It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas at Bonney Lake's Ben Franklin

Santa Claus has come to town – and he’s available stuffed or wooden or metal. He’s on the side of candy tins, smiling on ceramic ornaments and in ready-to-assemble foam pieces.

The holiday season means big business at Bonney Lake’s .

“This is the most fun time of year we have,” said owner , who is celebrating his 23rd holiday season with the store. “Customers are looking to do something special, and our staff helps them do creative gifts.

“It makes it special and fun to interface with the customers.”

But the focal point of Ben Franklin’s holiday wonderland is not the ornately decorated trees or displays offering everything from cotton snowflakes and glittery pinecones to treat bags and cupcake-shaped ornaments.

It is the store’s giving tree toy drive that benefits local children, which has been a Ben Franklin tradition for the last 10 years. The store initially donated all of the gifts – at least one or two gifts per child – but community members eventually stepped in to help needy students in the .

“It’s nice to do something right here, close to home,” Taylor said. “We’re helping our friends and our neighbors – and the kids have all kinds of needs.”

This year, the giving tree started out with more than 150 tags for students and their siblings, but the number continues to shrink as customers and employees alike step up to help. Tags are available to be picked up at any time.

“It has grown so big that it has become an actual tree,” said Cathy Robison, the store’s advertising and marketing assistant.

Robison said that most of the children ask for something fun – Pokemon cards, dolls, teething rings – but others request the basics: clothes, shoes, a warm coat. Some of the requests are general: “Any kind of learning toy,” while others are very specific, like the book The History of Politics Throughout the World.

Everyone who brings in an unwrapped gift to donate will receive a fancy key-shaped ornament that reads, “A giving heart unlocks the true meaning of Christmas.” They can also be purchased for $4.99, and the proceeds go to the .

But the keys aren’t the only ornaments for sale in the vast craft store. There are Santas and snowmen, shimmery stars and strands of tinsel.

As she looked for something to go with the tall silver branches she had already put in her cart, Jami Erickson of Auburn gazed at the endless options around her.

“They have the best stuff,” she said, “such beautiful displays – I find them inspirational.”

Erickson said she that comes out to Ben Franklin a few times a year and that a good portion of her holiday décor comes from the store.

“It’s one of my favorite stores and the place I prefer to go over the other craft stores,” she said. “I add to my collection every year.”

That’s what Taylor likes to hear.

“We have a lot of people who like to shop here and they say they don’t like to have the stress of going somewhere else,” he said. “We try really hard to differentiate with the big-box stores and have family appeal – and I think we do a darn good job of it.”

And this time of year, there isn’t a corner of the store that the holiday season has not touched. There are materials for every craft possible – stuffed snowmen, metal stars and wooden sleighs – and trees of every shape and size. They come in green, white, even pink. They’re 6-feet and 18-inches tall.

In addition to selling craft and framing supplies, Ben Franklin offers ready-made gifts including Melissa & Doug puzzles, easels, art kits and train tables.

The store also offers crafting classes on most days and evenings. They have been a popular gift option far this year, said coordinator Christy Fuller. The store is offering 40 percent off the second enrollment into the same class, which means that it can be a gift for both giver and recipient.

“It’s that whole ‘teach a man to fish’ concept,” said Fuller. “It is something they can enjoy for years to come, and when you create something, it is more gratifying.”

Among the offerings are knitting and crocheting, Wilton cake decorating, vintage fashion, mixed media, jewelry making and mat cutting. A Mommy & Me class will be starting in January, which Fuller said is open to those with children of any ages.

Other shoppers come to the store with specific plans in mind.

In the middle of the crafting area, Jean Robison was busily selecting clear glass ornaments to turn into photo balls as a gift for her grandchildren. She plans to print photos of her great-grandchildren on transparent copy paper and then roll them up and slide them into the balls.

Robison formerly lived in Bonney Lake but now makes the trip from Gig Harbor to stock up on crafting supplies. She said that the trip is definitely worth it.

“They have everything,” she said. “I love this store.”