In case your December calendar wasn’t filling up fast enough, and in case you weren’t feeling the pressure to get your gift shopping done already, the next few weeks in Nashville are full of fun opportunities to shop for unique gifts from local merchants. Whether you’re looking for handmade accessories, one of a kind artwork, tasty edibles, hand-me-down vintage or just trying to get your shopping done while supporting a local business, there’s an event for you. Shopping during the holidays can be daunting, but skipping big-box superstore lines and browsing with a cup of cider (or a glass of wine) makes all the difference. Here’s a list of our picks for local shopping events to make your holiday shopping as pain-free (and maybe even fun) as possible.
Hillsboro Village Art Walk. Hillsboro Village, Thursday, December 2, 5-8pm. The monthly Hillsboro Village Art Walk has been holiday-ified, with cookies, apple cider, pictures with Santa, snowflake crafts, big gift basket giveaways and even a reading of The Night Before Christmas. Browse unique art and take advantage of special discounts offered by many of the shops along 21st to put a dent in your holiday shopping.
Vandy’s Alternative Gift Fair. St. Augustine’s Chapel at Vanderbilt, Thursday, December 2, 3-7pm. Take part in some alternative gift giving, and make a special donation in the name of your friend or loved one. Donate to send books to a local preschool, purchase a malaria treatment for someone in rural Kenya, or send a honeybee hive to a developing community in need. Organizations represented include Book ‘Em, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heifer Project, Ronald McDonald House and dozens of others.
East Nashville Christmas Fest. First Church of the Nazarene, December 4-5. A two-day extravaganza of local merchants, touted as “shopping with sights and sounds of the season.” If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, well, we recommend Amazon.
Rumours’ Annual Holiday aRT Open House. Rumours (12 South), Saturday, December 4, 2-6pm. Rumours Wine & Art Bar will be packed with local artisans selling everything from gourmet sweets to handmade scarves and one-of-a-kind artwork on Saturday afternoon. Did we mention there will be champagne?
East Nashville Holiday Vintage Boutique Crawl. Saturday, December 4, 6-9pm. The crowd of east-side vintage vendors are joining forces to host a holiday boutique crawl, complete with visiting vendors, entertainment and live music. Hop from store to store (we encourage pit stops at 3 Crow), and shop for unique secondhand gifts. Cap off the evening with a free performance by Those Darlin’s at 8!
First Saturday Art Crawl. Downtown, Saturday, December 4, 6-9pm. This month’s First Saturday Art Crawl, keep gift giving on the brain as you browse art and sip free wine and cider at various galleries in and around The Arcade. While most of us aren’t high-rollin’ enough to gift the centerpieces of an exhibit, many galleries offer prints, cards, shirts, ornaments, jewelry and other accessories for purchase alongside the big ticket items.
Third Annual CREMA Christmas. CREMA, Sunday, December 12, 12-6pm. Sip coffee for a good cause while browsing handmade goods from local artisans. Proceeds from coffee sales at CREMA Christmas will be donated to Safe Haven and People Loving Nashville, and scarves, hats and gloves will be available to purchase for donation to the local homeless community.
The Friendly Arctic Holiday Market. 1601-B Riverside Drive, December 1-23, Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm, Sat & Sun 9am-8pm. Tucked away just a stone’s throw down Riverside from East Nashville’s Riverside Village, Friendly Arctic Printing & Design has rounded up a few local friends and set up shop for the month of December. Shop clothing and other handmade goods from Friendly Arctic, Cool People Care, Owlette Collective, Pine Street Makery and Partners Tea.
Know of more local shopping to be done? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by manieldack.
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