More than a name: My Giving Tree holds special meaning for owner

Story and photos by BRANDY CRUZ

Quirky, unique and located in the heart of downtown Belton, My Giving Tree Gift Shop & Art Gallery has as a host of eclectic
gifts suitable for anyone as the Christmas shopping season quickly approaches.

“I don’t follow any rules, I just do what I like and have a passion for doing it,” shop owner Leila Valchar said. “I love art and love mixing it with gifts.”

She made the leap into business ownership, jumping in with both feet 10 years ago, when downtown Belton was not the thriving area it is today. While it was a struggle at first and took a lot of commitment, she said it has been a blessing.

Valchar, who has twin daughters, said they helped come up with the name of the shop, which was inspired by their favorite book, “The Giving Tree,” by Shel Silverstein.

“They came up with the idea and said, ’How about you put ’My’ in front of it,’ which I thought was nice because when the customers say it, it’s their giving tree,” she explained.

As the shop carried a lot of unique, hand-crafted gifts, the name is suitable for a shop focused on giving to others. With each purchase, Valchar said the customers also receive a free, surprise gift.

The gift shop includes paintings, sculptures, jewelry, handmade cards, hand-painted ornaments, decorations, furniture and much more. A lot of the pieces sold are made in Texas, which is important to Valchar. Something else that is important to her is selling unique items people cannot find elsewhere.

“I try to be like no one else,” she added. “I don’t even go into other stores and look because I don’t want to lose my vision.”

A native of California, Valchar said she knew she was home when she found Belton, so she settled down and hasn’t looked back.

“I love our little town and I’ve always been passionate about giving back to the community,” she said.

She is the organizer of Belton Market Days, a showcase of vendors from across the state, which brings in visitors from far and near to purchase unique items from a variety of places.

Valchar said she is also the administrator for Discover Downtown Belton, a Facebook site dedicated to promoting businesses in the community by sharing their upcoming events.

As she looks forward to the busy Christmas season, she will be decorating her shop and assisting the city with Christmas on the Chisholm Trail. She said she was blessed with passion and believes in giving back whenever she can.

“God gave me passion and strong faith. It’s my passion that keeps me going,” Valchar said. “I believe people should do what they love. Take time and do what you love.”

Christmas decorating without clutter

• Always do something that you love.
• If you’re eclectic, it’s always fun to mix things together.
• Stand back and look at things from a distance. Look at what’s pleasing to the eye.
• If something is iffy, take it out and put it aside and look what you’ve got. If you like it, don’t put the item back. That will help you declutter.