The holidays are around the corner, and it’s time to start thinking about thoughtful gifts for your friends, your family or yourself.
Here are some ideas that check the boxes for local, useful and fun. Each category includes gifts for a variety of budgets.
For the matriarch who takes care of everyone
Unique Designs by Michelle has gemstone and crystal bracelets that start at $10. If you don’t find them at your nearest holiday pop-up market, you can reach them through their Facebook page.
Tamara Winfrey Harris’ book, “A Black Woman’s Guide to Getting Free,” is an empowering journey toward authenticity. You can find the inspiring read for $21.95 at local bookstores.
If you want to splurge on something nice that can be enjoyed for a long time, get a record player from Affordable Hi-Fi. A previously-loved Kenwood belt drive turntable runs for $160, and there’s plenty more. BONUS! Get a Premium Blend jazz record to go with whichever turntable you buy.
There’s a little bit of everything for self-care in Korie Griggs’ “Healing Looks Good on You” boxes. For $44, you’ll get a journal, candle, a bag of whole bean coffee, an affirmation card and four herbal pre-rolls.
Spend some quality time together at the Chai & Kathi Roll Lounge. A cozy, floral cup of chai is $2.99, and you can play pool while you’re there.
For your news-savvy friend who’s always on the go
Tinker Coffee’s $17 Short Days whole bean12-ounce bag is a nod to winter and a salute to the heroic feat of getting out of bed while it’s still dark outside.
“Hoosier Latinos: A Century of Struggle, Service and Success” by Nicole Martinez-LeGrand and Daniel Gonzales is the essential read for understanding the lineage of Latinos in Indiana. $24.95.
Silver in the City partnered with artist Maria Iqbal to design a four-piece set of glassware celebrating Indy’s cultural districts. There’s a 15-ounce cooler glass for Broad Ripple Village, Mass Ave., Indiana Avenue and Fountain Square. The full set is $75.
While the question, “Which of Indy’s small businesses has the best tote bag?” gets sorted out, you can get a Richard Scarry- or a Peter Rabbit-themed tote bag at Dear Mom for $22. They’ve also got cassette tapes starting at $7 and popcorn-making kits for $20-30
When your friend needs time to stop and smell the candles, get one that smells like Christmas or a scent for celebration from Decorate Indy.
For the youth who keep you updated on new slang and what’s cool
Gift them the experience of guided body movement. $16 at Indy Movement Arts means an hour of learning Tai Chi, hip-hop or belly dancing.
Stomping Ground is full of small, meaningful gifts like Feast of Lanterns T-shirts, cute stickers, handmade incense sticks and tiny plants that start at $4. Our favorite item? The $5 Indiana parks stickers and $7 magnets that celebrate the great Hoosier outdoors.
Hi & Mighty’s Big Heart Gin is made in Indianapolis. The $31.99 bottle is also beautiful, so you wouldn’t need to overthink the wrapping.
Irvington Vinyl & Books has drawers filled with one-of-a-kind zines handmade and printed by local artists and writers starting at $5. The store also has records and new and used books, so you might as well get a gift card, too.
For your pal who goes to every festival, porch party and art show
Worn Jewelry by Braydee Eulis makes sculptural wearables from organic, raw, industrial and salvaged materials. A pair of “Ignot Hoop” earrings, with sterling silver and a chunky brass drop, costs $75.
Artist, chef and musician Clockwork Janz composes eat-a-long parlor shows for you and 2-72 of your friends with “Tuning Forks: In-Home Musical Chef.” It starts at $200, and Clockwork creates the menu and sounds to fit your vibe. Email clockworkmakesmusic@gmail.com to book your dinner party.
Head to Indy CD & Vinyl for records from local artists. If you ask for recommendations, they’ll lead you to a section in the back of the store and give suggestions to fit your taste, like the indie rock record “Triple Seven” by Wishy.
A membership to Kan-Kan means discounted movie tickets, free popcorn and exclusive events for a year. If the recipient of your gift lives in Windsor Park, Springdale or Spades Park, they can receive a free Super 8 membership or 50% off a higher-tier membership. A Super 8 membership for one starts at $80, and if you want to share the silver-screen with your partner or friend, a dual membership is $160.
Thomas Kneeland’s “We Be Walkin’ Blackly in the Deep,” is a poetry collection that explores “all who sing blackly beneath the Atlantic Ocean.” You can find it at Ujamaa Community Bookstore and Tomorrow Bookstore for $15.42.
For the friend who forgot to make time for self-care
Handmade soaps, lotion bars or bubble bath bars from The Pink Tub are perfect for an at-home spa day. The Pink Tub is a Black-owned business in the Stutz, and if they fall in love with it, you can buy a monthly membership for discounts or a scrub-scription box of goodies.
Get them a luxury pasta dinner from Nicole-Taylor’s. If they’re pinched for time, get a whole tray of lasagna. The noodles and sauces — which you can find at their East 54th Street location or through Market Wagon — can be frozen for up to two months.
Wearing one of these crocheted hats by Stitchedbyavirgo is like wearing a hug. Hats start at $10, but you can also custom order something special.
Affordable one day arts classes at Garfield Park Arts Collective explore all sorts of visual arts: doodling, holiday cards and watercolors. For a more musical friend, there’s piano and voice lessons with GPAC or group music classes with Butler’s Community Arts School.
A pass for all of Indiana’s state parks gives them time to rest in nature and explore the state. Each holiday gift pack includes a park pass and a 1 year subscription to Outdoor Indiana Magazine.
Budget finds that go a long way
For $15.99, your favorite dog-parent can use a self-serve dog wash at Hollyweed Feed. They provide the dog shampoo, conditioner, towels, brushes and blow dryers. All you have to bring is the dog.
Your neighborhood Mexican store will often stock hand painted clay pots, plates and jugs. The beautiful pieces are a sweet way to bring international flair to everyday moments and start at $3 for a 2-ounce shot glass.
Don’t be intimidated by the range of games at Elf ‘n Moon in Fountain Square. The store has party games with easy-to-learn rules that start at $10.
Have fun, work out and learn a new skill with $5 Tae Kwan Do classes at Riverside Park. Register ahead of time for the Tuesday and Thursday classes.
The “People We Meet on the Bus” zine is $9 and is filled with local storytelling and useful information for riding the bus in Indy and beyond.
Smart stocking stuffers
Non-perishable goods from Cleo’s Bodega, Dear Mom or Heidelberg Haus. These stores carry items that are tasty but also beautiful.
Postcards and keychains from Indy’s museum shops. These items tend to run between $2.50-$10 and are thoughtful little gifts that show your love for Indy’s cultural institutions.
Put an artisan bolillo in their stocking. (Just make sure you don’t leave them in there for too many days.)
Visit Indiana Discount Mall for handmade toys, leather goods and jewelry — there are over 100 vendors. The mall also has a piñata shop — not a stocking stuffer, but if you get one, you will definitely be the life of your holiday party.
Visit your neighborhood brewery — single cans or bottles of craft beer and hard cider are a nice touch for the local connoisseur.
Need more ideas? Here are more local businesses you can support this shopping season.
A guide to 24 bookstores in central Indiana
Find cookbooks for sale in a kitchen, a wall of banned books and a shop with vintage handmade notebooks.
Mirror Indy’s guide to Record Store Day 2024
Make a day of the annual celebration of independently owned record stores with food, drink and other recommendations.
9 Black-owned sweet shops in Indy to satisfy your cravings
Try a ‘chookie,’ a 3D cake, cotton candy burrito or summer-y lemon raspberry lemonade cake.
Sip your way through Indianapolis’ growing Chai scene
Even in the middle of Indiana, Chai is all about the masala.
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