A couple of shoppers admire the preserved flower arrangements being sold at Jimi’s Art Explosion, during its opening weekend. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Holiday shoppers looking for a unique gift now have one more place to find handmade, quality items now at Jimi’s Art Explosion, located at 119 West German Street.

Organized by Shepherdstown resident Jimi Foltz, the shop features the wares of nine different small businesses in the area: Peace in the Valley Herb Farm, Tie Dyed Adventurez, Megan Webber Flowers, Studio Craft Leather, The Basket Man, Kaity Waybright’s art, Greg Attiah’s woodwork, Michael Spencer’s antiques and Tim Daly’s metal work.

“Last week, it was just me in here, and I did well then,” Foltz said. “Now, we’ve got so many other sellers that have moved their goods into this space. I’m trying to have something here for everyone.”

Foltz said the shop came to be in an unexpected way, as he only recently restarted his small business, Peace in the Valley Herb Farm, after moving away to live near his children in California for a number of years.

“Last year, I started growing flowers again and selling my work at my house,” Foltz said of his craft, which in the winter features dried flowers in wreath shapes and other interesting arrangements. “I had a huge inventory that I had made this year, without knowing where I was going to sell them. It was like magic, that this all came to be! Sometimes you do things on faith, and it works out okay.

A pair of Shepherdstown residents check out a sign advertising Jimi’s Art Explosion, during its opening weekend. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“Todd Cotgreave subleases this space. He just came up to me one day and said, ‘Man, your stuff looks beautiful. Would you like to put it in this store front, up until Christmas?'” Foltz said. “I said ‘yeah’ almost immediately — it was two weeks ago, so I didn’t have much time to think about it, if I wanted this to be open in time for the Christmas shopping season.”

Depending on how well the shop does, Foltz said he would be open to keeping it open even after Christmas, but for now, the plan is for it to be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Dec. 21.

“When you come in here and buy something, you are going to have something that nobody else has,” Foltz said. “That’s not something you can get at just the average store.”

Sharpsburg, Md. resident Megan Webber said she was pleased to be invited by Foltz to join the market, as it was the perfect solution to her question of what to do, when the weather was too messy for her to be standing outside at the Shepherdstown Farmers Market, selling her dried flowers, fairy houses, evergreen wreaths and swags.

“Just like Jimi, I have grown all of the flowers myself and have dried them all and arranged them. We both farm organically. But we have uniquely different artistic styles, which appeal to different people,” Webber said.

Jimi’s Art Explosion organizer Jimi Foltz explains the wheel of discounts available to shoppers at his shop, during its opening weekend. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

She plans to sell her holiday greenery at the farmers market when the weather is good, along with keeping her creations in stock at Jimi’s Art Explosion.

“There’s a little bit of everything here. It’s such a cool environment,” Webber said.

Shoppers step into Jimi’s Art Explosion, during its opening weekend. Photo by Tabitha Johnston