Shopping Spotlight: Gift-ology

by Bella Mazzilli | photography by Angelina Aragon

Parag and Rupa Shah have owned shops around the Valley for more than two decades, but Scottsdale’s Gift-ology has been the one to stick. The couple began with jewelry stores in 2002 but now sells everything from home decor to handbags since opening Gift-ology in 2016. 

“We were just bit with the retail bug. It’s in our blood,” Parag Shah says. “We love working with people and assisting people in finding their gifts.”

Gift-ology mostly stocks national brands, with a few locally themed products in the mix, including an Arizona-shaped bamboo cutting/serving board perfect for dinner parties, and cactus-themed semi-precious gemstone bracelets by T. Jazelle. Shah says the latter is Gift-ology’s “most popular item, and is very meaningful and powerful.”

The Shahs curate their shop’s selection carefully, with intentional gift-giving in mind. For products to make the cut, they must be representative of Arizona’s rich culture or thoughtfully made with the customer in mind – like colorful, eco-friendly Geometry kitchen towels for every personality, another best seller.

“Luckily, we have so many options,” Shah says. “Even if the gift giver doesn’t know too much about the recipient, [we can] help them present the perfect gift.”

Gift-ology
16495 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale
480-878-4192, giftologyaz.com

Fashion Notes: Homeland

Ty LodgePole says it’s a beautiful time to be an Indigenous person. It’s this pride that led LodgePole, 29, to create Homeland, a Phoenix- and Navajo Nation-based fashion brand that stems from his childhood and familial interest in film, music and other media. “My mood board is where I come from, which is the Navajo Nation,” LodgePole says. His lived experience informs every piece of Homeland’s collections, including the “Protect Your Spirit” tank top, which displays a silver heart-shaped charm with the aforementioned phrase on it. Other items include graphic tees with the mantra, “Homeland Forever.” LodgePole says he and his design team attempt to “have some sort of intention and purpose behind every project we do… that just comes from just being that good representation of the communities that we come from.” homelandforever.com

– Bella Mazzilli