YOUR LOCAL GIFT GUIDE
Holiday shopping made easy
Buying local has always made sense. It supports enterprises run by moms and pops and daughters and sons who, in turn, help underpin other community businesses, clubs and activities, adding layer upon layer of vibrancy and personality to our city. With the pandemic knocking 2020 on its economic keister, local
artisans and businesses could really use a hand. With that in mind, we've curated a local gift-buying guide we really believe in.
Ottawa chef Caroline Ishii is best known for thrilling vegans and omnivores in the first half of the 2010s at her late, lamented restaurant ZenKitchen. While she no longer has a bricks-andmortar eatery, she does sell her fresh, frozen and pantry-ready vegan items online at caroline-ishii.myshopify.com.
The selection ranges from main courses (Japanese curry with chickpeas and roasted vegetables for $15.95, cabbage rolls for $15.95) to soups to dips to desserts. Orders must be placed before Wednesday at 10 p.m. each week, and they can be picked up Friday between 4 and 8 p.m. at the Lord Elgin Hotel's Grill 41 restaurant. Friday afternoon deliveries in Ottawa are also possible for an additional $10. Deliveries outside Ottawa may be possible for an extra fee. — Peter Hum
Don't forget gifts for the fur babies in your family! Pausome Pets Paw Balm is made in Kanata by 13-year-old Ella Lorz (with a little help from her mom). The handcrafted balm is made with certified organic, sustainably sourced ingredients and forms a breathable, water-resistant shield on pet paws to stop painful snowballing and burning. It also adds a layer of protection to prevent injury and future damage and can help heal cracked, rough, dry paws. $10 for 50 ml of paw balm, in a 60-ml recyclable aluminum container. Available online at liftedspirits.ca, or on Facebook @PausomePet.
— Elizabeth Mavor
Almonte's Dairy Distillery, an environmentally friendly micro-distillery that makes Vodkow, a vodka from the unused milk sugar from Ontario dairies, has just released Vodkow Cream.
The cream liquor is lactose-free, and contains no added flavour or colour. Somewhat less sweet, viscose and cloying than similar spirits you might be familiar with, Vodkow Cream is great on its own (over ice), or as a cocktail ingredient.
Vodkow Cream retails for $29.95 for a 750-ml bottle, and is available at the LCBO or directly from Dairy Distillery, at 34 Industrial Dr. in Almonte. Visit vodkow.com for more information, recipes, etc.
— Bruce Deachman
Since it was founded in 1993 — its first store was in the front window of a local dry cleaner — Magpie Jewellery has been a surefire Christmas gift destination in Ottawa. Now with three locations — on Bank Street, Rideau Street and Richmond Road — Magpie sells small-batch jewelry collections, and features a wide variety of styles. Many of the pieces are handmade by local artisans. The store also offers custom designs, jewelry appraisals and repairs.
I recommend one of the Pyrrha Talismans. Made in Vancouver, they're cast using authentic, antique wax seals. There's also Air and Earth Design, a colourful new collection by Heidi von der Gathen, an Orangeville artist.
— Andrew Duffy
Ayesh Kanani moulds colourful and functional ceramics that would be standout pieces in anyone's kitchen cabinet or on any window shelf. The self-taught 31-year-old, who began dabbling in clay in 2016 but didn't fully open for business until this past January, handcrafts a variety of small-batch homeware, including seafoam-coloured mugs, geometric planters, funky bowls and speckled bud vases.
Kanani's next shop update is planned for Dec. 1. Keep an eye out for more information on Instagram (@kananipots) or Facebook. Alternatively, visit ayeshkanani.com or Possible Worlds on Wellington Street for a small number of Kanani's pots and mugs. Items range in price from $25 to $70.
— Alison Mah
In a world of mass-produced goods, Pokoloko offers artisan-made items crafted in fair-trade environments from around the globe. The store's
$30 pocket-sized stuffed alpacas, for example, come directly from rural Peru, where owners Jessie Lyon and Case Bakker have sourced directly traded supplies
from a small, independent group of farmers and artisans. Alpaca fleece is non-itchy, hypoallergenic and super soft. Check out Pokoloko's new boutique on Richmond in Westboro.
— Lenie Lucci
JCB Gourmet Mushrooms was founded by John Bakker, who developed an interest in growing edible mushrooms while teaching agriculture in Zambia. He and his wife Cathie opened the business in a former elementary school in the village of Kinburn this year.
Each variety of mushroom grown on the “farm” has its own texture and flavour profile. Among the offerings: pink oyster (chewy with a slight seafood flavour); blue oyster (mild and meaty); and lion's mane (makes a great substitute for crabmeat).
A small box of mushrooms is $16, and grow kits are $20. All you need to do is place the container in a dark space such as a basement and spritz it once a day with water. Within two weeks, the kit will produce between one and two pounds of mushrooms, says John. To place an order for pickup or delivery, call 613-701-6985, or visit jcbgourmetmushrooms.com. — Joanne Laucius
No one is going south this year, so why not bring a little bit of the tropics into your home? Last on
every A-to-Z Christmas gift list is the verdant Zamioculcas Zamiifolia, also known as the ZZ Plant or, even more poetically, “The Zanzibar Gem.” The ZZ Plant thrives in low light and is drought tolerant, so if you forget to water it for a few weeks, no biggie. In fact, the worst thing you can do is give it too much care.
You can find it, along with plenty of other cool plants, plant paraphernalia and other intriguing — mostly locally sourced — products at Plant & Curio at 173 Preston St. The price depends on the size of the plant, from $16 for one four-inch pot to $195 for one 14-inch pot.
— Blair Crawford
Zoe's Corner was founded nearly a decade ago, with a handmade selection of soaps and beeswax candles sold, quite literally, in the corner of the Brookfield Restaurant.
In the time since, Zoe Sztepa has moved out and expanded on her own, offering new products such as bath bombs — a local alternative to Lush — skin and hair care products, and in keeping with the times, hand sanitizer. The wash-your-hands gift box (sanitizer, eucalyptus-grapefruit hand soap, and calendula balm) may well be the perfect present in 2020.
You can pick up a bath bomb or soap bar for $6 to $7, while gift
sets range from as little as $12 to $100. In-person shopping and curbside pickup are available at the Zoe's Corner retail location in Gloucester; you can place online orders at zoescorner.ca. — Taylor Blewett
Glow up your gift-giving game with a distinctively funky, lantern-like candle from Doozy Candles. Co-owner Greg Brayford and the rest of the folks at Doozy have been crafting their chunky and colourful wax creations for more than 20 years, conjuring a feel-good shopping experience at their factory-boutique in Chelsea, Que.
Made from top-quality, foodgrade paraffin wax, with paraben-free fragrance, dyes and wicks, Doozy candles feature vibrant colours, intriguing patterns and the longest burning time possible.
In anticipation of the holidays, the artist-owners have ramped up their production of seasonal favourites in red and green patterns, including candles infused with scents such as Old Fashioned Christmas or Citrus and Spruce.
Prices range from about $15 to $100. Shop in person or check out doozycandle.com. The boutique is open Wednesday to Sunday. Call 819-827-1636 for more info.
— Lynn Saxberg
For the cinephile on your holiday shopping list, or just for that certain someone who's been on a binge-watching bender for the last nine months, it's time to unplug the streaming services, book a babysitter, grab a bucket of popcorn and settle in for a cinematic experience — the way it was meant to be.
Pandemic lockdowns have battered box offices from the big-box multiplex to the local repertory theatres. This week, the Mayfair Theatre tweeted it hosted one lone patron for a 9 p.m. weeknight screening. (Which, to be honest, sounds like my ideal way to watch a film.) Seating is limited and physically distanced, with a maximum of 50 patrons per screening and tickets booked online.
Annual memberships at the Mayfair cost $12 and members pay $7 admission.
— Aedan Helmer
Can't meet up with someone on your gift list for a night out? Give them a night in with a wee dram.
The Montgomery Scotch Lounge in Old Ottawa South — it's Oat Couture Oatmeal Cafe by day — also offers its 12 different flights to go. The idea of the flight is to try three to five different drams to find your own palate, said proprietor Brian Montgomery, who aims to make scotch approachable.
Flights start at $29 and come in a box with a board and glasses that go back when your giftee is done. Stop by 1154 Bank St. to order or reach the bar manager at zac@montgomeryscotchlounge.com or 705-970-1993.
— Megan Gillis
Nothing says Merry Christmas like the gift of sausage. The small Seed to Sausage general store at 729 Gladstone Ave., just west of Bronson Avenue, might have the best lineup in the city and the great part is they have gift certificates for stocking stuffers. Why not tie a snack-worthy chorizo salami stick to the gift certificate? Or, consider this: dicing up an apple sage sausage for your Christmas stuffing. The best part about shopping at Seed to Sausage is you can support other Ottawa-area small businesses, and they just happen to carry the most lip-smacking pickled egg in the region, made by Scott's Pickled Products in Alfred. Also with a location in Sharbot Lake. Check seedtosausage.ca for current operating hours.
— Jon Willing
Wakefield potter Kate Douglas makes a range of work out of high-fired translucent porcelain, and farm-animal-themed pottery of out earthenware. All her original, functional pieces are wheel-thrown and hand-painted from her home studio. Her smallbatch pieces, which range in price from $15 to $250, have been making people happy for years.
To see more of her work, find her on Instagram (@katedouglas. ca) and on Facebook (Kate Douglas Ceramics). She takes orders and makes batches for sale at the Wakefield General Store and Juniper Farm. Normally, her work can also be found at the Ottawa Art Gallery gift shop, but stocks are low at the moment. You can also find out more information by calling 819-664-4365.
— Gary Dimmock
Arriving at a new cottage or farm or country spot, we all do the same thing: look out on the lake, or river, or distant hills and wonder — where are we exactly?
The World of Maps can help, in beautiful detail. The eclectic store on Wellington Street sells topographical maps of just about any spot in Canada, both frameable and in a scale small enough to capture your corner of the world.
They can be customized to capture a narrow area around the cottage — oriented, for instance, toward the nearest village — and showing the elevations of mountains and dimensions of bodies of water.
Order on their website or do the whole process right in the store. About half an hour later, out pops the map on durable plastic, about 17 inches by 22, ready for hanging. Cost is about $50.
Store is at 1196 Wellington West, near the corner of Parkdale, 613-724-6776 and worldofmaps.com.
— Kelly Egan