The best things in life aren’t things.
That being said, we all inherently like things, and we all inherently like to be given things.
But since the whole Irene-thing a while back, and the ensuing throwing-out of copious amounts of my things, I’ve really tried hard this year to make sure that the things I give aren’t just stupid little things, but hold some sort of quality beyond just “being on sale.”
Lucky for us there are tons of incredible local business and shops in our ‘hood that have truly kick-ass gifts for everyone you can think of. Sure, these stores don’t have $2 waffle-makers and don’t have entire websites dedicated to the absurdity of their customer base. But when you spend your hard earned money at local businesses, you help them they employ our friends and neighbors, sponsor our softball teams and contribute to our communities in ways that no bargain box store could ever compete with.
So when you set out to do your last minute holiday shopping, here’s a quick list of places where you can find what your looking for without having to worry about being trampled.
- The Collection – lovely, cute, festive and absolutely beautiful gifts for the kids, for the lady, for anyone!!
- The Artisans’ Gallery – A great place to find unique Vermont-made artwork of all kinds, not the least of which would be Dug Nap prints for under $20!
- Kenyon’s – By jeezum, you can find tons of great gifts here! Breyer Horses, Carharts, hats, mittens, windshield scrapers, dog toys and more.
- Mad River Glen’s General Store – for the ski bums in your life, there are tons of great gifts big and small for the ski-geeks you know and love.
- Infinite Sports – for the rest of the ski and board bums in your life! Find some of the coolest gifts possible for the snow-lovers in the crowd.
- The Store – kitchen geeks and foodies will be so psyched to see the distinctive wrapping jobs on the presents from this kitchen mecca!
- Mad River Massage – Who doesn’t love a gift certificate for a massage as a gift!?
- The Tempest Bookstore – Give someone a copy of On the Road, or the Great Gatsby, or Harry Potter, or whatever. Books are great gifts, but that’s not all you’ll find here!
- The Waitsfield Wine Shoppe – When in doubt, it’s hard to fail when you give the gift of wine!
Of course there are tons more wonderful businesses in and out of the Valley, like the Stowe Street Emporium, Bridgeside Books or Sunflower Natural Foods over in Waterbury. And there are loads of great places in Montpelier too! It almost doesn’t matter where you go in our state – you can find a local place to shop if you just look! And it’s amazing what you can find!
Happy Merry and thanks for supporting local businesses!
ps – My Shameless Plug: If you need a gift for any newly-engaged folks in your life, please allow me to recommend one of my Wedding Walkthroughs for them! They are a great way to kick start the planning process and help couples plan with ease, stay within their budget and have a blast on their wedding day! And all they have to do is hang out with me for two hours! 
