Students may be able to find Christmas gifts while still in Kent this holiday season by just going downtown and visiting a few stores. (?? THIS IS A DUH LEAD…WHAT CAN THEY FIND? YOUR LEAD IS BURIED.)

Everything from ninja Band-Aids to Pac Man potholders can be found at Off the Wagon Toys, and this year’s biggest selling items are zombie items and Uglydolls, said employee Angela Delbrocco.

“Our store is known for being for the young at heart,” she added.

The store also carries a “good selection of stuffed animals,” and games, and employees will order games for customers if they are not in the store. Another service offered is gift-wrapping at the store, which goes on year round. AP STYLE YEAR ‘ROUND

“We have so many different things in this store that there’s not just one thing that we see people buying,” Delbrocco added.NEED THE STORE ADDRESS…AT THE CORNER OF ACORN ALLEY AND MAIN STREET.

DOWN MAIN STREET AT …. And everything from winter apparel to unique perfumes can be found at Silver & Scents, where owner Laurie Gumbiner has, “Alpaca products handpicked from Peru.” WHY IS THAT IN QUOTES???

Gumbiner’s winter apparel consists of hats, socks, gloves, mittens, glittens, scarves and ponchos all made from Alpaca and alpaca-blend material. She also carries woven Alpaca backpacks with original Inca designs.

Gumbiner’s stocking stuffers include sterling silver jewelry, polished rocks and unique scents that customers can blend from her selection of over 400 different scents at her Blend-a-scent station.

Overall, Silver & Scents is a, “very earthy, organic, naturalistic shop reflecting natural products of the earth and indigenous cultures.” SAID???

For those planning to cook during the holidays, organic food products can be found easily ACROSS MAIN STREET A FEW DOORS DOWN FROM THE KENT STAGE AND ACROSS FROM ACORN ALLEY —– at the Kent Natural Foods co-op.

Tofurkey roast, gluten-free brownies and natural dinner rolls are just some of the organic holiday dinner options for customers this time of year.

And among shelves of fruits, vegetables and organic oats and rice are also hidden Christmas gifts. Cotton scarves, natural cosmetics and organic chocolate bars can be used for stocking stuffers.

Co-owner Elizabeth Ryan said these items, especially the scarves, are popular holiday items with customers. ALL MEMBERS ARE OWNERS…THERE ARE NO CO-OWNERS…IT’S A CO-OP…

“People do give them as gifts, and they’re organic cotton, so they’re nice,” she said.

Customers can also find cloth gift-wrap at the store to ensure that even the gift-giving process remains natural.

And after a long day of shopping, customers can head to The Arctic Squirrel BACK IN ACORN ALLEY for some seasonal ice cream flavors. These flavors include: Brandy Cherry Cheesecake, Ron’s Rum Raisin, Peppermint Patty, Maple Walnut, Pistachio Nut and Pumpkin.

Co-owner Michelle Hartman said the store also has ice cream pies, spiced hot cider, peppermint bark candy and cranberry turtles for customers this time of year.

“We would love to have people come in and try all the different ice creams and maybe some of the pies,” Hartman added.

WOW, I guess you didn’t get back to these – there are probably 10 other stores that could have been and should have been listed if you were going to get this story printed. Did I miss a sidebar with others? While this is a good start, without addresses and mentions of other major stores, it’s not a story likely to see the light of day, Suzi.