Your Neighborhood, Your Businesses - Yelp's Recommendations
Photo by Solar Flare Photography
Do you know your neighbor’s name? To the left? To the right? Below or above your flat? Or how about the name of the guy at the market who packages your fresh meat weekly? This holiday season, look no further than the businesses down the street on the near northside to find one-of-a-kind presents that lay claim to a story. Imagine for a moment that this isn’t any ole music box you just bought. It’s a music box made by your neighbor in Herron Morton using wood from trees that once stood in Fall Creek.
Big box stores don’t offer stories like these.
Whether I’m looking for a charming cocktail dress for a party or gift for a fellow vintage-lover, I turn to Minx Vintage and Home located in the Penn Arts building on 16th Street. Being the window display sucker that I am, I can always count on Minx to roll out some of the city’s most luring window displays. This store eloquently mixes the best of fashion today with the gems of yesteryear.
Just a few blocks away, Honeysuckle Home offers a zillion perfect options for housewarming gifts like textiles, picnic necessities, tea pots and eco-friendly soaps. Tucked away on Alabama Street, at first glance you wouldn’t suspect the treasures this shop houses.
Or, when I’m looking for a foodie gift for others (or moi), I turn to Goose the Market in the Fall Creek neighborhood. Bacon and beer of the month club? European-inspired dry goods? Duck, pear and port sausage? Yes, please. And if I want to top the gastrogift off with some tea, Tea’s Me Café, also located in Fall Creek, offers high quality loose leaf tea, starter kits and custom gift baskets. While you're there, sit down, soak it in and order a personal pot.
To wash away all of your gift-giving woes, Yelp is hosting a free holiday shopping party at Indianapolis City Market Dec. 13 with over 60 of the city’s most unique local businesses. Yelp’s Totally Bazaar will boast everything from mulled wine by Easley Winery and eggnog from Trader’s Point Creamery to feather jewelry by KG Acres Farm and Featherwerks and a fashion party with Pattern Indy. I dare you to take the Yelp Shops Local pledge and give the gift of stories this year.
May your season be bright, Brittany Smith, Yelp Indy Community Manager
Brittany Smith is the Yelp Community Manager for Indy. City explorer extraordinaire, lover of local businesses and planner of one-of-a-kind Yelp events! You might find Brittany frequenting City Market, Mass Ave Cultural District, festivals and other shenanigans of the sort - always cheering all things local.
Yelp is an online review website that connects people with great local businesses.