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Published November 22, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
Making a list and checking it twice? Don’t be naughty — be nice! Your merry marching orders this holiday season are to resist the big-box stores and shop local. Small, indie makers and retailers play an outsize role in Vermont’s culture. They keep our downtowns in business and our community ties strong. As part of our annual Gift Local Giveaway, we asked readers to get vocal about gifting local and share their favorite Green Mountain State storefronts. Their top answers made it into the Nice List — our community-curated shopping directory.
Seeking a special bottle for the badass bartender in your life? Some sparkly bling for the object of your affection? A new page-turner for your bookworm big sis? You can find all that and more at the rad retailers rounded up by Seven Days readers.
More than 1,100 Vermonters cast 8,602 votes for the stores they love to support. A whopping 63.4 percent pledged to purchase three or more gifts locally this season, while 25.9 percent vowed to buy all of their gifts close to ho-ho-home. That’s the spirit!
The winner of our giveaway is Haley Pero of Barre, who scored $500 in shop-local bucks to two retailers of her choice courtesy of New England Federal Credit Union. Ready to tackle some home improvement projects, she selected Barge Canal Market, an antique and vintage home goods store in Burlington, and rk MILES, a building materials supplier with eight Vermont outlets.
We couldn’t have said it better.
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More than 1,100 Vermonters cast 8,602 votes for the stores they love to support. A whopping 63.4 percent pledged to purchase three or more gifts locally this season, while 25.9 percent vowed to buy all of their gifts close to ho-ho-home. That’s the spirit!
The winner of our giveaway is Haley Pero of Barre, who scored $500 in shop-local bucks to two retailers of her choice courtesy of New England Federal Credit Union. Ready to tackle some home improvement projects, she selected Barge Canal Market, an antique and vintage home goods store in Burlington, and rk MILES, a building materials supplier with eight Vermont outlets.
“I shop local not only because it keeps dollars and jobs in our communities, but because it’s usually a better choice for the planet, too,” Pero said. “I’d much rather spend money at local stores than give it to corporate giants like Amazon — and Vermont’s small businesses have amazing products! I love that, from food to gifts and everything in between, I can shop in my own community.”
We couldn’t have said it better.
Food & Drink Gifts
... for splendid sipping
Beverage Warehouse
Winooski, beveragewarehousevt.com
Caledonia Spirits
Montpelier, caledoniaspirits.com
Cheese & Wine Traders
South Burlington, cheeseandwinetraders.com
Dedalus
Burlington, Stowe, dedaluswine.com
Salt & Bubbles Wine Bar and Market
Essex, saltandbubbleswine.com
... for sweetie pies
Klinger's Bread Company
South Burlington, klingersbread.com
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Burlington, Waterbury Center, lakechamplainchocolates.com
Madeleine's Bakery
Milton, madeleinesbakery.com
Mirabelles Bakery
South Burlington, mirabellesbakery.com
Poorhouse Pies
Underhill, poorhousepies.com
... for adventurous eaters
Cheese & Wine Traders
South Burlington, cheeseandwinetraders.com
City Market/Onion River Co-op
Burlington, citymarket.coop
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
Dakin Farm
Ferrisburgh, South Burlington, dakinfarm.com
Dedalus
Burlington, Stowe, dedaluswine.com
... for the wannabe chef
As the Crow Flies
St. Albans City, Facebook
Capital Kitchen
Montpelier, capitalkitchenvt.com
Homeport
Burlington, homeportonline.com
Kiss the Cook
Burlington, kissthecook.net
Stowe Living
Stowe, stoweliving.net
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Outdoors & Recreation Gifts
... for skiers and riders
Alpine Shop
South Burlington, alpineshopvt.com
Burton
Burlington, burton.com
Onion River Outdoors
Montpelier, onionriver.com
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Burlington, gearx.com
Skirack
Burlington, skirack.com
... for outdoor fans
Alpine Shop
South Burlington, alpineshopvt.com
Burton
Burlington, burton.com
Onion River Outdoors
Montpelier, onionriver.com
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Burlington, gearx.com
Skirack
Burlington, skirack.com
... for wheely good people
Old Spokes Home
Burlington, oldspokeshome.com
Skirack
Burlington, skirack.com
Earl's Cyclery & Fitness
South Burlington, earlsbikes.com
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Burlington, gearx.com
North Star Sports
Burlington, northstarsportsvt.com
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Clothing, Shoes & Accessories Gifts
... for fashionable folks
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
ECCO Clothes
Burlington, eccoclothesboutique.com
Harbour Thread
Burlington, harbourthread.com
Jess Boutique
Burlington, jessboutique.com
SidePony Boutique
Hinesburg, sideponyboutique.com
... for thrifters
Battery Street Jeans
Burlington, Facebook
Dirt Chic
Burlington, dirtchicvt.com
The Getup Vintage
Montpelier, Facebook
Old Gold
Burlington, Facebook
The Vault Collective
Burlington, thevaultcollective.com
... for someone who is a real gem
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
Jennifer Kahn Jewelry
Burlington, jenniferkahnjewelry.com
Perrywinkle's
Burlington; Plattsburgh, N.Y., perrywinkles.com
Tradewinds
Burlington, tradewindsvt.com
Zinnia
Burlington, zinniastores.com
... for growing and stylish kids
Boho Baby
Williston, bohobabyvt.com
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
Once Upon a Child
Williston, onceuponachild.com
minikin
Montpelier, minikin.com
Zutano Outlet Store
Montpelier, zutano.com
... for putting your best foot forward
Danform Shoes
Burlington, Colchester, Shelburne, St. Albans, danformshoesvt.com
Dear Lucy
Burlington, dearlucy.com
Harbour Thread
Burlington, harbourthread.com
Lenny's Shoe & Apparel
Barre; Plattsburgh, N.Y.; St. Albans; Williston, lennyshoe.com
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Burlington, gearx.com
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Arts & Entertainment Gifts
... for vinyl lovers
Autumn Records
Winooski, autumnrecordsvt.com
Buch Spieler Records
Montpelier, buchspielerrecords.com
Burlington Records
Burlington, burlingtonrecords.com
Pure Pop
Burlington, purepoprecords.com
Speaking Volumes
Burlington, speakingvolumesvt.com
... for keeping little ones occupied
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
Jamie Two Coats' Toy Shop
Shelburne, Facebook
Kidstructive Fun
South Burlington, kidstructivefuntoys.com
Turner Toys
Williston, turnertoys.com
Woodbury Mountain Toys
Montpelier, woodburymountaintoys.com
... for getting crafty
The Drawing Board
Montpelier, drawingboardvt.com
Must Love Yarn
Shelburne, mustloveyarn.com
Notion Fabric & Craft
Montpelier, notionvt.com
Vermont Art Supply
Burlington, vermontartsupply.com
... for the musically inclined
Ellis Music
Royalton, ellismusic.com
GuitarSam
Montpelier, guitarsam.com
Randolin Music
Shelburne, randolin.com
Vermont Violins
South Burlington, vermontviolins.com
... for bookworms
Bear Pond Books
Montpelier, bearpondbooks.com
Bear Pond Books
Stowe, stowebooks.com
Crow Bookshop
Burlington, crowbooks.com
The Flying Pig Bookstore
Shelburne, flyingpigbooks.com
Phoenix Books
Burlington, Essex, Rutland, phoenixbooks.biz
... for geeking out
Computers for Change
Burlington, computersforchange.com
LeZot Camera
Burlington, lezotcameras.com
Small Dog Electronics
Burlington, smalldog.com
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Home & Garden Gifts
... for the home
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
Home & Garden Vermont
Burlington, homeandgardenvermont.com
Homeport
Burlington, homeportonline.com
SLATE
Burlington, Middlebury, slatehome.co
Stowe Living
Stowe, stoweliving.net
... for gardeners
Claussen's Florist, Greenhouse & Perennial Farm
Colchester, claussens.com
Evergreen Gardens of Vermont
Waterbury Center, evergreengardensvermont.com
Gardener's Supply Company
Burlington; Lebanon, N.H.; Williston, gardeners.com
Guy's Farm and Yard
Montpelier, Morrisville, St. Albans, Williston, guysfarmandyard.com
Montpelier Agway
Montpelier, montpelieragway.com
... for antique lovers
Anjou & the Little Pear
Burlington, anjouvt.com
Barge Canal Market
Burlington, bargecanalmarketvt.com
Five Corners Antiques
Essex Junction, 5cornersantiques.com
Habitat ReStore
Milton, Swanton, Williston, vermonthabitat.org/restore
Vintage Inspired Lifestyle Marketplace
Burlington, vintageinspired.net
... for art collectors
ArtHound Gallery
Essex, arthoundgalleryvt.com
Common Deer
Burlington, commondeer.com
Frog Hollow Vermont Craft Gallery
Burlington, froghollow.org
Milton Artists' Guild Art Center & Gallery
Milton, miltonartistsguild.org
Thirty-odd
Burlington, thirtyodd.com
... FUR the whole family
The Dog and Cat
Essex, Stowe, thedogandcatvt.com
Guy's Farm and Yard
Montpelier, Morrisville, St. Albans, Williston, guysfarmandyard.com
The Pet Advantage
South Burlington, thepetadvantage.com
Pet Food Warehouse
Shelburne, South Burlington, pfwvt.com
The Quirky Pet
Montpelier, quirkypet.com
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Beauty & Body Gifts
... for lookin' good
Farm Craft VT
Shelburne, farmcraftvt.com
Flourish Beauty Lab
White River Junction, flourishbeautylab.com
Lunaroma Aromatic Apothecary
Burlington, lunaroma.com
Mirror Mirror
Burlington, Stowe, mirrormirrorvt.com
Splash Naturals
Montpelier, splashnaturals.com
... for self-care
ALKAME CO
Burlington, alkameco.com
Flourish Beauty Lab
White River Junction, flourishbeautylab.com
Lunaroma Aromatic Apothecary
Burlington, lunaroma.com
Mirror Mirror
Burlington, Stowe, mirrormirrorvt.com
Pure Energy Apothecary
Williston, pureenergyvt.com
... that are, like, super chill
AroMed Essentials
Montpelier, aromedessentials.com
Ceres Collaborative
Burlington, ceresvt.com
Green State Dispensary
Burlington, greenstatedispensary.com
Magic Mann
Essex, magicmann.com
Pepper Lee
Burlington, pepperleecbd.com
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Need some specific gift ideas? See what our editors recommend for everyone on your list:
Related 2022 Vermont Holiday Gift Guide
2022 Vermont Holiday Gift Guide
When it comes to giving, it's the thought that counts — and there's a lot of brainpower behind the 70 presents highlighted in this handy guide. These delightful, often unexpected gifts were cherry-picked to check all the boxes: Some will run you less than $20, while others are "do-good" gifts that contribute to worthy causes. From a bubble gum chemistry kit for your kid to coffee-infused maple syrup for Grandma, there's something sweet for everyone on your list.
Holiday Gift Guide
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