The Business For Good 2021 Holiday Shopping Guide (Part 1)
The holidays are nearly upon us!
It’ll only be a couple weeks before we’ll see videos of people stampeding through Walmart for the Black Friday deal or mall traffic backed up to the freeway.
The good news is you don’t have to deal with any of it. And you can still find some great gifts for important people in your life.
This year, to help us all out with our holiday shopping we asked Business For Good members to share their gift ideas. The focus is on local businesses that generally sell more sustainable products and keep our communities thriving while they do it too.
Hopefully this list provides some great inspiration for your own holiday shopping. This will be part one of a two part series. Keep an eye out for the next article in two weeks.
If you feel like we’re missing anything, let us know in the comments.
Here we go!
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Rachel K. Cross of Rachel K Group
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
There is a spirit about the holidays that includes joy, generosity, and good will. These are all things we should embody throughout the year!
What’s your least favorite thing about the holidays?
Seeing friends and family stress out about throwing the perfect event, getting all the presents, and having to deal with travel during a really busy season.
Where do you plan to do your local holiday shopping this year?
I love supporting local, small businesses including Maya’s Cookies, Shop Good, Santos Coffee, Pigment, and local restaurants like Buona Forchetta.
What are you looking to get for people on your list?
I like getting people something they might not get for themselves but would get a lot of use out of, like a really luxurious blanket to cuddle up to, jewelry, or a plant for their living space.
What makes you excited about these stores and gifts?
It’s a fun process to find something uniquely suited for each person on my list that they would be delighted to receive.
What is a local gift that you hope somebody gets for you?
I love candles, nontoxin skincare and bath products, and anything made from recycled materials.
How do these products/services/vendors align with your values and the BFG values?
My #1 value is connection and thoughtful gift giving shows people you know them and care about them, whether it’s a nontoxic makeup item from Shop Good or vegan treat from Maya’s.
Tell us about your business.
Rachel K Group is a boutique marketing consulting firm specializing in brand, culture, and marketing communications strategy to help organizations become the world-changing brands they are meant to be.
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Tayler Cusick Hollman of Sourced Co.
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
We love decorating for the holidays and entertaining! What else would you expect from a team of former wedding professionals?
Where do you plan to do your local holiday shopping this year?
The list of small businesses we love is long but we definitely have a few go-to’s. We often get gifts from Native Poppy, Blooms Design House, and Steady State Coffee.
What are you looking to get for people on your list?
Where to start? We have lots of friends who are small business owners and we’re always excited to support them!
The first thing that comes to mind is the treats we ordered from grace. Bespoke Desserts for our collaborators this year.
What makes you excited about these stores and gifts?
As small business owners ourselves, we know that people actually do a happy dance when an order comes in! And, while it may take more effort to shop small, we will take every chance we get to support someone else who is chasing their dreams.
What is a local gift that you hope somebody gets for you?
The list is long! I asked my business partners for their wish list too and here are the local gifts we are all crossing our fingers for:
Tayler – Anything from Rais Case
Christy – Holiday treats from Prager Brothers
Cassie – A facial from Shop Good or coffee beans from Dark Horse Coffee
Jen – A gift card to Clay + Craft
How do these products/services/vendors align with your values and the BFG values?
In addition to these all being local businesses (and a way to directly support our own community), these are all good people. They have all put so much into building their businesses. They take care of the people they employ and are thoughtful about where they source materials. It really is about so much more than simply slingin’ goods for them. We think that is something to get behind!
Tell us about your business.
Sourced Co. creates stock photography for wedding professionals as well as acrylic styling blocks for flat lays and product photography.
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Sara Schairer of Compassion It
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
I enjoy some annual traditions with my daughter. They include seeing The Grinch at the Old Globe, picking out a tree at the same little family-owned lot every year, and admiring the tree at the end of Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach.
What’s your least favorite thing about the holidays?
I don’t like the pressure around giving gifts.
Where do you plan to do your local holiday shopping this year?
I’ll check out my local Mission Beach businesses. Juice Wave‘s homemade granola is to-die-for, and I love the decaf coffee beans from Saltwater Culture. These are both women-owned businesses.
I’m also a fan of my friend Julie Quinn’s Quinntessentials organic essential oil products and the unique handbags from local nonprofit BoshBosh, founded by my friend Charlene Espinoza.
What are you looking to get for people on your list?
Most people I know don’t need more “stuff,” so I like getting coffee beans or something else unique that’s locally made.
What makes you excited about these stores and gifts?
Local artists, business owners, and nonprofits were hit hard by COVID, and it feels good to support them.
What is a local gift that you hope somebody gets for you?
Tickets to an experience or show!
How do these products/services/vendors align with your values and the BFG values?
Compassion matters to me, which means I try to purchase products that don’t harm the planet. It’s also compassionate to help small business owners and local artists!
Tell us about your business.
Compassion It makes compassion a verb. As a nonprofit and global movement, we facilitate programs and offer tools that inspire compassionate actions and attitudes within organizations, communities, and households.
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Diolinda Monteiro of 5th Dot Studio, LLC
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
I love spending time with family and friends.
What’s your least favorite thing about the holidays?
The pressure involved in gift giving and the big retailers that take advantage of that stress.
Where do you plan to do your local holiday shopping this year?
My first recommendation is a bit self serving. It’s a book about the Anza-Borrego desert region that I was fortunate enough to work on. This book would be a perfect gift for anyone who is interested in learning more about California’s largest state park. It was a 2021 Winner of the California Book Awards Gold Medal and is a great book, overall, in my modest opinion. 😉
I also have to give a shout out to a couple of BFG businesses that I know personally.
Earthwell Refill is one of my favorite local shops. They sell home and body care products in refillable containers. You can bring your own or buy refillable containers there. If you are looking for a gift for an environmentally conscious friend or family member, a gift card to Earthwell would be perfect.
Natalie Chiles Photography would be a great early gift to give to a friend or family member that normally sends out holiday photo cards. Her work is beautiful and she is an overall wonderful person to work with.
If, as I do, you dread heading to the mall to do your holiday shopping, San Diego has a number of small shops that I always rely on to find gifts for friends and family. My two current favorites are Kiko and Sven and Pigment.
If you are looking to buy art from a local artist, the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park is a great place to go. I especially enjoy seeing what the local glass blowers have been working on.
What are you looking to get for people on your list?
This year I’m focused on adding more experience oriented gifts, including San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park museum memberships.
What makes you excited about these stores and gifts?
I love supporting local businesses, finding unique gifts, and avoiding the traffic and congestion that comes with shopping at malls.
What is a local gift that you hope somebody gets for you?
I have always wanted to try axe throwing but haven’t gotten around to it. 🙂
How do these products/services/vendors align with your values and the BFG values?
San Diego is an amazing city with so many things to do and places to explore. We are fortunate to have so many small businesses offering goods and services and it makes sense to support them when we can.
Tell us about your business.
5th Dot Studio focuses on visual design with an emphasis on infographics. We nerd out on data and love presenting it in unique ways.
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Mikey Knab of Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
My favorite thing about the holidays is the opportunity to connect with loved ones and appreciate the people who make life magic.
What’s your least favorite thing about the holidays?
My least favorite thing about the holidays is how much weight I always gain eating sweets and baked goods!
Where do you plan to do your local holiday shopping this year?
I plan to shop for the holidays at Small Batch in La Mesa, Verbatim Books in North Park, Clos Wine Bar in University Heights, and Collins & Coupe in North Park.
What are you looking to get for people on your list?
I like making charitable donations in people’s names. I also think that a gift that disappears is always good: tickets to a concert or art show, a gift card for a local restaurant, or a homemade pie. I also love gifting people artwork from local artists like Chikle!
What makes you excited about these stores and gifts?
I get excited about finding gifts that fit someone’s personality, or contribute to the community. When people give me gifts, I’m often blown away by how thoughtful people can be.
What is a local gift that you hope somebody gets for you?
I would love it if everyone who would like to give me a gift would just donate to Business For Good San Diego. A better future for our region is what I want most, and I hope I’ve been nice enough this year for Santa to hook it up!
Tell us about your business.
Ponce’s has been serving “comfort” Mexican food to San Diegans since 1969.
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About the Author
Nathan Cody Young is a life transformation and public speaking coach. He also does some occasional copywriting and content development on the side. His specialty is storytelling, helping people and organizations find the stories that represent their truth and share them out with the world.
