You still haven't bought Mother's Day presents? Aren't you lucky WoMag has your gift guide (2024)

If you bring together a group of moms, as we did for a recent photo shoot, they will surely find things in common: the joy of a child's milestones, such as the first loose tooth or first day of school.

They will surely relate to some challenges. Such as, explaining why it's not good to bite your sibling, despite pleas that the bite is deserved; or why a toad won't work as a game prize at the backyard muscular dystrophy carnival. Then there's "looking for recommendations," including for a plumber to rescue the keys or cellphone now making their way through a labyrinthine municipal plumbing system.

And, as the years bring with them much struggled-for achievements such as driver's licenses, graduations, a new job and perhaps grandchildren, many moms will identify that brew of emotions: pride, maybe relief, and the wistful yearning to please spin back the clock to when mother and child first locked eyes.

Just for a moment.

'It's hard to be a mom'

We gathered together moms of many backgrounds, experiences, and life stories, who took time out of their schedules, jampacked as a mother's usually is, for our gift guide for Mother's Day, which takes place May 12.

Some moms also wear the hat of business owner, and anywhere in the world, you will find moms both raising children and playing a vital role in the economy.

One mom who came to our photo shoot is Angela Adu-Boahen of Worcester, owner of Everything Robes, which offers fashions such as gowns and nightwear for comfort, style and photo shoots for life's special events, such as weddings, birthdays, and "mommy and me" portraits.

As well as being an entrepreneur, Adu-Boahen is "mom of two amazing boys, and a girl. I have Liam, 7, Levi, 4 and Laura Monica is 2." Among the modeling photos of Everything Robes' Instagram is a mommy-and-me photo of Laura Monica with her mom.

Adu-Boahen observed, "You know, it's hard to be a mom." Originally from Ghana, Adu-Boahen thinks about the many mothers who run vendors' stalls in market places in Africa, overseeing their business and their families, and working long hours with big crowds under the hot sun.

She began creating gift boxes to sell for $50 each, with funds sent to support hard-working moms, for water to drink while on the job, and other necessities.

'Humbling, awesome, frustrating, fun'

Bee Jones of Templeton is also a mom and a business owner. Jones and their husband, Paul, launched Bees Boards, offering handcrafted game boards, cutting boards, and more.

"Bees Boards is the result of a spousal team wondering 'How hard could it be?' and picking up woodworking tools for the first time," Jones said. "After learning the ropes making cutting boards, charcuterie boards and barware, we started approaching local businesses and asking them what they would like to see, and started making custom items for their retail outlets."

Board games are a way to pass the time on a rainy day, but Jones said they are so much more. "The memories and stories they bring to families drove us to create unique game boards, with custom touches - both one off, and at scale." Jones is nonbinary, and reflects on the diverse experience of motherhood, as well times to which many moms can relate.

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"I didn't think parenthood was for me when I was in my first marriage," Jones said. "When I met Paul (my current spouse) I felt secure enough to consider having a child. Having a kid hasbeen the most humbling, awesome, frustrating and fun experience of my life. It's a strange experience seeing someone that is like both of his parents, but yet is his own person."

That individuality of a child comes from the individuality of parents, and a line that goes back through their ancestors. And so, we present to you our Worcester Magazine Mother's Day gift guide, with a dazzling array of ideas, for the dazzling array of people who are someone's "Mom." (MS)

The bookworm mom

In England, the phrase "Shall I be mother?" means to volunteer to pour out the tea. A lot of mothers end up doing that anyway. With a Mother's Day gift of one of the Literary Teas by Simpson & Vail of Brookfield, Connecticut, mother's can pour or drink tea while reading a book by an author that the tea leaves have been tailored for. Debra Horan, owner of of Booklover's Gourmet, 72 East Main St., Webster, said the Literary Teas are named after a number of famous writers. For example, there's Jane Austen's Black Tea Blend. A cuppa might be just thing for the English Regency era novelist's saucerful of love, romance and heartbreak in novels such as "Sense and Sensibility." "We started carrying them last year and they did well," Horan said.

An enlightening read can come with reading lights by WITHit, which clip on to a book "so you don't disturb your partner while you're in bed. They're good for tablets, too," Horan said. The reading lights come in different designs with the clips ranging from plain to a painting of Snoopy.

If giving a card on Mother's Day that says "I'm Not Saying You're Old, But If You Were Milk, I'd Sniff You First," it would be best to be sure the person has an appropriate sense of humor. "You have to give it to the right person, I suppose," Horan said. However, cards by Shannon Martin Design can offer a counterpoint to the traditional type of card, which Booklover's Gourmet also has. Sepia-toned photographs of women from the 1940s and '50s are coupled with irreverent captions "that make people laugh." While not Mother's Day cards per se, "we carry their cards in general," Horan said.

In women's books, historical fiction has recently moved from World War II to different eras, Horan said. In Webster, there's a unique opportunity this month and early June with Geraldine Brooks' recently published historical novel "Horse," which travels from 1850s Kentucky to 2019 New York City. The novel will be the Booklover's Gourmet's Book Group book for May, and then Brooks is scheduled to come to the Gladys E. Kelly Public Library in Webster at 6:30 p.m. June 6 for an author event open to the public (free with registration). "We're pretty excited about that," Horan said.

Other book gift ideas? At Bedlam Book Cafe, 138 Green St., Worcester, owner Nicole DiCello said, "A book I’ve read that I highly recommend that’s current is 'Doppelgänger: A Trip Through the Mirror Word' by Naomi Klein. Although this book is not particularly 'light.'" “Doppelgänger” is a memoir and political analysis and has received several admiring reviews for its look into our mirror world. DiCello said the book "is a very incisive, astute breakdown of the political climate we’ve been in for the past decade. It’s both personal memoir and political science, wrought with witty punchy writing that makes Naomi Klein always such a compelling read." (RD)

The crafty, creative mom

Lincoln Crafted at the Crompton Collective, 138 Green St., Worcester, gives candles a new look with its CANdles. A favorite soda or beer can gets recycled and repurposed as a candle. "We pop the tops off," said Lincoln Crafted owner Paul Lincoln. Then hand-poured soy wax provides a candle that "burns clean" for 60 hours or more. "I think it's outside your traditional Yankee candle or any of the more traditional candles," Lincoln said. "We use local nostalgia cans — Polar Seltzer, Tree House Brewing — and also the more aesthetically pleasing cans." It can be a gift for Mother's Day, so to speak. "We do see a spikefor a scent or a can near and dear to their heart." As an ecofriendly recycler, Lincoln Crafted gets a lot of cans that people donate, Lincoln said. He and his wife, who have a 3-year-old child, work on them in the basem*nt of their home in Worcester.

"I think it’s a great gift idea (for Mother's Day), especially if they have a favorite beer or soda you can get them made into a candle," said Amy Lynn Chase, owner of the Crompton Collective, who suggested Lincoln Crafted for the story. "Mother’s Day is really busy for Crompton because we have a lot of unique gifts that you won’t find at the mall," Chase said. Another suggestion from Chase for Mother's Day is Sarah Williams Ceramics. "I like Sarah Williams pottery for a gift idea because she only makes one of each item so it’s a good gift that you could do every year and add to your mother’s collection." (RD)

Although the Worcester Punk Rock Flea Market doesn’t return to the Hotel Vernon until July, organizer Paul Basile said several of the market’s regular vendors sell gifts that would be ideal for moms whose style is off the beaten path.

One of those vendors is West Boylston artist Randall Lee, whose candles carry herbs and artwork meant to convey “intentions” like kindness and creativity when lit and whose candle business can be found at @r.lee.intentions on Instagram.

Another is Emily Trudeau’s Up & Atom Jewelry, which sells copper and crystal jewelry intended to “celebrate the beauty of the natural world” and can be found online at @upandatomjewelry on Instagram.

Although warmer weather has already arrived, Basile recommended Right Hook Crafts’ knit and crochet clothing and accessories for moms who like to add some handmade flair to their outfits. Right Hook Crafts can be contacted through its Facebook page of the same name.

Basile said local author Cameran Sassman’s “In Between Shows” book series, which follows a teenager named Mimi as she grows up and gets involved in her local punk rock scene, would be “a perfect gift for book-loving moms, especially Gen X moms who would enjoy some '80s nostalgia mixed in with a heartfelt, empowering coming-of-age story.” Sassman’s books can be ordered online through Amazon. (MT)

Along the same lines, Bees Boards cofounder Bee Jones says that their woodworking business has many great options for unique Mother's Day gifts, including cutting boards, charcuterie boards and barware.

"After vending at The Big E," they said, "where we specialized in nothing but cribbage boards, we decided to expand into other board games. The memories and stories they bring to families drove us to create unique game boards, with custom touches — both one off, and at scale.” (VI)

Mom might be an artist and an artisan. If you're "canvassing" the area for your mom, C.C. Lowell Art Supply Co. at 455 Pleasant St. in Worcester not only has an entire range of paints, drawing pencils and painting and sketch pads, they even offer the proper accessories to fill the perfect gift bag or basket. "We have greeting cards, single-parent cards, sassy coasters, garlands," said owner Kristen Sciascia.

Open since 1852, the store is purported to be the oldest art supply outlet in the U.S., but with roots in Worcester's community of creative spirits. There's a gift section in the store, which features gift ideas from local artists. If your mom is the gleefully unfiltered type, a gilded china plate by artist Maxx Silly might fit the bill, with gold letters declaring amid delicate rose trim: "People are the worst." Or, succinctly, "Bitch." A sure conversation starter at any book club meeting.

Custom framing is available for a much-loved photo, drawing or painting. It might even be your kindergarten finger-painting masterwork, which mom faithfully displayed on the fridge with those brightly-colored alphabet magnets, bringing the cycle of creation full circle. (MS)

The hometown-loving mom

For moms who want to proudly rep Worcester, Jessica Walsh of Worcester Wares has a whole list of local merch, starting with the shop’s series of ceramic mugs bearing the city’s name. Each season, Worcester Wares makes the mugs in a different color.

“Moms love mugs, it is a fact,” Walsh said. “This is long-term gift planning for Mom. This one covers you for Mother's Day, but maybe the next color release lines up with her birthday, and there are always Christmas colors. You can eventually get her the whole collection.”

Walsh also recommended Worcester Wares’ three-decker puzzle for moms who grew up in one of the city’s famous three-deckers, notebooks stamped with the Worcester city seal for moms who “have a lot of ducks to keep in a row,” and the shop’s classic Worcester T-shirt, which comes in 11 colors.

Worcester Wares is located in the DCU Center at 105 Commercial St. and is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. It also offers online shopping at worcesterwares.com.

The tattooed mom

If you’ve ever thought about getting matching tattoos with your mom as a Mother’s Day gift that lasts forever (or matching piercings as a gift that lasts as long as you leave your jewelry in), Elegance Piercing & Tattoo at 332 West Boylston St. is ready to help.

Elegance boasts two piercers and four tattoo artists with varying styles, and owner and piercer Jay Boucher said the studio is versatile, offering everything from elaborate tattoos to simple earlobe piercings for children who might otherwise get their first earrings at unsanitary mall kiosks.

Boucher said some moms who come to Elegance choose piercing jewelry in honor of their kids, while others come in for tattoos that represent each of their children.

“We have had mothers use birthstones of their children or family for their jewelry,” Boucher said. “We have thousands of options for any piercing a mother or anyone could want.”

According to Boucher, the studio also has options for pet owners who like the trendy “pet mom” label. Elegance offers piercing jewelry with small animal-related motifs such as paw print-shaped studs, and tattoos in honor of pets are as popular as ever.

“We have jewelry like gold paw prints for your pup, and we can do a simple paw-print tattoo or a portrait,” Boucher said.

Customers can book piercing and tattoo appointments at eleganceworc.com.

The cannabis-smoking mom

Since the legalization of cannabis in Massachusetts, people have become more and more open about enjoying the mellow high from the THC and CBD compounds within the plant, and moms are no exception.

At the Major Bloom dispensary on Millbury Street, supervisor Natalie C. said there’s something there for any mom who partakes.

“Typically, most moms who come in will ask for vapes or edibles,” Natalie said.

Electronic vaporizers are a popular choice for moms who want to discreetly enjoy cannabis, and the dispensary also sells THC-infused chocolates in coffee and red velvet cake flavors, as well as THC-infused sodas.

However, Natalie said, that’s not all. For a mom who wants “something quick and easy to light up and go about their day,” she suggested the dispensary’s prerolled joints, which start at $10, and for a longtime stoner with a high tolerance, she suggested THC concentrates.

“If you grew up with a mom who's 'Live your best life,' they're more into prerolls and flower, and concentrates are for the OG stoner girls who became moms and know what they're doing,” Natalie said.

Major Bloom is located at 76 Millbury St. and online ordering is available through majorbloom.com.

The two-mom household

If you have two moms, Femme Bar owner Danielle Spring recommends getting them a gift card to Worcester’s only lesbian bar, where they can enjoy date night, musical bingo or a Sunday mimosa brunch.

Events at Femme range from a monthly “mom-to-mom meetup,” the next of which takes place May 15, to trivia and book club meetings on Tuesdays, drag brunch one Sunday a month, and live music every Friday night. Femme Bar is also hosting a Mother’s Day buffet brunch on May 12, where moms eat for free with the purchase of a co*cktail or mocktail.

Gift cards are available at femmebarworcester.com and the bar is located at 62 Green St.

The stylish mom

Whiting & Davis is the glamorous New England designer that created the original bag of bling. “I curate most of the floor, and whenever a new or vintage Whiting & Davis bag crosses my path, it ends up in the shop,” said AJ Setaro, owner of Sweet Jane’s Designer Consignment. Recently, one of her favorite customers, Kara Steinberg, purchased a vintage Whiting & Davis bag for her wedding. Setaro was thrilled to hear that Steinberg’s bag attracted plenty of star power — James Taylor surprised everyone when he showed up at the reception and serenaded the happy couple.

“Recently, we got a version of the jacket worn in ‘Yellowstone’ by the infamous Beth Dutton,” Setaro said. “It made a cowgirl out of me!” Sweet Jane’s works with a number of consignors that specialize in costuming and props; they keep the shop stocked with items from film and television.

Artemis Designs is known for its carefully constructed handbags made from reclaimed vintage tapestries. “Vestiare Collective recently did a study and discovered that it costs more to invest in cheap fast fashion than it does to invest in high-quality second-hand items,” Setaro said. Artemis Designs exemplifies the premium value of cost-per-wear.

IIlah Cibis of iLAH Jewelry recommends the "Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion Pendant" from the “Icons” collection, which is modeled after traditional saint medals. “Is she you?” Cibis wants to know. A prayer on the back reads "For F*ck's Sake."

Cibis also carries a wide range of pop culture prints. They are especially fond of a traditional landscape in which Ash and Pikachu of Pokemon stand in the middle of a dirt road approaching a farm. Framed prints start at just $10 and larger signed prints range from $40 to $60. (SCS)

Everything Robes offers fashions for photo shoots marking special moments and experiences, such as weddings, birthdays, pregnancies and mother-and-daughter time. Everything Robes offers clothing for sale as well as for rent for photo shoots and events. Everything Robe's motto, and the exquisite photos on Instagram, say it all: "Clothed with glory and splendor." As do the hashtags, #mompreneur and #momboss.

"I just registered the business, but it started as a hobby, after my wedding. I made the robes, and found it was a trend. Everyone was doing it, so why not turn it into a business?" owner Angela Adu-Boahen said.

As Mother's Day gift ideas, Adu-Boahen suggested, "I also do sell regular robes for home, like if you need a fleece robe just for self care, silk robes for the home. That would be a beautiful gift." (MS)

The 'wanderlust' mom

Booknook Kits are the perfect gift for the mother with wanderlust envy who believes there’s no place like home, while, at the same, yearns for a magical home away from home that is still in the home, and takes up cozy residences on a reading shelf, said Pete Beaudoin, retail operations manager at That's Entertainment. Beaudoin said the 3D wooden puzzles double as a decorative bookend for your beloved book collection, and that each Booknook depicts a scene from a Japanese anime or fairy tale that takes the owner to faraway places and exotic lands in the comfort of their living room. No gluing is required but an active imagination is a must. Not only are Booknooks beautiful, immersive works of arts that your mom will cherish for a lifetime, they have LED lights and a motion sensor that will light up and move you like your mom does. The Booknooks cost, on average, $39.95. (CS)

The NSYNC-loving mom

A framed, one-of-a-kind paper with a photo of NSYNC along with the autographs from all five original members of the popular ’90 boy bands. “You won’t find many things like this around,” said Joe Demers, owner of Joe’s Albums, 317 Main St., Worcester. “Mothers who were younger at that time and into the group that now have children, it would be something that they’re after.” In addition to the signatures of Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass and JC Chasez, the framed memento comes with an authentic “No Strings Attached Tour” backstage pass from July 23, 2000, at the former Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough (which is not only a rarity in itself but the defunct stadium is where this rare piece was autographed). The autographed photo costs $150. (CS)

Sarah Connell Sanders, Richard Duckett, Victor D. Infante, Craig S. Semon, Margaret Smith and Meg Trogolo contributed to this article.