Today is the official beginning of the holiday shopping season with crazy bargains in big box stores and flashy advertising filling our inboxes and mailboxes about Black Friday and Cyber Monday but somewhere between all of that commercialism is Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to getting out in your community and shopping at your local brick and mortar shops. Personally, I find something magical about being able to wander through a store that’s been carefully curated to showcase the shopkeepers favorite finds, to be able to put my hands on the fabrics, smell the candles and be inspired by the craftsmanship. To me, this is what gift giving is all about, finding something a little unique or special that reminds you of someone and that you know will bring them joy. Wandering about the local shops with this intention, to find gifts that are personal and inspire joy is what I love about the holidays and what I love about our Muskegon community. We have so many amazing shops and businesses but holidays can be stressful and Amazon can be convenient so to encourage a little local shopping, I’ve put together a few ideas to cross those hard to buy for friends and family off of your list. I didn’t cover every store so please add your favorite shops in the comments or let me know who you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for.

Lets head out! I love to start down by the restaurant and there are some great vintage shops if you have that mother in law or aunt that loves the farmhouse chic vibe of Joanna Gaines your bound to find some chippy candlesticks at Pine Street Mercantile or for your bohemian niece consider Brass Moon Vintage and scoop up a macrame wall hanging (personally I can’t go in until someone buys the yellow vintage fireplace so I’m not tempted! The newest little shop Vintage Deluxe on Pine has great retro bar sets and candles made right here in Muskegon-check that boss’s gift off of the list. No stroll down Pine Street is complete without dropping into Minty Vintage where you never know what you’ll but you always know it’ll be unique, this is where I’d score some fun and funky earrings for our oldest daughter. I recommend stopping into Aldea for a coffee or Rake to grab a beer depending on the time of day and added bonus-they both offer great Merch then peek into the Polka Dot Paisley where they have great clothing, candles and accessories, great for lots of ladies on your list from friends to that tough to buy for niece. Pop on over to 3rd street for a sweet treat at the Only Cannoli and head into Griffins Rest for a gamers paradise; my 14 year old son loves D&D and although I don’t always understand what I’m looking for the crew there are gaming experts-I’d check the high schooler off of my list with a book but if you’re looking for board games for younger kids or a puzzle they have a wide variety. Next door is one of my favorites-Third Coast Vinyl. I’ve recently purchased a record player and our family is rediscovering music together which I love. Lucky for us vinyl now spans all generations so consider a favorite album for your in-laws, a 45 for your grandparents if you are still blessed to have them with you or a classic for the 20 something boyfriend that also happens to be a DJ. By now we’re ready for a beer and Pigeon Hill is waiting to pour it! The best part is that you can shop while you’re there-they have fantastic merchandise and while my awesome husband is a lifetime member he can always use another hoodie. While strolling through Downtown be sure to stop at the chalets here you’ll find everything from doggie gifts at Wags to Britches to beard products at Soap Dude (also other incredible Handmade cosmetics for all genders) plus gourmet foods and Muskegon Inspired has the perfect wall art and frames (every grandparent loves framed pics of the grandkids) for the parents, I’ll grab some loose leaf tea for my coworkers then peek into the shops at the Century Club-I can grab Michigan candies for a family gift. Now to the Downtown Muskegon cornerstone…the Mecca…The Cheese Lady!!! I could wander this store for days but it is always a great gift stop. The olive oils next door are delicious and they do a gift set for the holidays-perfect for the gift exchange but consider a cheese platter as a hostess gift or one of their beautiful table cloths if you want an indulgent gift that is truly special. After a quick espresso at Drip Drop Drink we’d head to the Lakeshore to finish our list; stop by Fatty Lumpkins for staff gift cards (shhhh…don’t tell them) and then pop into Wasserman’s for a hostess gift, they have all kids of beautiful decor in addition to fresh cut flowers-I’d grab a bouquet for my hostess gift and head into Lakeside. Art Cats is a favorite stop for me, they have beautiful handcrafted jewelry, perfect for your girlfriends. I’d wander down to Level 6 because our 13 year old just got her first skate board, they have lots of awesome stickers, accessories and colored wheels for any skater-stickers to add to that new deck are the perfect stocking stuffer. A few steps away is Wonderland and whiskey sounds like a great gift for a few friends on the list; local and award winning not to mention they have amazing merch. The last check of the box is for our little artist. So we’d head to the Ears & Art by create-a-frame-studio booth inside of the Muskegon Market & Mercantile. They do awesome take home canvas that are fun for artists of any age. You can also wander the mercantile for loads of other gifts like a unique cutting board from Franklin Wood Studio another great option for the parents! There are so many other amazing shops all around so pop in, say hello and get to know the local business owners and think about buying local before you click “add to cart.” When you buy local your money stays here in the community and helps Muskegon continue to flourish! We also have great “experience” gifts like memberships to local breweries and distilleries, museum memberships, beach parking passes, season passes to the Winter Sports Complex or tickets to a show at the Frauenthal. Make a Downtown gift basket with tickets, a growler from one of our breweries and a restaurant gift card-be sure to stop into Nipote’s Italian Kitchen and say hello! I’ll be there to recommend a great wine or cocktail to celebrate with once you’ve checked off your list.

As for me, I’m celebrating with a spagliato…it’s a Negroni, with Prosecco and apparently it’s trending but we’ve been making them here for years…right in Downtown Muskegon! Cin! Cin!

Here’s my completed list!

Older daughter-20 something and big city cool- fun and funky earrings from Minty Vintage

Hard to buy for niece-headband from the Polka Dot Paisley

14 year old high schooler-D&D book from Griffin’s Nest

13 year old middle schooler-stickers/skateboard accessories from Level 6

10 year old artist-take away canvas from Ears & Art

Amazing husband-Pigeon Hill Hoodie

Parents-Candies from Maggie’s/cutting board from Franklin Wood Stuio

The 20 something boyfriend-Vinyl from Third Coast

Friends-Necklace from Art Cats/Whiskey from Wonderland

Coworker-Loose leaf tea from Teology

Hostess gift-flower bouquet from Wasserman’s

Dreaded gift exchange-Olive oil gift set from the cheese lady

Boss-Candle from Vintage deluxe

Staff-Fatty Lumpkins gift cards

Small business Saturday-a gift guide to our local shops