ANGELO LYNN

Last Thursday’s Midnight Stroll in Middlebury was a local shopper’s delight. The downtown was packed with college students getting Middlebury Money and spending it in local stores; most of the downtown’s businesses were open until 8 or past, and many were serving free cookies and various beverages. Arms were full of packages, restaurants were full, friends met friends on the decorated streets and good cheer was everywhere. 

It’s what shopping locally is all about — finding gifts for others, supporting those businesses and the local economy, randomly meeting friends and folks you haven’t seen for a while, and finding joy in the season. It happens again this Thursday, and this Saturday the hot chocolate hut and other holiday festivities will be ongoing. Check the calendar of events, and the Arts & Leisure section in today’s paper so you don’t miss events like the return of Night Fires, as well as other holiday shows, that help define who we are as communities. 

It’s all possible in towns like Middlebury, Bristol, Brandon and Vergennes because of a few ingredients: organized nights and coordinated events to maximize the experience, including sleigh rides, Santa visits, hot coco and other events to make things fun for the entire family; it feels good to support local stores where you know the owners and managers; and the more local the environment it’s a good bet you’ll run into people you know which strengthens the community in profound ways.

Naturally, not everything on your shopping lift can be found in Middlebury, Bristol, Brandon or Vergennes, and it might be more convenient to shop online. But before you tap into Amazon, consider this: In spending your money, does it make a difference whether you shop locally or shop out of town? 

Without a doubt, it does. Of every dollar spent locally, economists say 67 cents stays in the community. Conversely, of items purchased outside the community about 70 cents leaves the area. Plus, add in the multiplier effect and the impact of shopping locally is vital to keeping local businesses viable and profitable. Knowing that, a good question to ask is whether a gift purchased locally could be a better choice than one purchased out of the area.

For me, a walk through area downtowns is not only enlightening (I sometimes forget what a wide variety of gifts can be found) but infinitely more pleasant. Here are a few ideas I gleaned from a recent stroll in Middlebury:

• Books at the Vermont Book Store in Middlebury — or the bookstores in Bristol, Brandon or Vergennes — for every age on your list. Few things could be better to give or receive. 

• Fun gifts and intriguing cards at Sweet Cecily. 

• Jewelry or household gifts at Addison West, Danforth Pewter, the new and now expanded Elli Parr Jewelry, and Autumn Gold.

• Outdoor gear at Middlebury Mountaineer or give the gift of an experience with a guided trip.

• Art supplies at Sparrow Arts Supply. 

• Middlebury College apparel as well as sports and outdoor gear at The Middlebury Shop.

• Bikes and gear at Frog Hollow Bikes. 

• Fun and interesting gifts at the Stone Mill Marketplace (and have a glass of wine when the wine bar is open).

• Fashionable women’s clothing at Middleton in Middlebury, plus kids’ clothing at Junebug, and several thrift shops that have become the new generation’s go-to places.

• Art at area art galleries throughout the county. 

• Cannabis products at Flora (next to the Sheldon Museum), as well as shops in Bristol, Vergennes and Brandon.

• Video, board and many other games at the Game Store in Middlebury.

• Hundreds of gifts at Aubuchon, Martin’s, Paris Farmers Union or Agway, and for patrons looking for consumables there’s a wide range of prestige liquors and wines at Hare and The Dog (ok, most of those businesses are outside the downtown, so a short drive is likely.) 

• If you want to ship a taste of Vermont to family or friends far away, try Middlebury’s Vermont’s Own, Dakin Farms in Ferrisburgh, Bread Loaf Farms maple syrup and other gifts in Cornwall, Shoreham’s Champlain Orchards has gifts, as do most other area orchards and larger sugaring operations.

• For an experience, get a few day tickets to the Middlebury Snowbowl or Rikert Outdoor Center (Nordic skiing, snowshoeing or fat biking), or for those who already ski or ride, perhaps sign-up for a lesson. And while we’re outside of the downtowns, don’t forget a membership at a local fitness center or ask about day passes, sign up with a personal trainer. Or perhaps look into getting a local massage at a spa or a yoga session at one of several local practitioners.

• Unique inns like Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen sell their famous chocolate chip cookies and will ship them for you, and, for that matter, buying a weekend or mid-week stay to the Swift House Inn or Middlebury Inn, Basin Harbor, Waybury, Brandon Inn, Chipman Inn, Robert Frost Cabins or Blueberry Hill, or others, would make wonderful gifts — plus you can have visiting family nearby, without them being in your home! (Just in case that fits, of course.)  

• And for those folks who don’t need anything, or so they say, buy a gift card at the Marquis Theater, most retail stores, and all local restaurants. Or you can buy local merchant money — Bristol Bucks, Middlebury Money, or Vergennes Green — from local banks, which allows the recipient to shop in any local store of their choice to get precisely what they want.

If you’re still stuck, or maybe you want to add a small gift to the others, here’s one last idea: For friends and family buy a subscription to the Addison Independent — that helps build community, too, and keeps the local newspaper delivering the news you need and want. 

Whatever you do, try to shop local first. We’re all stronger for it.

Angelo Lynn