Customizing and surprising:

Become an integral part of what you buy for a fun all-around event

By Melissa Tilley

In today’s competitive and creative society, many people find it no longer good enough to choose items from a selection of pre-prepared goods. Customizing is a sign of the times, and American shoppers are not shy to express that they know exactly what they want, and often it is not what is mass produced. As American retailers have taken note, so have Beaumont vendors who have built their business and products around the idea of giving us get exactly what we want.

This do-it-yourself idea also creates a fun activity to do alone or with friends while calling upon your creative side. Rather than running in for a quick purchase, you can plan a little more time and make it an entertaining event. The best part is that you get more than just a good time – you get a unique, personalized product for yourself or to share.

Customized items given as Christmas or other holiday gifts are a great idea because it shows that you put the thought, effort and time into creating a present that you know the recipient will enjoy.

While this is still a growing trend, Southeast Texas shoppers and retailers have jumped right in. From bath products and stuff for kids to wine, Southeast Texans are right on trend.

Centuries ago, women were grateful to have soap that smelled like anything other than animal fat, or to have lotion at all. We are so fortunate today that we can blend together our own scents to make soap, body washes, scrubs, lotion and more to our own specifications. The franchise bath product retailer Bath Junkie, located locally in Beaumont and Port Arthur, has capitalized on that desire that no woman wants to smell like the next and created a widely successful business.

At places like Bath Junkie, customers choose a scent or many to mix together and add to the bath product(s) of their choice, as well. The result is absolute one-of-a-kind, you-have-to-love-because-you-created-it products. The process of choosing and making the products is quite entertaining, from smelling and testing numerous scent oils to shopping around the fun-filled store.

Bath Junkie is located at 3050 Dowlen Road, Suite J in Beaumont, and 2828 Highway 365, Suite 700 in Nederland.

Another newly customizable local product is wine, courtesy of the new D’Vine Wine Winery. This boutique winery specializes in custom wines and will guide you through their on-site wine-making process. Catering to wine-lovers and newcomers alike, D’Vine Wine offers wine tastings daily for customers, and their vintners are available to share their immense knowledge. Personalization even extends to the custom-made label just for you. They also have a private event room and host wine-making parties.

D’Vine Wine could make an entire evening event for a group of friends or just an after work stop for a glass of wine and good conversation. D’Vine Wine Winery is located at 6755 Phelan, Suite 10 in Beaumont.

Another do-it-yourself idea that has caught on in Beaumont is the Main Dish Studio Kitchen, where you can make 12 meals to your family’s specifications from a pre-planned menu and provided ingredients. “Easy and fun,” is what the participants are saying about this innovative idea that gathers busy moms and wives for a two-hour preparation and then the joy of presenting a delicious meal on the table with minimal work later in the week.

We shared more about the Main Dish Studio Kitchen in a previous article on Beaumont Buzz. Read it here.

There are many other ideas for making customized products or gifts that involve the perfect opportunity for an entertaining afternoon or evening with family or friends. We’ll dig them out and share them with you right here at Beaumontbuzz.com.

**Please note that this article definitely does not describe, list or represent all customizable products and businesses in Southeast Texas. It is simply proposes an idea and a few examples.

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