Best of Local Holiday Shopping

By Kristin Andris
The holidays are here. It is time to break out those decorations, tacky sweaters, reindeer antlers, and of course, your pocketbook. According to Gallup, the average American spends nearly $800 on holiday gifts. Keep some of that money local by shopping at nearby businesses.
Below are just a few ideas for gifts that give back to the community.
Gift Cards: Several local restaurants are offering deals on gift cards for the holidays. Agave is offering a free $25 gift card with the purchase of $100 gift card, or a free $100 gift card with the purchase of a $200 gift card. Six Feet Under, Tin Lizzy’s, The Pig & The Pearl, and The Shed at Glenwood are all offering a free $20 gift card for every $100 gift card purchase.
Stocking Stuffers: My Friend’s Growler Shop is the perfect spot for finding stocking stuffers like Eventide Brewing T-shirts, beer glasses, and gift certificates. Bennett’s Market and Deli also offers a selection of stocking stuffers like candles, spice rubs and other local items. Area restaurants often sell t-shirts as well as signature spices and sauces. Then there are the gift shops at Zoo Atlanta and Historic Oakland Cemetery or the GPNA Café Press site, www.cafepress.com/gpna.
Sweet Treats: Anybody with a sweet tooth will love Bumps Cookies or cupcakes from Endulge Cupcake Boutique.
Handmade Items: Unique handmade crafts can be purchased from local artists like Noel Saabe’s Art, Kevin Griggs Photography, BonesArt, Amy Christine Preston, Yo Soy Candles, Amy Pieroni Designs, My Art Weighs a Ton, Kate Logan, Mindzai Creative, Carolin Oelkers, and Portkey Atlanta. Most of these artists can be found through Facebook or Etsy.
Handmade scarves and kimonos are available through Maelu Designs (www.maeludesigns.com), a local company which focuses on being environmentally conscious, supporting artisans in India and donating to the Global Fund for Women.
Kan Kan Mercantile (www.shopkankan.com) offers a wide variety of handmade items, such as small home decor pieces, candles, children’s toys, room decor, stationery and many other stylish gifts. Neighbors can enjoy a special 10% discount offer through January 1 by using the code 10FORGP. Other special offers can be found by liking their Facebook page or by following them on Instagram.
Cabbagetown Clay and Glass Works offers classes to make your own holiday gift or wares already made by one of their many talented students.
Fine Jewelry: Factory’s Inc. offers a beautiful collection of fine jewelry and also specializes in rare or custom made jewelry. The Midtown business is not open to the public, but Grant Park neighbor Jennifer Berkowitz decided to let us in on her family’s special business.
Jewelry can also be purchased at Tlynn Designs or Victoria Lansford.
Gardening and Home: Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, which recently relocated to 271 Chester Avenue at Memorial Drive, sells many lightly used home and garden items.
Help a loved one decorate his or her home with a personalized burlap print from Big House Relics, a SAND trolley, or a GPNA sunburst. Grant Park neighbor Kelly Enzor’s Etsy shops, Enzor Studio and The Pottery Shoppe, carry paintings and vintage American pottery.
What about the gift of professional garden design? Garden*Hood’s in-house designer, Camille Harvey, offers 90-minute on-site consultations starting at $185. Printed gift cards for the consultations are available by contacting Kacey Cloues at kacey@gardenhoodatlanta.com.
If a gift recipient has always dreamed of a garden but doesn’t have the space, consider buying him or her a plot in the Grant Park Community Garden.
Another idea is the gift of a warm, energy efficient home. Smart Space offers a Comprehensive BPI certified Energy Audit, which helps your make the most of a home through flexible improvement options.
Finally, who wouldn’t love the gift of clean carpets? Metro Carpet Keepers offers carpet cleaning, as well as carpet and furniture repair.
Health and Beauty: Treat a special someone to a massage or manicure at Café of Life, or maybe they’d enjoy a trip to the salon at Hawkins and Clover, Lux The Salon, or Relish Salon.
Fun Experiences: Think outside the gift-wrapped box with tickets to the Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes, a 2015 membership to Zoo Atlanta, or a package of improv classes from the Village Theater. If shopping for someone who likes to bust a move, consider classes from Dance 411 or the D’AIR project. Looking for something more permanent? A tattoo from Live Free Tattoo or Only You Tattoo would be a creative gift.
Gifts for Every Interest: Shop for that new mom or mom-to-be at Baby Love, or buy a gift for a cyclist at Loose Nuts Cycles. Pet lovers might enjoy a gift for Fido from Intown Healthy Hound and City Kitty or fresh, homemade pet food from RebelRaw. A smoker would enjoy a gift from Wyzos Tobacco and Accessories, where they sell a vaporizer pen and bottle of juice for $22.99. Avid readers would enjoy Tom Ferguson’s novel set or his collection of essays, which can both be found by searching his name at www.lulu.com. Music lovers might enjoy Tom Ferguson’s album, which can be downloaded at www.thinkspeak.bandcamp.com for $5.
Security: Give your family the gift of financial security by visiting a financial advisor at the Edward Jones branch in Grant Park or by purchasing life insurance through Holcomb Insurance (www.holcombinsurance.net). The family would also appreciate the gift of home security with a membership to the Grant Park Security Patrol, East Atlanta Security Patrol, or the Trolley Patrol.
Charitable Donations: Finally, while you are in the spirit of giving, consider a tax-deductible donation to one of the area nonprofits. The Grant Park Conservancy, Grant Park Neighborhood Association, Historic Oakland Foundation, and SAND are all great options.