local gift guide for the triangle

As much as I love the gift guides for all categories that can easily be shopped from the couch, there is something great about supporting local businesses this time of year. Many readers are local to the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), but even if you aren’t I hope this gives you some ideas for how you can find local gifts in your area too. This last week before Christmas, run out to these stores and pick up your last minute gifts, while still supporting local businesses. If you don’t have time to get to the store, some of these are on Amazon Prime (Write the Word Journal, Counter Culture Coffee, and Greenwich Bay Trading Company soaps and lotions, to name a few).

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North Carolina felt pennant from The Zen Succulent in Durham. This mother-daughter store has a Durham pennant and other great home items and pretty terrariums, too. They even offer local delivery of some of their potted plants around the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. If you are looking for flowers to gift in Raleigh, hop downtown to Wylde. They have beautiful arrangements, wreaths, and small gifts for the flower lover.

High Cotton ties and bow ties. This Raleigh company has the cutest ties and bowties for all of the stylish men (or those you want to force a little style on ;)) in your life. Their holiday line is so good that I’m having trouble picking a favorite!

Cultivate What Matters Write the Word Journals and gift cards (these would make a great stocking stuffer!). I have the “Cultivate Renewal” Write the Word Journal and have loved using it throughout the year.

Greenwich Bay Trading Company holiday soaps and lotions. Greenwich Bay Trading Company is a family-owned business in Raleigh. Their holiday collection of soaps and lotions always smells so good, and is wrapped in paper so pretty, all you need to do is add a bow. They don’t sell their soaps from their own website, but you can find them on , on this website, and at many local stores in Raleigh (I usually see them at Zest and now at The Local Squirrel).

Shops for various, unique, local gifts:
DECO, The Local Squirrel, Steven Shell Living, Form & Function, Union Camp Collective in Raleigh
Chet Miller, Parker & Otis, and The Makery at Mercury Studio in Durham

Raleigh bakery tour - croissants, morning buns, hot chocolate, and more.

Raleigh bakery tour - croissants, morning buns, hot chocolate, and more.

Food gifts:
Pretty pastries and fresh bread from Boulted Bread, Yellow Dog Bread Company, and Lucettegrace in Raleigh, or a pie from East Durham Pie Co. or Scratch in Durham. If you haven’t tried a loaf of bread from Boulted or Yellow Dog, or the hot chocolate at Lucettegrace, you don’t know what you are missing. In our opinion, the best bread in the Triangle is from Boulted and Yellow Dog, so get it while it’s hot! Pick up a freshly made loaf of bread made from just-milled grains and tie a bow around it for a nice hostess gift, or grab a box of amazingly flaky and delicious pastries for your holiday guests. You can’t go wrong at any of these places! In case you missed it, I did a bakery tour of Raleigh last year with my family and featured all three shops in this post.

Raleigh bakery tour - croissants, morning buns, hot chocolate, and more.

Chocolate from Videri Chocolate Factory or Escazu Artisan Chocolates in Raleigh. The bars from both of these small factories are delicious, but for a beautiful gift, put together a box of truffles (this makes a great hostess gift or treat for your guest room). If you want a more unique way to gift Videri, grab a bag of their hot chocolate (it is amazing!), or a chocolate box subscription! Both of these local chocolate shops have brick and mortar and online stores, but Escazu bars can also be found in Whole Foods around the Triangle as well as local co-ops, markets and grocery stores in the Triangle and around the country (find the list of retailers here). I have to say though, if you have a chance to stop by their downtown Raleigh locations, it is worth seeing the beautiful confectionaries at Escazu and the behind-the-scenes of a chocolate factory at Videri while you pick up some delicious local gifts.

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Coffee from Counter Culture Coffee in Durham (they have a limited edition winter blend, “Iridescent”). Counter Culture Coffee can be found at lots of local grocery stores and coffee shops in the area. Find it in Whole Foods stores across the Triangle (I have seen it in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill stores), at Jubala Coffee, and Sola Coffee Cafe in Raleigh. In Durham you can find it at their headquarters, and at Durham Coop. In Chapel Hill, stop by Perennial Coffee to buy some. I have also seen it at several Harris Teeter stores throughout the area. For those not local to the Triangle, Counter Culture is all over coffee shops in the US now and can be ordered online!

Big Spoon Roasters nut butters. I love their almond ginger, chai spice for this time of the year, but you can’t go wrong! I have seen their nut butters in Whole Foods, at the Durham Farmers’ Market, Bean Traders in Durham, Johnny’s Gone Fishing in Carrboro, NOFO in Raleigh, and tons of other locations. Don’t live in the Triangle, but want to try the magic of these nut butters? Lucky for you, they are sold online and at hundreds of local shops around the country too!

Brewery Bhavana

Beer from a number of local breweries, including, but not limited to Lonerider Brewery (Sweet Josie is one of our favorites), Trophy Brewing Company, Crank Arm Brewing, Big Boss Brewing Company, Fullsteam Brewery, Ponysaurus Brewing, Carolina Brewery, Steel String Brewery, YesterYears Brewery, Top of the Hill, and Brewery Bhavana. If your gift recipient is local to the Triangle as well, grab a pack of beer or a growler from a specific brewery and pair it with a brewery tour for a fun experience you can have together. While not a brewery, a gift card to Raleigh Beer Garden is a great experiential gift for the beer lover. The atmosphere at RBG is great, and with three floors of beer on tap and the largest draft beer selection in the world, there is something new for every beer aficionado!

A few of these links are affiliate links, but all of these companies are those that I love and support.

Last photo from Brewery Bhavana

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