BURNT HILLS — “My mother has always been a crafter and it has long been her dream to open her own store,” said 32-year-old Paul Clink, co-owner of Make It Count Gifts. The mother-son team, which has been selling their wares at local craft fairs for several years, will be opening their new storefront at 813 Saratoga Road in Burnt Hills on Saturday, March 3.
“We specialize in hand-crafted items,” said Clink. “We want to support local, small businesses and are looking to have about two dozen local crafters sell their products in our store. ”
Make It Count Gifts will feature local woodcrafting, jewelry, handmade greeting cards and more in their new space. Warmed by two original fireplaces, the old brick cottage on Saratoga Road will ultimately house the retail shop as well as a crafting classroom in the basement, complete with a kiln Clink has been using at his home.
“We do a lot of ceramics ourselves,” said Clink. “And we’ll be teaching ceramics classes.” While he works with a variety of mediums, Clink said ceramics is his favorite. “Turning them into your own creation,” he said. “Painting them and making them come to life.”
“We want to make it easier for people to shop more locally,” said Clink. “We try to establish a reasonable cost for our crafters, as well as our customers who want to buy that unique gift.”
Crafters who are interested in working with the Clinks, whether it be at their new store or out-of-house, are encouraged to call the mother-son duo. Anyone interested in buying local is encouraged to do the same. They can be reached at (518) 451-0569, or at their storefront after it opens.
“It was a dream of my mother’s,” said Clink. “So I said, ‘Let’s do it, then.’”