Those who are overwhelmed by holiday shopping or enjoy finding a one-of-a-kind item for that special person may want to check out Unique Boutique this season.

Unique Boutique, located at the Peru Mall through December, offers handmade treasures from over 25 local vendors. Some of their current offerings include tie blankets and pillows, sublimation tumblers, glass tumblers, earrings, home décor, lamps, table runners, baskets, coloring book carrying cases, bags, backpacks, candles, crochet items, doll and goose clothes, signs, decorative bricks, flavored mustard, jams, hot cocoa bombs, car freshies, woodworking, and jewelry.

“I wanted to make my store cute, warm, and inviting,” said owner and founder Sammie Sarosinski. “We try to make it easy for people to shop who don’t know what they’re looking for.”

Sarosinski said she incorporates all of the handmade items and displays them throughout the store, grouped together to give people ideas on several gifting options. She thinks that may be what sets her apart from other shops, because her store looks and feels like an actual boutique, but with 98 percent handmade items. This combination makes everything unique and special, she said.

“I don’t know how I’ve figured out to make stuff people like, but they do,” Sarosinski said. “It probably has to do with my past retail experience and helping people find things they want. I do enjoy it. You meet some really cool people. If you would’ve asked me 17 years ago if this is where I’d be, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Nearly 20 years ago, Sarosinski was working retail at a store in the Peru Mall. She thrived on the chaos that holiday shoppers can sometimes bring, but also enjoyed spending her weekends shopping at local vendor markets, where her love for crafting took off.

“When my daughter was in preschool, she wanted a tutu,” Sarosinski said. “My friend and I went to a vendor show, and they wanted $45 for them. I was a young mom and couldn’t afford $45 for something she’d play in once and never use again. We thought we could make this cheaper and we did.”

A roll of tulle and elastic later, a tutu was created and a dream was born. That first year Sarosinski made tutus in every color and created hair bows to go with them. She started out at Burgoo and has since added several surrounding craft and vendor shows to her repertoire throughout the spring and summer months.

With so much success and connections made at area vendor shows, the Unique Boutique opened nearly 7 years ago in the Peru Mall. With items curated from some of the best crafters and makers in the Illinois Valley, there is sure to be something for everyone.

“We have such a variety of products, and we also have a variety of ages of our vendors. We have as young as 7 through almost 80 years old,” co-owner Cathy Sarosinski said.

“I think it’s cool to have so many people say their daughter is in high school, but she wore your bows when she was little, and now we’ve gifted them to our friend’s little girls,” Sarosinski said.