CLT Under Your Tree: Local Gift Guide Featuring Small Businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina

CLT Under Your Tree is Off the Eaten Path’s local gift guide and holiday guide featuring 100+ local businesses to help you find the best local picks for your loved ones.

I’m going to keep this intro short and sweet. Especially because you have over 100 local businesses in this post to explore!

CLT Under Your Tree is a local Charlotte gift guide featuring everything from food products to handmade goods, local experiences, local shops and more.

(May I recommend perusing this beast of a local gift guide with a cocktail in hand? It wouldn’t hurt would it? Some of our favorites to sip on are a Christmas White Russian, Cranberry Bourbon Smash, Whiskey Apple Cider Cocktail, Sparkling Sangria, Classic Margarita or an Old Fashioned).

There are so many local businesses that need help and support I couldn’t possibly list them all, but if I missed one of your favorites shoot me an email and I will add them to my list.

Shopping local this holiday season? Use this post to find the perfect Charlotte gift for everyone on your list. Or for yourself! Buying gifts for yourself is totally acceptable and you deserve it! (I’ve broken this local gift guide down by category to help make navigation easier.)

Take care and stay safe my friends. Happy Holidays!

(As an aside, if you don’t have the financial flexibility to spend money with small businesses this year, think about ways you can support local for free! Engage with them on social media, share the love and tell your friends and family about them, leave a review on Google, Facebook or Yelp, or even ask them how you can best support them!)

Food

photo courtesy of Sweet Spot Studio

After all, The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach!

• Buying gift cards to local restaurants is one of the easiest ways to support restaurants and also give the foodie in your life a personalized gift. (Check out some of our favorite Charlotte restaurants in our Charlotte Restaurants Guide)
• The home cook on your list can sharpen their skills at a cooking class hosted by Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen or The Foodie School. Both offer a variety of fun and different themed culinary classes as well as gift card options in different amounts to cover the cost of a class.
• Give the cheese lover in your life the gift of local artisan cheese with a gift box from Orrman’s Cheese Shop or a cheese of the month club membership.
• Give the foodie on your list a new, unique food experience live from home. Feast Food Tours has transitioned this year from walking food tours of Charlotte neighborhoods to online workshops featuring local chefs, artisans, food pairings and more! (we’ve participated in two from home and had so much fun!)
• Sweet Spot Studio has tons of gifts for the baker or sweets lover on your list, including gift cards, a cookie club membership (where they deliver comprehensive cookie decorating classics right to your doorstep), a cookie cutter advent calendar, and class packs.

Give the gift of food! Mix and match chocolates, honeys, jams and more to create a customized gift or buy a fully assembled gift box or basket. Here are a few of my local favorites:

• Chocolate and Fudge: Potts Chocolate, Twenty Degrees Chocolate, Iva Jean’s Fudge
• Honey: Cloister Honey, Heritage Harvest, Herb’s Honey
• Jams and Condiments: City Farms Food, Bleu Barn Pantry, Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen
• Olive Oil: Pour Olive
• Popcorn: It’s Poppin
• Spices: Savory Spice Shop
• Gift Baskets and Boxes: Gathered CLT, Cannizzaro Sauces, All Things Charlitty (she has an ultimate chef pack, a coffee gift set, tickled for tea gift set, as well as a build your own wellness gift set and CBD gift set)

Drinks

Are you sick of getting your dad socks? Does your boyfriend dabble in home brewing and talk a lot about hops and malt? Does your leading lady love to enjoy a few cold ones at local breweries on the weekends? Here are my picks for the beverage enthusiast in your life (all beverages, including beer, wine, cocktails, coffee, kombucha and tea included!) 

• For the beer lover in your life, pick up cans and growlers, gift cards, or merchandise from their favorite local Charlotte brewery.
• Try eight of Charlotte’s best old fashioneds at home with an Old Fashioned Kit from Unpretentious Palate. Eight of the city’s best bartenders give you everything you need to make their takes on the classic old-fashioned cocktail. (Full disclosure, we bought this for ourselves and not as a gift!) As a side note, you can also buy gift subscriptions to Unpretentious Palate to give them access to some of the best food and beverage news in Charlotte.
• Speaking of at home bartending and cocktail making, several local bars and restaurants are still offering cocktail kits. Our favorites include: Bardo, Dot Dot Dot, and Crafstman Syrups.
• And you’ll probably need some local liquor for those cocktails, right? Charlotte is home to five local distilleries making everything from rum, to vodka, gin, bourbon and whiskey, rye and moonshine. Great Wagon Road Distilling Co., Doc Porter’s Distillery, Seven Jars Distillery, Dragon Moonshine Company and Muddy River Distillery will keep your spirits bright.
• Kombucha home delivery from Updog Kombucha would be the gift that keeps on giving with every sip.
• Ok we’ve done cocktails, kombucha but what about wine? A few bottles or even a wine club membership from Petit Philippe or Assorted Table Wine Shoppe are perfect for the wine lover on your list. Assorted Table also has self guided tasting kits, which is such a creative and unique offering (I would love to get one of these if anyone shopping for me is reading this post, hint hint). Included in a self guided tasting kit: 3 to 4 bottles of wine, 1 digital tasting booklet (that you can download and print), video instruction from Assorted Table’s two wine experts, and a wine map print from Modern Hobbyist.
• Help the coffee lover in your life get caffeinated with beans, brews, mugs, merchandise, gift boxes or gift cards from their favorite local coffee shop or roaster. Charlotte is full of some amazing local coffee shops including Central Coffee, Not Just Coffee, Cuplux, Waterbean Coffee, Undercurrent Coffee, Enderly Coffee, Pure Intentions, and Hex Coffee.
• And we can’t forget tea lovers too! Birch Fine Tea offers gift sets, tea ware and gift cards.

Adventures and Experiences

photo courtesy of SkillPop

With special gifts for everyone from sports fans and art enthusiasts, to outdoor adventurers, lifelong learners or someone deserves some relaxation…if you’d rather gift an experience or activity rather than a tangible thing, this list is for you!

• SkillPop is a fun, engaging, and accessible way to learn a new hobby or skill; classes are offered on an online platform called SkillPop Anywhere (so you don’t have to be local to Charlotte) on a variety of topics: watercoloring, embroidery, pasta making, budgeting, social media, marketing, photography, wine tasting, cheese board making, blogging and so much more!
• Buy an Annual Pass or Adventure Card (gift card) to the US National Whitewater Center for the outdoor adventure seeker on your list.
• While there aren’t a lot of sporting or arts events happening in person right now, explore virtual event options or gift cards for the sports fan or arts enthusiast in your life…great options include any of Charlotte’s professional sports teams, the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, the Charlotte Ballet, Opera Carolina or any of the city’s art or history museums.
• If you have a friend or family member interested in tarot, consider a gift card to Harvest and Moon. Tarot reader Mariah Oller will “work with your Spirit Guides to help you discover a life full of inspiration, success, and abundance.” A one hour reading would be a really great gift for a group of friends to share. 
• Mood House is the “re imagination of the traditional massage spa” that’s opening in Dilworth in mid-December. For the holidays, they are offering holiday gift boxes featuring a 50 minute signature massage gift card and a candle with one of their signature scents.

Apparel

Not a fashun blog (do you love my sweater?), but I couldn’t share a local gift guide without local apparel shops and options! Charlotte is home to so many fabulous boutiques and companies offering everything from graphic tees to custom fitted suits. If I missed your favorite, send me an email and I’ll add them to the list!

• Johnny Fly Co.: Fashionable sunglasses made out of sustainable materials (they have leather goods too!)
• Girl Tribe Co.:  A women’s boutique and retail store run focused on empowering women.
• 704 Shop: High quality apparel and other branded merchandise to help you show your pride with the 704 area code. 
• Glory Days Apparel: Connects to their customers through nostalgic based designs, hoping to create a wearable conversation piece for you!
• Ole Mason Jar: Menswear, casual and custom clothing that is sustainable, comfortable and timeless.
• KK Bloom Boutique: I love their description on their website: “a shopping oasis for women of all ages.”
• Worthy Figures: An exclusively plus size boutqiue with trendy and affordable styles. 
• Buffalo Jackson Trading Co.: Rugged and vintage apparel for women and men, as well as classic leather goods like wallets, bags, and other accessories.
• Boem: A boho chic boutique offering women’s clothing, accessories, and shoes.
• BLKMRKTCLT: “A collective of BLK culture,” featuring merchandise like t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and accessories, as well as local art and an event space.
• Public Interest CLT: Specially curated clothing, accessories and memorabilia from the 80s & 90s. 
• Feminist Goods Co.: Thoughtfully designed clothing, accessories, home goods and paper goods celebrating women and their communities. They donate 10% of their annual proceeds to charitable organizations and causes making a difference.
• Rose Gold Rebel: “Custom goods packed with flair and personality,” including apparel, mugs and personalized gifts.
• Shop Great Things: A women’s resale boutique owned and operated by Friendship Community Development Corporation. Boutique sales support My Sister’s House Transitional Living Program, which empowers homeless, single women to become self-sufficient.
• Captivate: An elegant boutique specializing in offering unique and quality pieces for all women
• Created Beautifully: Handmade leather clutches, handbags, accessories and handmade jewelry.

Jewelry

photo courtesy of Quad Espresso Jewelry

I feel like a gift guide isn’t complete without beautiful, handmade jewelry options, so just like the apparel section above, I’ve included some of my favorite makers in this local gift guide. 

• Quad Espresso Jewelry’s handmade pieces showcase simplicity yet exude elegance.
• Worthy and Badass creates “simple, inspired designs with deep meaning.” Beyond jewelry, they also have keychains, bookmarks, stickers, ornaments, planters, stationary and more!
• Erin McDermott Jewelry: fresh and modern spins on timeless classics.
• Twine and Twig: Handcrafted jewelry  that “reflects natural, organic beauty influenced by Southern roots and extensive worldly travels.”
• Ellison James Design: Uniquely rustic and nature inspired pieces.
• Pretty Perfect Style: I love this snippet from her website, “Pretty Perfect Style is here to help you express your unique sense of style without blending in with the same predictable mass produced wardrobe and accessory items everyone else is wearing.”
• Cultivated Closet: “Small batch handmade jewelry and accessories for the fun, fearless, and every day woman.” (this was a reader recommendation!)
• Elise Design Company: “Created to bring versatility to your wardrobe, to provide multi-season options and timeless accessories in a fast-fashion world.”

Beauty

I have a similar approach to beauty as I do with fashion and apparel, I’ll be honest I don’t know much. A lot of these are friend and reader recommendations but I knew beauty needed a spot on my local gift guide list.

• Pink Hippo: High quality, all natural, safe and organic skincare.
• Jules and Vetiver: Modern, unisex perfume made in small batches with sustainably sourced. ingredients. Their fragrance bar (coming soon as an in home kit and experience) gives you the opportunity to personalize your own scent.
• Skin by Blair: Medical grade skin care products for all ages and skin types.
• Cream and Coco: All natural skin care, hair care, and baby care products for both men and women to help you care for yourself from head to toe. 
• Spa Thyme: Handmade bath and body products to add a little luxury to your everyday life.
• Dragonfly Co: Care for your “skin, soul and self” including cleansers, serums, elixers, gemstone healing, herbal remedies, and eco-goods.
• Maggie Loves Spike: Organic bath, body and beauty products with special gift sets for the holidays!

Pets

Ok you can’t tell me that we are the only ones that give our pets Christmas gifts right? (Growing up, our cats even had stockings!) If you’re doing some shopping for a pup parent or a four legged furry friend in your life, I’ve got a few great local options for you.

• Pet Wants makes natural healthy dog and cat food (and other pet products) and offers free delivery to your home or work.
• Skiptown is the “spot for pups and their people” including daycare, boarding, dog park and bar. They are offering a variety of different gift cards including a general gift card that can be used on pet care services. You can also gift monthly passes or annual passes.
• Lucky Dog: Lucky Dog Bark and Brew is a full service doggie daycare and boarding facility, plus full service, dog friendly bar with three Charlotte area locations. Consider gifting the pup parent on your list daycare or boarding passes, or peruse Lucky Dog’s onsite boutique which is  full of custom collars and leashes, treats, toys, t-shirts, koozies, hats and more.
• Custom Made 4 Paws: Handmade personalized pet products made with the safety of your pet in mind.

Plants and Gardening

Ok maybe you have a pet parent on your list, but also a plant parent. For plant parents, here are some local spots to add to their growing plant fam (as well as handmade planters and plant art too!)

• Whether you’re a pandemic plant mom or a long time leaf lover, Grow is Plaza Midwood’s neighborhood plant shop (curbside pickup and delivery are both available!)
• Cactus Club offers a wide variety of plants including cacti, tropical house plants, plus a range of services from plant styling to plant sourcing.  
• Flower Child Heirlooms is an urban teaching garden growing seasonal heirloom blooms, herbs, vegetables and fruit. They offer gardening services including garden consultations, garden checkups and maintenance, garden planning, custom garden beds and a garden goods shop with seeds, seed club subscriptions and ornaments.
• Shades of Moss is a community based plant shop located in the Elizabeth neighborhood. Besides offering plants, planters and plant art, Shades of Moss also offers online plant consultations and repotting sessions.
• Malone’s Succulent Greenhouse: A small Charlotte greenhouse with a big selection specializing in cacti, succulents, airplants, tropicals and citrus.
• Queen City Crete has a beautiful collection of one-of-a-kind, handmade ceramic pots and planters. She also makes other homewares including jewelry holders, trays, and candles.
• A.Grey Design also creates beautiful and unique handmade concrete planters in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors.

Home Decor and Art

photo courtesy O&Y Studio

We’ve spent a lot of time at home in 2020, so I’m sure several people on your list are looking to spruce up theirs (or maybe you’re looking to spruce up yours…no shame in buying gifts for yourself!) with the help of local artists.

• I have to kick off the cozy at home local gift guide segment with candles of course. Charlotte is lucky, we have a lot of locally poured candles to help our homes smell good! Pretty Honest Candles, Charlotte Candle Company, Roma A Singh, Good Sniffs and Company, Elizabeth Rose, and Southern Fragrances are just a few.
• EDIA Maps: Turn every day into an adventure (EDIA, do you get it?) with four specialty maps centered around food, drinks and adventures in the Carolinas.
• O&Y Studio: Hand embroidered inspired by the natural beauty of flowers and botanicals/ Her pieces start with traditional wood embroidery hoops, where she then crochets a wool background and then creates intricate designs by embroidering wools and mohair.
• LB Fine Art: Lauren is a maker of fun art, or in her words, a “F-Art maker.” (get it?) She is currently closed for commissions (but does beautiful house, family and pet portraits) but has a wide variety of decorative art prints on Etsy.
• M. Herriott Art: I couldn’t say it better than Melissa, so I’ll let her do the talking, “I paint what brings me joy; what I want to surround myself with. I create art that I would want to decorate my home and office with. I love bright colors, abstract shapes, and I use gold any (and every) chance I get.”
• Wildly Urban: Handcrafted wood goods inspired by nature using reclaimed wood, salvaged leather and air plants.
• David French: NoDa artist with a stunning collection of prints covering Charlotte city life
• Evelyn Henson: Another artist who says it better than I can (you may know her from the Confetti Arts Wall in South End.) “I seek to create stylish art that colorfully celebrates the everyday. I look at places and things, but most of my paintings begin when I think about others and what I can paint to brighten their day.”
• LaDara Fine Art: An abstract artist focusing on ceramics and painting. “The concept behind LaDara’s work is to alter the emotional stability and attention span of the viewer.” I love her use of color.
• Cotswold Marketplace: From furniture to accessories, lighting to wallpaper, bedding to gifts, Cotswold Marketplace is a collection of merchants, artists, and custom design services for home decor.
• Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio: A boutique vintage furniture shop and home design studio that has been nationally recognized. Inventory changes weekly and new items are usually posted to Instagram and Facebook first.
• House and Holm: A curated interior design, decor and lifestyle shop helping you create a space that makes your house feel like home.
• Down South Furnishings: Handcrafted farmhouse furniture.

Books

Treat your loved ones to a book (or two, or a few) from a local bookstore and take them on a new adventure without having to leave their couch.

• Thats Novel Books: A used bookstore in Camp North End building a community space around literacy, writing and books.
• Main Street Books: An independent bookstore located in the old general store on Main Street in Davidson, North Carolina whose mission is to build a community of readers.
• Park Road Books: Has been independently owned and operated for 41 years at Park Road Shopping Center.
• Shelves Bookstore: An online and mobile pop-up bookstore that partners with other small businesses that have a brick & mortar presence in the Charlotte area.

One Stop Shops

This section is for shops and events that didn’t specifically fit into any of the above categories but offer a little bit of everything. A one stop shop that could meet all of your gift giving needs and help you cross everyone off your list!

• Paper Skyscraper: A local, independent gift shop with a wide variety of hand-picked books, stationary, cards, and gifts
• Moxie Mercantile: A community centered boutique with a heart for emerging artist and vintage finds
• Covet Atelier: An online and brick and mortar shop in Plaza Midwood focused solely on handmade products from artisans in the Carolinas
• Charlotte Collective: An alternative retail shop nestled in Plaza Midwood that proudly showcases local makers and creatives from the Queen City
• VTGCLT Pop: A popup shop featuring 90+ vintage and handmade brands.
• CLT Find: A retail shop in Charlotte’s uptown neighborhood that supports over 80 makers, artists & creatives in the region. Their goal is “to help both visitors and locals “find” the perfect souvenir, gift item, tasty treat, accessory, or anything in between.”
• Small Business Saturday South End: 2020 version of South End’s popular Small Business Saturday is broken into smaller events with 15 to 20 local vendors popping up over the next four weeks from 10am to 3pm at Atherton Mill and the Design Center.