Tis' the season to make merry and surprise our loved ones with fun and thoughtful gifts! Well shopping local and small biz will not only help you find some amazing gifts for your friends and loved ones but it will also give back to your local shops as well as patronizing small businesses on-line. These businesses offer something unique and personal that you can't find at large commercial stores and you will actually work with store owners and their staff that believe in their products and love what they do. I am proud to share about the local businesses in Wilmington and our small biz friends; many of who are our homestead blogger friends. Here are my list of Local Businesses in Wilmington NC and the surrounding area you should go check out!
Buy 3 get 1 free for the Holidays! Expires 12/31 at midnight!
Of course at Our Lil' Suburban Homestead Etsy Shop currently we have lip balms and lotion bars for sale! They are a favorite among friends!
The Viking in my life is making these awesome bird feeders and barrel stave candle holders/planters at his own Etsy shop he just named "ByrdzNBeez". Click here! I will be linking the store front to our blog soon I promise so everyone will be able to see his fun new creations every time they visit our blog soon!
Now on to all of the fabulous businesses we think you don't want to miss out on this holiday season!
Mookie can't wait to greet all of ya'll at Gravity Records! Let him know if you have been naughty or nice!
Gravity Records – Gravity Records is all about the music! Matt and his team absolutely love music and it shows!! They host events to launch new musicians and are huge supporters of local musicians. . Also if you love vinyl have they got some vinyl for you which is slowly becoming a new passion of me and The Viking's.
The Indigo Brush – Tracy paints amazing pet portraits and really brings them to life. She painted a wonderful piece of art for a friend of ours after her dear pooch passed away and her work speaks for itself. It's fabulous!
A Mad Doodler – Andria is actually a good friend of ours and her work was even recently picked up to be features on a local band's cd cover art work this past year. It's exciting times for this artist!
Cabin Girl Designs – Lara and Erin make these amazing bags. They are hand crafted, one of a kind re-purposed from locally donated re-purposed marine fabric. You have to check out their bags…I want one for Christmas in teal of course!
Rebekah Todd – Fiber art creations are magnificent to behold. They are soft and in a word stunning! Make sure to stop by her Etsy store and there will be sure to be a gift for that special person on your shopping list!
Jill Jackson – Jill is a local artist who has the most amazing water colors. I love her work and in particular loved her crab art work. I'm just a huge fan of blue crabs!
Andrea Watson Designs – I love Andrea's jewelry and even own a couple of her pieces myself! Her work is extremely distinctive and I can recognize it at each art show that she is represented at. Her work is delicate and yet she has created such powerful pieces.
Diana Coletenback Pet Portraiture – I have yet to visit Diana's art studio but she is a local business in Wilmington and her work is pet portraiture and from what I can see her work is fabulous! Give her a shout…maybe you want to give a gift to yourself and feature your favorite pooch or other furbaby!
Sea Love Sea Salt – Amanda Jacobs hand harvests her Sea Love Sea Salt from the ocean at Wrightsville Beach. I am addicted to the variety of salts and actually never knew that salt could be superior to other spices. Her citrus salt is now a staple in our lil' suburban homestead kitchen and even got sprinkled on top of our turkey. Click here to watch our Turkey tip video on Instagram that included the addition of her fabulous salt.
Memory Lane Comic Books – Jacob and Ben are all about comic books as a matter of fact they are passionate about their business and extremely knowledgeable and they can answer all of your questions and are happy to help you pick out a gift for that special someone.
Wilmington Brewing Co. located off Kerr Avenue is such a fun place to visit and you are always sure to run into someone and strike up a conversation! They have fun merchandise and gift certificates. You can't ever go wrong with a gift certificate. We have been shopping here for so long that we became good friends with the owners John and Michelle, come to think it they don't know a stranger so you will quickly become embraced and be a part of the ILM brewing family!
Fly Trap Brewing is a favorite brewery and entertainment venue of ours! Stop in and tell Mike and Emily that the Viking and I sent you! They are going have Flytrap gift certificates; 32 oz Crowlers; and new Tee's, Hoodies and Onesies just in time for the holidays! Mike and Emily love to pull together fun events that are a great time for the whole family. Keep an eye on their social media for the next big event!
Panacea Brewing – I love this place! Art and Robin the owners have put kombucha on the map in Wilmington! As many of you know I'm fond of kombucha but I call Art and Robin kombucha wizards….it's hard to drink the stuff I make at home lol after you have theirs. Stop by and tell him hello this holiday season!
Shelton Herb Farm – Meg Shelton, herb gardener extraordinaire is a good friend of ours and she runs a beautiful herb farm in Leland, NC. If you haven't been out to visit the farm it is so worth a visit! She is very knowledgeable about what grows well in North Carolina.
Down To Earth – is where I ask my husband to pick up my custom or almost custom-made perfume made from essential oils every Birthday and Christmas! It smells amazing! They also sell incense and jewelry I love this store! Did I mention I love their jewelry? Oh I love it!
Rebel Baking Company – Pretzels and Local Baked Goods for the Holidays! Sometimes you just need help it's okay accept it!
Snarky Phoenix Designs – Our friend Whitney makes beautiful one of a kind leggings, dresses, blankets and more! Check out her work it's absolutely gorgeous. I already bought myself an early Christmas present for myself from her shop! It's her amazing chakra leggings!
Backyard Visions – Are you looking to maybe have a home DIY project done locally? You may want to contact these folks they have some amazing projects they have completed.
Rye Naturals – My friend Rileigh has an exciting all natural skin care line! I am a huge fan of her Shhh spray which I will be buying more soon! Check out her product line you will be glad you did and like me you will probably find something that you were like, "Wow, where have you been all of my life?".
Bela Si Boutique – Sarah has beautiful and unique jewelry creations. I am a huge fan of her guitar string earrings but you really can't visualize how awesome and creative her items are until you stop by her Etsy store which is amazing by the way!
Pantry Paratus- has everything you need for your kitchen! They are making some changes but there blog will keep going strong, however they are transitioning from retail and you will find great deals there!
Tidal Creek Co-0p – located in Wilmington, NC has a store full of delicious local, organic food to stock your kitchen and tons of gift ideas too. Make sure to stop in soon. The Viking and I joined this co-op this year and we are proud to be a part of the Wilmington mindfulness about our food community!
My good friend Tiffany at Imperfectly Happy.com is passionate about all things homesteading and in the fun spirit of homesteading has come up with this awesome chicken t-shirt that will be sure to bring joy to that chicken mama or papa in your life! Click here to order one for yourself!
Timber Creek Farm's Handmade Shop is all about her free range yarn line and it's absolutely spectacular! Janet has some awesome mug and yarn gift sets for that knitter or crafty friend or family member in your life or maybe it's you…are you ready to take up a new hobby for the new year. Either way you will love taking a visit to her shop!
Cape Fear Habitat Re-Store – We love this place! This is where I got my topiary for the holidays last year! We have bought light fixtures, our primitive canning pantry cupboard and so much more from them!
How about some music for that music lover in your life? All of these musicians listed are absolutely amazing! Take a listen why don't you?
L Shape Lot Merchandise Store – Americana, Rock, Bluegrass – This band is playing the Annual L Shape Lot Toys For Tot's Christmas show at Brooklyn Arts Center on Saturday December 16th in Wilmington. Such a great cause!
Chris Frisina – His music will completely engage you and he sings from the heart and has a folk music feel.
Rebekah Todd & The Odyssey – Sultry, Jazzy – the kind of music you just sway your hips too…check out her merch store too. Click here.
Striking Copper Band – A folk rock band with fun vocals and great vibes! Check them out!
Travis Shallow's Store- Eclectic but I think Travis has a country sound……certainly soulful.
The Clams – Beach Rock/Eclectic – They are so much fun!
David Dixon – Blues, rock, soul, and enjoyment!
Cassiopeia Duo – Original music from our friends CB & Danica…music from the heart that will resonate with you!
Falling For Tuesday – A soulful and fun musical compilation by Daniel Bennet and Misse Boneske!
Justin Fox Duo's Store – Blues, Rock, and Country but every now and then him and his band will pull some metal out!
Hannah Kaminer – A new favorite vocalist of ours we met in Asheville, NC one of our favorite places on earth!
I wish we could fit all of our favorite musicians in this one blog post but it's just not going to happen sigh!
Some holiday extras to get you in the mood!
Handmade Master Class by Melissa K. Norris – Make your own products…click here for more info!
From Scratch Magazine – 12 Bloggers of our Christmas featured our Muddy Buddies Recipes click here to read more!
Christmas with the Kranks is free now on Amazon Prime (No affiliate link included) Click here to watch! You do have to be a Prime member though. This is one of our all time favorite holiday movies! Not local I know but many of us have Amazon accounts these days!
Instructions to make your own No Sew Fleece Blankie – Click here!
Christmas Traditions from my friend at Canadian Budget Binder.com …he shares tips all year long to help save you money!
I hope you are having fun preparing for the holidays with your family!
The Viking and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!