Thankful to be a Local

One of the many reasons I LOVE this city is that there's a plethora of artisans, merchants, boutiques and quaint shopping districts who not only make shopping for unique gifts easy, but also a very fun & enjoyable experience (the polar opposite of the malls this season!)

As a board member of Buffalo First! and small business owner myself, I encourage everyone to skip the chaos & stampedes this Black Friday and instead, sleep in, relax and when you're ready, grab your family & friends and head to one of our many shopping districts for a cup of coffee and a fun, slow-paced day of gift-buying. I personally am starting my morning at the Elmwood Village Black Friday Boutique Crawl, which each shop is offering a special and you can check out the deals here!

But, if you're looking for something truly unique, you do not want to miss the Give Local a Chance Bash & Marketplace on Black Friday 11/25 from 7-10PM at my new art studios building located at 515 Main St in the heart of downtown Buffalo! There will be dj's, drinks, dancing, a local marketplace of artisans upstairs and my favorite part, an Experience Buffalo auction! Why get someone a gift certificate for their favorite restaurant when you can buy them a private cooking lesson with the chef instead!? Not only do you get to be, well, pretty much the most kick-ass gift giver ever, but the bidding starts at only $75 and 100% goes back to Buffalo First! to keep supporting local businesses. Too cool.

Items for bid include:

• A personal cooking lesson with Chef Kate Elliott of Merge.
• A guided tour of Buffalo with Newell Nussbaumer (Founder, Buffalo Rising), including lunch at Betty’s.
• Local shopping expedition with fashionista Erin Habes (Lecturer, Buffalo State College) and Justin Azzarella (Executive Director, Elmwood Village Association).
• A singer/songwriter session with Free Henry!
• Pints with Flying Bison Brewery’s brewmaster Tim Herzog, at Ulrich’s Tavern.
• A tour of Community Beer Works operations and an afternoon with the fellas.
• Lunch for two at The Eights Bistro with local foodie guru, Tim Bartlett (General Manager, Lexington Co-Operative Food Market)
• A private shoot-along photography lesson with yours truly :)

Lastly, if you're still not convinced, check out this Buffalo News article by Andrew Delmonte that points out the "advantages of buying local, like the ability to find unique holiday gifts, or the fact that your local business owners might also be your neighbors, who use their income to take care of their — and your — neighborhood. There’s also the incalculable importance of preserving the business districts and unique cultural fabric that make Western New York a place you like to call home."

Happy Shopping, Buffalo :)