A St. Louis Gift Guide to Make Holiday Shopping More Meaningful Monday October 30, 2023 Share Shopping By Rachel Huffman St. Louis is a creative hub, and our local craftspeople and small businesses make holiday shopping more meaningful, memorable and fun! Check out our St. Louis gift guide to find the perfect present for everyone on your list. Most of these one-of-a-kind items are available in stores and online. A LITTLE BIT OF A LOT Photo courtesy of The Candle Fusion Studio Across St. Louis, compelling boutiques offer a marvelous assortment of functional, high-quality and inspired goods. Hearth & Soul, a specialty store in Ladue that’s set up like a home, sells everything inside, from modern light fixtures to vintage area rugs and feather bow ties to specialty steak seasoning, while Urban Matter, a women-owned gift shop on South Grand Boulevard, boasts delightful items such as handmade jewelry, sustainable notebooks, contemporary planters, diverse cookbooks and beautiful hats. In Eureka, The Robyn’s Nest Gifts & Décor is also a one-stop shop for presents – think paper lanterns, scarves, mugs and ornaments. When you’re shopping for holiday gifts, however, you can’t go wrong with candles. St. Louis-based Six.Twenty Four Candle Co. offers a line of luxury candles in aromas such as coconut-lime-verbena, strawberry-guava, pineapple-sage and beach linen – the last two being owner Candice Pinkins’ personal favorites. It’s as simple as a click of a button to take home these hand-poured, coconut-wax, wood-wick treats. At The Candle Fusion Studio, which has two locations in the St. Louis region, you can create custom scents for your family and friends. Unexpected yet enticing fragrances include baked bread, candy cane, flannel, hops, Santa’s pipe and whipped cream. St. Louis CITY SC has also teamed up with TERRA to produce two inspired candles: Night Match, an energizing fragrance with notes of zesty ginger and red saffron, and Golden Goal, an uplifting aroma featuring golden santal and white eucalyptus. Both candles are available in-store at CITY Pavilion in Downtown West. For people who love soccer and St. Louis, you might consider getting them Inaugural, a 300-page love letter to America’s first soccer city, as well. For other ways to pamper your loved ones, shop Herbaria’s selection of all-natural, handcrafted soaps. From almond-aloe to saffron-gold and lavender-oatmeal to rosemary-mint, the soaps are aromatherapeutic, hypoallergenic, moisturizing and eco-friendly. Photo courtesy of Shine In All Shades Another special piece of St. Louis, Shine In All Shades is an empowering coloring book that spotlights women of color with hand-drawn images created by Dominican artist and graphic designer Valeria “Val” Rodriguez. Coloring helps with mindfulness, focus and relaxation, and this exuberant coloring book can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Rodriguez also sells affirmation pillows, stickers and shirts. Continue to spread good vibes with crystals, rocks and fossils from STL Rocks on Cherokee Street or essential oils, herbs, incense, gemstones and tarot cards from Mystic Valley in Maplewood. ART Photo courtesy of Third Degree Glass Factory It’s not easy to buy art for someone, but it’s at least fun at Green Door Art Gallery, Soulard Art Gallery and Third Degree Glass Factory. In the heart of Webster Groves, Green Door Art Gallery sells an array of art from 36 local and regional artists, including Mary Engelbreit, whose original drawings are only available here. If you’re shopping with a smaller budget, check out the prints, ceramics, jewelry and ornaments, some of which depict wintry St. Louis scenes such as sledding on Art Hill in Forest Park. Home to 14 resident artists, Soulard Art Gallery is another hot spot of local art. At the nonprofit co-op art gallery, you can marvel at – and buy – locally made paintings, pottery, functional art and sculptures, among other creations. If glass fascinates you, though, head to Third Degree Glass Factory, where you can see glassblowing demonstrations while you shop. If you’re not in St. Louis, you can still shop for holiday gifts, studio ornaments, jewelry, barware, statement pieces and wall plates – all handmade locally – in Third Degree Glass Factory’s online store. Area art museums, including the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Saint Louis Art Museum, also stock exquisite, art-inspired gifts such as glass, jewelry, books, prints and toys. BEVERAGES Photo by Mark Hermes You probably know someone who would appreciate a six-pack adorned with a bow. In that case, 4 Hands Brewing Co., Narrow Gauge Brewing Co., Schlafly Beer and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. have got you covered. They even sell glassware and coasters that complement their brews. Other boozy options include authentic hard cider from Brick River Cider Co. and award-winning spirits from StilL 630, including Cask-Strength Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Gateway Barreled Gin and Expedition Rum. Pastaria Deli & Wine also offers a carefully curated selection of wine, including natural wines, as well as “cellos,” cordials and other liqueurs from La Verita Distilleria. The distillery collaborated with Earth Dance Farms in Ferguson to create a ginger liqueur, which is $15 a bottle, for the holiday season, too. For a gift with a hit of caffeine, consider the single-origin coffee sampler from Blueprint Coffee or a bag of specialty coffee from La Finca Coffee. Need something that the whole family can enjoy? The holiday pack from Fitz’s Root Beer includes four bottles of root beer, four bottles of ginger ale and four Shirley Temples. BOOKS Photo courtesy of Left Bank Books Books are entertaining, educational and easy to wrap – what more could you want from a gift? When you’re searching for good reads for your family and friends, stop by one of St. Louis’ premier independent bookstores, including The Book House, Dunaway Books, Hammonds Books, Left Banks Books, The Novel Neighbor, Subterranean Books and The Webster Groves Bookshop. For comics, graphic novels, games and collectibles, peruse specialty bookstores such as Apotheosis Comics & Lounge and The Wizard’s Wagon. CLOTHING & JEWELRY Photo courtesy of Hats-N-Stuff Civic pride is the gift that keeps on giving. This holiday season, show your love for St. Louis and its sports teams with gifts from local retailers such as Hats-N-Stuff, which offers official gear from both professional and college teams; The Mash Pit by Zoey’s Attic, which has tees for every season and occasion; and Arch Apparel, which puts its own spin on sports apparel. STL Style also creates original products – from tees to totes and flags to magnets – that reflect the true character of the city that we all love. If you’re looking for something shiny, head to The Silver Lady, which specializes in unique sterling silver jewelry for every style. KID-FRIENDLY Photo courtesy of Build-A-Bear Workshop Cute and cuddly, Build-A-Bear stuffed animals will make your little ones smile. Originally conceived as a place for children to create their own teddy bear with a step-by-step process, including the iconic Heart Ceremony, Build-A-Bear Workshop is now a multigenerational, multidimensional global brand. Its line of stuffed animals has also expanded to include aquatic, farm and woodland animals as well as characters from Disney, Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Pokémon. Kids will also love Goodnight St. Louis and Goodnight St. Louis 2, illustrated hardcovers that explore the region’s most popular attractions, iconic landmarks, historic neighborhoods and family-friendly hangouts. In addition, Goodnight St. Louis makes a coloring book, which provides a whimsical experience where imagination is your guide and the city is your canvas. MUSIC Photo courtesy of Dead Wax Records If you’re shopping for a music-lover, you’re in luck because St. Louis is a music city. Both Dead Wax Records and Vintage Vinyl specialize in vinyl. In fact, after launching in 2013, Dead Wax Records moved to a larger location on Cherokee Street in 2020 to keep up with the demand for vinyl. Owner Jeremy Miller says that customers buy a wide range of records at the store, but popular vinyl albums, including Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Billy Joel’s The Stranger and The Beatles’ Abbey Road, are difficult to keep in stock. No matter what songs your loved ones sing, you’ll find a vinyl record that they’ll appreciate here. A legendary record store in the Delmar Loop, Vintage Vinyl was ranked as one of the 10 greatest record stores in the country by USA Today. It offers a treasure trove of vinyl records for audiophiles near and far, but for a record with St. Louis flair, look for Chuck Berry’s Live From Blueberry Hill, Oliver Sain’s St. Louis Breakdown: The Best of Oliver Sain and The Welders’ Our Own Oddities 1977-81. Our St. Louis gift guide is a jumping-off point. Find more holiday shopping inspiration here. Share
