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Business & Tech

The Going Rate: Last Minute Christmas Gifts

So you waited until the last minute to buy that perfect gift for the person who has everything and you're stumped. Don't panic! We have the answer to your shopping dilemma and you don't have to leave the island.

There is always one person on that Christmas list that is left to the last minute, whether it's that crazy tea-loving aunt, a grandchild with a penchant for rocketry or the dad who has everything. Here are some places on Mercer Island to buy the perfect present for that hard-to-please person.

at 2703 76th Ave SE has 23 different kinds of truffles to choose from all handcrafted and ready for the chocoholic in your life. Boxes of 12 truffles are $18.50, and 24 truffles gift boxed will run you $36. If your sweetie's sweet tooth runs to other delights, Oh! Chocolate has peppermint shortbread bites for $6.95, chocolate covered Oreos, espresso beans and malt balls starting at $5.95, and their own brand of hot cocoa mix in a packet for $12.95. Oh! Chocolate is a multi-generational store, run by the children and grandchildren of the late Carl Krautheim, who founded the store 40 years ago on Mercer Island with his wife, Gertie. Oh! Chocolate will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Christmas Eve. Visit their web site at http://www.ohchocolate.com/ or call 206-232-4974 for more information.

has a truly eclectic collection of gift items, from beeswax candles for $10-$18.50 to lotions, handmade hats for $107, large bars of deliciously-scented natural French soap for $7.25, teacups converted to charming lamps for $38 and teapots for $18.50 each. Finders also carries Market Spice teas, made in Seattle for $7 per box. There are plenty of baby and children's games, clothing and books on offer as well. Hours are Sunday through Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Christmas Eve, Friday Dec. 24 the store will stay open until 6 p.m. or later, depending on customer influx. Call 206-236-1110 for more information.

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will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Dec. 23, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 24 to accommodate your last-minute list. More than just a bookstore, Island Books has a number of spiffy gift items, among them a teapot gift basket with a teapot, tea and a cup, plus a book on tea for $32, shiny retro reading glasses for $19.95 for the myopic baby boomer on your list, and Watermark Bindery handmade journals for $27 each. There are Seattle-made Theo Chocolate bars and bon-bons from $4-$10. If you're shopping for children, there's a grand array of puzzles for 14-95-$17.95, a baking soda rocket kit or an ice cream making kit for $20 each and Uglidolls, those inexplicably soft alien toys, for $20 each. For those who celebrate Boxing Day, Island Books will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 26. Call 206-232-6920 for more information.

is open from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. Monday through Friday, Christmas Eve, with an enticing selection of clothing, boots, jewelry, scarves, belts, gloves and other accessories. Prices run from $25 on up to hundreds. During the month of December, Tatters owner Michele Tessler will give 10 percent of her profit to Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, which, according to MIYFS director Cindy Goodwin, "Amounts to a nice chunk of change…(Michele) is very community-minded, and spreads goodwill throughout Mercer Island." Call 206-232-8055 for more information.

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Procrastinators, take heart; if you're desperate on Christmas Day, Mercer Island is open from 8 a.m. to midnight every day including Christmas Eve, and they're open Christmas Day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to weary manager Kevin Magsombol, "We never close."  Fortunately, Walgreens also carries a wide variety of reasonably priced gifts, from Paluzzi Moscato D'Asti Italian wine for $9.99 a bottle to huge 1.5 liter bottles of German Sonnenbrand Riesling for $12.99-$9.99 for the family oenophile to boxed cologne/body wash/deodorant gift sets for both men and women for $9.99, the popular "gravity-defying" Fushigi ball for $19.99 and a portable DVD/digital TV set for the man who has everything at $159.99. For those seeking good fortune in the New Year, Walgreens has a sizable display of lucky bamboo in a variety of stylish pots for $9.99-$19.99.

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