BETHEL — Nabos, a local gift shop that considers itself “fun, funky and functional,” will be hosting a grand reopening from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at their new address, 2 Mechanic St.

According to owner Amanda Smith, who founded the store in December 2000 before officially opening for business in May 2001, their move was prompted by the purchase of the building on 2 Mechanic St. The store originally was located at 162 Main St.

Smith said that the new building offers more parking, a place for a garden out front and an office, which she said she is “especially excited about.”

“We’re all moved in and have done a lot of renovations,” Smith said. “It’s been pretty exciting so far.”

The Aug. 2 reopening will feature a series of free refreshments, as well as a keg from Sebago Brewing Company, Smith said.

“My husband works at Sebago Brewing, so we’ll be offering some snacks, drinks and desserts to people who want to check us out,” Smith said. “We also encourage people to check out our new garden in front of the store.”

Smith said that Nabos is a “fun, funky and functional gift shop” that offers a wide variety of items, including clothing, toys, jewelry and books. However, despite its name, the store does not offer turnips.

“I had a Spanish class in school, and one of the words we learned was ‘nabos,’ which is Spanish for ‘turnips,’” Smith explained. “I’ve always loved turnips. My grandmother used to make them during Christmas. When it came time to come up with a name for the store, I wanted Nabos. When we first opened up, our unofficial slogan was, “What’ll turnip next?”

Smith laughed and said, “Only one guy in 13 years understood what we meant by that. Naming the store ‘Nabos’ has been the best conversation starter. People always want to know what it means.”

For more information, call the store at 824-0224.

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