Small Business Saturday: a Sampling of Marlborough's Unique Shops

Marlborough has plenty of national brand stores, and of course a centralized shopping place in the Solomon Pond Mall. But what if you enjoy finding unusual or unique items? Or maybe you want to get to know the people behind the merchandise, the owners of the shops who select their products and can help you personally with a purchase or a service?

Small businesses in Marlborough will open their doors Saturday in a national promotion as part of Small Business Saturday. In the spirit of "shopping small," we asked some of our readers on Facebook where they shop independently in Marlborough, and here were some of the suggestions:

Engraveables, 190 Main St., Marlborough. One of our readers on Marlborough Patch put it simply: Don't shop at the mall. "Get quality engraving at an affordable price. Lou will take care of you!" The shop includes a large showroom and options for engraving from pens and pencils to name tags and acrylic embeds.

Charmed, 461 South St., Marlborough. Charmed is packed with unusual, unique items and specializes in the metaphysical and spiritual. The former tanning salon has been completely rehabbed into a series of specialty rooms, devoted to fairies, angels, vampires, and other themes. The shop hosts a medium once a month, and also offers individual readings and Pranic and Reiki healing. Co-owner Tara Hinckley described part of the regional appeal of her shop: "Similar to Salem without the Salem price tag." For Small Business Saturday, Charmed will be open from noon to 7 p.m., and will feature $20 Psychic Readings; $25 for 30 minutes of Reiki or Pranic healing sessions and select merchandise at 30 to 75 percent off.

Vin Bin, 91 Main St., Marlborough. Do you enjoy wine, cheese, craft beer and chocolate? Of course, right? Well, Vin Bin is the place for all of that. The shop is in a former fire station on Main Street, and includes a small cafe for eat-in lunches. The shop also sells crackers, honeys, specialty peanuts and other items, and creates gift baskets on-site. On Small Business Saturday, Vin Bin will have wine tastings from 2 to 6 p.m. and will feature some jewelry and crafts vendors.

Post Road Art Center, 1 Boston Post Road East, Marlborough. This is a large arts and crafts supply store that offers a whole lot more. It features local artwork for display and sale and handmade items. The current sales include discounts on canvases, clay, acrylic painting sets and pastel sets. Glass balls, handblown, are 20 percent off, too. A review, posted on Patch in 2011 said: "Great place to find local artist works! I love the jewelry they carry."

The Coffee Loft, 406 Lincoln St., Marlborough. Yes, we have Starbucks, and plenty of Dunkin Donuts. But for an independent coffee shop, Patch readers suggest Coffee Loft. The shop sells coffee from Jim's Organic Coffees, and tea from Adagio Full Leaf Teas. The Coffee Loft has poetry readings on Thursday nights and features local musicians on Saturday and Sunday nights.