Monterey County's Holiday Gifts For Everyone On Your List
Priceless memories and one-of-a-kind experiences are not the only gifts Monterey County bestows to its visitors. The holiday season presents the opportunity to think outside the big box store with quirky and unique shops that have one-of-a-kind gifts for even the most difficult-to-shop-for loved ones. Shopping around the area provides a chance to explore areas of the destination one might not have seen before, while actually having fun in distinctive shops and boutiques.
Top Shopping Stops
Naughty or nice, there’s plenty of places to shop till you drop in Monterey County. An upscale, open-air shopping village of sorts, The Barnyard in Carmel features specialty shops with fine goods and interesting treasures. Neighboring Crossroads Shopping Village is an avenue of boutique fashion, jewelry and gift shops.
With a fleet of shopping concierges and a close proximity to Carmel-by-the-Sea’s coastline, Carmel Plaza is a luxury shopping area with designer brands. Pacific Grove's American Tin Cannery, meanwhile, holds the only outlet shopping in Monterey County.
Monterey’s Del Monte Shopping Center features department stores, numerous brand stores and casual restaurants, and a 13-screen, state-of-the-art movie theater complex to help get shoppers off their feet. A stop at Salinas’ Northridge Mall, Monterey County's largest, offers over 130 shops to help bargain hunters cross gifts off their lists in style.
Kids from 1 to 92
The child in all of us can enjoy the magic and anticipation of giving and receiving during the holidays. Thinker Toys at Del Monte Shopping Center offers unique and hard-to-find toys that are both educational and fun. Sandcastles by the Sea in the Barnyard offer puzzles, dress-up clothes, toys, games and musical instruments designed to inspire creativity.
Anubee at Carmel Plaza has children's clothes as well as a selection of well made toys like wooden castles and furniture such as princess vanities to delight the little ones.
Tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium make an inspiring gift or stocking stuffer that presents the opportunity to make memories on a future trip to Monterey County.
Gifts for Green Gurus
Homescapes in Carmel Plaza is a vendor of eco-friendly art and home furnishings and is additionally applying for Gold LEED Certification. One of their most popular items is the "wooly pocket," a natural planter made from recycled bottles that can be hung either inside or out.
Available at both the Northridge Mall and Carmel Plaza, every purchase of a GIVE Green Gift Card includes a donation of $0.70 to American Forests. It's part of their parent company’s pledge to donate a minimum of $100,000 to help the environment this year.
The Holiday Grumpy Pants
It can be difficult to put a smile on the face of holiday curmudgeons. A stop by Woodies of Carmel opens the door to a man’s wonderland of unique Hawaiian shirts, “automobilia,” slot cars and man lair furnishings. (Hint: they have free gift wrap!) And when in doubt for Ms. Grinch, a handmade piece of jewelry from Robin's Jewelry, engraved with a special message, does the trick.
For Those Who Seem to Have Everything
Maybe they’re a shopaholic or maybe it’s a special someone who already has everything she or he needs, but there’s always somebody on the list who leaves you baffled as to what to get for them! No worries.
For the divas in your life, Augustina Leathers carries designer furs, while Stella Page Design is known for one-of-a-kind handbags. Coordinate and accessorize with painted scarves and hand-made jewelry from Two Sisters Designs in Carmel.
Pilgrim’s Way Bookstore & Secret Garden in Carmel has a well-curated selection of unusual books, plus a tucked-away gift store featuring handmade cards, statues, fountains and other items perfect for the spiritual seeker.
For The Artistic Spirit
When only the best will do, splurge on a thousand-year-old Asian antique from Orientations in Monterey, located in a building that's on the National Register of Historic Places. If your pocketbook is a little slimmer this holiday season, Venture Gallery off the lobby of the Portola Hotel and Spa has handmade glass, sculptures and paintings at a great value.
The Creative and Quirky Crafter
Monarch Knitting and Quilts in Pacific Grove has luscious yarns made of merino, silk, mohair, angora and countless other fibers, needles and notions to put those yarns to good use. If your crafter is time-pressed, a beautiful handmade quilt from Monarch may be just the thing.
For the craft-lover who prefers to own the handmade crafts of others, Tessuti Zoo in Pacific Grove has whimsical handmade home items, wild one-of-a-kind jewelry, fun books and delightful accessories for both adults and children.
Regional and handmade gifts can be found at A Taste of Monterey, which has two locations: historic Cannery Row and charming old town Salinas. Both feature regionally made gifts and goodies, and offers a shopper’s reprieve with sips and samples of local fare.
Farmers markets in Pacific Grove, Monterey, Marina and other Monterey County communities sell handmade soaps, local honey and yummy stocking stuffers.
Gifts for pets
Leaving out a VIP (very important pet) can be a holiday "faux paw." Diggidy Dog in Carmel-by-the-Sea has the purrrfect little something for cats and dogs alike. Hint: check out their bakery for fresh baked, drool-worthy treats.
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