There are
a variety of compelling reasons for us to shop
locally this
holiday season, and, I encourage you to investigate them.
I will not repeat those arguments here, but, if you are already on board for
shopping locally to benefit the economy and/or the environment, or just to meet your neighbors, I would like to
start folks off with a brief guide of sorts, and, I hope that readers will
contribute suggestions in the comments.
First
off, are a few upcoming events in Radford, Christiansburg, and Draper that will
feature a variety of local artisans and goods:
Saturday, December 1:
The Draper Mercantile is sponsoring the Third Annual Holiday Homecoming at the Merc from 9:00am to 5:00pm, in which
guests can “Experience an old-fashioned
Christmas at the Draper Mercantile. Join us for artisan demonstrations, live
music, and delicious food. Shop for unique, locally-made arts and crafts and
meet the artists who create them. Children's felting class will also be offered
with the purchase of a $5 ornament kit.”
Closer to home, Main Street Radford is sponsoring a winter market, “before,
during, and after, the Christmas Parade” (3:00pm to 6:00pm) in the Bondurant Center - 1129 East Main Street.
Saturday and
Sunday, December 8 and 9:
Celebrate
“Christmas in Cambria” at the intersection of Cambria and Depot Streets in
Christiansburg. The event is being sponsored to support local businesses in the
Historic
District and will include a “Christmas
Caroling Flash Mob” at 2:00 on Saturday, December 8th with free
drinks and cookies provided.
For shopping on
your own time, the Green Heron
Local Gifts and Art at 111 3rd Avenue, here in Radford, and the Bell Gallery and Garden, at
112 N. Locust Street in Floyd, both feature the works of local
artisans.
Beth Powers Johnson of Bodyworks Massage
Therapy at 206 W. Main Street Radford offers gift cards and Café 24 and Bakery will take special requests for baked
goods. For coffee to go with those baked
goods, try Red
Rooster Coffee Roaster or a Brewin’ Around gift card.
And, if you just love to browse online,
we recommend doing a “shop local” Etsy search and checking out goods produced in Radford and
surrounding areas (Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Dublin, Floyd, Pearisburg,
Pembroke, Pulaski, etc.) Local Etsy shop owners are numerous, but some examples
of women in the area making products that are great for gifting, see: Code Yellow, A
Little Twisted, Marshfluff, Native
Spring Farm, and Oil and Spice.
Have goods, shops, or events you’d like
to recommend? Let us know in the comments!
