The clever window boxes on the storefront are your first clue that this is a really cool shop.

And once you’re inside, you’ll see the happy result of the merger of Erika Soule’s two Wiscasset shops – Smitten and Rock, Paper, Scissors. (Both have been mentioned on this blog.)

She has recently, and artfully, combined her two charming shops into one, and kept the Rock, Paper, Scissors name.

Young and old, can double their pleasure now by checking out all the design treats filling her shelves.

Which makes it the perfect place to find perfect gifts.

Those quirky things not usually found on the main streets of Maine’s small towns. She has an especially nice selection of Japanese goods. (But Abby is not for sale.)

Rock, Paper, Scissors is much more than a children’s game. The following from Wikipedia illustrates how the game has been used to make million dollar decisions.

“When Takashi Hashiyama, CEO of a Japanese television equipment manufacturer, decided to auction off the collection of impressionist paintings owned by his corporation, including works by Cézanne, Picasso, and van Gogh, he contacted two leading U.S. auction houses, Christie’s International and Sotheby’s Holdings, seeking their proposals on how they would bring the collection to the market as well as how they would maximize the profits from the sale. Both firms made elaborate proposals, but neither was persuasive enough to get Hashiyama’s business. Unwilling to split up the collection into separate auctions, Hashiyama asked the firms to decide between themselves who would hold the auction, which included Cézanne’s “Large Trees Under the Jas de Bouffan”, worth $12–16 million.

The houses were unable to reach a decision. Hashiyama told the two firms to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who would get the rights to the auction, explaining that “it probably looks strange to others, but I believe this is the best way to decide between two things which are equally good”.

The auction houses had a weekend to come up with a choice of move. Christie’s went to the 11-year-old twin daughters of an employee, who suggested “scissors” because “Everybody expects you to choose ‘rock’.” Sotheby’s said that they treated it as a game of chance and had no particular strategy for the game, but went with “paper”.

Christie’s won the match, with millions of dollars of commission for the auction house.”

Wonder if Erika used it to make her decision of how to merge the two shops. And you might even find it helpful in deciding what to get at this wonderful shop.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, 68 Main Street, PO Box 120, Wiscasset, ME 04578, 207-882-9930.

Housewares, stationery, greeting cards, gifts, toys, artwork, home furnishings, jewelry, decorative items, glassware, tabletop, art supplies, bags, books.

So what if Florida has the Super Bowl! We have  our own national sports spectacle – - The National Toboggan Championships, held at the Camden Snow Bowl, February 5-7, 2010!

A mix between Carnival or Mardi Gras, and the Winter Olympics, this event is an example of what happens in Maine when the temperatures get lower and the days get shorter. Winter alters our brain cells and fun breaks out.

If you haven’t been before, here’s your chance. The best part is that anyone can enter!

Here is a link to previous crazy years.

Santa’s finally on his way to Maine. It’s only a matter of a few hours now, and after such a long trip, he’s going to need some nourishment. Be sure to leave him a snack.

Track his progress at the NORAD website.

Merry Christmas!