Find those perfect gifts in Truckee's shops

The colorful, optimistic mixed-media art of Truckee's Carole Sesko spoke so loudly to me during a stay at Cedar House last year, I visited her studio. She told me that the creative energy of the mountains, Donner Lake and of course Lake Tahoe attracts a large community of artists and artisans.

And that bears good tidings for the noncrafty among us: Great craft makes for great shopping, particularly for that unique, one-of-a-kind gift for the unique, one-of-a-kind recipient we all know and love and cannot possibly please with anything from a big-box store.

Yes, one can go Christmas shopping in August.

Getting there

Folks heading out Interstate 80 for a long weekend on Lake Tahoe's North Shore could plan their trip so they pass through when the town comes alive with music and vendors for Truckee Thursdays beginning at 4 p.m. Even better, consider a stop here on the first Friday of the month, when the Brickelltown shops party it up in the Fair & Green courtyard.

A perfect day of shopping for unique gifts

10 a.m.: Hunt down a free parking spot on dirt along the south (railroad) side of Donner Pass Road above downtown. (If you take the downtown Truckee exit off I-80 heading west and enter town from the roundabout, this will be on your right.) Put the sunshade on your dashboard.

10:15 a.m.: Explore the unusual offerings in Brickelltown, a colorful collection of historic buildings on Donner Pass Road west of the town center.

Shops include Feather's Edge Finery at 10368 (with wall hangings made of discarded metal, bricks covered in colorful sayings, paintings on recycled maps); Fair & Green at 10382 (all fair trade or recycled merchandise, with jewelry and handbags from India starting at $7, paper earrings from Guatemala starting at $8, and also clothes and home goods); Riverside Studios at 10374 (leather goods by one owner, ceramic goods by the other).; Drake & Lulu's Art Shed at 10382 (a tiny place with clothes and handbags stitched by one owner, jewelry crafted by the other, and art created by their friends); Scraps at 10250 (dog bakery and outfitter); and Gioielli at 10280, where if you have the time and eye, you can create your own necklace by selecting a bead (think Venetian art glass) and a strand of silk.

12:30 p.m.: Get lunch at Burger Me at 10418. Highlights: a burger made with Diestel Ranch ground turkey, and sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo for dipping.

1:15 p.m.: Browse the north side of Donner Pass Road, stopping at any storefront that entices. Don't think a closed front door means a closed shop: Often, it means air conditioning. So do open the door to the unusual home goods and women's clothing at the Niche (10164), the lanterns and candles at Ambiance (10156), the men's and women's clothing at Cabona's (10100), and the fancy lingerie and potions at the Pharmacy (10072).

You can find just about everything, except chain stores.

2:45 p.m.: Mom and I used to have an ice cream soda at about this point. Grown-ups, how about a cold beer at the Tourist Club (10010)?

3:15 p.m.: At "the stop sign" (Truckee jargon for the center of town), cross the railroad tracks and check out Spirit gallery (10009 W. River St.), where the furniture and other home items are green and mostly local.

3:30 p.m.: Cross back over to Donner Pass Road and this time cross to the east side of the stop sign to shop at Carmel Gallery (9940). The Carmel Gallery only sounds misplaced - Elizabeth and Olaf Carmel are both photographers, and many of the photographs depict beautiful scenes in and around Truckee. The Carmels also carry unique goods by area artisans.

3:45 p.m.: Head back to the car along the south side of Donner Pass Road. There are some small shops along here, a large resort-wear store and a large home design store.

4:30 p.m.: Stop in across the street at Trio (10292) for a glass of wine, or sample a few in a flight. You can also buy a bottle here for dinner.

5:30 p.m.: Stores are beginning to close now. Consider the sushi and innovative Asian cuisine of Dragonfly (10118), which rotates art exhibitions but generally seems to have some works by Carole Sesko ( www.CaroleSesko.com) that are for sale.

Heading home

If you are going down to the lake, there's more shopping at Northstar's Village and of course on the north shore. Heading back to the Bay Area? There are the Nut Tree outlets and, always, plenty of big-box stores.

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This article appeared on page M - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle