Mark’s Score 9.5
When it comes to shopping during holidays, frankly I generally just don’t do it. Why do I need to buy some tchotchke made in China, while on a beach holiday? Once I buy it; what am I going to do with it? So, I have a couple of rules when shopping during a holiday, 1) the item must be made locally, 2) I have to need it for something practical, and 3) after meeting criteria one or two it should be unique.
Which brings me to Beach Memories in Berlin. Michele Krempa is the lead designer and owner of Beach Memories. Michele got her start as a glass jewelry designer in Ocean City, where she developed a technique to make sand encased glass beads (much more difficult to do than it sounds). Since those early days in Ocean City she has expanded her business to include a variety of glass products all handcrafted by artisans she has personally trained.
In addition to jewelry her artisans make drinking glasses, bowls, decanters, vases, sculpture, mosaics, nightlights, and Christmas ornaments. One really cool thing about her shop is that many of the items are made right in the shop itself.
I have to admit that I have always had a fascination with blown glass artwork. I am in awe of an artisan’s ability to take a molten lump of glass (soda, limestone, and sand), and turn it into a tree-dimensional work of art. The fact that glass is made of sand explains why making sand-filled beads is so difficult. You have to encase the sand in molten glass without accidently converting the inner sand to glass.
I visited this shop a few weeks ago while I was in Berlin doing some early Christmas shopping. It is a tradition in our household that we buy a single Christmas ornament to be placed in our Christmas stockings. The rule is that the ornament must be unique, evocative of a specific location, and preferably handmade. In short, Beach Memories fits the criteria. I would tell you what I bought, but it is still well before Christmas, and I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise. Let us just leave it at this, you can go and buy cheap generic Christmas ornaments at Walmart, or you can fill your tree with genuine works of art, all the while supporting local artists and the local economy. The choice is yours. But I will tell you this, every year when I decorate our Christmas tree it is like taking a walk down memory lane. Our entire life’s journey together unfolds with each bulb placed on the tree.
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