buy local for the holidays: what have you found in ypsi?

The meeting last night to discuss the holiday “Shop Ypsi” campaign went pretty well. About a dozen people came out to Cafe Luwak to share their ideas. And, by the end of it, I think we’d come up with a pretty good plan… We’re going to create and distribute a small, two-color brochure that basically has three components. First, it will contain some language as to why it’s important for our community to have a thriving local business community. (In this section we’ll also promote our online campaign to get people to accept the “Buy Local for the Holidays” challenge.) Second, there will be a categorized list highlighting some of our local retail establishments. And, third, there will be a list of “25 Cool and Unique Gifts” you can find in Ypsilanti… And that’s the part that I’m going to need your help with.

If you know of something cool, interesting, or unique that can be found in one of our local stores, please leave a comment. For instance, not too long ago, I bought some nice, little brass bells at the Co-op that I gave as gifts. People might not normally think of the Co-op as a place to buy gifts, but they’ve got some really interesting stuff. Or, how about a bottle of wine from our local U-Brew store, a loaf of sourdough bread from the River Street Bakery, and some organic mozzarella from the Co-op? Or, for that matter, how about a pi

This entry was posted in Ypsilanti. Bookmark the permalink. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.

12 Comments

  1. Amanda
    Posted November 15, 2007 at 9:35 pm | Permalink

    was just looking at last year’s brochure and comments when you posted this new one. i’m thinking that it may make most sense to organize either alphabetically or by area– maybe even do it based on a map with numbers (like you see on campus maps) that correspond to the list below… and then for the list, have a series of letters that indicate what types of things. in thinking about the co-op, for instance, they’ve got great clothing, and it’s a great place for cards and calendars and books. probably a bunch of stores are like this– as you alluded to– where the more interesting ideas of what to buy are what you wouldn’t automatically think of at the place. e.g., a t-shirt or hat from sidetrack, a growler set from corner brewery, gift certificates for things like massages or house-cleaning, some of the others that you mentioned, etc.

    so, the codes would have a little key, which would be something along the categories from last year’s brochures. i’ll help this weekend if you want…

  2. Amanda
    Posted November 15, 2007 at 9:37 pm | Permalink

    wait, another cool idea! we could make it into a little labeled google map! we made one for our affiliated garden sites, here, as an example. that’s something that would exist after a holiday brochure was outdated.

  3. mark
    Posted November 15, 2007 at 9:41 pm | Permalink

    We talked about some of that last night, Amanda, and I think we all agreed that it would be better if we could do that. Given the amount of time we’ve got (since we want to get this to the printer before Thanksgiving) I just don’t know that it’s possible this time. The “25 Cool Things” idea was kind of a compromise. In it, we were thinking, we could mention stuff, like clothes from the Co-op, that people might not normally think of. Then, maybe next year, assuming this works, we could be more ambitious, listing more shops, and getting deeper into what they offer. I think we’d need to get a start on it during the summer though.

  4. mark
    Posted November 15, 2007 at 9:42 pm | Permalink

    And, yes, we could absolutely do that online… assuming Jim or someone else has the bandwidth. That’s a great idea, Amanda.

  5. artminx
    Posted November 15, 2007 at 9:49 pm | Permalink

    Gordon’s Five and Dime is a great SAFE place for people to purchase candy for others with food allergies!!! We love that we can go in and find things for our friends who are diabetic or need gluten free candies. Thanks Gordon’s!

  6. Amanda
    Posted November 15, 2007 at 9:49 pm | Permalink

    the google map is super easy and something you make via google map and just link to, so no bandwidth needed.

  7. Ol' E Cross
    Posted November 16, 2007 at 9:35 am | Permalink

    Besides the obvious…
    Art Attack has a decent nook of kids stuff, finger paints, coloring books, etc.
    Dennis’ Music has a handful of kids instruments.
    Apple Annie’s has those cat clocks.
    Salt City Antiques has a room of “new” holiday decorations and lots of carnival ware.
    Materials Unlimited still carries locally made Motawi tiles and other moderately priced decoratives.
    Apotheke (sp?) has those trendy belly bags.
    Nelson Amos has Ypsi-centric cards (I’ll check to see if he’s doing a holiday line)
    Maggies Organics and fancy chocolate at the co-op
    I’ll keep thinking.

  8. Ol' E Cross
    Posted November 16, 2007 at 10:01 am | Permalink

    Oh yah. Jewelery and fancy fresh minted coins from Olde Town.

  9. linda french
    Posted November 16, 2007 at 5:01 pm | Permalink

    Apple Annies

    Mother Fletchers
    Schmidts Antiques

    Materials Unlimited
    for unusual gifts

  10. amused1
    Posted November 16, 2007 at 6:06 pm | Permalink

    That winemaking place on Washtenaw has kits & supplies. Bowerbird Mongo for art pottery tiles, old comic books, fun buttons and comic books. The Rocket has all kinds of great stuff, fridge magnets are a fav of mine.

  11. Kent
    Posted November 25, 2007 at 10:37 am | Permalink

    The brochure is absolutely beautiful – WOW!
    Would there be any way that a related greeting card could be printed for sale?

  12. Kent
    Posted November 25, 2007 at 12:23 pm | Permalink

    I’m introducing relatives living nearby to holiday shopping in Ypsilanti. During a recent weekend visit, I took my niece to shop at the Rocket and dinner at Haabs.

    Laurel loved the Rocket, picking up a a George Bush paperdoll with assorted costumes to give her Dad; I loved finding several boxes of edible and flavored dried insect snacks for another brother who gifted me one year with chocolate covered grubs – he’ll love the payback (outdoorsman known to have eaten roasted grubs during an extreme adventure) and family lore will be preserved /continued with a new chapter.

    We’ll both be back to the Rocket for candy and additional stocking stuffers this holiday season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connect

BUY LOCAL... or shop at Amazon through this link Banner Initiative No One Cares