With a hustle and bustle Santa would envy, Middleburg's new Salamander Touch retail shop opened to serve a crowd of customers on December 1st during the Christmas in Middleburg celebrations. "We were here until all hours of the morning, working hard and enthusiastically to be sure everything was finished and ready," said Executive Assistant to the President Megan Carr. "All our craftsmen and the entire support team were dedicated to meeting the opening deadline. We're so grateful to them all for their commitment."

All the hard work was definitely worth the endeavor. Salamander Touch is filled with truly inspired items for discriminating individuals of a multitude of persuasions. In keeping with the unique and luxurious qualities Salamander Resort & Spa will embody when it opens in late 2009, the pretty shop offers a wide selection of stylish gifts, accessories, clothing and jewelry that compete successfully with the finest luxury product brands in every way except price.

Fern Bratten, who manages the shop and has 25 years of retail and luxury item experience, is confident that customers will be delighted with the quality of the selections. "We're so happy to bring these elegant and useful items to our customers," she said. "We're confident that the quality, creativity and uniqueness of our merchandise will be greatly appreciated, and I know they will love the prices!"

One need only look closely at the specially designed, sheer Italian wool throw to understand how much quality you're receiving in signature Salamander items. Lightweight, in cream with gray, pale greens and pale terracottas, they are the ideal wrap to snuggle up in at the game or in front of the fire. At Hermès, the price would approach $600 or more for an item of this quality. At Salamander Touch, the price is $135. Another example of a truly inspired item at Salamander Touch is the Personal Travel Portfolio. So many shops now try to serve the busy traveler, but none have imagined or produced something as practical and beautiful as this. The sleek, black 8"x10" piece that is featherweight and no more than two inches thick has a wide leather-like closure that conceals a generous pocket with plenty of room for your passport, a paperback and more. When you unzip the entire portfolio, you'll find a beautiful pale blue satin and fleece travel comfort set: a pillowcase to cover the nasty airline pillow, a generous eye mask to help you dream you've already arrived, and a blanket with a deep pocket for your feet, are all exceptionally beautiful and lightweight. Priced at $49, this may be the best investment any traveler today ever makes.

In days gone by, when first class travel was truly first class, items like this were often offered to passengers. Never, however, was anything as luxurious and well conceived and provided. With the Salamander Personal Travel Portfolio, wherever you're sitting, first class won't seem so far away.

There is also a Travel Fitness Kit, only 6-inches square, that you just might want to purchase to slip into the pocket of your Personal Travel Portfolio. For $34, you'll have a jump rope, a resistance band with a molded handle and a pedometer. Salamander Touch also offers a line of handsome ties, Mistral linens, the stunning Crown Salamander jewelry collection made by Esperanza, winning golf shirts and gear from Salamander's Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club. Many smaller items that are ingenious stocking stuffers are available now with more arriving in plenty of time for Christmas.

If the quality, creativity and innovation already apparent at Salamander Touch are indicative of things to come at Salamander Resort & Spa, citizens and guests will enjoy a real asset on many levels. A model of one of the Resort's guest rooms will soon open adjacent to the shop to allow destination planners and Middleburg residents to have a sneak preview of the level of design and comfort that is planned for Salamander Resort & Spa.

"Our signature lines are designed to help establish and define our brand," she said. "We will also carry a line of unique items from our other properties including Woodlands Resort and Inn and Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club." Salamander Touch brings an added dimension to shopping in Middleburg, and it's a dimension that should be as valuable to the retail community as it will be to the Resort & Inn. The shop, located at the corner of West Washington Street and Pendleton Street in Middleburg, Virginia, is open seven days a week: from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the holiday season. Customers may telephone 540-687-4138 to request private or personal shopping assistance from either Fern Bratten or Jerrell Green.