Walk into most Florida gift shops and you'll find a lot of flamingos, a lot of oranges and a lot of shirts about the beach. That's fine for a week of vacation. It's a strange gift for someone who actually lives in Florida, pays the electric bill in August and knows which bridge backs up at five.
Residents want something that treats Florida as home rather than a destination. Here's how we'd shop for them from our Florida gifts collection.
Start with the state itself
The Florida outline is hard to mistake for anything else, panhandle and peninsula both. Our state designs lean on that shape and skip the vacation clichés. On the Florida slate coaster set, you can choose from designs like:
- FL Initials, the state outline with the two letters
- Florida Script, the name in a signature style
- Vertical Name, with FLORIDA running down the length of the state, in an outline or a solid engraved version
- Home Sweet Home and HOME Outline, with the state standing in for the O
- Est. 1845, the year Florida became the 27th state
The set comes as a single coaster or a set of 4, 6 or 8, in slate, 4 inches across and a quarter inch thick, round or square. The edges are chiseled by hand, so each coaster in the set is shaped a little differently, and foam pads on the back protect the table. Every coaster in a set carries the same design, so for a mix, order two sets.
In a humid house where a cold glass sweats all afternoon, coasters earn their keep. If you'd rather go lighter than stone, the Florida cork coaster set carries the same designs on 3/16 inch cork, which grips the table on its own and handles a hot mug too.
For the resident with a hometown
Floridians tend to be from somewhere specific, and they'll tell you which coast. A city skyline piece fits that better than the whole state. We engrave skylines for cities including Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, St. Augustine, Miami Beach, Cape Coral, Hialeah and Port St. Lucie.
The Tampa skyline serving board is solid bamboo, 17 by 5.25 inches, cut in the shape of a wine bottle, with the skyline and city name engraved on one face. The St. Petersburg skyline wall sign is a 10 by 10 inch leatherette sign with the Sunshine Skyway, the pier and the waterfront.
The Sunshine State design
Florida is known as the Sunshine State, and our Sunshine State slate coaster set is built around it, but not with the usual palm tree and beach. The design pairs the state outline with a Florida panther and a pine forest, plus "The Sunshine State" and "EST. 1845." It's a nod to the wild side of the state that residents know and visitors mostly miss.
The same design is on a 32 oz insulated water bottle in black or white, engraved down to the bare steel so it won't peel. It's the one for the boat, the beach or the drive to work.
For the host
For the Floridian who always has people over, the Florida wine bottle serving board is the same bamboo board engraved with a state design. It works as a cheese board, a bread board or a drinks tray out on the lanai. Hand wash it, dry it and oil it now and then with food safe mineral oil.
Ordering
Everything is made to order. Each piece is engraved after you order and ships within 1 to 5 business days. Coasters ship in a white gift box, and boards and wall art in a plain box, so wrap a board or sign yourself if it's a gift.
See the state designs and every city skyline side by side on the Florida collection page.
