FALL CITY – Lois Buschen is the person one wants to see when they are in a pinch for a gift.

As the owner of The River’s Edge in Fall City, Buschen specializes in offering the gifts people want to give but don’t want to travel outside of the Valley to buy.

“We’ve got a little bit of everything,” she said.

Buschen purchased The River’s Edge three years ago after retiring as a payroll manager, a job she had held for 25 years. Unsure of what to do she heard about The River’s Edge being for sale, and thought buying an existing business in her own community would be a good idea.

The store, which used to be called Candy Wrappers, had long been known as a candy and card shop, but Buschen wanted to offer more. She added some office supplies, expanded the gift offerings and added balloons to her stock. There also were no copy or fax services in the area and more people were shipping packages out of the Valley, so she got a copier, fax machine and set up a UPS account.

She found those services definitely filled a hole. With more people buying online, package shipping is increasing. Buschen shipped 200 packages over a three-week holiday period in December and averages about 3-5 packages a day. People often come in for the copying services at The River’s Edge, where they can also send and receive faxes.

“The comment I hear the most is, ‘I’m glad you’re here,'” Buschen said.

Despite the new additions, Buschen said the store remains a good place to find the gift (and what to wrap it in) needed for a special event. While the store front on the corner of 336th Place and Redmond-Fall City Road may be small, it is expansive enough to hold a variety of gifts from Ty brand plush toys to bath products to candles.

The store has remained the place to buy a variety of cards, from the first birthday greeting to other, humorous cards intended for grown-ups.

“Most of my business is cards,” Buschen said.

Like many other small business owners in the Valley, Buschen gave up a bit of security and comfort when she ventured into self-employment. She and her husband are both self-employed, so health insurance comes entirely out of pocket. She works six days out of the week and gets her daughter to cover Sundays. She is always thinking about what to offer at the store.

But Buschen wouldn’t have it any other way. By working in Fall City, she has met neighbors she’d always seen but never got a change to know. Holidays are a riot, especially Valentine’s Day when men need all the help they can get picking out a gift.

Buschen recalled something her youngest daughter told her when reflecting on the decision she’d made to leave her payroll manager job and set up her own business.

“She said, ‘It just feels right,’ and that is what I needed to hear,” Buschen said. “I have never worked this hard or had this much fun.”

* The River’s Edge is located at 33631 S.E. Redmond-Fall City Road. Look for the door on 336th that faces the west side of El Caporal Mexican restaurant. For information, call (425) 222-7188.

Ben Cape can be reached at (425) 888-2311 or by e-mail at ben.cape@valleyrecord.com.