It’s that time of year – Christmas shopping!
I’m guessing some of you are already fully into shopping but I’m just getting started. This year I decided to do something “new” with my shopping and I wanted to share.
We have really pared down gifting as a family because there are SO many of us and it just felt like too much. We draw names for families (on both my side and my in-laws side) so we don’t have to buy gifts for everyone. If we did that would be close to 40 individual people between all of our family members 🙂
So drawing names has really trimmed down our gifting and allowed me to focus on good gifts. But this year I wanted to go another step and try to shop at local Twin Cities businesses. As much as possible, I’m going to shop local – so I wanted to share those spots with you. Here are some of the places I’m eyeing for gifts – and some other places I love!
For Clothes
- Hammermade – did you know they only make 30 of each shirt? That means that you are giving a unique gift that won’t be seen on everyone!
- Oh Baby – the cutest baby clothes. They make great gifts!
- Melly – A perfect place to find a gift for the classic-style lady. Think Lily Pulitzer plus lots of other classic but updated styles.
- Askov Finlayson – their North hats would make a great gift.
- Sota Clothing – show your Minnesota pride 🙂
- Love Your Melon – I’m sure you have seen their adorable hats! I just snagged one for myself to wear out and about.
- Pacifier – another cute baby shop that carries great brands.
For Toys & Games
- Hub Hobby – you can find every game, every craft, and every toy you could ever imagine! If you want a toy for a kid, COME HERE!
- Pacifier (for young kids & babies) – they have quality toys for younger kids and three convenient locations.
- Kiddywampus – we take music class here and I love looking around when we leave!
For the Home
- Ampersand – if I could shop at only one home store ever, this would be it. This is one of my favorite stores of all time!
- The General Store – they have such amazing selection of homegoods, toys, clothing, and more. All the pictures in this post are from there!
- Patina – walk in empty-handed and leave with tons of gifts! So many cute items for literally anyone on your list.
Another great option would be doing a gift card to a local restaurant! Lots of places (like Parasole – they own Salut and Pittsburgh Blue, for example – do bonuses during the holidays! So buy $100 and get $130!).
I know this isn’t an exhaustive list but these are some of the places I plan on visiting over the next few weeks. I’m also hoping to get my shopping done relatively early so I don’t have to rush at the end. I’ve actually been keeping a list on my phone for months so I already have a lot of ideas!
I hope this list helps you find some places to shop this season. Yes you might have to go in store but grab a mask, go on a weekday when it’s quiet, and you’re good! I know I will be doing as much weekday shopping as possible 🙂
