Shop Holland for your gifts this holiday season! Where else can you find hand-dipped holiday malted milk balls, stuffed animals made from alpaca fur, butcher block cutting boards created from locally sourced wood, hand made German cuckoo clocks, and wooden shoe themed slippers, all in the same block? Did we mention, handmade AND locally owned? We picked our top 8 unique downtown shops to be sure to visit for your holiday gifting:
1. "A mom-run shop with a kid-run life." Specializing in unique, organic and fun baby chic items; All things little kids; books, clothes, puzzles, stuffed animals, and more at -Tweed
2. "Where Time Comes Alive" Shop unique handcrafted German items; Cuckoo Clocks, Nutcrackers, wind-up clocks, beer steins, smokers.... you get the idea- Holland Clock Company
3. "Custom Craftsmanship For Life" Cutting boards, charcuterie boards, coasters, and more! All items handcrafted at the in-house workshop from locally sourced wood- Cento Anni Home Essentials
4. "Generations of sweetness being served since 1902" An old fashioned candy shop that's been family run for more than 5 generations! Timeless sweets from your childhood; handmade double dipped chocolate covered peanuts, in-house roasted nuts, and even unique imported Dutch candies - Holland Peanut Store
5. "Home-Garden-Life" Plants galore, greeting cards, home decor, artisan goods, puzzles, kitchen must haves, and SO many other one-off items that bring joy and creativity to your life - Gezellig
6. "Shop with purpose" Connecting with artisans in developing countries by selling their handmade crafts and sharing their stories. Offering fair trade, jewelry, woven baskets, clothing, and other eclectic assortments of items for over 30 years! - The Bridge
7. Bring some Holland home with you, find Dutch wooden shoes, even Dutch 'wooden shoe' slippers, cheese, candies, cookies and tulip bulbs - Nelis' Dutch Village Downtown.
8. "Games-Toys-Puzzles" For your child or for the child in each of us, pick from a wide assortment of games, dress up costumes, toys, puzzles, science kits and more at- Out of the Box.