A local gift guide for very specific people

pexels-photo-1687045

Photo via Pexels

Table of Contents

This is a contributor-submitted Voices piece. Want to join the conversation? We invite you to write for us. Learn how to share your voice here.

Stu Pennebaker is an eater, reader + outfit repeater who is new to town and here to share a hilariously specific local gift guide for even the most difficult people to shop for this holiday season.

We are five Fridays from Christmas – a thought that makes me break out into nervous sweat. Every year, I promise myself I’m going to shop local, and then I end up running out of time and ordering everyone on my list something lame from Amazon. Not this year! Here’s a guide to local gift giving for the trickiest people on your list.

Your Gen Z cousin who sends you the funniest memes on Instagram + has 609 followers on Spotify:

Image from iOS (5)

Photo via @whitesmerchantile

○ A band t-shirt from White’s Mercantile
○ A subscription to the Music Hall’s best friend program so she can get all the best concert tickets

Your grandma who plays a mean game of bridge, let you eat ice cream for breakfast when you were little + just learned how to FaceTime:

○ A sweet pair of earrings from Skinny Dip
○ Garden & Gun’s new book on Southern Women from Blue Bicycle. (Bonus points for a double local buy!)

The cute guy you met on Bumble who always beats you at Mario Kart + loves Saltwater Cowboy. You’re not dating, but you’re not, like, not dating either:

Image from iOS (5)

Photo via @thealleychas

○ A funny holiday card from Ink Meets Paper
○ A reservation at The Alley

Your funny coworker who has a sweet tooth + never gets annoyed when you have a dumb question on a Monday morning:

○ An assorted dozen from Nothing Bundt Cakes
○ A cool pair of blue light glasses

Your neighbor who always has a treat for your dog + never lets you forget about street sweeping day:

○ A pretty print by a local artist
○ A fresh wreath for their front door

Your one-year-old nephew who is not only the cutest nugget of all time but also already loves going on boat rides:

Image from iOS (5)

Photo via @thecommunitychs

○ A pair of baby sunglasses called Weefarers from The Community
○ A six pack of local beer from the Beer Cellar for nugget’s mom and dad

Your best friend from college who moved to Seattle after graduation + is one cold winter away from being convinced to move to Charleston:

○ A cool Goldbug Collections bracelet
○ Everybody’s favorite CHS hat so she looks like a local when she finally moves here

Your mom who runs half marathons faster than you + can fold a fitted sheet in under two minutes:

Image from iOS (6)

Photo via @blueskyendurance

○ A Garmin watch from Blue Sky Endurance
○ A donation in her name to a local organization, like The Green Heart Project, Lost Got Found or Surfrider

Poll