Two Glendora Village Shops Show the ‘Reason for the Season’

           Looking for religious gifts and books and Christmas decorations to share the “reason for the season”?

            Glendora Village offers a rarity in Southern California – two stores  offering beautiful, hard-to-find religious items, along with excellent customer service to help you find the perfect gift.

            Far Beyond Pearls (209 N. Glendora Ave., 626-335-2705):  

            “We serve all Christian faith communities and strive to exhibit the holy loving power and presence of God to all,” writes owner Kathy Marchetti in her store’s mission statement.  “Our shop is a celebration of the depth, breath and intrinsic beauty of Christian faith traditions worldwide.” 

             You’ll find gift items carved of Jerusalem marble and Holy Land olive wood (see the Nativity crèche at left), Russian Orthodox icons, jewelry, artworks and even Marchetti’s own beautiful photographs.

            Handmade decorative plaques from Haitian artisans are hand-hammered and chiseled out of metal from oil drums.  Another international hand-crafted gift line is the “Art of the Sacred” solid bronze crosses and plaques from Germany.

            Among the many U.S.-made gifts are hymnal pages for “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art” hand-carved in wood with music boxes that play the songs.  

            Bibles translated into more than a dozen languages – including Arabic, Hawaiian, German, Spanish, Navajo, Chinese, Japanese and others – are for sale. Books of all kinds – nonfiction and fiction – for all ages are available.  

            Photos on Far Beyond Pearl’s web site will give you plenty of ideas for Christmas gift ideas.  

            If Marchetti doesn’t have what you want, she’ll order it for you. For more information (and to get some gift ideas), give her a call at (626) 335-2705.

            Interfaith Religious Articles and Gifts (146 N. Glendora Ave. Suite 101, 626-857-3700);

            “Our purpose is to accommodate the colorful assortment of international doctrines in order to bring people together in a place where their beliefs, ideas, and traditions can be shared,” says the mission statement for Interfaith by its mother-daughter owners Mirella and Sandra Koury.

            Treasures – both religious and simply decorative – gleam on shelves and in sparkling display cases. One feels as if you’ve stepped into a beautiful Mediterranean courtyard – stone arches frame displays, water trickles soothingly from fountains, paintings capture faraway vistas.

            Many items are unique to Interfaith:                            

            Hand-painted icons created by Peter Koury, Mirella’s husband and Sandra’s father; The Summit Collection, masterworks such as “The Pieta” are replicated as figurines in museum-quality resins and bronze; The St. Benedict Collection of  crucifixes featuring religious medals honoring St. Benedict; The Luciana Collection of statuary and figurines hand-painted by European artists, as well as jewelry, crystal and many other items.  

            Be sure to view Interfaith’s web site photo gallery for Christmas gift ideas.

            Interfaith’s owners have another important mission: to provide books and pamphlets about the world’s religions free of charge to help inform store visitors.  

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Don't Forget to
Visit with Santa!
Santa Claus drops by the Village Plaza on Saturdays through Dec. 21, 5-7 p.m., to visit with children while parents take photos.

In Other Shopping News…

 

If you are a member of the Glendora Village Business Improvement District and have some news to share about your business – whether it’s about an upcoming sale, activity or promotion, a new employee or other updates – please send an email to GlendoraVillageNews@gmail.com.