The Local Shopping List: Items Worth Buying from Your Neighborhood Makers

There are so many incredible brands out there making beautiful versions of everyday goods. Rather than look to European designers or cool California brands, we source locally in New York first. As shipping costs climb and supply chains get more complex, there's something especially rewarding about discovering that quality and creativity right in your own backyard. Your community is likely full of talented makers crafting products you use every day, but with a personal story and local connection behind them.

Some of our favorite everyday goods that we always look to local makers first include soap, candles, ceramics, and greeting cards. 

Every locally made item you choose supports a local business owner, keeps money flowing through your community, and skips the environmental cost of long-distance shipping. Plus, you often get that same high quality and design aesthetic you'd find from those trendy distant brands, with the added bonus of a personal connection to what you're buying.

Soap 

No matter where you live, you can probably find a local soap maker. Local soaps are often made with locally sourced ingredients like goat's milk or tallow. We seek essential oils and rather synthetic fragrances and natural colorings like herbs and clays.

Candles

Local candles are easy to find. Here in our region of New York, there are so many local candle makers with beautiful scents. Like with soap, we lean towards essential oils over synthetic fragrances. If you love that strong long-lasting scent of fragrance, we recommend choosing high-quality oils from a trusted maker.

Ceramics

How much more would you enjoy your daily coffee or tea out of a mug shaped by the hands of someone you know? Ceramics have become a popular hobby and medium for artists and creatives. We’re lucky to have a wonderful community studio here in Catskill where more than 50 artists work called Cone Zero. We always have a rotation of one-of-a-kind locally made mugs.

Greeting Cards

Cards and stationery are a great way to support a local artist without splurging on an original painting. With so many local artists in your own community, why buy a commercially printed card?