What if you had to do all of your holiday gift shopping without leaving Beacon Hill? Is it possible? The Hill is not known for having a ton of retail, but that doesn’t mean we have to head for the ID, Georgetown, Columbia City, Downtown, or (God forbid) Southcenter to find gifts. Our neighborhood has plenty of great gift ideas to choose from, easily accessible by foot for many of us, making shopping on the Hill a healthy and green option as well as one that supports our neighbors who do business here.
I spent “Cyber Monday” not online, but on foot, browsing North Beacon Hill for shopping opportunities. I was not disappointed. Here’s what I found.
Victrola Coffee, in the old Galaxie shop at 3215 Beacon Avenue South, has Victrola logo ceramic mugs for $7.95, and travel mugs for $14.95. Combine either of these with some fresh coffee beans, and you have an excellent gift for any coffee lover.
Buggy at 3315 Beacon Avenue South is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we weren’t able to go in, but from previous visits we know that the shop is more than just a “baby stuff” shop. Yes, there are baby and kid things galore, including clothing and toys, but there are also knitting supplies, handmade bags, journals, and other gifts that even non-parents would enjoy. We particularly like some of the items from da-a tis.
Yoga on Beacon at 3013 Beacon Avenue South was also closed during our shopping trip, but we see that they have a nice selection of workout clothing. A class card or unlimited membership would also be a great gift for a yoga student.
Hello Bicycle at 3067 Beacon Ave South has an assortment of bicycling accessories, and bicycles as well. Their hours are limited; check the website or call before stopping by.
Edible gifts are a great option for the foodie in your life. Despi Delite Bakery at 2701 15th Avenue South has a great assortment of Filipino pastries and many other baked goods. They sell gift certificates for any amount, they say — just ask.
The folks at Culinary Communion at 2524 Beacon Avenue South sell gift certificates for their cooking and wine classes.
The shops mentioned here are less than half a mile apart in the North Beacon Hill business district. Who needs a car? But this is only North Beacon. Do you have favorite shopping destinations in Mid-Beacon or South Beacon? Please post a comment. We’d like to feature them, too.
Here’s a map of all the businesses mentioned here, marked with shopping baskets:
View Larger Map
Shop on (near) Beacon:
Lesley Ernst Massage is right behind Hello Bicycle
Membership at the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club
Lessons at the Jefferson Park Golf Course
Classes at Jefferson Park Community Center
Spa Treatment at Salon Nouveau
Georgetown, Columbia City, and International District: Lots of great shops that people should venture out to, including great gifts at Uwajimaya, but really great boutiques if you check all 3 nearby neighborhoods
If you venture as far as Capital Hill – don’t miss the Izilla toy store on 12th Ave that moved from Madison Valley. Also, the Mail Box store on 12th Ave and Pine (?) has great reusable shopping bags, rolling shopping carts, etc. which make really cool, environmentally friendly, urban-friendly gifts.
GREAT idea for a post. THANK YOU.
For me, one word: GOLF! From the Jefferson golf course you can get bucket punch cards, one on one instruction or a beginner class, a fairly small selection of golf clothes and general outer wear and of course clubs. They have a small selection of fairly cheap used clubs for sale as well as the standard pro shop new stuff.
South of the course on the east side of Beacon is Redbird golf clubs, which makes custom clubs for about the price of non-custom name brand clubs. They do individual clubs as well as full sets.
I also like Alison’s idea of the classes at Jefferson community center. I would also suggest checking the class schedules at Seattle Central CC. I signed my wife up for a Japanese water color class through there a couple years ago as a Christmas gift, with some supplies purchased just off the hill at David Smith. The price of the class there was about a third of the cost for the same instructor through one of the art stores.
The golf stuff is a great idea for golfers! Thanks! And classes at the community center are a great idea I didn’t even think of. It looks like you can find information about classes via http://www.seattle.gov/PARKS/centers/jeffercc.htm . Also, I didn’t realize there is also another community center further south on the hill, Van Asselt. There are classes there too.
The basic concept of this article is that great stuff can be found without even leaving the Hill, so while Georgetown and the ID and Capitol Hill are also great gift sources, I’m trying to stick to our Hill here. We’ve gotten too much in the habit of leaving Beacon Hill to shop, which has, over the decades, caused the loss of local businesses. It also has an impact on our health, since we drive more and walk less.
Additionally, people doing business on the Hill are often people who live here too, so we are helping keep money in the community.
That was the idea behind this; to get people to help their neighbors and the whole community by doing some shopping right here at home.
Thanks for this post, Wendi. We at Buggy really appreciate you encouraging Beacon Hill residents to shop locally. I worked at the shop all weekend and had three brand new, people-from-the-neighborhood customers. We love helping people find the perfect, unique gift for their loved ones and look forward to helping lots more Beacon Hill residents check a few people off of their lists. Our website will have current hours & information all throughout the holiday season.