Shop Small NYC Holiday Gift Guide
As a boutique firm ourselves, we know what it takes to keep an NYC small business running and our heart breaks for so many throughout Brooklyn and New York City that are suffering due to the pandemic. Please do consider supporting them if you plan on holiday shopping this year.
Since we’ve already written about Brooklyn clothing boutiques and where to buy masks, and many blogs are featuring NYC small business posts, we figured we’d do a round-up of the posts, organized by category.
Same-Day Delivery
Move over Amazon, ShopIn.nyc is your source for one-stop shopping for everyday items that include household goods, pantry staples, gifts and more. The startup offers Brooklyn small businesses an option to get their products out without having to partner with big retailers like Amazon or Walmart, and they plan to eventually expand their reach to other boroughs.
Photo by Anna Elizabeth
NYC Makers
Time Out New York highlights talented NYC makers who sell jewelry, candles, home goods, foodie gifts and other creative finds. Start Small Think Big also has a Made in NYC gift guide, which offers a 15% coupon and profiles each maker in a cool way. The NY Handmade Collective gift guide features even more local makers. This year’s NYC holiday markets include plenty of virtual and in-person options. And you can always search handmade NYC on Etsy.
Black-Owned NYC Businesses
Black-Owned Brooklyn is a wonderful resource supporting local Black-owned businesses, and their carefully curated holiday gift guide does not disappoint. Their thoughtful product recommendations are broken down by clothes, candles, jewelry, kids’ stuff, finds for food lovers, home goods and other categories worth exploring.
Photo by Julian Wan
Brooklyn Boutiques
A Child Grows in Brooklyn recently made their holiday shopping guide which covers local gift shops, bookstores, toy stores, clothing and jewelry. Dumbo Improvement District is pleading with Brooklynites to step away from big conglomerate retailers and shop here in our own backyard. Whether you’re shopping for someone with a sweet tooth, a food enthusiast, kids, a homebody, pet & plant parents, art lovers or picnickers, their extensive Dumbo Gift Guide has you covered. Here in Park Slope, you can shop via the Fifth Avenue BID’s directory.
Photo by Greta Punch
Restaurants & Food-Centric Businesses
Eater NY’s holiday gift guide targets “home cooks, restaurant obsessives and food enthusiasts.” Union Square Partnership lists eateries for holiday essentials. Or you can buy a gift card from a local NYC restaurant. If you’re shopping for a baker, try NY Cake. Home chefs will love cookbooks from Kitchen Arts & Letters and Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks. For the cocktail enthusiast? Try barware from Cocktail Kingdom or the Death & Co store. And BKLYN Larder is worth checking out for cheese boards, Hanukkah chocolates and various gourmet snack packs.
NYC Vegan Shops
Though not a gift guide, VegOut Magazine has writeups on seven small NYC vegan businesses to support. Don’t forget MooShoes for vegan footwear, vegan cheese from Riverdel, Sweet Vegan chocolates, nois clothing, Goldie’s beauty products and sweet treats from Happy Zoe Vegan Bakery.
Photo by Pel
New York Booksellers
There’s a large variety of NYC indie bookstores that we love and we encourage you to support. Or if you’re looking specifically for independent bookstores in Brooklyn or Black-owned NYC bookstores, there are plenty of options to consider.
Pet Stores
Last but certainly not least, we can’t forget about our little furry (and non-furry) friends. Some indie pet stores in NYC that we’ve either shopped at or heard good things about include Love thy Pet in Carroll Gardens, Whiskers Holistic Pet Care in the East Village and Wespaw Pets in Sunnyside. If you’re shopping online, explore Brooklyn’s DEN Dog Beds, cute holiday-themed toys from Dog & Co, fashionable sweaters from Canine Styles, Love Thy Beast cat toys and wagwear jackets.
