I have been following along with a neat program put on by Yelp!. They have been doing a Golden Ticket Hunt to encourage people to shop local and look for a golden ticket to win prizes. That reminded me to share some great places for shopping local.
Cincinnati Area
- Check out Family Friendly Cincinnati – They have compiled a great Family Friendly Cincinnati Shop Local Guide PDF that includes special offers for people that use it.
- Over the Rhine Gateway – There are some nice places to shop in OTR and they have assembled a great guide to check out as well!
- CincyFavorites – And if you want to share a taste of Cincinnati with family and friends in other areas, be sure to check out this site to send some of your favorite food from the area to others!
National Resources
- Etsy – Don’t forget about all the home-made items that can be found on Etsy! There are some beautiful items available here – especially if you are looking for something unique for someone!
- eBay – You can always check out eBay for the small businesses and individual people that are selling here to help boost the economy through these areas!
Also, don’t forget about all of your favorite consultants you have used for Avon, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Thirty-One, Tupperware and more. Most of the people selling these products are working moms like you trying to make a little extra money for their family. There are many great gift options and out there right now – and you will be helping other moms buy Christmas for their children!
I also try to patronize local merchants when possible.
Even though eBay isn’t perfect, I have had good luck finding obscure and out-of-the-way items there.