Nancy Landwehr

August 2025 Issue
by Edwina Hoyle
Photography by Lindsay Pettinicchi Photography, LLC

 

Do you remember feeling that sensation as a kid when you walked into a candy store—eyes wide as you scanned the multitude of candy jars? It was pure joy knowing you would definitely buy something, but oh, the choices!

Walking into the The Spirited Hand gift store gives one the same sense of delight and expectation as your eyes settle on something of beauty one second, and then gaze upon something different, equally as delightful and appealing.

Nancy Landwehr, the owner of The Spirited Hand, offers unique, North American, hand-crafted, merchandise in her upscale gift shop. Nancy’s philosophy is to carry merchandise other gift shops don’t have, even in her selection of greeting cards. With a nearly total focus on North American artisans, there is one exception—the crocheted beaded bracelets that are crafted in Tibet and acquired through Aid Through Trade, a program positively impacting women and families in Nepal. Nancy said they have a good story and cause, plus the bracelets are beautiful. She also purchases metal ornaments through a vendor in Milwaukee who markets them from Thailand to support schools for women in India.

Nancy’s story began long before she opened the The Spirited Hand in Bluffton in 2018. She was born in Avon, Connecticut, and eventually worked as a certified public accountant at a large insurance business. “I felt like a square peg in a round hole,” she said and added, “I always wanted to open a gift shop. When I lost my best friend in a mass shooting, I learned life is very fragile. I thought about all the lives impacted, all the loss. My dad saw my sadness. He lived through the Depression era, and he told me, ‘You need to do this.’ Losing my friend was the impetus to go out and do it on my own. A gift shop was always a dream of mine. I’m much prouder of what I do now.”

In 1998 she took ownership of the The Spirited Hand in Connecticut spending 18 years in her gift shop, which was open seven days a week. In 2016, Nancy moved to Bluffton and took a part-time job at The PGA Store. “I had no intentions of opening a store, but I got bored and missed my artists and their spirited nature.” So, in April 2018, Nancy opened an exact replica of her store in Connecticut and even named it the same. “It is the same exact look and selections.” And admitting how emotional she was at the grand opening, she recalled, “It was a winning combination in Connecticut, and now here,” she said.

“I love my relationships with the vendors. I always go to dinner at the buyer shows to learn about them. I know most artists represented in the store. I go to a lot of shows and look for things that aren’t sold anywhere else. I search for fine gifts in a broad price range,” Nancy said. “When buying, I might love it, but can I sell it? That’s the question, and I always need something new. I like for at least 30 percent of my products to be new to the store. My vendors have creative genius and come up with new things all the time.”

Nancy’s personal connections with vendors from all over the country allow her to tell stories about each artisans’ works—where they’re from, their background, how and why they work in their medium, plus other tidbits of interest. Her customers relish the stories behind the jewelry or blown glass, the hand-painted silk wraps, or the wood carvings. They can share with friends the stories about the artisan who created their new earrings, for example­—or respond to a compliment with a story about the craftsman.

Nancy is one of those people who naturally builds relationships and believes in helping to ensure the needs of her customers are met. She minds her business through a mindset of service. For example, she takes special orders with shipping and customers are always asked if they’d like their purchases gift-wrapped.

This personal service is why the The Spirited Hand is celebrating its seventh year of business in the Lowcountry. “The shop is my baby. I’m not married, no kids, only Greyhounds—and now a cat.”

One of her customers overheard our interview and had to add, “I love this place. This is the store you come to for one-of-a-kind gifts and specialties for friends and family. There are just so many cool things here!”

But perhaps, the coolest part of it all is Nancy. She has quite the eye and is happy and fulfilled in realizing her dream of being a shop girl, where everything is made by creative hands and woven by spirit.

Up Close:
• Greyhounds are fast! Nancy used to bring her dog into the shop and her customers loved it. But the little streak of lightning was an escape artist—practically every time the door opened, he would run out.

• Nancy enjoys golf, travel, and her new cat. She also loves to spend time with dear friends and family.

• Though the shop is open seven days a week, Nancy has learned to make time for herself.
It’s important!

• Nancy explained the funky shopping seasons here in the Lowcountry, as locals seem to disperse in the summertime. It’s very different from the North. “But we now have summertime regulars from the Hilton Head vacationers.”