Two Shops, One Family, Countless Memories

The mother-daughter shops that turn the Square into a hometown North Pole

4:29 p.m. Dec. 2, 2025

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

winkle lights brighten Lynchburg Square before the sun sets in December, but the real warmth comes from two neighboring shops that feel more like homes: Jackie’s Gift Gallery and Lynchburg Gifts & More. These stores have become a hometown North Pole, built on patience, personal stories, and a mother-daughter bond that has shaped Christmas in Moore County for over twenty years.

A Shop Born from a Dream

At Jackie’s Gift Gallery, the old Bar-B-Que Caboose Café has replaced the smell of smoked meats with candles, pine, and fresh ribbon. Jackie Stubblefield didn’t plan to create a downtown landmark. Years ago, while traveling with her husband Mike for his job, she would visit boutiques, notice what they sold, and think, I could do something like this one day.

That day arrived when the couple came home and found the empty restaurant on the Square, with the pizza oven still outside, available to lease. They agreed to rent it for “just a year” to see how it would go. Soon, the experiment became ownership, and Jackie’s Gift Gallery became a permanent part of downtown.

Christmas in Every Corner

More than 20 years later, Christmas fills every corner of the shop. Jackie chooses items she loves, like bold tin signs, whimsical décor, and nostalgic pieces that bring back memories. Her instincts come from years of visiting Atlanta markets and working with sales reps who know what shoppers want.

She has one simple rule: If something doesn’t sell in a reasonable time, she marks it down, moves it out, and brings in something new. This keeps the shop fresh but still true to Jackie’s style.

Signs, Stories, and Small Memories

Jackie’s walls are layered with story. Vintage tin signs trace her lifelong love of bold graphics – a passion that began as a child on long family road trips, sparked by the famous Coppertone billboard along the highway.

One favorite display features Sinclair station artwork, a quiet tribute to the gas station where her father-in-law once worked nights to provide for his young family. For customers, these pieces become more than decorations – they are conversation starters, nostalgic links between past and present, and perfect gifts for those who value sentiment as much as style.

Coming Home for the Holidays

Just across the Square sits Lynchburg Gifts & More, where Jackie’s daughter, Michelle Stubblefield, turned her own homecoming into a holiday tradition.

Michelle opened the store in October 2007 after moving back from Nashville. Her son, Aidan, was born the next spring, and the shop has grown with him, now celebrating its 18th Christmas season. The store started as an extension of Jackie’s business but soon developed its own warm, friendly, and personal style. It has become a favorite spot for locals and visitors looking for gifts that feel custom-made for their loved ones.

A Tree Full of Lynchburg

In December, ornaments become the main attraction. Michelle quickly learned that custom ornaments bring in shoppers from nearby counties. These are people who prefer something meaningful and close to home instead of big-city malls.

Each season, she refreshes her selection so longtime customers never worry about buying the same ornament twice. Families return year after year, adding new pieces to collections that grow into living timelines – marriages, new babies, first Christmases, graduations, and hobbies hanging side-by-side on branches.

Personalized Traditions

The personalization counter is where the true heart of Michelle’s shop beats. There, she hand-paints names, dates, and short messages directly onto ornaments while customers watch, customizing each piece “however they need them.”

As the paint dries, conversations start. Shoppers share the stories behind their purchases, talking about who the ornament is for, why it matters, and what memory it will hold. One loyal customer comes every year to buy ornaments for her grandchildren’s activities, saving them so each child can one day “decorate their tree with their life,” knowing the tradition began with her love.

More Than Jack, All About Lynchburg

Both shops still sell Jack Daniel’s merchandise from licensed vendors they’ve met at gift shows over the years, but neither business relies only on whiskey souvenirs. Michelle points out that many visitors want something unique to Lynchburg, not just branded items.

She selects items that celebrate the town, from T-shirts and glassware to small keepsakes that fit in a pocket. Sometimes, all it takes is moving something to a new spot. “You move something to a new spot,” she says, “and suddenly it starts flying off.”

Working the Store, Working the Season

Michelle’s hands-on approach is much like her mother’s tireless energy. She is always changing displays, believing that “working the store” is just as important as stocking it, especially in a small town where shoppers notice every detail.

When asked about her favorite items, Michelle quickly says the family ornaments. To her, they are more than products; they are tiny storytellers meant to last beyond the season.

Tourists, Traditions, and Changing Times

After more than twenty years on the Square, Jackie has seen tourism change. When distillery tours were free, families spent whole days downtown, and kids carried stuffed animals that Jackie could barely keep in stock. Now, with higher ticket prices and tastings taking up most of the schedule, fewer children walk the sidewalks and fewer families stay for long.

Even so, people still come to her shop for heartfelt gifts that go beyond logos. These are items filled with memory, nostalgia, and local character.

The Heart Behind the Ribbon

Behind the festive displays are years of hard work. Jackie openly talks about late nights, tough decisions, many prayers, and lots of tears. She says her faith is her foundation and that she has no plans to retire. She jokes that staying home for good would feel like “going home to die.”

Each December, wreaths shine on the courthouse doors, carols play along Main Street, and Jackie opens her shop again, ready to help someone find the perfect gift.

Across the Square, Michelle carefully paints another name onto an ornament, a small act that means a lot. Together, mother and daughter have created more than just seasonal shops. They have built places where stories are shared, traditions start, and neighbors become family.

In Lynchburg, Christmas is not just in the twinkle lights above. It glows steadily from two shop windows, year after year.