Thursday, November 29, 2012

Shop Local: A Brief Guide to Gifts from The New River Valley


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.”


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 CafĂ© 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!