Ben and I try really hard to follow some basic guidelines
with Christmas shopping every year. I
was going to go all into the whys, but then I got lazy. If you are wondering why we follow these
rules, try google or ask me. ;)
Christmas Shopping Rules: Shop small business, shop local,
shop fair trade, shop Made in USA, shop “ethical." Not every item falls into all categories
obviously, but generally over half of our shopping falls into at least one of
those categories.
Why buy local? https://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why
Why fair trade? http://clients.squareeye.net/uploads/global/resources/10_Reasons_to_Buy_Fair_Trade.pdf
I know most of my Facebook friends do not live in Fort
Wayne, but I do know a lot of people flood into Fort Wayne to come shop at our
big mall, and all the chains surrounding.
I decided to put together a shopping guide that goes beyond that. Maybe
you can consider visiting a few of these places BEFORE setting foot in the
mall? And please do not eat at our chain restaraunts!! You will be missing out.
These are my personal favorites, BUT there
are so many cool places! I wish I could
list them all. I did link below for a list of local downtown businesses.
Fancy and Staple:
(Downtown) Brand new shop downtown. It is filled with a lot of unique gift items,
some local and most products made by other small businesses throughout the
country. A majority (not all) is made in
USA. It is a pricey boutique, but the
items are really fun.
Creative Women of the
World: (Downtown) The bottom of the
store is all fair trade items. Most of
it caters towards women, but they also sell coffee, tea, and chocolate. Upstairs has a lot of unique goods made by
local Fort Wayne women artisans. A lot
of jewelry and some other things.
Hedgehog Press: (Northside neighborhood, near downtown)
This is a print shop in our neighborhood, but the owner sell lots of fun items
too. We have bought butterfly earrings,
printed coasters, cards, and notepads from here. Very cool stuff. Definitely a
gem of a place!
Sweets So Geek: (North
Anthony Corridor, north of downtown) They
make chocolates and cookies shaped like “nerd” culture figures. You know, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Superheros. Someone on our list nearly always gets
something from here. They also sell
various local items made by other small businesses in town. Like superhero and star wars stuffed animals,
wall art, jewelry, etc.
Stoners: (Downtown)
Lots of gag items and costume type
things.
History Center, Fort
Wayne Zoo, Science Central, Art Museum, Botanical Gardens gift shops: (Downtown)
All of these places are open year
round, and do not require paying admission to shop.
City Exchange: (Downtown)
I have not been in here yet. They used to host a holiday pop up shop event
around this time of there year that was AMAZING. Now they semi-permanently house several
small, local vendors who are somewhat testing the waters of having their own
retail shops. Check it out!
Summit Sports,
Comics, and Games: (Jefferson Pointe, West Side) Title pretty much says it
all. Find gifts for all your sports
lovers and comic book and nerd culture fans here. Located in the Jefferson Pointe Shopping
Mall.
The Olive Twist: (Coventry
Plaza, West Side) Fancy, flavored olive
oils and spices. If nothing else, stop
here for the free samples. Very neat
shop!
The Monogram Shop:
(Coventry Plaza, West Side) This store has so many cool gifts for
everyone! They have unique toys, baby
items, sports novelties, loads of stationary, and a lot of other cool things
you won’t find anywhere else.
Firefly Café: (North
Anthony Corridor, north of downtown) Has a small section of locally made
products. Eat lunch or a snack while you
are here.
Simply Socks Yarn
Company: (East State Village, north of downtown) I went in here once, and
it was awesome. Such a quaint little shop in my neighborhood. Not
into yarn? I bet someone on your list is.
DeBrand's: (Three locations) A Fort Wayne classic. DeBrand's make artisan chocolates. They make great gifts. Or you can just stop and get some for yourself. I won't tell. ;)
DeBrand's: (Three locations) A Fort Wayne classic. DeBrand's make artisan chocolates. They make great gifts. Or you can just stop and get some for yourself. I won't tell. ;)
On small business
Saturday (November 28):
Artlink: They
host the Foxy Ladies Art Posse. This just means a lot of really cool businesses have booths set up selling so many
awesome gift options. Pottery, jewelry,
stuffed toys, shaped crayons, leather wallets, greeting cards, hats, scarves,
lotions…just some I remember of the top of my head.
Downtown Farmer’s
Market: The Holiday Market is so
vibrant! Some vendors I remember from
last year: spices, lotions and body care, scarves, coffee, jewelry, jerkeys,
cookies, so much goodness! Located at
Parkview Field.
We buy a lot of Christmas gifts between these two
places. The city also hosts “Holly
Trolley” shopping on this day. There is
a trolley that will take you all over downtown to shop at local downtown
businesses. They have an excellent list
of all the downtown businesses on their website! http://downtownfortwayne.com/holly-trolley/
While you are here, eat at:
(All are kid friendly.)
Caliente: (East
State Village, north of downtown) Small,
authentic Cuban sandwich shop in our neighborhood.
Acme: (East State
Village, north of downtown) Neighborhood bar and grill with solid food
choices sure to please anyone.
Bravas: (Just South of downtown.) Local hamburger place that puts funky
toppings on. Definitely get an order of
Patatas with garlic aioli on top!
Jk O Donnell's: (Downtown)
Irish pub that is a Fort Wayne classic.
Pint ‘n’ Slice: (Downtown) Pizza by the slice place downtown.
