One of my absolute favorite times of year is the season of giving gifts! You all know how much I LOVE local and how promoting and highlighting local businesses is something that gets me super jazzed. Soooo that said I am so excited to have partnered with the local businesses you will see below to bring you this “Shop & Support Local Holiday Guide”. These local businesses are very deserving of your attention and your support. I know that each and every one of them would agree with the quote that “when you buy from a local business an actual person does a little happy dance.” Let’s give these businesses reason to do those little happy dances. I hope you enjoy getting to know each business a little better or maybe you’ll even be hearing about them for the first time. Either way, may this guide bring you value and may you find it helpful as you create your lists and get to you Christmas shopping.
ONE-STOP SHOPS
Photo used courtesy of Trellis Marketplace
Charming, cozy and filled with wonderful finds throughout, Trellis Marketplace is a very pleasant local shop to visit. Every quaint little corner has something fun and unique to discover. You could truly take your entire holiday shopping list here and find something for everyone on it. While at Trellis, you will see how individual vendors have set up their spaces beautifully and as you wander around, you will find the following and more: party supplies, lovely clothing, greeting cards, cozy winter hats and gloves, home decor, unique jewelry, kitchen items, furniture, specialty foods, candles, barware and toss pillows. It really is a place to enjoy and savor your visiting experience.
Perfect for: I’m not kidding when I say each and every person on your list.
The natural light, the beautiful products, the stunning views of Spokane, the way that the hardwood floors creak when you’re walking around the shop. Everything about the space is quite charming. Lookout is located in the upstairs Dormitory building on Riverside in the Browne’s addition area of Spokane. Owners Alex and Amy excel in the curation of their shop and carefully handpick “every artist for their integrity in design, sustainability, and craftsmanship.” You’ll find a wide variety of products that range from unique and beautiful pieces of jewelry, pottery mugs, candles, stickers, childrens items, house plants, greeting cards, lotions and much more.
Perfect for: Literally every person on your Holiday shopping list.
Photo used courtesy of Ritters Garden & Gift
Ritters Garden & Gift is not only a great place to shop but is also a special place to visit and wander around. Not only can you buy the gifts you need for everyone on your list but there are beautiful vignettes throughout the whole store to be discovered and enjoyed. Ritters is a true one-stop shop, with their gift shop, their home decor, their floral shop, their candy shop and their wide variety of plants they have all of your needs and wants well covered. You will be impressed by their beautiful indoor plant selection and the staff at Ritters is very happy to help you find a particular plant, offer suggestions or help you solve your plant or gardening issues. You really must visit Ritters during Christmas time as it’s absolutely magical and a Christmas wonderland. When you are visiting be sure to say hi to Santa’s Reindeer (yes real live reindeer) while they are there until December 22nd, after that they will of course be off helping Santa deliver all those presents around the world.
Perfect for: All your friends and family that love classic and timeless.
Photo used courtesy of BeYOUtiful Bath Bombs & More
One of the first things you'll notice when entering a BeYOUtiful Bath bombs & more is store how wonderful it smells, this is largely due to the 50 different kinds of bath bombs that they have available year round. Impressive, right? Part of owner, Jessie's, mission is "to create top of the line bath and beauty products for an affordable cost, so that the average income can afford healthy options". This wonderful local business also has a variety of vendors who have their products available in store as well: hair accessories, candles, hand milled soaps, cosmetics, lotions, jewelry and more. It's the ideal place to shop to your heart's delight or maybe even shop til you drop. When you stop by be sure to check out the adorable Christmas themed bath bombs they have this time of year.
Perfect for: Your hubby, your best gal pal, teacher gifts, your kiddos.
Photo used courtesy of Lucky Vintage
Due to it’s beauty, charm and unique nature I’m giving you fair warning, you might just want to move in to Lucky vintage when you visit. You will find a fabulous mixture of vintage finds and new items that have been beautifully curated by the various vendors who are represented at Lucky and let me tell you, they have some incredibly talented vendors who have created lovely vignettes throughout the store. Lucky will be having a fun event coming up on Thursday, December 5th from 4-7:30pm, it’s their Girls Night Out so be sure to check that out. They have added store hours for the month of December and will be open on Sundays from 12-4pm. Lucky is a MUST visit spot during your holiday shopping outings.
Perfect for: Those who love the quest of finding a vintage treasure and also love products that are on trend.
Photo used courtesy of Ryan Dean Tucker
This Spokane gem has over 65 vendors represented within its walls. Even more impressive and noteworthy, each and every one is a Spokane maker or artist, talk about LOCAL central, I love it so much. Additionally the various artists also work in the store so you can actually meet and interact with them. The space itself is beautiful and inspiring as you see all the incredible creations that surround you. At From Here, you will find the space filled with unique and beautiful pottery, one of a kind chairs, clothing that has been made ethically and through sustainable practices, lovely jewelry, leatherwork, stunning art and so so much more. They have something really exciting happening through the month of December. Every weekend they will have what they call their Live Action Art which is when they will have some of their favorite artists creating right in front of your eyes in their storefront windows. The full schedule for this can be found on their Instagram page HERE.
Perfect for: Your friends who appreciate and REALLY, really love all things local.
PRODUCTS
Photo used courtesy of Cotton + Co.
Cotton + Co makes the most marvelous decorative pillow covers, with a wide variety of prints, textures, classic solid colors and seasonal options you are sure to fall in love with one or seventeen covers like I have. These covers are made from high quality fabrics and Jennifer, the owner of Cotton + Co, has perfected the no show zipper method, its quite the marvel. Check out her Etsy shop HERE.
Perfect for: Every woman you know. Is there even a single adult woman you know who isn’t obsessed with toss pillows?
Photo used courtesy of Orion Original Designs
When you see the coasters and other products made by Mikayla, owner of Orion’s, you almost won’t believe your eyes because they are so incredibly stunning. She is inspired by nature and the universe and her stunning works of art truly reflect that. They are one of a kind pieces of art and it’s very apparent that Mikayla puts much love and thought into her creations. You can find magnets, coasters and ornaments in her Etsy shop HERE. Mikayla is up to the challenge of creating custom work too, so if you have an idea of something in your head so reach out to her to discuss it.
Photo used courtesy of Natalie Bee Photography
The mission of Caring Coconut is to provide their customers with skincare that is both safe and effective. From healing salves to face masks to rejuvenating face serum to natural bug repellent, they offer a nice variety of products for your skincare needs and wants. The salve that started it all is a proprietary blend that has been handed down through the family for generations, it’s their “flower power healing salve”. Using their product is a great way to show your skin some love in a very practical way. Be sure to check out the Caring Coconut website HERE for the full line of products and if you would like to see several of the products in person head to My Fresh basket in Kendall yards.
Perfect for: Your mom, your best gal friend, kiddos, expecting mamas, you :)
Photo used courtesy of Fern
Do you have a plant loving someone in your life that you need to find that perfect new plant for? Look no further than Fern, located in the Dormitory building on Riverside neat the Browne’s addition area of Spokane. This adorable little shop is just dreamy and I swear you are healthier while wandering and looking around because of alllll the plants. Not only does Fern carry a great variety of beautiful and unique plants, the fine folks at the shop are also knowledgeable in plant care. They also have plant food and other products that will help you have the happiest and healthiest plants around.
Perfect for: All of the plant loving people in your life or those who want to start being an indoor plant person.
Photo used courtesy of Heartfelt Mama’s
Heartfelt Mama’s is, “passionate about creating support for mamas through gift boxes which meet mental, emotional, physical & spiritual needs in every stage of motherhood.” Owner of Heartfelt Mama’s, Cheree, has a heart to help alleviate some of the stresses and strains of motherhood by creating beautifully curated boxes to bless the heart, mind and body. Each of the curated boxes is made up of local products. Depending on which box you choose it will be curated with a lovely journal, an inspirational mug, coffee gift card, certificate for a fitness class, a greeting card with hand lettering, chocolates, nourishing skin cream and other wonderful products. Heartfelt Mama’s will be offering 2 specialty boxes through Christmas, a mini self care box and inspirational box, these would be particularly perfect to give as a teacher gift.
Perfect for: Any of the Mamas in your life in the various seasons of motherhood they are in.
SERVICES
Creative genius, crazy hard worker, talented florist, these are some of the ways to describe Tia, the owner of In Bloom flower farm, while she describes herself a “gardening fanatic”. Her urban flower farm is located in a historic Garland neighborhood on 3 city lots and has sustainably grown, heirloom florals. “Sustainably grown” meaning that their blooms are grown not flown, Tia says, “from seeds to centerpiece, our blooms are our babies.” On Saturday, November 30th, Tia will be offering a workshop to make marvelous wreaths, this will take place at Ritters Garden & Gift during Small Business Saturday from from 9am-4pm. You can register for the workshop on her website. Tia has marvelous flower subscription option called “Four seasons of flowers”, you receive a Spring, Summer and Fall centerpiece in each season and a lovely wreath in the winter. Also be sure to keep your eyes out next year for that that Tia will be up to on her flower farm, you won’t want to miss out.
Perfect for: Every person in your life that loves flowers. Young, old and everyone in between.
Photo used courtesy of Belladona’s massage
We could all use some relaxation in our lives, don’t you agree? One of the best to relax is to get a massage and Belladona’s massage has many options to add that kind of relaxation to your life. Curious what kind of massages serves owner of Belladona’s, Galina has available? Here you go: In-home massages, prenatal massage, corporate chair massages, wellness events and more. Maybe your office wants to book some chair massages or perhaps you’d like to have a girls night or a spa party at your house, Galina can come give everyone massages, how marvelous does that sound? Head over HERE to see the additional information and pricing. Gift certificates are available.
Perfect for: Your best gal friend, your mom, you, a girls night party, an office party.
Photo used courtesy of Order Restored
Raise your hand if you would love some additional organization in your life, **everyone raises their hand. Expert organizer and owner of Order Restore, Katie, says “it gives me great joy to help women create clutter-free living spaces that are both functional and efficient.” Her heart is to work specifically with women and her mission is to “help women of all ages de-clutter and organize. One honest, judgement-free step at a time.” Katie works to help maximize the space that her clients already have by creating custom solutions of organization. Do you have someone in your life who you absolutely know would love some help and guidance with some home or office organization? You can call or email Katie directly through the information on her website, maybe you’ll even want to schedule a complimentary in-home consultation. Gift certificates are available by getting in touch with Katie.
Perfect for: Those who are desiring more organization in their life (make sure to check with them first)
BAKED GOODS & SWEETS
Photo used courtesy of Amy Stone Photography
Artwork that you can eat and enjoy, that’s exactly what the delicious cookies from Three birdies bakery are. Owner, Jamie says she, “loves creating little pieces of edible art and I pour my heart into each one.“ These sweet and buttery cookies are the perfect treat. Jamie is highly skilled in bringing your cookie dreams to life through her custom creations. She has made everything from woodland creatures to Harry Potter to glitz and glam for galas and bridal showers. Don’t delay in getting your orders in for the holidays as this lady books up fast and being that she is a one woman show (yes she’s a rockstar like that) she can only take so many orders.
Perfect for: teachers, your neighbor, a special occasion, taking to a party or having at a party that you are hosting
Photo used courtesy of Bean & Pie
The finest of pies, really and truly, Bean & Pie has them. So buy a pie for a friend and a family member and yourself, the more pie the better, wouldn’t you agree? Curious about flavors, how does Cran-raspberry, salted caramel apple and pecan sound? They have these delicious options and more. If you have dietary restrictions and needs, Bean & Pie has you covered, their GF options in particular are fantastic. Exciting sidenote** Bean & Pie just announced their brick and mortar, they will be sharing space with Evans Brothers Coffee in Coeur d’Alene and will be opening soon. Do yourself a favor this holiday season and add one of these pies to your menu.
Perfect for: Anyone and everyone, not even kidding. Who doesn’t love pie?
Glorious owner and bread baker extraordinaire, Leo, infuses love and care into each and every loaf of bread that he and is team make at this shop. His team consistently strives to create the very best of loaves. The bread from this beautiful little shop truly is glorious, but guess what, they are ever growing the list of fabulous food options that they have available. They carry an impressive selection of the highest of quality olive oils and balsamic vinegars. These oils and vinegars will greatly enhance and enrich the food dishes you add them to and are a total game changer to your cooking. You can sample each and every one at the shop, which I highly recommend as a fun and delicious experience. Beautifully curated gift baskets are also available. Their shop is an experience for the senses through the the smells, the goodies you can sample, the beautiful loaves of bread on display and more. It’s a shop you will love visiting time and time again.
Perfect for: Foodies, any bread loving people, health conscious friends or family.
Photo used courtesy of Sweet Frostings
Did you know that Sweet Frostings is a women owned bakery, not only that it’s a mother-daughter team which I absolutely love. They strongly believe in using the best ingredients and you can taste it in the sweets they create. While Sweet Frostings is often best known for their wide variety of delicious and unique cupcakes, they also have many other products. They create amazing custom cakes, adorable cookies, colorful macarons and much more. Don’t forget that they have a baker’s choice cupcake available every day of the week. If you are feeling a bit hungry for something other than their delicious sweets each of their locations offers tasty deli options. There are 4 Sweet Frostings locations throughout Spokane: Downtown on S. Washington, Northtown Mall kiosk, Valley mall kiosk and near Whitworth in North Spokane.
Perfect for: The person in your life who has a sweet tooth which is just about everyone, right?