By Dana Kroll, Uptown Marketing and Communications Specialist
Every holiday season, the many retailers of Uptown Grand Rapids work hard to pull out all the stops, offering their customers tons of unique and special goodies to put under the tree, that can’t be found anywhere else. If you’re looking to shop (locally) till you drop, you’ll certainly get your chance in Uptown!
But Uptown isn’t just a destination for cool stuff. It’s where to head for unique experiences, too. And experiences also make awesome gifts! After all, an experiential gift gives your loved one the joy of doing something memorable, maybe even together with you. Sometimes there’s also a fun keepsake, or new skill learned, or new favorite destination, that comes as a result as well.
From hands-on workshops to restorative wellness practices, from creativity-sparking lessons to culinary adventures, Uptown is full of opportunities to surprise someone with something thoughtful, local, and unforgettable.
And of course, when you purchase an experience from a small business, you’re giving a gift that supports creativity, community, and the creative experts who make this district special. That’s a kind of gift, too.
We recently delved into this topic with our friends from local morning show eightWest and featured a couple ideas on ways to give the gift of an experience this holiday season. In this segment, our team heads to Sweda Studio at 1121 Fulton St. E (calling all potters and lovers of clay) and Sable Candle Co. at 620 Wealthy St. SE (a gorgeous bespoke candle making studio) to try their hands at two new disciplines. You can watch that here.
Creating the segment got our creative juices flowing, and we’ve come up with a few more unique suggestions for you to check out, as well. Be forewarned, this list isn’t comprehensive (it’s a blog, not a bible!!) but here’s hoping that this will get your idea-mill churning as well. Take a look:
Phlot
Give the gift of deep rest. At Phlot, guests enter a peaceful, sensory-reduced float environment designed to release tension and calm the mind. It’s a uniquely restorative experience that offers relaxation like you’ve never known. 1555 Wealthy St. SE
Ghosthouse Fine Art Studio
Perfect for the budding artist or the creatively curious. This cozy historic studio offers workshops centered on the foundational skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture. A gift card here means giving someone space to explore their artistic side. 929 Fulton St. E.
Sparrow’s Nest Tattoos
For those who love meaningful, lasting art. Sparrow’s Nest offers a welcoming, body-positive studio with a diverse roster of tattoo artists whose skills range from fine line to traditional styles. An experiential gift that lasts forever. 1514 Wealthy St. SE, Suite 190.
Louis Earl Butcher
For the food lovers, kitchen experimenters, and culinary adventurers on your list. Louis Earl is a whole-animal butcher shop that also hosts butchering workshops, pop-up dinners, beer and wine tastings, private butcher’s dinners and brunches, and cooking/technique classes. A dream experience for anyone passionate about food craftsmanship. 1106 Wealthy St. SE.
Unwind GR
For the makers at heart. Unwind GR is a beloved local yarn shop offering a wide variety of yarns, supplies, and a community space full of knitting, crochet, and fiber-arts classes. Whether for a beginner or a seasoned maker, a workshop here is creativity at its coziest! 1059 Wealthy St. SE
And for more ideas
For more ideas on ways to give gifts that go beyond the wrapping paper, dig in on these resources:
OUR FULL UPTOWN BUSINESS DIRECTORY
OUR JAM-PACKED EVENTS CALENDAR
OUR ALWAYS FRESH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
So many of our businesses offer so much to do, and familiarizing yourself with these is a great way to get ideas and stay in the know!