How to "Shop Local" For All Those Lamorinda Folks On Your Christmas List

You’ve probably heard, likely more than once, the phrase “Shop Local.” Perhaps you’ve seen the “Try Lafayette First” or “Shop Moraga” banners, and seen many of the reports and statistics about how 68 percent of your dollar spent locally stays in our community. You may even have seen this advice in the Lafayette Today Sustainable Lafayette Tip of the Month column, because it not only helps the community to shop local, it helps improve the sustainability of our planet.

There are many economic reasons to shop local and there are personal reasons too.  There are fewer lines, smaller crowds, better parking and nicer help at local stores.  You may still shop out of town (everyone does at some point), but if we could all take a moment to consider whether what we’re about to spend our dollars on can be purchased locally, we will build a better community for all of us.

In your consideration, you may wonder how to best go about shopping locally. It does take a bit more thinking than simply pulling into the garage at Target, Macy’s or Crate and Barrel. First you may want to check the web for store information, especially hours, as many small businesses have unusual hours. Many local stores do not open until 9:30 a.m., but some open earlier. Call ahead or check the web to avoid extra trips.

Next plan out your route so you can park once and walk to several stores.  In Moraga and Orinda, this is fairly straight forward as you mainly have the two shopping centers to choose from. In Lafayette, you have the main three shopping centers, as well as the entire Mt. Diablo Blvd. Look for small parking lots that are behind some of the stores, like the lot behind Novella Jewelry or the small City owned lot next to the Methodist church on Moraga Rd.

Some off the beaten track stores you might want to consider in our community for folks on your list:

For  kids:  They Grow So Fast Children’s Consignment, Red Wagon, Storyteller, Whippersnappers, and .

For the foodie: , , , , or Tea Cakes.

For the design buff: , , , , , and ) where there’s a Special Trunk Sale December 10 and 11.)

For the crafter: , , , Sew Now (Class gift certificates)

For the athlete: Norski, or membership to local gyms: , or 24Hour Fitness.

For the fashionista: , , , , jewelry, and .

For the knickknack lover: , ., , , , or .

For the pet lover: ,, , .

For spa/nail certificates: and .

For the theater lover: certificates, or certificates.

Don’t forget: Santa’s Bag Boutique December 3, 4, 5. Locally made crafts!

http://www.trylafayettefirst.org/shoplafayette/
http://shopmoragafirst.com/