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Oyster Pointer Salutes: Ute’s Gift Shop now in City Center
By Leslie Werner
On a cold and dreary winter’s day, expect to find a warm greeting and bright gift ideas at one of Oyster Point’s newest spots, Ute’s Gift Shop. Located at 11850 Merchants Walk in City Center, this is the second store location for Ute and Robert “Bobby” Jacobson.

The Jacobsons’ first shop is a local fixture in Poquoson—and well known throughout the community for their holiday open house and Bobby’s special chowder. The Oyster Point location promises much of the same shopping fun. A recent visit to the Jacobsons’ lovely shop uncovered shelves stocked with a treasure trove of “just right” gifts including collectibles, fun fashion accessories, fragrance burners, and a super selection of greeting cards. Ute and Bobby are the principle purchasing agents for their establishment, with help from their brood of seven and from their customers. Ute’s business philosophy is straight and to the point—“If I like it, I buy it.” That simple statement belies a lifetime of travel, a passion for the arts, and business acumen honed by years of management in the military and with regional arts organizations.

Ute describes herself as someone who must always be learning and experiencing new things—“I do my own thing.” She has always been interested in the arts, and is herself an accomplished painter, jewelry maker, and craftsperson. She related a story that sums up the depth of her interests. While learning to paint she not only spent countless hours honing her craft—she also traveled to Europe to study the masters firsthand. She has been to Norway to study embroidery and to Italy, to learn more about painting techniques.
But Ute was also quick to point out that once she feels that she has mastered a craft to the best of her ability, she is likely to lose interest. As Ute planned for retirement, she thought long and hard about her skills and her temperament for trying (and discarding) new things. Ute wanted to do something that she felt was worthwhile and made best use of her interests. The idea for running “a little gift shop close to home” emerged from this process and led to the opening of her first store in Poquoson, well over fifteen years ago.

When asked how it is that this “butterfly” has been able to settle down to one profession for so long, both Ute and Bobby were quick to respond—“it’s the people!” Ute describes her interactions with customers, vendors, and staff as “the glue that holds everything together.” But it is the attention to her customers coupled with her artistic and business sensibilities that make the shops successful.

The perfect illustration of Ute’s “touch” is apparent when she related how she purchases greeting cards for the shop. Most often vendors will sell stores a package deal on cards. Her first time out, Ute did just that—and was not at all happy with the results. “Some of the cards were lovely, but some...” Ute decided that the only way she could guarantee the quality that she wanted on the shelves was to personally read each and every card. She then set about ordering only those cards that met her standards. “I drive the reps crazy,” she sheepishly admits. But the results have paid off. Bobby and Ute note that the greeting cards are a big hit at the Oyster Point location.

The Jacobsons have been especially pleased with the reception their Oyster Point store has received. They say that since opening in September “we’ve seen long-time customers from Poquoson, business people from Oyster Point, and through television commercials, we’ve had people travel in from Gloucester and Smithfield.

“Even [Newport News] Mayor Frank popped in to say hello and see how we were doing,” Bobby comments. The Jacobsons are appreciative of the support shown by customers, city workers, and officials as well as their property managers at NAI Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate. Bobby and Ute are both looking forward to the continued developments in City Center and a long association with their customers.