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There's just about one place in Bella Vista that sells Bella Vista merchan- dise: The Bella Vista Histor- ical Museum gift shop. Mugs and jigsaw puzzles, keychains and others with scenes from Bella Vista sit on shelves up for sale. Historical society mem - ber Jill Werner heads up the gift shop, which she said is her first retail endeavor. Since taking over the gift shop, Werner said she's been working to keep it stocked and find new items for the shelf. "It's been a real learning curve for me," she said. Werner said she tries to cover a healthy spectrum of Bella Vista merchandise. When she started running the shop, she said, there wasn't much worth buying. She's talked with other gift shop operators in other towns and learned from trial and error to build a stronger inventory, she said. Until somewhat recently, she said, there was no - where in town to get Bella Vista related goods, aside from a few golf related items. "That was kind of a nice little niche that we could fill," she said. Seeing what does and doesn't sell, she said, has been very interesting and jigsaw puzzles have been a surprise hit. Of those, she said, the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel has been a top seller. Vintage items, like old Wonderland Cave post - ers, have sold particularly well, but once they're gone they're gone. The shop, she said, has two significant benefits for the museum. "Not only does it bring people into the museum, often for the first time, it also provides revenue," Werner said. Two Bella Vistans, Jean and Jim Brunner, were in the shop picking up a Bella Vista post card and magnet for a friend who visited recently. "She looked everywhere, everywhere, for a thing that says Bella Vista" Jean Brun - ner said. Uniquely Bella Vista The Weekly Vista Wednesday, June 27, 2018 F 7C OFFERING AFFORDABLE PEST CONTROL SERVICES TO FIT YOUR NEEDS CALL TODAY! LICENSED BONDED INSURED 855-2352 Unique Businesses Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista The Bella Vista Historical Museum gift shop carries a variety of Bella Vista merchandise. Museum gift shop sells Bella Vista merchandise Keith Bryant kbryant@nwadg.com Lynn Atkins/The Weekly Vista Audrey's sells donated clothing and household goods to benefit women in crisis situa- tions and their children. Audrey's offers help and hope Lynn atKins latkins@nwadg.com Women's fashion, home decor and furniture are all available in one shop near Highland's Crossing. Shoppers can buy a dining room table and the china to set it, and as a bonus they can know they are helping someone in need. Audrey's Resale Boutique supports Audrey's Home of Hope, a nonprofit that helps young women and their children. Audrey's opened in 2015. Most of their merchandise is donated by members of the community. Some donations go directly to women in need, but others are sold in the shop as a fundraiser. With the exception of store manager Kristy Dan - na, most of the people who work at Audrey's are volun- teers. In fact, there are 22 volunteers on the books. Some may work only a few hours a week, others come in more often. It's a fun place to work, Danna said. "I love being there," she said, "There's a great cama - raderie with the communi- ty. There's a lot of laughter there." Danna also goes out in the community to share Audrey's mission and sometimes she works with other organization's like Oasis, a Bella Vista non - profit that provides a home for women with addiction issues and their children. As the store gets ready to change seasons — put away winter and roll out spring, for example — Danna invites the women with whom Oasis is working for an evening and lets them choose some clothes. "I never turn away some - one who is in need," she said. Meanwhile, the Board of Directors for Audrey's Home of Hope was reor- ganized last year and was working to clarify their mis- sion. At one point, the for- mer board had purchased land and drawn up plans for a shelter, but the board chairman, Ryan Hale said in December that plan might have been too ambitious. He promised a new plan to aid the same demographic was being developed. Meads enjoys finding 'nature's treasure' Keith Bryant kbryant@nwadg.com Down the backroads, out in the waterways of North- west Arkansas, wooden treasures are waiting to be discovered. Bella Vista resident Dustie Meads spends her time find- ing art among nature and puts it up for sale to make sure she has space to collect more. "I'm in the creeks and all the lakes digging it out all the time," she said. Meads said she was out filming and couldn't help noticing the beautiful, of - ten animal-esque shapes formed from wood in the water. Eventually, she said, she ended up bringing some home. She launched the busi - ness, Dustie's Ozark Drift- wood, after her husband, Ed, told her she had to sell some before looking for more. She took her wares to a craft fair, she said, and it went over well enough she's been selling ever since. She estimates one out of every 20 people is a fan of drift - wood, meaning if she has a big enough crowd to show her wares to she's got a cus- tomer base. Meads doesn't have a storefront, but she has been selling her wares at the Bella Vista Farmers Market. She can be contacted via her website, beautifulbellavista. com, or via Email at dustie@ dustie.com. While people have asked about snakes and other critters, Meads said she isn't especially worried. Water moccasins are a rare sight, she said, and the only one she's personally seen was in the rough on the Country Club golf course. The more common north - ern sater snake, she said, is nonvenomous. "I'm not afraid to be out there," Meads said. Dustie Meads said her business isn't paying the bills. She and her husband are retired, she said, and it's almost entirely a hobby — though the spending money is nice. "The only reason I sell it is so I can go hunt for more. It's like treasure hunting, this is nature's treasure," Meads said. Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista Dustie Meads holds up a piece of driftwood she col- lected and prepared to sell at the Bella Vista Farmers Market.