Blog co-written by guest bloggers Halie & Theresa, Owners of locaLI bred

It feels like the holiday rush gets earlier and earlier each year.  The anxiety for the “perfect gift for everyone on your list” is on!  The good news?  The solution for all your gifting needs is no further than your local Main Street.

Buying local gifts is thoughtful, meaningful and supports our community.  It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving!

A word from locaLI bred:

"During our journey to find the very best Long Island made products for our locaLI bred gift boxes, we were inspired, and frankly overwhelmed, by the wealth of local talent producing amazing goods across our great Island. The quality, uniqueness, and variety of goods being created here is vast; and by patronizing local businesses we’re boosting our community.  So, shopping local is good for everyone on your list, literally! We know, we know, it’s tempting to be lured into the big-box Black Friday trap and Amazon Prime Day is a mere click away, but shopping local is just as easy, and definitely more “feel good”.

Thanks for reading! Cheers to a magical holiday season.

- Halie & Theresa

1. Shop main street, and be a cooler gift giver

Long Island and especially the North Shore/Huntington area in particular are anchored by picturesque Main Streets. No more than 10 to 15 minutes apart from each other, these walkable shopping and dining avenues offer an array of unique and thoughtful gifting opportunities. 

Small Business Saturday, annually the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is the perfect time to take your family to your favorite Main Street.  Visit Huntington Village on Small Business Saturday in 2022 to enjoy the holiday parade and events as well as great sales and incentives from the small business shops.

Many villages and business districts hold special shopping days throughout the holiday season to encourage shopping local (with some holiday flair):

11/26 - Manhasset- Merry Little Manhasset  

Thursdays starting 12/1- Locust Valley - Champagne Stroll

P.S. Don't forget your local vintage and antique stores with treasures that would love to find a new owner. 

2. Go online to shop local

It’s now easy to shop local, show your LI pride, and not have to leave the comfort of your pjs. The world wide web is also an avenue to shop hyper local and support businesses that either choose to be online or are too small to have a retail space of their own. 

Sites like Etsy or new online based shops like www.locaLIbred.com bring the craftsmanship of local makers to your front door with the ease of a few clicks. locaLI bred showcases locally sourced goods (edible and non-edible) from the Island’s best makers and artisans.  A locaLI bred purchase is like “Long Island in a Box,” and offers a simple, time saving way to send a gift online while supporting the local community.  locaLI bred gift boxes, subscription boxes, and marketplace offer memorable curated gift options, at an array of prices (from $10 to $225), delivered with a handwritten note to your recipient’s door anywhere in the U.S..  It doesn’t get much easier to gift local this year!

3. Give cards that they’ll love...to use!

Everyone, especially teachers, knows the deal.  If you receive an envelope this holiday season there is a 99.9% chance there’s a coffee gift card inside.  Instead of the usual, why not show a little extra local love this season, and woo your recipient with a “real” beverage break gift card to a local brewery.  While you’re dealing out the cards, perhaps pick up some that create a theme of sorts, such as a “night out”.  Along with the brewery, include a gift card to a locally owned restaurant and top it off with one to a cool dessert location.  A fun way to give a gift recipient the nudge they need for a fun night out on the town.

Sure to create some serious holiday cheer this year, local breweries typically have seasonal beer to spice up any holiday party. 

4. Show up to a craft fair or a pop-up event

We have talented craftspeople across Long Island. The holidays bring out these beautiful crafts to local fairs which are easily accessible and great ways to pick out all your holidays gifts. We've found many of the most popular local fairs in the following blog.  

Holidays Fairs on Long Island's North Shore & Beyond

Holiday fairs on Long Island's North Shore - Town of Huntington and surrounding areas...

READ MORE

5. Share a taste of local goods

The holidays are synonymous with baked goods- making them, eating them and (of course) sharing them.  A local baked good selection or item is more personal than sending a gift basket from a large company. A Huntington favorite, Kerber’s was founded from owner, Nick Voulgaris III, nostalgia for what the farm meant to his happy holiday memories as a child. So, Kerber’s continues to bring those joyous memories in the form of delicious pies, jams and cookie jars. Head to the farm nestled right off Pulaski in Huntington to get boxed gift sets. 

Also don't forget about a bottle from a Long Island vineyard or a selection of locally made beer.