LIttle Cricket Gift Gallery in Maple Ridge | MyMapleRidge.ca

Ahh… Little Cricket Gift Gallery. It’s one of my new favourite stores, although the store itself is far from new. This year, Little Cricket and store owner Ron Kalmakoff celebrate ten years in Maple Ridge.

Recently I’ve been blessed with a Christmas gift and Valentines gift from this one-of-a-kind store that focuses solely on Canadian artisan products, seventy five percent of those products being from British Columbia.

The store carries a whole spectrum of what is artisan and crafty, as well as original art and photography. From wonderful handcrafted jewellery (my recent gifts) to pottery, glass, art cards, jams… the list goes on.

Ron and the store staff carefully source and scout products with their current customers in mind. This isn’t the typical gift store, these products have artistic value. “This is not stuff ” the store owner Ron explains, “it is functional art”.

And this is more than a store, it truly is a gallery: a place to visit and admire the wonderful creations of talented people in the province and country. A place to unwind, relax and maybe buy something beautiful.

There is more to Little Cricket Gift Gallery. With two thriving locations and much acclaim in the industry, the Gallery is a true success story. Ron, originally a corporate guy, decided to give it all up and follow a dream to be an independent business owner. He was familiar with the artisan industry- in the 80′s he worked at a craft and handmade items store on Robson, where he developed an interest in local art. His background and his passion have contributed to the success of the store, but ultimately the customers return not only for beautiful products but for outstanding service.

The outstanding service at Little Cricket is the kind of old fashioned service where the shop owner knows your name, and knows what you like. If your a new customer, then Ron and his staff make an effort to get to know you. Ron is the kind of guy who treats everyone like the most important customer, including the artists who consign at the stores. Relationships have been a key ingredient to the success of Little Cricket, and this store owner will testify that a good reputation in business is of utmost importance

Ron, who still works shifts at his store twice a week, is proud of his amazing staff who understand his approach. It’s this wonderful staff that have freed Ron to pursue his passion for music and return to his music career after a ten year break to develop Little Cricket. Last summer he recorded his seventh album, for which he wrote 6 of the songs. His latest venture into the music business a singer songwriter has given him an even deeper respect for artists of today, and their struggles with shyness and self-promotion.