Holiday shopping in Brooklyn doesn't have to be a chore. Need some shopping inspiration? Here are ten great Brooklyn-centric gift ideas for everyone on your list. From caffeine to culture, you'll find it here.
1. For the Movie Buff
A membership to the BAM Cinema Club is a gift that will keep on giving throughout the year. Depending on your budget, you can treat your giftee to a membership that will entitle him or her to discounted and/or free movie tickets, special free screenings, sneak previews, discussions with filmmakers, and more.
2. For the Book Worm
Give your favorite reader a compilation of Brooklyn favorites, and package Jonathan Lethem's award-winning bestsellers, Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude, with Paul Auster's The Brooklyn Follies, an entertaining novel set in Park Slope. Or go with a classic: The lovely A Tree Grows in Brooklyn will please readers of all ages.
3. For the Chocoholic
There are two gift-giving routes you could take this holiday season for the chocoholic on your list. Either (1) pick up an assortment of Jacques Torres chocolates, Mast Brothers chocolates, or nunu chocolates (all guaranteed people-pleasers), or (2) send your chocolate-loving friend some Baked brownies paired with a Baked cookbook, so that she can recreate that Baked deliciousness from the comfort of her own home.
4. For the Foodie
What food-loving Brooklynite wouldn't want a subscription to Edible Brooklyn? Combine it with a bottle of Frankie's Spuntino Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and you might just get a home-cooked Brooklyn meal in return.
5. For the Fashionista
Scope out Brooklyn's holiday markets for unique goods from the borough's most interesting up-and-coming designers. Or, stay at home and browse around Etsy.com, a site where independent artists and do-it-yourselfers sell amazing handmade products. You can search for designers by location, and Brooklyn is well represented.
6. For the Caffeine Addict
Coffee fiends will love a bag of Gorilla coffee, a fair trade brew that's delicious (and Brooklyn-roasted). Pair the Gorilla with a just-made Steve's Authentic key lime pie, and you'll be a gift-giving hero.
7. For the Culinary Genius
From pig butchering to knife skills, the newly built Brooklyn Kitchen Labs offer a variety of popular classes aimed at home chefs. Give your favorite cook a gift certificate that he can use to pump up his kitchen know-how.
8. For the Booze Lover
Nothing will perk up a holiday party like a bottle of the revered Red Hook Rye. Or, give your favorite beer drinker a set of Brooklyn Brewery pint glasses (with a six-pack on the side, of course).
9. For the Green Thumb
Even if you're buying a gift for someone with a garden the size of a shoebox, chances are there's something she needs at Dig, an urban gardening store on Atlantic Avenue. Treat your giftee to a gift certificate and see how her garden grows. An alternative option is a membership to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a gardener's dream come true.
10. For the Good-Hearted Soul
Brooklyn has countless nonprofit organizations working to make this borough of ours a better place. Why not "give where you live" and donate to the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services? Your dollars will do plenty to spread good cheer throughout the borough.