Happy Thursday, all! Today and each of Thursdays until Christmas (three in total), I'll post a selection of ways that you can make your Christmas shopping list do some good. Today I'm focusing on local business ideas, and since I have two homes there will be businesses mentioned for both locales: Gainesville, Florida & Cleveland, Ohio!
For the book lovers on your list, I'd highly recommend paying a visit to Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights. Aside from the store being completely gorgeous and every book nerd's dream hideout, there are amazing collections of books, gifts, and cards for anyone on your list. The wonderful people there are great at helping you find the best suggestions whether it's in the fiction section, children's literature, the antique or collectible collections, or the section all about Cleveland! The store hosts book clubs, author signings, and all kinds of other community events that are a ton of fun to visit year round! You can check out their Facebook page here or just head on over and explore for yourself! You won't be disappointed!
For the foodies you know and love, there isn't a better place to visit and support local business than the West Side Market in Ohio City. Their Facebook page alone will give you enough food envy to last a lifetime, but that's really nothing compared to experiencing it yourself. It's truly a one of a kind place. Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday, you can find anything from specialty popcorn to freshly butchered meats and an amazing hot sauce collection. Buy local and fresh pasta to cook for a loved one on Christmas, or give that PB&J fan a package of locally made nut butter. There are so many options, just wandering through the market will fill your basket more than you'd expect! Go forth and enjoy this great Cleveland landmark!
Speaking of Ohio City, we'll finish Cleveland's section up with a mention of the Ohio City Holiday Festival which is this Saturday, December 7th from 11-4 in Market Square Park. You can get a Christmas tree, see Santa, enjoy some Great Lakes Christmas Ale (another great present!), and buy some gifts from local artists and crafters!
There are so many local businesses, artists, and crafters to support in the Cleveland area, I could never write about as many as I want to in one post. Which is why Thursday posts after Christmas will always focus on something to support locally, whether it's Cleveland or elsewhere - shopping locally is something that is wonderful both because of the sense of community it enforces, but also because of the beautiful originality of the things you can buy when you're looking outside of big box stores.
Now. On to the Sunshine state and my hometown, Gainesville. Gainesville is an amazing place for local artists and business. There are multiple farmers markets where you can shop for produce and locally made goods, great shops and bookstores - it's just great. (I may be a little homesick writing this..)
First things first, I have to start off with another bookstore. Gainesville's own Book Gallery West is a great place to find all manner of books, cards, gifts, and calendars. They're the store that made me love bookstores. You can go in to peruse the newest best sellers, or have the great staff help you find the perfect book for your loved one. There's a great selection in the religion, fiction, and photography sections - though, to be honest, I can't think of a section of the store I don't enjoy. There are beautiful gifts like vases and photo frames, fun toys and things for kids - oh! the children's books and juvenile fiction sections! They're great! Just go. You have to go see it for yourself.
Now for something to soothe those with the sweet tooth: Granny B's Fudge. It's local. It's delicious. It comes in new flavors all the time! You can order online from their website or you can go visit them at the Haile farmer's market on Saturday mornings! Everyone loves a little homemade sweets around the holidays, and this way you can give it without making it! Enjoy sharing some fantastic fudge made from a tried and true hundred year old family recipe. Seriously, you can't go wrong with this.
Next up, the tasty creations of Mrs. Stefanie Hamblen with The Illegal Jam Company, Hogtown Homegrown, and Blue Oven Kitchens. The Illegal Jam Company is a Cottage Food company that Stefanie created and owns which makes and sells homemade jams, jellies, and preserves that are completely scrumdiddlyumptious to steal a word from Mr. Wonka. Hogtown Homegrown is a great local newsletter written and also created by Stefanie (and they're online!) which are chock-filled with great recipes, tips about buying local, and other helpful information. Blue Oven Kitchens is a not-for-profit kitchen that works with various local chefs to prepare their foods in an inspected and approved commercial kitchen facility. Stefanie whips up all kinds of delectable recipes with them and does cooking classes and demonstrations in the area. She's even cooked in the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings kitchen! The Blue Oven Kitchens tent can be found at local events and farm markets regularly, but you can keep up with them through their website (the link above) or on their Facebook page. Right now you can order gift baskets through tomorrow, December 6th which have arrays of local products. No matter what you do - keep an eye out for all three of these businesses, their products will be a sure-fire success as gifts!
Lastly, a fair for those back home in Florida to get their shopping done at this season! The Winter Gift Fair is Sunday, December 15th from 2-5pm at The Jones B-Side on 2nd Avenue. Blue Oven Kitchens along with a great selection of locally produced gift ideas! Go and enjoy the beautiful holiday season with your community!
Hope you all have a ton of new ideas for how to make your Christmas shopping a little more personal, and a lot more meaningful! Check back next Thursday for more ideas on how to Shop for Good!!
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