Shopping Local – Made Easy! (Plus a Holiday Gift Guide)

10 Dec Shopping Local – Made Easy! (Plus a Holiday Gift Guide)

Posted at 22:45h in Advokate, Clients, Community, Downtown, Glens Falls, Shopping by

With all of the usual hustle and bustle of the holiday season paired with the unpredictability of life amongst the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be harder than ever to find the time or energy to do your gift shopping. We all know someone who owns a small business or is part of one and this year the struggle has been REAL. It’s always important to support the businesses in your community but after this year, it’s vital to their survival. 

We know it’s easy to hit “add to cart” on sites like Amazon but try to resist the urge to midnight scroll through a big box store!

If you own a small business, listen up!

Make it EASY for folks to purchase items and/or gift certificates from you ONLINE.

Here are some quick tips!

  1. Use a service like Square to easily take payments online, securely. People want to know their money and accounts are safe. Services like PayPal or Square have trusted names that people feel comfortable with. Also, they are user-friendly for both the seller and consumer. You should be able to set up gift cards with just a few clicks, and for the cost of credit card processing, in the range of 3%. Fees do add up, but this kind of convenience often means the difference between making the sale and losing the sale.
  2. Make sure your products/services are easy to find and purchase on your website. If your website doesn’t have a search option for specific items or services, make them easy to locate on your website both on a desktop or mobile device. People want to see a clear image, product description, and a clearly marked price point. People want to buy quickly and efficiently, so don’t make them hunt through your site it or they will click off!
  3. Share on social media that you have gift cards/certificates available with a direct link to purchase from your website. Do the work for us. Let us know what you have and allow us one click to be able to see and purchase it.

Below is a list of local small businesses, artists, and non-profits who are all Advokate clients! Please browse their websites where you can purchase items, gift cards, make donations, learn additional information, and more. If you are unable to purchase or donate anything, that’s totally okay! Please consider sharing this blog or share links to any of the folks below to spread the love! We are truly all in this together and a rising tide lifts all boats.

Our Advokate family wishes you and yours a very Happy Holiday! Cheers to better times ahead in 2021!

— ADVOKATE’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE —

Food

Restaurants are in a panic right now, fearing they’ll be shut down. It’s more essential now than ever before to support them by purchasing gift cards.

  • Birch Bark Eatery – Donuts, burgers, sandwiches, mac… all plant-based and delicious!
  • Juicin’ Jar – Marketplace with produce, gifts and food, plus wraps, salads, smoothies, treats and more.
  • Lake George Olive Oil Company – Gourmet foods, and that secret ingredient that makes every dish better.
  • Rock Hill Bakehouse – The best bread around, plus delicious takeout, pizza, sandwiches and our favorite Chocolate Chip cookies.
  • Farmstead Flatbread – Brunch with a Bloody Mary bar.
  • Farmacy Restobar – The Downtown Glens Falls restaurant with the funniest sandwich board.
  • Morgan & Company – Our favorite date night spot with a next-level hummus platter to die for.
  • Dakine Cuisine – Shop online for agrodolce, aioli and other specialty sauces.
  • Send A Meal Today – Send a home-cooked meal to someone who could use one.
  • Pies on Wheels – Hire a food truck for a special event!

Non-Profits

The arts are especially hurting, with many of them unable to operate since March. Nonprofits often operate on a shoestring budget in the first place, and we wouldn’t be the vibrant cultural hub that we are without them. We need to band together to keep them afloat through these tough times.

Clothing & Accessories

  • Amity Farm Batik – Shop online for gorgeous scarves (10% off for the holidays!), trivets, dresses, leggings and more
  • Finders Keepers – Shop online or in the store. This is where I do 95% of my clothes shopping!
  • Jonathan Reid Menswear – We just launched online shopping! Also located at Aviation Mall.
  • Jeanne’s Bags – Shop online for custom quilted purses you can design yourself!
  • The Classy Look – Shop online for handmade jewelry that’s made to last.
  • MinkyMink – For fashionistas.

Self Care & Fitness

Home Decor & Electronics

Gifts

  • Cigar Box Guitars by Doc – For the guitarist who has everything. One-of-a-kind creations.
  • Love is on Lake George – A number of gifts for any lake lover or Adirondack enthusiast, and cruises too!
  • Cedar and Pearl – Hand painted ornaments! Very popular.
  • 42 Degrees – Downtown shop selling lots of different gifts as well as CBD items and glass art.
  • Wombat Graphics – Forget Shutterfly and Vistaprint and support local. Custom tees and MUCH more.
  • Seamingly Sarah – Super adorable children’s dress-up gifts in her colorful Etsy shop
  • Support Your Troops – This Glens Falls store donates its proceeds to veteran organizations.

Artists & Authors

  • Glenn Durlacher – Tree stump carvings, wooden pet portraits and sculpture
  • Kris Gregson Moss – Sewing classes as well as quilted art and aritsan jewelry
  • Rodney Allen Bentley – He does custom work! Awesome for anyone who just bought a house.
  • Jessica Kane – She has books on Amazon and her stories will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Not just for kids.
  • Maury Thompson – Check out his funny Charles Evans Hughes book!
  • Laura Roth – Stellar singer with albums for sale.
  • Gary Moon – One of my favorite voices.
  • Stories Told – Alice Jenkins Hausmann has stories to tell, an artist’s soul and the voice of an angel.
  • Adela Tavares – The best paintings you’ll find. Anywhere. Seriously.
  • Cre8ivology – Many artist-made gifts, including super cool funky masks, coasters and more.
  • Bob Bayle – Historic photos of the region. Books are for sale.
  • Laura & Hui – Dynamic jazz duo with big, big talent.
  • Vanessa Geneva Ahern – Freelance writer for hire.

Getaways, Fun & Things to Do

Services & More

While these services may not seem like a traditional holiday gift idea, they are still open for business and are some of our favorite people to support all year round!

Need help getting your website more customer-friendly or getting online gift cards set up? We are here to help!

www.advokate.net/date

Caitlin Stedman
caitlin@advokate.net

In addition to being Advokate's Marketing & Communication Director, I own the film production company Snarky Aardvark Films, LLC, in Queensbury where I live with my dog, Vinny. Helping people succeed in a way that aligns with their values is my passion. I enjoy planning and executing anything clients may need to thrive. My work experience is varied but it all centers around community interaction and project management. I especially love Instagram!