With Christmas around the corner, family members will soon scramble to acquire the gifts they need for their family members. One store says they offer that and much more: a reason for the season.

Mitzi Merritt and Kristie Carr have been co-owners of His Space for about a year, after almost a decade of back-and-forth consideration about whether to open the store or not.

“We wanted to share inspirational gifts for friends in need,” Carr said.

His Space is a gift shop dedicated to Christianity-related items, including devotionals, Bible accessories, Christmas decorations and more.

“This store inspires us,” Merritt said. “We can feel the Holy Spirit in here.”

Their staple, however, is their Inspirational Gift Baskets.

The concept came from Carr’s sister, who died in 2016.

“She would make little gift baskets for people who needed them,” Carr said. “This is a continuation of what she always did. If she were here, she would be a part of this store.”

The duo make baskets for a variety of occasions, including weddings, memorial services and more, each one filled to the brim with different items found in the shop.

“Our goal is to encourage people to put God first in their life,” Merritt said. “They can surround their homes with inspirational items.”

Customers can fill the baskets and give them to people who need the inspiration the most.

“We want to meet as many needs as we can,” Carr said.

In addition to the baskets, the store also provides a variety of holiday-related items, just in time for Christmas gift shopping.

“We hope to continue to work with local churches, and that they allow us to serve them and their needs,” Carr said.

Though the duo has only been running the store for little over a year, Merritt said the two of them have been friends for most of their lives.

“We’ve always been sisters in Christ,” she said.

Carr said running a store on their own can be difficult due to their little children. She said the payoff more than makes up for any hardship they come across as store owners.

“It was our love for God that motivated us to create this ‘Jesus store,’” Merritt said. “We just hope we can supply people’s needs.”

His Space is located at 711 East Elk Avenue in Downtown Elizabethton.