Owner Sarah Varney started The Gift Bar in Colleyville as a showroom for her handmade artwork before transforming it into a shopping experience for visitors to find gifts for their loved ones.

“We are all about curating gifts for people that are specifically tailored to whoever the recipient is,” she said. “Customers will tell us who they’re shopping for and we’re really hands on [and] involved in the process of putting the gifts together. It’s very thoughtful and intentional.”

Varney still sells her artwork online, but it is now a separate business with her primary focus being The Gift Bar, she said.

What they offer

The Gift Bar offers house-made candles, room sprays, laundry powder, perfume, body scrubs and lotions, Varney said.


“I’m very particular about scents,” she said. “I personally don’t like overly powerful candles... so I set out to create my own candle that would be more mellow.”

The signature blend candle is Varney’s most popular scent, which she describes as smooth, balanced and not overpowering. She also has seasonal scents throughout the year like cinnamon clove, cashmere vanilla and spiced almond.

“I use a very high quality fragrance oil in the candles and I think that’s what prevents it from giving you a headache or being overpowering,” Varney said.

The Gift Bar has curated gifts from Texas-based companies and includes Texas-themed products, olivewood boards and charcuterie items, and Nora Fleming items, which are white ceramic dishes that can be decorated with mini figurines, Varney said.


The shop sells pestos, nuts, salts, selfcare spa items, seasonal items and also has a section dedicated to men’s gifts, she said.

“Men are hard to shop for, so we are constantly trying to come up with very practical but still unique items in the men's section,” Varney said.

Curated boxes and baskets are prepared for specific occasions or people. For example, a new mother basket could be filled with organic cotton baby items, rattles, onesies or light smelling lotion, she said.

Looking ahead


Varney is working on offering delivery services so customers can order online and have the gift shipped to the receiver or be picked up from the store, she said.

She is also considering expanding her shop into another market and offering gift wrapping services for customers.