Marisha Gifts

Down a small corridor and tucked between several shops at the Marketplace at Callingwood is a hidden gem — unique items from around the world adorn the shelves of Marisha Gifts, a one-of-a-kind shop selling gifts ranging from Russian dolls to hand-painted wooden décor.

Owner Marina Shiminov, who also goes by Marisha, opened the shop in 2015 after moving with her family from Israel to Edmonton two years prior. Seeking to open her own business, the mother of two began brainstorming as to what she could sell. After considering her experience in Canada, one thing stood out — whenever she tried to buy gifts for friends and family, she struggled. She had a hard time finding shops where she could find interesting items; and unlike in Israel, most of the Canadian stores she visited did not gift wrap items in-store.

“I come from a country where they do have those services, and the gift wrapping is included in the cost," says Marina. She said she missed the experience of purchasing an item with the "gift ready to give."