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The BK Reader Holiday Gift Guide: Unique Gifts Close to Home

Local holiday shopping is a great opportunity to discover unique gifts while supporting neighborhood businesses
Awesome Brooklyn, BK Reader
Photo credit: Awesome Brooklyn/ FB

The holidays seem to sneak up on us every year. Suddenly it's mid-December, the time to shop for gifts is running out and the stress levels are rising.

But don't panic! You don't have to travel far to find thoughtful gifts -- after all, we are in Brooklyn, the greatest borough with an abundance of creative makers and unique little shops that can cater to any need and want!

Take a look at our annual holiday gift guide, we're sure there is something for everybody. Happy shopping!

Awesome Brooklyn 

Seven Day Candles featuring Saint Ruth, Michelle, Bey and Cardi Photo credit: Awesome Brooklyn/ FB.

Awesome Brooklyn is a quirky treasure chest full of funny, smart and culturally aware gifts and local products. The broad assortment of unique finds includes games, crafts, girl power essentials, political action figures and "I love Brooklyn" paraphernalia such as keychains and towels that pay tribute to Flatbush's "Little Caribbean." If you want to find something "different," yet with a touch of Brooklyn, this is the spot you should check out. 

Awesome Brooklyn, 617 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 / Flatbush

Brooklyn ARTery

Brooklyn ARTery has a little bit of everything, created by local and international artisan. Photo credit: Brooklyn ARTery/ FB

Brooklyn ARTery is another quaint gift shop that specializes in handmade goods from both local artists as well as free-trade artisans from all over the world. The store carries an eclectic assortment of home decor, jewelry, toys and games, scarves and accessories, artisanal foods, as well as health and beauty products. And the thoughtful gifts you may find here will benefit ARTery's mission to support working artists locally and internationally.

Brooklyn Artery 1021 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn NY 11218 / Flatbush

Bushwick Bark

Spiffy outfits and more for your furry friends offers Bushwick Bark. Photo credit: Bushwick Bark/ FB

Need a gift for your beloved furry friend? Some awesome, healthy treats? Or a spiffy new outfit for Fido? Then maybe you want to take a look at one of the two Bushwick Bark locations. The shops specialize in healthy, organic pet food and supplies, as well as fun toys that cater to both cats and dogs.

And if you are in the market for a new cuddly companion, the store also hosts kittens and dogs for adoption in partnership with local animal welfare organizations.

Bushwick Bark, 175 Knickerbocker Ave and 181 Irving Ave,  Brooklyn NY 11237  / Bushwick

Calabar Imports

Local holiday shopping is a great opportunity to discover unique gifts while supporting neighborhood businesses
Calabar Imports is a specialty store for African, Asian and South American home furnishings, jewelry, fashion, aromatherapy, and gifts. Photo credit: Calabar Imports/ FB

Calabar Imports has been a well-established, local institution in Crown Heights since its launch in 2004. The trendy, specialty retail and gift store specializes in distinct handmade and imported home decor, tabletop accessories and furnishings from across the globe. With such a broad variety of items, Calabar surely will meet every taste. 

Calabar Imports, 708 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238  / Crown Heights

Green in BKLYN

Photo credit: Green in BKLYN/ On the Grid

Green in BKLYN offers a one-stop shop for people who like to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. The store carries a variety of items, ranging from everyday household products and kitchen supplies, to beauty products, kids toys, art supplies, books and anything else one may want to live a greener, more sustainable life. 

Green in BKLYN, 432 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205 / Fort Greene

Little Caribbean Holiday Market at CaribBEING House

Local holiday shopping is a great opportunity to discover unique gifts while supporting neighborhood businesses
Photo credit: CaribBeing/ FB

If you are not sure what you are in the market for yet, maybe you want to stop by at CaribBEING's Holiday Pop-Up to peruse unique gifts created by a hand-picked selection of Caribbean artisans. The market features both locally made and imported Caribbean products like home decor, knitwear, apparel, baked goods, crystal jewelry, accessories, body care and more. The market returns this weekend, Friday, December 21, - Sunday, December 23, to Flatbush's Parkside Plaza.

Little Caribbean Holiday Market, Parkside Ave at Ocean Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11225

Pipsqueak Shoppe

Photo credit: Pipsqueak Shoppe/ FB

Moms and dads can find cool new toys as well as classics they may remember from their own childhood at Pispqueak Shoppe's two locations in Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill.  

The family-owned stores offer a full selection of toys, books and baby care items, clothes and even shoes. At Pipsqueak, specialty items like handmade toys from Venezuela, bobbleheads from Mexico and whimsical pillows from fellow New Yorker Kate Durkin can be found next to stuffed animals, Kidrobot collectibles or Tegu magnetic wooden blocks.

Pipsqueak, 469 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn 11205 / Clinton Hill & 1124 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn 11216 / Bed-Stuy

Riverdel 

Plant-based delicacies provided by Riverdel.
Photo credit: Riverdel/ FB

If you are looking for treats for your plant-based foodie friends, then Riverdel in Prospect Heights may be the answer. The all-vegan specialty store has become the neighborhood's dairy-free cheese shop that claims to carry the largest selection of vegan cheeses imaginable. In addition, they also stock a wide variety of gourmet vegan foods, everything from caviar and bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup to non-dairy yogurts and nut milks. Bon appetit!

Riverdel, 820 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238 / Prospect Heights

Sacred Yoga

Photo credit: Sacred Yoga

Why not gift a little zen and self-love this year? Sacred Yoga studios located in Bed-Stuy and Fort Greene offer yoga, fitness and dance classes, as well as workshops, meditation and massages for Brooklynites of all ages — and budgets. 

For newbies, the studios offer a one-week trial pass in addition to their donation-based classes and gift certificates of various amounts that are available year-round. It may just be the wellness-push your loved one needs — and wants!

Sacred Yoga, 197 Clifton Pl, Brooklyn, 11205 / Bed-Stuy & 334 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, 11205 / Fort Greene

21 Tara

Photo credit: 21 Tara

21 Tara is a Clinton Hill gem that specializes in South East Asian artisan products. The family-owned business, founded in 2011 by first-generation Tibetan immigrants, offers a bounty of dresses, accessories, jewelry, decorative masks and baskets. The store's mission is to promote fair trade and support small artists in India and Nepal. Each product tells the story of the artisan who created it, and the methods used to produce it.

21 Tara, 388 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205 / Clinton Hill




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