Shop Small: Your Ultimate Pittsburgh Holiday Guide

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are coming up soon! I love to shop small whenever possible and, honestly, Pittsburgh is full of amazing small businesses! Shopping small means so much to the owners and to people within our own communities.

Click here to jump to the full list of businesses!

Jewelry

My first (and very important) small business is Skelton Jewelry. First off, Sam is AMAZING. She is so kind. She helped Johnny with designing my engagement ring and then with both of us designing our wedding bands. Whenever I want to buy nicer jewelry, I go to Skelton. The earrings I wore for my wedding, the studs I wear daily, and multiple rings are from her. She was able to quickly remake Johnny’s wedding band when he lost it in the ocean in Maui (which a diver found and he has again… long story lol).

Food

Most places in the strip district are also small businesses. As long as you stay away from the terminal you are pretty much supporting local businesses. Our favorites are in this blog. Some gift ideas you can get food subscriptions from Penn Mac, cooking classes from Enrico’s, or wine from R Wine or Engine House 25 to name a few.

Gift Stores

Wild Card has it all. Adorable cards, stickers, Pittsburgh items, and so much more. I walk in here to get a card and walk out with ten other items. Everything is unique. I could spend hours in here. Thank you Lindsay for reminding me of this amazing store for the list!

We went to Fort Pitt Trading Co for the first time this week. I could have spent hours in there. The owner was so kind and said her husband does the wood working. They also have unique gifts like pins, clothing, watercolor books, and so much more! I cannot believe we didn’t know about this store sooner.

Plant Lovers

For the plant lovers there are many places in the city. One I love and one recommended by my friend Emily are The Farmers Daughter Flowers and Synthesis. The Farmers Daughter Flowers has so much more than plants too. There are many unique gifts you can find that are plant, flower, kitchen, or bar related.

Sustainable

This is sustaining Nicole, so I have to include some sustainable options. You could make a cute basket with products from Sol Refill, Refillery, and Susie’s Homemade. Add products from all three and make a cute sustainable gift basket!

If you want to find one of a kind gifts, check out an antique shop! Forage Vintage and Goods and The French Spy Antiques & Interiors are two of my favorites! I wish I could buy everything in their stores. I love bringing pieces home to decorate!

Family Keepsakes

A unique gift would be scheduling family photos or a video session! I highly recommend going with Rachel Rowland and Penderville Films. We had both of them for our wedding and it was the dream team. I could talk about both of them for hours. The photos and videos they create are incredible. A bonus is they have done photo mini sessions together! You have to be quick. These sell out fast.

Furry Friends

I cannot forget about our Pets! For toys, treats, leashes and more we love going Wagsburgh. The owner is so kind and helpful! The have both dog and cat supplies. Last year we got a board game that Theo can play! If we want Theo to have a special treat we take him to Salty Paws Pittsburgh. They have dog ice cream served in a dog bowl! They also have treats that you can take home.

Drinks and Desserts

If you are tasked with bringing sweet treats to your holiday events there are so many places in Pittsburgh! For Chocolate that you can gift check out My Favorite Sweet Shop. If you need to bring pastries, go to My Sweet Lilly, Colangelos, or Enrico Biscotti.

If you want to bring wine get some bottles form Engine House 25 or R Wine. Both are in the strip district. If you want beer, Johnny loves Cinderlands.

For drinking at the holiday function or making a fun bar gift go to Pennsylvania Libations. Everything is from PA!

If this didn’t help so far…

• Get them a gift card for books from White Whale Books
• Gift them self care with a Manikure or Anna Skin Care gift certificate
• Get them art classes from Dot & Line

I hope this gift guide helps you shop small this holiday season! If I missed a place, let me know so I can add it to the list.

Pittsburgh Small Business Guide