favorite things made stocking the gift shop a breeze for Bender. She says she started by finding her favorite products online, including things she loves to give. She also attends markets where she looks for merchandise that she would like to own herself.

“I trust my instincts when I buy. If I love it, then I’m going to have it available in the store,” Bender said. “I love to talk about my products when customers come in. I kind of gush. But it’s not fake. It’s because I own it, I use it and I love it. And I can tell you a million reasons why I do.”

The felted mice Bender carried in the store during the holiday season is a prime example of that instinctual purchasing. She saw them and felt she needed them. And customers loved them.

“The mice and the wooden ducks that are in the store now are things I just felt I needed,” Bender said. “And they really show the mix of eclectic things that I would put in my home and things that I would give to others.”

Bender is always willing to help customers find the perfect gift. She begins by asking questions about personality and hobbies, extracting as much information as she can in order to point her customers in the right direction.

“I keep on hand the types of gifts that are not too personal, like my go-to lotion candles,” Bender said. “And I have certain products like my geometry towels that anyone would love. I also offer foodie things so for those who know foodies, we can create a cute foodie gift.”

One thing Bender ensures to promote is the “sunshine gift.” The idea is to spread positivity through all things yellow.

“I love a sunshine gift. I usually send one to my sister when she is having a hard time,” Bender said.” I’ll pack up a box of everything yellow–a yellow dish towel, yellow scrubby soap, a little yellow candle. So, I have a collection of yellow things in the store that’s fun to have as a pick-me-up gift.”

Having opened in September 2024, Bender says Madison has embraced her store, definitely making her want to stick it out on Main Street even though she is a Huntsville resident. She has participated in all the downtown Madison events like the Madison Street Festival, Pink Friday and the Madison Wassail Festival.

“I love the community. I love this street. It’s just a neat little space where people like to bring their families out,” Bender said. “I already have a lot of regular customers. They tell me their stories, and although I may not remember their names, I remember their faces.”

As her business progresses, Bender hopes to add more to her gift shop by utilizing the storefront. She is currently in talks with a local lady to start selling her fresh flowers out front of My Favorite Things and a donut truck is not out of the question. She has also offered Sip and Shop events so customers who are not normally off during the weekend day hours have time to visit and shop and as a way to allow customers to sample some of the food items she has in inventory.

“I love to do things like this. It coordinates with my whole idea of just coming into the store and getting everything you want,” Bender said.

Despite her success, there is not a day that goes by that Bender doesn’t pinch herself that she actually has her own gift shop. Although she had career retail experience, she says owning her own business has required plenty of learning. But that is what excites her.

“I’ve learned so much, and it’s been fascinating, the learning part. And I’m still learning, and I like that part,” Bender said. “I still wake up and I walk in and go ‘oh, it’s mine.’”

For more details about My Favorite Things, go to www.favoritethingsal.com.