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) head to DUMBO and pick up an assortment of Jacques Torres chocolates (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 Brooklyn Kitchen offers 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 one of these local charities? Brooklyn Gives has a list of places where your dollars will do plenty to spread good cheer throughout the borough.
