OLYMPIA, Wash. — Doing your holiday shopping at small businesses is a great way to support local business owners and artisans - and here are three spots to do just that in downtown Olympia.
Compass Rose
Compass Rose is a year-round gift shop that goes all-out during the holidays. They have perfect presents for the cook in your life, from quality cookware to a huge collection of cookbooks.
"We just restocked our barware," says manager Kae. "We have a lot of great bar accessories, infusion kits, shaker muddlers, and cookbooks."
Compass Rose is also known for its jewelry selection, featuring jewelry makers from around the Pacific Northwest.
Kae also suggests a gift of a puzzle and artisan popcorn - it's the perfect cozy date night in.
Encore Chocolates & Tea
For the chocolate and/or tea lover in your life, Encore Chocolates & Teas is heaven on earth. Run by Dean Jones and his wife, Encore stocks more than 400 types of teas and chocolate.
"I taste five hundred chocolates every year," Jones says. "And I don't look at the label because I don't want it to influence my taste buds."
Jones tastes thousands of types of chocolate each year, stocking high-quality, diverse chocolate bars. One of their most popular items, the Bruddle, is a peanut butter chocolate candy made in Spokane.
Browsers Bookshop
For the bookworm in your life, Browsers Bookshop has more than one-thousand books to choose from. Plus, the owner Andrea Griffith is a former librarian, which means she and her team are excellent at giving recommendations.
"We are people who read a lot," says Griffith. "So we can help and we're good at it, we enjoy talking about books."
They also have book-adjacent presents, like booklights, mugs, and local art.
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This project is supported by funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Treasury under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Award as provided by the American Rescue Plan Act. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Grant funds are administered by Thurston County.