Local One-Stop Holiday Shopping

With the gift-giving season heavily upon us, I've been brainstorming about the perfect somethings for each person on my holiday list. To me, nothing says "You're worth more than a gift card from the check-out line at Wal-Mart" better than merch from a local business.

Luckily for Triangle residents, there are PLENTY of fine independent establishments at which to do your holiday shopping. And three of those great places are located side by side by side on East Franklin Street in Raleigh.

Fabulous trifecta of local shops in Raleigh:
Wine Authorities, Edge of Urge and Lumina Clothing Co

Sampling pours at
Wine Authorities

Cheers to self-service

For the Foodie:

Shopping for the tastebuds of that special someone? Wine Authorities has you covered. They focus on stocking estate grown wines from different regions around the world (estate: meaning a family-owned winery that grows all the grapes that go into the final product).

Wine Authorities focus is on wine drinkers, not wine collectors, as all their bottles are priced under $50. The staff are like your personal wine gurus: extremely friendly and knowledgeable, just itching to help you find the perfect wine for any occasion or palate.

They also have an entire section of locally made food products, including cheeses from Chapel Hill Creamery, crackers and granola from Scratch bakery and peanut butter from Big Spoon Roasters.

But I haven't even mentioned the best part: their enomatic machine allows you to sample while you shop. Just put some dough on a pre-paid card, find the wine you want to try, pick your pour size and enjoy. Holiday shopping just got a lot more fun...

For Her:

Photo and Fingernail cred:
Amanda Bittner

Edge of Urge is the brainchild of Jessie Williams, who moved from Chicago to open the flagship Wilmington store in 2002. Now with a second location recently christened in Raleigh, the shop is a go-to spot for unique women's apparel, greeting cards and home goods, Edge of Urge has no shortage of creative, funky and eye catching goodies in stock. You'll probably laugh out loud more than once shifting through a hilarious sympathy card or sarcastic T-shirt print. 

With a focus on independent artists and designers, Edge fits right in with their more masculine next door neighbor...

For Him: 

Bow Tie and leather wallet,
both made in NC

I discovered Lumina Clothing Co.  at the old Martin St. location in downtown Raleigh, and immediately fell in love with their commitment to high quality, American made (and NC designed) men's wear.

What started out as hobby of making neckties, the store's inventory has now expanded to include button downs, trousers and a host of other finely crafted manly gear. The broad range of men's clothes and accessories that Lumina offers really can't be beat. The Trendy Hipster drinking craft beer at Raleigh Times, the avid Outdoors-man mucking through trails around Umstead State park and the immaculately groomed Business Professional strutting down Fayetteville Street can all find that perfect something perusing the Lumina shelves.

Holiday shopping can be a nightmare: traffic jams around crowded malls, listening to endless loops of pop-y Christmas music and being systematically ignored by distracted department store workers. 

As great as that sounds, why not actually enjoy your shopping experience? Sip on some wine, sample some cheese, interact with friendly store owners, all while supporting local business and crossing name after name off your holiday list. 

Now that's something to be thankful for.