Bibi's Gift Shop marks first year as Dunbar's destination for unique finds
A Dunbar gift shop inspired by family trips is nearing its one-year anniversary.
Bibi’s Gift Shop opened in November on the Friday after Thanksgiving. With more than 2,000 items, it boasts a selection of home decor and seasonal crafts not found anywhere else for miles.
Owner Bobbi Saylor said it all started from shopping trips with her sisters — Barb Jordan, Vicki Farrell and Patty Peshko — and support from her husband, Joe.
The siblings would travel to spots in Ohio like Lancaster and Mt. Hope. It was their annual adventure to catch up with one another, shop and have fun.
“We’ve always did just a weekend trip, just the girls, out to the different places and we always liked it,” Saylor said. “We started it a good while ago. We try to do it at least once a year because we don’t see each other very often. … There’s probably about 50 shops or more, and we just hit them all.”
Saylor said she brought Joe to some of those same shops, and he suggested creating such a business in Dunbar.
“He was like, ‘Wow. We should do something like this in our area,’ ” Saylor said. “There is nothing in this area (with) what we sell. It was pretty much his idea, and I was all on board.”
The couple celebrates their 16-year anniversary in October.
Bobbi Saylor’s six grandchildren call her Bibi, which is how the store got its name.
Building a dream
The Saylors found a dilapidated bungalow a few years ago along University Drive in the township between Connellsville and Uniontown.
Large pine trees and other vegetation were reclaiming the land. The roof had fallen in and no one had lived there for at least a decade.
Joe Saylor, who builds houses for a living, saw it as a future destination spot for families throughout the Tri-State Area.
“He helped me see what it was going to be, and we went from there,” said Bobbi Saylor, who also works as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Laurel Ridge Realty. “We redid it ourselves. We gutted it. We added on to it. … Probably anybody that would have bought it would have torn it down and built over it, but we didn’t. We made it into something.”
The couple got to work in the winter of 2023, spending countless hours transforming the two-bedroom ranch house into an 1,800-square-foot retail shop.
Both Saylors said the experience brought them closer as a couple.
“I believe if we (were) in a different area, we could have did one of the best TV shows you ever saw,” Joe Saylor said. “We really feed off of each other really well. I don’t mean to brag, but I don’t care if you drive 100 miles in any direction. You will not see what we did here. It looks very high-end, but our pricing is get it out the door.”
Shop layout
The shop’s first floor has six rooms.
One room is dedicated to kitchenware. Another has all things baby from books to Warmies, weighted lavender-infused microwave-safe stuffed animals that families can heat up.
A third room features soaps, lotions, cloths and other items for the bathroom. A fourth has candles from least five brands including two local crafters, as well as flowers. The fifth is dedicated to pets while the largest room by the main entrance has jewelry, purses, scarves mixed with home décor.
The second floor has Christmas items year-round. Popular Christmas items at Bibi’s Gifts are the snowmen, Santa Clauses and nutcrackers.
There is a large selection of items made by the Amish in Lancaster such as lanterns, realistic flowers and woodworking to snacks like jellies and popcorn.
Joe Saylor said his favorite item in the shop is the Warmies. Bobbi Saylor said her favorite thing is “everything.”
Bibi’s Gift Shop also sells high-quality products from popular makers including purses by Patricia Nash, fragrances by Spiral Candle Company, kitchenware by Mud Pie and customizable serving dishes by Nora Fleming.
There is a wide variety of Halloween-themed items on display, including a clock made from a witch’s hat, animals dressed up as ghosts and mummies trick-or-treating and skeleton snow globes.
The store will transition to Thanksgiving and Christmas themes starting Oct. 31.
Christmas Open House
One way the Saylors plan to celebrate the holidays and one year in business is with a three-day open house event Nov. 14-16.
The two big rooms on each side of the stairs at the main entrance will be turned into a winter wonderland. The family is working on special sales for the occasion.
Meeting new customers helps keep that grand opening feeling.
“I still get excited every single day we come here,” Bobbi Saylor said. “It’s just a great feeling knowing people come in and they love the shop. They say how nice it is and how reasonable the prices are and love unique items.”
Bibi’s Gift Shop: 1116 University Dr., Dunbar, 724-415-7237, facebook.com/bibisgiftsfb. Hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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