The Gift Giver's Guide to Garden City

Garden City is a haven for artists and makers — which makes it a one-stop shop for savvy holiday gift-givers! From beautifully made baubles to bottles of brews, we’ve rounded up the best places to score a one-of-a-kind gift for just about every person on your list.

With so much to see (and shop) this holiday season, why not make a weekend of it? The Riverside Hotel is offering a winter package that’s perfect for the occasion, including a Signature Breakfast, cozy robes and slippers, and access to the hotel’s spacious pool and socially-distanced deck.

After a heady day of lounging and browsing, check with Expo Idaho to see if their  Christmas in Color will come to Boise again in 2022.  Christmas in Color will set the night sky ablaze with 1.5 million (yes, million!) lights. All you need to participate in this mile-long drive-through tour is your trusty vehicle. Tune in to the Christmas in Color radio station to enjoy a synchronized music-and-light show featuring a wonderland of giant candy canes, snowmen, and dazzling decorative arches.

Now, are you ready to find the perfect gift? Let’s dive in!

For the Sustainably Stylish

Fluff Hardware features of-the-moment designs crafted with hammered metal, chunky crystals, delicate chains, and stamped cuffs. Order online or book a stamped jewelry class and make your own gift!

Garden City Projects offers sculptural, modern takes on jewelry — exactly the sort of pieces your college-age niece or minimalist girlfriend would sport regularly. Pair a set of earrings with one of their glass trays for the ultimate cool-girl gift.

For the Boutique Enthusiast

Each Suzanne Fluty Designs ceramic piece is both down-to-earth and elegant, with washes of soft color and earth-inspired art. Choose a gorgeous mug as a lovely gift for the hard-working teacher who has been surviving Zoom classes on endless cups of coffee.

If you’ve never seen an agateware design — one that mimics the fluid layers and swirls of its namesake rock — you’re in for a treat. Lala’s Fresh Pots specializes in this unique look (check out maker Kayla Morgan’s could-have-fooled-you agateware earrings, too).

For the Art Collector

For more than 20 years, Zion Warne has been at the vanguard of the Treasure Valley glass scene. He’s known for his swirling layers of colorful glass — but don’t overlook his special holiday-themed collection featuring sunglass-sporting snowmen, hand-blown ornaments, and blue-and-green pine trees.

Museum-worthy vessels, delicate earrings, display-worthy glasses … they’re all available at the Stover Glass online shop. Artist Lisa Stover’s covetable creations are the result of 25 years’ worth of exploration into what glass can do (and at prices ranging from $25 to $300+, there’s something for every budget). 

Artist Betsie Richardson’s oil paintings reflect big landscapes and little moments. You can pick up anything from stickers to holiday cards to gallery-worthy prints at her Etsy shop, or make a private studio appointment with the artist — Richardson takes commissions.

Artist and blacksmith Susan Madasci, the founder of Madasci Studios, creates vessels that seem pieced together by an invisible thread and colorful sculptures that appear to defy gravity. Whether you purchase from her online shop or choose something that’s made to order, you can be sure you’re gifting something that’s one of a kind.

For the Vintage Enthusiast

Looking for something truly unique? Go vintage — or vintage-inspired, like the handcrafted furniture at Studio 1212 that draws on the clean, futuristic lines of mid-century modern design. Ricochet Home Consignment offers a doubletrack of goods, decor and clothing, including items from screen legend Maureen O’Hara’s estate.

You’ll discover a wide range of treasures, from collectibles to antique silverware, at the Estate Sales Outlet Shop, which houses overflow from the business’s frequent events. And your gift will do double good at the Assistance League Thrift Shop, where proceeds from sales help to fund ten philanthropic programs.

The offerings at Eclectic Curio are as wide-ranging as the shop’s name implies — browse here for handmade ornaments and carefully curated vintage finds. The Merq has earned a diehard following for its “treasure of great junk” and helpful service; you can even set up a private browsing experience.

For the Beer (and Cider) Buddy

Garden City’s Craft Beverage Corridor offers a bonanza of gifts for the tipplers on your list. Tap into Powderhaus Brewing Company, County Line Brewing, Western Collective (which also sells a limited selection of house-made wine), Crooked Fence Brewing Co., Barbarian Brewing, Twisted District Brew Company, and Meriwether Cider for bottles, cans, and growlers of the best brews in the state.

For the Wine Sipper

Of course, the Craft Beverage Corridor isn’t limited to beer alone. Garden City’s fantastic wines are racking up honors — and you will, too, with the gift of a wine club subscription or a coveted bottle or four. Check out Cinder Wines, Split Rail Winery, Telaya Wine Co., Coiled Wines, Potter Wines, Par Terre Winery, or the Rolling Hills Vineyards.

For the DIY Gifter

What could be more meaningful — especially this year — than making your own gift? Quilters flock to Garden City’s Quilt Expressions, which has an astounding 7,000+ bolts of fabric to choose from at its “online-only store”.

Yarn arts enthusiasts will find everything they need at Twisted Ewe, which features skeins of gorgeous yarn from around the world, including Noro from Japan, Gedifra from Italy, and the shop’s own in-house brand.

If whipping up 500 cookies is more your style, head to the Twisted Kitchen next door and rent its fully-stocked commercial kitchen. It comes equipped with a convection oven, a spacious prep kitchen, massive fridges and freezers, and much more.

The Potter’s Center offers group and one-on-one classes for budding ceramicists and a range of beautiful supplies and tools for those who already know their way around a wheel.

Your artistic friend (or your elementary-age child) will appreciate a gift certificate or kit from Quality Art School & Art Supply, which stocks everything from Bob Ross kits to reams of colorful kraft paper and kid-friendly washable tempera paints.

To create a truly weird and wonderful gift, head to the Reuseum. This electronics supply and surplus store has a charmingly unpredictable stash of finds ranging from lab equipment to spare circuit boards that the tech-savvy and mechanically handy will find inspiring.