Lou Lou Beans is a small gift shop on South Ferdon Boulevard in Crestview, put together the way a good shop should be: by hand, one find at a time.

The idea has always been simple. Keep the shop full of things you can't get at a big-box store, price them so a gift doesn't have to be an occasion, and lay it out so that looking around is half the fun. Regulars tend to describe a visit as an adventure rather than an errand, which is about the best compliment a shop like this can get.

We shop for the whole town — the friend with the birthday, the teacher at the end of the year, the dad who says he doesn't want anything. Seasonal stock arrives ahead of each holiday, and everyday favorites stay on the shelf year-round.

If you've never been in, park out front and give yourself twenty minutes. Most people need more.