11 local shops that are perfect for holiday gift-buying
When you shop at these local stores, you can feel good about the presents you buy and the places at which you purchase them.
Boston General Store
A homemade gin kit. Enamel mugs. Artisanal beard oil. Boston General Store—which has a location in Brookline and a temporary holiday shop in Dedham’s Legacy Place—has tons of goods that are great for someone who otherwise wouldn’t buy for themselves. (305 Harvard St., Brookline; 218 Legacy Place, Dedham)
Sault New England
Sault is the answer for the notoriously difficult-to-shop-for guy in your life, featuring local and USA-made duds, accessories, and housewares. Show up without a clue, and emerge with an Oxford from the New England Shirt Company in Fall River, or rope and leather bracelets that were assembled in the region. (577 Tremont St., South End, Boston; 10 Market Square, Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
American Provisions.
American Provisions
Create a killer local gift basket at this specialty food shop. It’s the place to go for cheese, produce, and beer from around New England. (613 East Broadway, South Boston, Boston)
Niche Urban Garden Supply
Succulents are all the rage. This place has ’em by the boatload. Gift someone a plant arrangement or a pass to one of Niche’s workshops. (619 Tremont St., South End, Boston)
Brookline Booksmith.
Brookline Booksmith
They offer an array of expertly curated new and used books, plus a solid variety of affordable gift ideas. Warning: You may lose hours at a time here without realizing it. (279 Harvard St., Brookline)
Boutique Fabulous
At this independently-owned shop in Cambridge’s Inman Square, you can choose from antique furniture pieces, vintage jewelry, and locally-made tchotchkes that showcase Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville pride. (1309 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge)
Connie Cooney and her daughter Sarah, of Corner Stalk Farm sell rosemary salt to Andres Escobar during the “Friends and Family” event at the Boston Public Market on July 28, 2015.
Boston Public Market
Do your holiday shopping all at once by visiting multiple local, delicious shops under one roof. Nab honey for your honey, pasta for an Italian food lover, and doughnuts for basically any New Englander. After all, when it comes down to it, who are you gifting who doesn’t love food? (100 Hanover St., Downtown, Boston)
Black Ink
Black Ink’s dedication to whimsy and oddities makes for great gifts, like funky home and paper goods. Plus, its two locations are in beautiful areas to walk around—Beacon Hill and Harvard Square—which makes even the shopping experience enjoyable. (101 Charles St., Beacon Hill, Boston; 5 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge)
Greeting cards at Magpie in Somerville.
Magpie
Many of Magpie’s awesome batch of products are Somerville specific — including a Somerville baby onesie and a “This Car Climbed Winter Hill” bumper sticker. But handmade earrings, heart-shaped measuring spoons, and hand-thrown espresso cups are great for anyone on your list. (416 Highland Ave., Davis Square, Somerville)
Batter-Up Cards & Comics
Have a Boston sports lover in your life? (Is the sky blue?) This shop has all the local sports paraphernalia—pennants, T-shirts, bobbleheads, signed items, and cards—you could need, want, dream of for the gifting season. (1830 Main St., Tewksbury)
Mudflat Studio
Mudflat offers ceramic workshops year-round. Their holiday open studio and sale this weekend features the bowls, mugs, jugs, platters, and more of 96 Mudflat artists, many of it one-of-a-kind. (81 Broadway, East Somerville, Somerville)
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