Think Local First Holiday Gift Guide
Look at it here by clicking on the image!
It is also downloadable:
Local First Indiana’s Think Local First Holiday Guide is filled with ideas for your Holiday shopping list–and they are all from local, independent businesses in Bloomington. Bursting with 32 pages of ideas for a variety of budgets and recipients, the guide also includes a list of events happening in Local First Indiana member businesses on Black Friday and throughout the Holiday Season.
We asked Local First Indiana business members and a number of Bloomington residents, from students to professionals, to give us a list of their favorite gifts from local, independent businesses in Bloomington, and we created a guide that was made for Bloomington, by Bloomington.
We also asked our business members to give us a list of the items they are most excited about on their shelves for the holidays this year. Some are best sellers and some are simply favorites of the owner. I can guarantee that some of these items will be your new favorites, too. From DIY Spice Mixes to locally made beers and wines, cheese, BBQ Sauce, and flavored honeys, the Food and Beverage section offers great ideas for the Foodies on your list. There is a section for Entertainment and Experiential Gifts, like dance lessons, live music, or theater productions. The retail list is the most extensive, with ideas that range from stocking stuffers for bicycle or music lovers to handmade art, and carefully selected toys and books. We also have a great list of Charitable Donations for those who would rather not receive physical gifts but love contributing to the improvement of our community.
Best of all, this list reflects a growing desire to keep things local. All items on our list are sold in locally owned, independent businesses in Bloomington, and includes many items that were made right here in Bloomington and in Indiana. Every item that you buy in a locally owned, independent business makes a difference for the business you bought it from and for our town. Keep your money local and you will have a Holiday Season you can be proud of!
Look for the Think Local First Holiday Guide in these businesses:
· Barefoot Kids, 615 W. Kirkwood
· BCT Box Office, 114 E. Kirkwood
· The Bishop, corner of 4th and Walnut
· Bloomingfoods (all 3 locations: Westside, 316 W. 6th, Eastside, 3220 E. 3rd Downtown, 419 E Kirkwood Ave.)
· Boxcar Books, 408 E. 6th
· By Hand Gallery, inside Fountain Square Mall, 101 W. Kirkwood, Suite #109
· City Hall (Shower’s Building, Main Desk near front entry, 401 N. Morton)
· The Comedy Attic, corner of 4th and Walnut
· The Crazy Horse, 214 W. Kirkwood
· Friends of Art Bookshop, 1201 E. 7th, Fine Arts Building, IU Campus
· Landlocked Music, 202 N. Walnut
· Melody Music Shop, 402 W 6th
· Oliver Winery, 8024 N. State Road 37
· Paper Crane Gallery and Studio, 401 W. 6th, Suite J (door is on South side of building in the Photo Solutions building)
· Revolution Bike and Bean, 401 E. 10th
· Sole Sensations, 414 S. College
· Soma, 322 E. Kirkwood
· Upland Brewery, 350 W. 11th
A national survey conducted by The Institute for Self-Reliance for the Holiday season of 2009 found that despite an overall dip in retail sales, communities found that Holiday sales increased in independent businesses, and that the increases were 2% higher in communities with active Buy Local campaigns. This guide is the kind of work that these campaigns do that makes up this kind of difference by directing the community to local, independent businesses with tangible ideas for their holiday lists.
Local First Indiana’s Holiday Gift Guide is part of the 8th annual international Buy Local Week. Buy Local Week coincides with the busiest holiday shopping of the year—a perfect time to support independent, locally owned businesses in your community!
