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For the last six years, CGR Farmhouse owner Laura Regentz has turned her store into a wall-to-wall Christmas Wonderland, with gifts for every taste, including ornaments, food products, snowglobes, decorations and all the trappings of the season. This year, she has had the chance to do the same with her new store at 535 San Benito St, in the heart of Hollister.
Regentz opened CGR Farmhouse Downtown on April 17 to coincide with the start of the Hollister Downtown Association’s Farmers’ Market, bringing the highlights of her ever-changing inventory nearer to her city-bound customers.
“Quite a few people told me they wished I was closer,” she said. “They say it would be much more convenient to shop if we moved downtown so they could pick up quick gifts during their lunch hours.”
As with her original location, Regentz has stocked her store with a wide variety of gift items, gourmet foods, drink mixes, clothing, kitchen novelties, decorative items and more. She rotates the inventory, changing in tune with the seasons and holidays like the 4th of July and Valentine’s Day.
“It’s been a bit of a process trying to juggle between two stores,” she said. “But I remember what our downtown was like in the 80s and 90s with all the cute stores. I thought, ‘We can try it and see what happens.’”
Regentz said the variety of gift items and the price points are similar at both locations, though the Farmhouse, known as the “Red House” for its distinctive bright red exterior, carries products with a more rustic and vintage feel.
“We still try to have a little bit of that rustic charm,” she said, “But we have certain things that are only downtown, just to give it a little bit of a difference, like more lotions and soaps.”
Mary Avidano, who has worked in both locations, said many customers come in for hostess gifts, kitchen items and custom-made baskets filled with food products.
“They like the charcuterie boards with little knives,” she said, “or things like the jelly or drink sets, especially the Bloody Mary and Lemon Drop. And we sell a lot of towels. It’s kind of crazy how many kitchen towels we sell!”
Avidano said she enjoys helping customers find the perfect gift for someone, which she is more than happy to wrap. She particularly likes to see the response of first-time customers as they walk in the door.
“There’s just so much Christmas,” she said. “Anything and everything, hands down, Christmas. People are blown away from the moment they arrive.”
One standout in both stores is the Americana Christmas Tree, decorated with ornaments and decorations that symbolize the Armed Forces and other critical community services.
“It’s very popular around here,” Avidano said, “because everybody appreciates the ones who serve us. We try to have everything from the Marines to the Navy to the Army to the Air Force to our First Responders on there. I love what it stands for.”
Regentz said that the little store has received a very good response from customers since it opened, but she thinks her regulars are most excited at Christmastime.
“I have people tell me they put their trees up on November 1st,” she said. “They say they just can’t wait to decorate and come by and find more things to add to their collections. We try to give you that warm feeling that will bring you back to being a child again.”
CGR Farmhouse (Red House)
5890 San Felipe Rd., Hollister
(831) 801-1462
CGR Farmhouse Downtown
535 San Benito St., Hollister
(831) 297-7070
Hours through Christmas:
Sunday – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (40% off Christmas decor)
Monday – 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. (50% off Christmas decor)
Tuesday (Christmas Eve) – 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. (50% off Christmas decor)
Wednesday (Christmas) – Closed
Note: nora fleming items are excluded from discounts
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