Made your list? Checked it twice? Georgetown shops have you covered!
Written by Kathy Witt
With nearly 40 shops, boutiques, galleries and restaurants located within a scenic and strollable six-block area, historic downtown Georgetown is a shopper’s haven for the holidays.
Storefronts beckon with an array of goodies ready to fill those stockings hanging on the mantle and that empty space yawning beneath the Christmas tree. Streets are trimmed with greenery and winking lights. Excitement, joy and anticipation fill the air.
There are no exorbitant parking fees, no mall madness, no fast-food frenzy to fit in a lunch stop. Instead, shoppers find locally owned shops with thoughtfully selected gift possibilities, sit-down restaurants serving up a variety of flavors and a take-your-time-and-enjoy ambience.
To help you get started, several downtown business owners have shared some of their favorite picks for gifts for those on your shopping list.
Bourbon lover? It’s a gift card to Bourbon 30 or to Sláinte Public House.
Teacher?
“Also a gift card,” said Sláinte Public House owner Ashley Nunn, “For a break from the kiddos.”
Nailed it.
For your best friend, it’s the McKenzie Blue Fedora ($230) from Polly Singer Couture Hats or a Sweet Sentiment Print ($39.99) from Simple Charm to grace the wall of your BFF’s home.
Check.
Simple Charm’s other suggestions include an equine print ($55) for the horse lover; a journal ($15.99) for your Secret Santa; and for the person who has everything, a set of Giant Yard Bells ($350).
Check and check.
Here are more gift suggestions by category from Georgetown shop owners:
The Hidden Trove
Artist or Person Who Has Everything: Handmade bag from LaneMade Designs (prices vary)
Bourbon Aficionado: 15” x 6” Maple Bourbon Kentucky Proverb ($27)
Secret Santa or Co-worker: The Good Rub Bath Salts ($11.50); Bath Bombs ($8).
Significant Other: Handcrafted jewelry from Backwoods Jewelry By Lauren (prices vary by piece)
Stocking Stuffer: Handcrafted Keychain with wooden Kentucky charm ($16)
Miss Behaven
Bourbon Aficionado: Bourbon Trail Rocks Glass, Whiskey Stones and bourbon coaster in a gift basket ($61.99)
Best Friend: Best Friend Necklace ($26.99)
Holiday Host: Kitchen Boa, Snowman cheese board and Michel Design Foaming Soap ($59.99)
Dog Walker: Scout Tumbler by Swig ($36.99)
Secret Santa: Beautiful festive frame by Glory Haus ($32.99)
Teacher: Earth Angels bracelet with teacher sentiment ($12.99)
Maime’s Gifts
Artist: Watercolor Soaps imported from Australia ($11.50); Paint-By-Number Canvas ($42)
Best Friend: Insulated Casserole Carrier ($36.50); Teaspressa Sugar Cubes ($18-$30.50)
Bourbon Aficionado: Brumate’s take on a Glencairn Glass ($25.75); readymade or custom bourbon gift baskets (prices vary)
Foodie: 16-year-old balsamic vinegar from “Oprah’s Favorite Things” list ($130)
Gardener: flavored honey ($12-$18)
Holiday Host: Candy Cane Mixer, perfect for hot chocolate, bourbon, rum ($16)
Horse Lover: Maizie Clarke Collection featuring painted designs on cloth, silk, glassware, etc. ($12-$130)
Person Who Has Everything: Decadent diffusers with floral reeds permeating the most luscious and varied scents ($50); Drink Shimmer – tasteless, odorless glitter that colors clear liquids and makes them sparkle ($16)
Pet Sitter: Hot Chocolate Bombs with comical mug ($29)
Teacher: Gourmet chocolates ($16); Corkcicle Lunch Cooler ($52)
Secret Santa: Holiday Corkcicle Glasses ($32.75)
Significant Other: Ben’s Garden Collection – popular quotes about the one you love placed on display trays, paperweights, frames, coasters, napkins, notepads, cards, etc. ($5.25-$56)
Gift Cards
Always the right size, always the right color – that’s the beauty of a gift card or gift certificate.
Got a sweet tooth on your list? They’ll love oohing and ah’ing over all the choices at Chocomania, Chocolate Holler, Desserts By Rebecca, More Than Cake, Spotz Gelato and Sweet Matriarch. Buying for a foodie? Give them a tour of Georgetown tastes with gift cards to Broussard’s Delta Kitchen, Fava’s, Local Feed or Rodney’s on Broadway.
Your animal loving friend? Treat them to a gift card to Anniemals and its specialty pet portraits or to one of downtown’s two equestrian art galleries – Hockensmith Fine Art Editions and the Robert Clark Gallery. A little something-something for your holiday host? Whitney’s can fill in the blanks. Last-minute stocking stuffers? Look no further than All That & More. And don’t forget to style your holiday look from one of Georgetown’s boutiques, like Abby Mae’s or Em & Me.
See a complete list of Georgetown’s shopping and restaurant possibilities here. Prefer to gift experiences? Read about all the Make It/Take It Christmas workshops Georgetown merchants offer here.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
