It’s the week before Christmas, and if you’re like us, you still haven’t finished all of your shopping.
No need to worry, though, because in a way we’ve already done it for you – except for the actual buying of the items, of course. We did, though, go out and find out some of the best options for last-minute gift ideas.
Since Concord is pretty big and has stores all over the place, we figured the best way to tackle this was to break it up into two pieces – downtown and outside of downtown. This particular feature is all about downtown, and you can read about the options beyond downtown on pages 18 and 19.
We know a lot of you have long lists of people (and pets) to shop for. We also understand that not everybody has the same family/friends/ work structure, so everybody’s shopping list will be a bit different. That’s why we broke this guide down into four categories – For the Ladies, For the Guys, For the Kids and Other. The idea is to help you find gifts for whoever it is in your life that fits into any demographic.
We hope this will come in handy as you’re out there making the most of this all-important shopping week, and we wish you the best of luck. Stores will operate under regular business hours unless otherwise noted.
For the Ladies
We all have lots of ladies in our lives – moms, sisters, girlfriends, wives, aunts, grandmothers, etc. – and they all deserve something special around the holidays. Luckily, downtown Concord is a very good place to shop for any woman of any age with any interests.
For starters, there’s Gondwana & Divine Clothing Co., a contemporary women’s clothing boutique that was very busy when we popped in last week. It’s mostly clothing inside, but there are other good gift ideas such as fused glass coasters, candles, mugs, ornaments and other things along those lines.
One of the items that caught our attention was a display of slipper socks made by Acorn. These things looked as comfy as a baby panda wrapped in a Snuggie. Surely there are plenty of ladies in your life who would appreciate something like that.
Gondwana will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. all week and 9 to 5 on Christmas Eve.
At Zoe & Co. Professional Bra Fitters, it’s virtually all women’s undergarments, with a couple pairs of men’s novelty socks sprinkled in, too. Nighties and underwear are some of the most common items bought by men going into the store to shop for their lady, store manager Casey Burr said, and you’ll have no problem finding any.
If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can pick up a spicy little red number we saw a mannequin wearing, complete with bra and undewear – there’s nothing like something small and red to heat up a cold winter night in New Hampshire.
Zoe & Co. will be open until 9 p.m. through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Christmas Eve.
At Bona Fide Green Goods, you can get something for everyone on your list, but there may be more options for the ladies than anyone else.
Owner Maddie Cole said lunar chart wall hangings have been very popular lately, as have Farmstead of New England’s felted soaps, which are bars of soap inside a felt pocket of sorts, with the felt serving as an exfoliant. Beeswax candles are also a popular item, and there are all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors and scents to choose from.
Bona Fide will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 10 to 6 Friday and Saturday and 10 to 3 Sunday.
At Cobblestone Design Co., plants and cut flowers are big sellers at this time of year. Although everyone can appreciate items like this, don’t you think your mom would just love something like a decorated boxwood complete with lights and its own battery pack? Or a larger, fuller centerpiece basket? There are also dozens of themed ornaments to browse over, as well as smaller arrangements of flowers.
Cobblestone will be running regular business hours up until Christmas Eve, when they’ll close at 2 p.m.
For the Guys
Doesn’t it always seem harder to shop for the guys than for the girls? We thought so, too. That being said, we still found some good ideas.
At Joe King’s Shoe Shop, there are two entire walls in the basement decked out with high-end boots for men. Whether for work, snow or both, you’ll definitely be able to find Dad a nice new pair here. And if he doesn’t need boots, he could surely benefit from a Carhartt jacket or a thick flannel shirt, positioned in the same general area as the work boots.
Also, Joe King’s is running a sale through Christmas that gets you 20 percent off the MSRP value on any single regularly priced item, so don’t miss out.
At Pitchfork Records, record players and vinyl are flying off the shelf like they’re going out of style – when in fact they’re coming back. From Sinatra to Taylor Swift, you can find almost any artist on vinyl at Pitchfork, and there’s a big selection of devices to play them on, too, starting under $50.
Pitchfork will be open until 4 p.m. Christmas Eve.
At Runner’s Alley, get that fitness nut brother or uncle of yours something he could really use, like a battery-powered light-up vest to wear on night runs. Or, for the guy who likes to tell the world about every step he takes through social media posts, you can get a Garmin GPS, aka show-off, watch to track every stat (and immediately tweet about it).
If the guys in your life love to eat – and who doesn’t? – take the easy way out and load up on gift cards. Stop at Dos Amigos, Siam Orchid, Gyro House and Vibes to give him a world tour of cuisine without leaving Main Street.
For the Kids
It’s not Christmas unless you’re shopping for kids, and there are plenty of places to do that downtown.
Bona Fide Green Goods has some fun baby products like wooden rattles in the shape of New Hampshire, and fun cloth diapers and covers for them.
At Marketplace New England, you can always find something cute and New Hampshirey for the little ones to wear. Same goes for Caring Gifts.
For kids who are a little older, Yo Yo Heaven is a perfect spot. Apart from tons of high-end yo yos, there are also classic items like Wooly Willy, marbles, ball-in-the-cup games, board and card games, puzzles, frisbees and more. And perhaps the best part of all is that you get a free wooden (old-school) yo yo with any purchase of $25 or more – that offer lasts through the end of the year.
Other
For the pups, get a matching LED vest at Runner’s Alley. Get your cat a catnip-stuffed hemp mouse at Bona Fide. Pick up a blender for your boss at Things are Cooking, or a recliner for your granddad at Endicott Furniture. Grab a few pounds of fudge for the kids in your class at Granite State Candy Shoppe or a pair of Birkenstocks for your college freshman cousin at Simply Birkenstock.
Whatever you do, just get out there and shop before it really is too late!
