The prime real estate on 32 Church St. that until last Spring was home to The Gifted Hand will soon open as  Terrazza Church Square, a gallery featuring artisan jewelry, distinctive gifts, and rare finds.  If that concept sounds familiar, it should.  That corner has cornered the market on fancy arts and crafts for over 40 years, and you’d be hard pressed to find a Wellesley-ite who hasn’t given or received a gift from that spot (or just plain recreationally shopped there).

There’s no doubt muscle memory is strong when it comes to shopping, so Terrazza will likely bask in the glow of location, location, location, especially around holiday time when shoppers who come to town but once a year find that although the old is out, the new may just be able to satisfy their needs.

While Terrazza Church Square is readying to open, we’ve still got the Clever Hand Gallery, an artisans’ cooperative located on Central St.  that is seemingly impervious to any up-and-down cycles of doing business in Wellesley.

The Gifted Hand has provided Wellesley with fine American arts and crafts for over 40 years, but is now selling off its inventory and closing shop at 32 Church St. The store saw a change in  ownership in 2008, when a former real estate professional named Georgie Hotchkiss took over the business after having worked there (see WellesleyWeston Magazine profile).

While The Gifted Hand closes, we’ve still got the Clever Hand Gallery, an artisans cooperative located on Central Street. In fact, The Clever Hand emailed patrons to let them know “We are sorry to learn that a local store with a similar name, The Gifted Hand, will be closing after many years in business in Wellesley. The Clever Hand is definitely not closing!”

You might also use The Gifted Hand’s shuttering as an excuse to traipse off to the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton on May 24 – 26 for your high-end arts needs.