On Centre — Local services in Boston

Under any normal circumstances, these folks are fantastic. I absolutely love this store. It is one of my favorite go-to spots for gifts -- not just for others.

These are not normal circumstances, though. I'm approaching a milestone birthday (never mind which one) and in this time of pandemic and quarantine, I was finding myself in need of a pick-me-up. Of course, nothing is open. But, Courtney and Phil offered to FaceTime walk me through the store and show me what was available. Courtney even modeled jewelry for me so I could get a better sense of size and placement. They really went so above and beyond for me and made this weird birthday a little bit special....

Nice things that are unfortunately overpriced. Don't buy anything you're unsure about because their return policy-(which they expect you to notice posted on an inconspicuous wrinkled and dirty paper behind their computer monitor)- is that you can only return for store credit. At least train your cashiers to mention it when they have a customer with a big purchase, right? With that being said, now I can't get my money back because they're too lazy to have a refund process, and I need a better and more customer centered place to shop at in...

On Centre is my new Copley Flair. Ever since the CFs closed, I was panicked about where to go to find cute, unique, and quirky gifts for friends and acquaintances. Lost no more! I live in JP and stop by OC at least once a month to scout out gifts for upcoming bdays and such. Some of the prices are a bit high, but other things are a steal. Also, the customer service is great. They don't harass you while you're going around the store, but they are happy to answer any questions you have.

Also, I LOVE the Jamaica Plain shirt I got...