Why Shop Local This Christmas?
NWA Daily
Shopping at locally owned businesses keeps your dollars in our economy & supports families who own shops here in town!
Locally handmade items are few and far between, but it is so special and necessary to be able to buy from & support local artisans. They spend countless hours learning their skill & put such care, time & effort into hand-making each piece.
Keep their art alive by supporting them this year!
For Kids
Locally-Owned Shops for Toys, Books, and Games
📚 Dad Suggests Bookstore — great selection of family board games.
🧸 Kindness & Joy Toys — kids can make a wishlist bucket there!
💭 Play Street Museum Gift Shop — has craft & learning activity kits they put together just for young kids, also the only place I’ve seen Playmobil brand items in store.
🎁 Folklore Toy & Gift Shop — providing kids & baby toys, gifts, and clothes on the Fayetteville Square.
For Kids
Locally-Made Gifts for Kids
🤲 Educational rice sensory kit or play-dough kits from Sensory Phonics.
📕 Zeke Peña children’s books (My Papi Has a Motorcycle, Sundust) purchased from locally owned bookshops like Dad Suggests or Pearls.
Instead of ordering from Amazon, if these shops don’t have a specific book in you can order it from them & pick it up in the shop! You can also order from bookshop.org through your local shop of choice.
🚂 The Serious Toy company’s wooden articulated dinosaurs.
🚇 NWA Wood Design wooden train set
🎨 I Heart Art art supplies bundles that support Art Feeds
🛍️ Co-Op Gift Section — eco friendly kids art supplies (beeswax crayons, upcycled paper, earth paint face paint) & art tools as well as eco friendly bath paint, play dough & puzzles.
For Adults
Locally-Owned Shops to Visit in Person
Vintage shops to check out below!
👋 Hey! — Located in Springdale for a unique selection of thoughtfully curated gifts and local makers’ items
🎁 Aunt Bills Vintage Shop — for unique gifts of all kinds & vintage clothes
👕 City Supply — great for Arkansas gear & locally made food gift items
🧥 Hillfolk — located in Bentonville, it has lots of incredible gifts for the creative person in your life, as well as some apothecary & home items for gifting
🩳 Natural Threads in South Fayetteville is a t-shirt printing shop that just opened its general store filled with hats, shirts & locally made items.
🥸 STACHE — locally owned gift shop
👑 Darcy Apparel — for women’s clothes, jewelry & shoes (check out their in-house clothing line!)
👚 Fayetteville Mercantile — ask about their locally made items.
🌸 Tipton & Hurst, located in Rogers, AR. Find some of their best items below!
For Adults
Specific Items and Locally Made Gifts for Adults
Find a list of specific items to shop for this holiday season —
📚 Duncan & Stone memory books (find in store at City Supply or shop online)
👕 Natural Threads hat or shirt
☕️ Kimly Mug + Onyx Coffee beans or Onyx drink mixes
🖼️ Kimberly Castrodale art piece
🍕 Mel Turns Wood ornament, bottle stopper or pizza cutter paired with a locally made wine or pizza mix (find Mel’s thoughtfully crafted, unique wood turned items on Saturdays at the Fayetteville Farmers market)
🍝 Zelli pasta or Aunt Susie’s granola paired with your own hand-painted custom bowl made at the new Artistree pottery painting studio on the square!
🥣 Kimly Bowl paired with a War Eagle Mill food item (war eagle mill products can be found in stores at City Supply and the Co-Op)
🧼 Redbud Garden herbal soaps, balms & lotions paired with one of their hand knit hats or gloves (can be found at the Saturday Fayetteville Farmers market & some soaps found at the co-op)
🕯️ Pour your own candles at Heirloom candle shop (if you want to create a more one-of-a-kind item, thrift a unique vessel from Potters House thrift or from Aunt Bills Vintage then go pour it yourself with a custom scent from Heirloom)
👖 Thrift an entire outfit on a budget for the secondhand fashion enthusiast in your life from Haus Collective on the square or Beautiful Lives Boutique (these shops do not sacrifice style or quality but are offered at a more affordable price point since they are secondhand!)
📚 Locally authored book (like Seth Haines, Amber Haines or Eli Cranor) paired with a handmade book sleeve from Pearls Books (offered in store)
🧗♂️ Outdoor gear from LIVSN
🫖 For the tea lover — tea from Fayetteville Tea House or Savoy & a hand-painted mug by you from Artistree (or find local pottery mugs at the Fayetteville Community Creative Center gift shop)
💍 Locally made jewelry for the nature lover
For Adults
Gift Card and Experience-Oriented Gift Ideas
We compiled a list of experiential gift ideas below!
🛝 Amazeum membership for kids
🧑🧑🧒 Play Street Museum membership or punch card pass
💭 Let’s Imagine gift pass
🎨 Community Creative Center gift card for classes
🌹 For the plant lover, gift card to local nurseries or plant shop (White River Nursery, Westwood Gardens , Pink Fern for house plants )
🧶 Craft Classes at Hillfolk
This gift guide was created by local maker & craft enthusiast Rachel Gordon of Rachel Made. You can find her handmade crocheted & knit items at the Co-Op and Fayetteville Mercantile.