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Gift Ideas
If you're traveling abroad and meeting with clients or guests you've met through IVC or on your own, we have some tips and recommendations for gifts to give them.
#1. If you're traveling to an Asian country on business, take more gifts than you thought you'd need. In fact, double it.
#2. No matter where you're going, buy something made in the U.S. Better yet, buy something that was made in Philadelphia or Pennsylvania. My favorite places are the art schools where items in their gift shops are made by Philadelphia students.
- Moore College of Art & Design - The Art Shop
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art
- University of the Arts
- Lagos, on Walnut between 17th and 18th, has great cuff-links that make nice gifts for men. And they're made in Philadelphia, even though it has the name of an African city.
- AIA Bookstore, 1218 Arch Street (nice LOVE statues are $75)
- Fabric Workshop, next door to AIA Bookstore, 1222 Arch Street - has beautiful gifts, from bags to scarves.
- Tiffany's is recognized as an American company, although they're all over the world. Their silver key chains and silver pens make great gifts, as do their business cases in red, white, pink and Tiffany's blue ($65). Do check to make sure they don't say "Germany" on them, as some of the pens do.
- FYE, at Broad and Chestnut sell CDs of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The CDs make a GREAT gift.
- Scarlett Alley, in Old City at 241 Race Street, has great gifts made in the U.S., as well as some where they donate a portion of the sale to a local non-profit the at helps Philadelphia kids get a better education.
- For more modest, yet still nice gifts, try some of Philadelphia's gift shops where you can buy small Liberty Bells, Philadelphia baseball caps, ties, American history books, LOVE statues, colorful pencils and lots of other interesting items. In alphabetic order the shops are:
- Betsy Ross House, Arch between 2nd and 3rd
- Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market
- Lights of Liberty, 6th and Chestnut
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Coffee table picture books of the U.S. and/or Philadelphia make nice gifts, too, and can be purchased at local book stores.
#3. Before buying, check to see where it was made. As mentioned above, some of Tiffany's gifts have "Germany" written on them, and even a former art student from an art school may have had their work manufactured in Italy. Ask before buying.
If you're still puzzling over what to give or where to get it, give me a call at 215-683-0997.
Citizen diplomacy engages citizens in international relations. Meeting counterparts and experiencing everyday American life provides an authentic & more accurate view of the "real" U.S.
