Vancouver local goods gift guide and Giveaway

Clockwise from top left: Butter Baked Goods cook book, The Market at Giovane Cafe, Earnest Ice Cream, Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe festive log (Photo by James Stockhorst)

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me….a basket full of B.C.-made goodies. I hope.  Vancouver is home to a bounty of creative, delicious and stylish shops, schools and makers, so shopping (and therefore receiving) local is easy during the holiday season.

Below you’ll find a list of present ideas for the writer, the cook, the pregnant gal, the constant class taker and the clothes horse. Happy local goodie gift giving – to help you out we even have a giveaway for two fantastic prizes at the end of the post!

Gifts for the Foodie
Nothing says thank you to holiday hosts like a compact, delicious treat. A Thomas Haas One Bar, a Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe festive log or a jar of Earnest Ice Cream are welcome additions to any host’s larder. Is your secret Santa Vancouver’s version of Nigella Lawson? Then Vancouver bake-shop owner owner Rosy Daykin’s beautiful cookbook Butter Baked Goods will do.

Spending a few days with friends or family? Check out the baskets available from the Market at Giovane Café. Stuffed with the best of B.C. (birch maple syrup from Quesnel, Big D’s Bees Honey from the Comox Valley and Vancouver’s own Abeego Food storage bags) baskets can be pre-ordered by calling 604-695-5416.

For the Learner
There are a lot of folks who are ‘doers’ rather than collectors. Consider signing the ‘doer’ in your life up for a class in the New Year. In January, the Blind Tiger Comedy School will offer classes like Intro to Improv and Stand Up. Or if your friend likes to produce the tangible, then perhaps an introduction to Screen printing workshop at Blim or a sewing class at Spool of Thread is more their style.

For the baby mama to be
There’s a pregnancy epidemic taking place in my social circle right now. This Christmas, my gal pals with growing Buddha, baby-filled bellies will receive Big Bulgin’ Belly Butter from Element Botanicals. Made with organic olive oil, cocoa butter plus avocado and carrot oil, this butter helps prevent stretch marks. The gift of pregnancy massage will help mama escape aches and pains and win you mega brownie points. Sense, a Rosewood Spa at Hotel Georgia offers prenatal massages in 50, 80 and 110 minute sessions. When the bambino arrives, books made with nice thick, indestructible card stock are a great gift bet. The Bill Reid Gallery gift shop carries kids books focused on the art and folklore of B.C. First Nations.

For the Fashionista
I’ve been in love with Smoking Lily since my university days in Victoria. Their Main Street shop carries screen printed scarves, skirts, dresses, tees and more. Further up the road is the Regional Assembly of Text – a stationary store that carries a smattering of clothes too. For the mapper and Vancouver lover in your life grab the tee above that features a vintage map of our fair city.

Dani Press cards

For the writer
The incredibly sweet writer and photographer Dani Kreeft channels her thoughts on life, love, babies and travel onto her incredibly beautiful stationary Danipress. Grab some of her goodies before she takes over the world, or at least North America.

Short on cash? ‘Treat’ your friend to a free, writerly experience in 2014. On the first Thursday of every month is the Regional Assembly of Text’s letter-writing club: typewriters, stationary and rubber stamps are provided free of charge from 7:00 – 9:30pm. For your aspiring travel writing friend, grab a copy of Vancouver writer Robin Esrock’s Great Canadian Bucket List.

To help with your gift giving this year we’ve arranged for two prize giveaways for our readers. Prize #1: a six-pack of Dani Press cards. Prize #2: a local goodies gift basket from The Market at Giovane Café. To be eligible, post a comment below to share where you like to buy your locally made/designed goodies. We’ll pick the winner on December 18 and notify you by email. Good luck!

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2013/12/14/vancouver-local-goods-gift-guide-and-giveaway/