Enjoy festive finds at Bermuda’s ‘best furniture store’

Big Savings Zone won this year’s Best of Bermuda Award for ‘Best Furniture Store’ but it is also a treasure trove of Christmas gift ideas.

From candles and diffusers to Christmas decorations, it’s worth taking a trip to Southside to see what this company has in store.

If you’re looking to brighten up your Christmas tree, Big Savings Zone has some beautiful ornaments to give it that extra sparkle.

Grotto

Peacocks, tropical fish, stars and exotic birds range from $5-12 in price, and you can also pick up boxes of colourful baubles and crackers.

The furniture store has created a special Santa’s grotto to house all its festive decorations, and this includes singing Santas, penguins and chipmunks for sale.

You can also buy pretty Christmas stockings, wreaths and sprays, festive tablecloths and placemats.

Dried floral and reed arrangements in winter colours can boost your Christmas décor, along with pots and candles.

Elizabeth Mayne is the co-owner of Big Savings Zone along with her husband Alan.

Mrs Mayne said: “We’ve been here for 12 years and sell mainly furniture and bedding, but over the past three years we’ve started doing accessories, such as drapes, sheets and pillows.

“In the past two years we’ve also started bringing in Christmas accessories, oil burners and candles.

“This year we decided to bring in more specialty-themed decorations and we built the little Santa house in the corner of the store, to house all the decorations.”

Just alongside the grotto you can find some practical but cute gifts for children. Aroma Bears and Friends are wax animals and teddy bears which exude a gentle fragrance once a hairdryer is blown over them gently — ideal for a nursery or child’s bedroom.

There are also nightlights in the shape of novelty cars and vehicles, for a child’s bedside table ($35-45).

The store also sells ‘fire pots’, which can be placed on a patio or indoor table.

Mrs Mayne said the pots work by placing ‘fire gel’ inside them which burns for up to three hours.

“They are really nice and make an attractive addition to your patio or indoor table,” she said.

The pots range from $55-100 in price and each comes with a pot of ‘fire gel’. This is also available to buy separately at $10 per pot.

If you are looking for a unique gift for someone, Ashleigh and Burwood oil burners can make an attractive addition to any home.

Mrs Mayne said: “Unlike candles which burn down, you put oil in the burners, fill them halfway and then light the wick. Let it burn for a few minutes and then blow the flame out and place the ‘crown’ over the top.

“The aroma permeates the room and lasts for a long time. I can light one of these oil burners in the store at 9am on a Saturday and it will burn right through until 4pm.

“The oil burners are made from handblown glass and are very popular gifts — they sell very well.”

The oil burners come in a variety of styles and designs, at different prices to suit most budgets.

A crystal oil burner in a presentation box costs $200, or if you want to treat someone special, the store also has limited edition Swarovski Crystal ‘The King’ and ‘The Queen’ styles, created to mark the Diamond Jubilee year of Queen Elizabeth II ($150 each).

The Cascade of Colour pastel collection costs between $115-125. And you can also buy lamp fragrance and oil burner gift sets for $80.

There are 14 fragrances to choose from in the oils, ranging from Green Apple to Sandalwood, Fresh Linen to Oriental Spice.

The oil lamps range from $60-200 in price and matching plates cost $10.

Big Savings Zone also has stylish candle holders for the floor, walls and ceiling of your home, whether hurricane lamps or a medley or small votives. You can also find a chandelier for candles, priced $275.

For the person who appreciates art, Big Savings Zone also sells Mediterranean-style oil paintings and other artwork, including metal work and stylish centrepieces.

Big Savings Zone, 16 Wallers Point Road, Southside, St David’s. Tel. 297-4440.