I despise shopping for the most part, but these sweet spots in central Arkansas make it much easier to shop local.
Here are my favorites for this year:
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| Photo from the Box Turtle website |
This is the coolest store on Kavanaugh with a mix of local artist’s work as well as fun things they’ve found in market. Great clothes, gifts, cards, cool jewelery, and more! Great t-shirts by my friend Erin of shop E.L.L. can be bought here! (hint-hint)
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| Photo from Shop E.L.L.’s etsy page |
We’ve lost pretty much all of our local toy stores in Little Rock except for this store. It’s a great little toy store in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center. Very helpful employees will wrap your gifts or make a gift registry for you. My boys love that there are so many toys on display that you can test out before you buy!
Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition is new (opened in 2010) but has already won national and worldwide acclaim with it’s delightful spirits. Almost every aspect and ingredient is made in Arkansas, from barrels to grains. (I’ll be posting more about them soon!)
Some great picks:
The super cool American Whiskey Aging Kit comes complete with a tiny barrel (handmade in Arkansas) to age your whiskey to your taste.
The Moonshine Sampler Pack is a fun gift with Grape, Peach, Blackberry Cobbler and Apple Pie versions of Arkansas Lightning. (My hubby loved the Apple Pie on the rocks!)
You can buy at better liquor stores in Arkansas or at the RockTown Distillery itself, which is located close to Heifer Project headquarters downtown. (Fun tour if you have the time!)
Run by the Friends of the Central Arkansas Library system (and in the
Rivermarket district) this store not only sells gently used library and
donated books, but also some quite unique gifts for readers and
thinkers. Also some fantastic art galleries (with some art for sale.) Get a
cup of coffee at the counter inside and browse!
- Arkansas Institute Studies Art Gallery
Another gem in the Rivermarket district- you might not have realized
that this is a free art gallery with most of the work being for sale (by
Arkansas artists!) Jewelry, hand turned woodwork, books,
hand knitted scarves, pottery- they’ve got it!
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Historic Arkansas Museum Gift Shop
Looking for handmade gifts from Arkansas or unique historical toys and gifts? This is
the place! You don’t have to pay admission to the museum to go inside
the store, but you might want to!
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Clinton Museum StoreNo matter what your political affiliation, the Clinton museum store has
something for you! Books, handmade jewelery, recycled presents,
and more. Not actually inside the museum, but in the Rivermarket
district. (More great museum gift shops in the area include- Museum of
Discovery, MacArthur Military Musuem gift shop, Old Statehouse Museum
gift shop, and the Arkansas Arts Center gift shop.)
The Heifer project is not only a cool place to visit, but houses a
wonderful gift shop. They have lovely gifts and neat things from around the world. While
you are there tour the center and think about getting a gift that keeps
on giving- animal donations for people in need around the world. Great
organization. Our family registers online now and gives animals
instead of gifts to ourselves.
Another sweet friend opened this store a couple of years ago on Kavanugh and it’s become “the place” for fashionistas. I love how they group clothing by colors and ideas so even the fashion challenged like me can look good! It’s also not expensive (which as a mom of a teenage daughter I LOVE!) This week they are offering 40% off STOREWIDE at several of their stores so make sure to stock up on gifts! (Did I mention she has a Little Rock, Conway, and Fayetteville store now?)
Once on Kavanaugh, this amazing antique store is now located on South Main Street in the SOMA district of Little Rock. I love browsing (and buying) in this chic, but affordable store! My son has a great antique school map on his wall that we bought there for $20! While you’re there make sure to check out…
Also in SOMA, this quaint little store has great local gifts, all eco-friendly! Also the home of Loblolly Creamery (get some and tour the Bernice Gardens nearby!)
Support your local businesses! Where are some of your favorite places to shop locally?