The best things about our local businesses is the unique items they offer. Some specialize in clothing, or jewelry, but others carry wide assortment of gifts that fit every taste. Caravan in Ann Arbor falls into the latter group.
This Ann Abor staple has a treasure trove of gifts and goods from around the world which you can now shop for from the comfort of your home. Father and daughter team Tim and Bailey Ahles joined Tati Amare live from their shop to talk about their store and their updated website.
Caravan Gift Shop has been family owned since 1927. Located in the Nickol’s Arcade in downtown Ann Arbor, the store has weathered many storms from the Great Depression to World War II. Now, like many small businesses, they are facing obstacles set by the global pandemic. In response, they have put most of their items on their website for online shopping.
Bailey describes the store as eclectic and diverse like the City of Ann Arbor itself. “We are like the Ann Arbor Art Fair,” she says, because they offer a good mix of items, from glassware to jewelry. Tim says their gifts come from all over the world including Germany, Russia, and Italy, but lately they have been focusing on American-made products, including items from Michigan artists.
Take a look at some of their many items in the video above.
To learn more about businesses like the Caravan Gift Shop, and everything happening in the Ann Arbor area, visit The All About Ann Arbor website, which is made possible by our sponsors Wallside Windows, Concordia University in Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor Spark.