Two Buttons

I stopped in at Two Buttons on February 20, 2016. Most of the merchandise is gone, though there are still some interesting things. The guys who work there said that the building has been sold, and the exact date that they close will be dependent on the necessary building inspections. Right now they expect to closed no later than the end of March 2016. It’s very sad.
So if you haven’t been there, you have a few more weeks to stop in.
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I was really sad to learn that Two Buttons is going to close permanently sometime in the near future… If you have never been there, you should try to stop in and see all the interesting imports while they’re still in business…

Unique and interesting but absurdly overpriced. I bought a Barong sculpture for $ 150 but regret it, the carving isn’t as skilled as other pieces I have from Bali. Other stores, such as Sojourner in Lambertville, are more reasonable and less overwhelming. Not sure who or what their market was when they opened this store. If they have to charge that much, they will probably go out of business.

This place is the coolest place to walk around in. You can be there for hours looking around. It has the feeling of a museum, but a museum where everything has a price, and you can actually touch it and feel the history. Things do tend to be pricey, but its still a super cool place. The staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about almost everything you could ask. I say almost because there’s absolutely no humanly possible way to know about everything! Definitely worth the afternoon trip!

My friend and I went to eat next door at Lovin Oven, and as we had a short wait, we wandered into Two Buttons.
I must add that I am an International Flight Attendant and as such I travel to China and India quite frequently, and I have done my share of shopping in these places.
My take on Two Buttons is that quite possibly Ms. Gilbert is relying on her notoriety to encourage customers to purchase the items in her shop. While her statement of shopping worldwide for handmade treasures is honorable, I know for a fact what many of these things cost overseas, and even providing for the shipping costs and overhead of running the shop, the prices are beyond ridiculous.
Although there are many things that I coveted, I could not find one single thing that I could justify paying an outrageous price for. I found a hand carved wooden pig that I took a liking to, and at first glance, I thought the $ 30 price tag was quite reasonable, but on second glance I say that the price was $ 300!!. For a small wooden pig!
My friend also travels Asia and India for her job, so she too knew the prices of the objects in the overseas markets, so we shared in our shock at the prices.
I would recommend that if you find something that you admire, and would like to own, take a picture of it and find it on ebay or amazon, for much less. It is fun to admire the vast array of inventory, it is a warehouse packed full, but nothing worth the price.

As we had some business in a neighboring town this past weekend, we made it a point on the return trip to stop in the adorable village of Frenchtown.
Part of that stroll about town included a stop in Two Buttons the import emporium owned by author Elizabeth Gilbert and her husband Jose (who we «meet» in her bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love).
I really do hate to be the naysayer and spoil their 5-​star rating but we were just not impressed with this experience.
I do appreciate the sentiments expressed on the Two Buttons website which states, in paraphrased fashion here, that the couple wants to promote these hand-​crafted Indonesian items as an antidote to the «plastic» all around us. And we know that Indonesia is an important part of the world the couple has come to love.
However, the experience of going to Two Buttons is one in which we simply felt overwhelmed. We were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of merchandise, the too dark interior which despite its size feels closed in, and with the prices which for the most part were simply ridiculous.
Things are jam-​packed into this warehouse and you’ll find dozens upon dozens of the same things which made everything become sort of numbing and meaningless.
There is just too much of everything and it’s lined up everywhere. Just how many cement Buddhas can one take in without rendering his likeness more of a mockery than anything else?
The merchandise may be hand-​made but it ends up feeling mass-​produced because there is simply so much of the same thing.
As for the prices most things feel too dear for what they are. Case in point, toward the front of the store on a table overflowing with hundreds of objects, I spotted a bowl of «fun» rings.
They were made of an inexpensive metal, had a stretch-​band so that one size would fit all and had a metal flower-​shape on top.
I though they were whimsical and something a friend’s young daughter might like. The price-​tag however was «$ 25.00. Really? No thank you.
In another room there was a platter of small river rocks etched with words like; «peace» breathe, etc. …these may not be the right words but you get the point. At $ 8.50 per rock, I daresay I’d rather go to a pretty stream and find my own unadorned stone. Is eight dollars a bank-​breaker? No, but it’s still ridiculous for what it is.
A beaded bag I saw hanging on a hook was very pretty and the beading well-​done. However the fabric with which the bag was made was inferior and I could tell would not hold up for long with the heavy beading. At $ 150.00 I walked away.
I am rarely one to quibble, as previous reviews of mine will attest, with paying handsomely for beautiful, one-​of-​a-​kind things. I am often the first to rail against mass-​produced, throw-​away crap.
But just because I’m told something is hand-​made and comes from an exotic place, I don’t throw my money at it.
Sadly, it does feel a bit like the owners, unintentionally perhaps, take their customers as unworldly, inexperienced naifs, who because some might feel like they «know» who the owners are from reading Eat, Pray, Love that they might also be willing to pay whatever the sticker says to say they’ve had some part in their globe-​trotting experiences.
What moved this review from two stars to three, had to do with the lovely man working in the store that afternoon. He was quite welcoming. It was a delightful gesture to be offered a cup of red wine upon entering. I can see that the customer service is good which is of course important.
I am sure that Ms. Gilbert and her husband mean well and are probably quite nice but they have created a store that needs some serious curating, better lighting and a complete overhaul of the price-​points.
If the cost of importing all these thousands and thousands of objects to the United States is what is dictating these prices, it’s not worth it to us.

Awesome place! If you’re into travel, Buddhism, or just beautiful things, this place is worth visiting. If you were a fan of Eat Pray Love (this place is ran by the author), that’s an added bonus.

Go here go here! An awesome place of Tibetian, Bali style things. Bracelets, scarves, stone statues. Huge store a hidden gem!

Great place to shop. Wonderful, unique items. Was there June 30 with my new guy checking out the place. Rubbed Buddha’s belly and then got very lucky!!!