The holiday season is a time for spreading joy and sharing in many heartwarming traditions, including gift-giving for a loved one (and sometimes that annoying coworker you drew for Secret Santa). If you’re feeling stumped with where to start in finding the perfect gift for each person on your list, look no further than our Pierce County Holiday Gift Guide. Save yourself the stress of the holiday hunt and use our carefully-curated list of unique gift ideas to make this year’s shopping season a breeze, while making an impact in the small business community.
Food & Spirits
What says “Happy Holidays” better than lots of food and a boozy eggnog cocktail? For the foodies, feasting aficionados, and craft cocktail enthusiasts you’re shopping for this season, we’ve got a list of locally-owned businesses that check every box.
Mad Hat Tea Company - Anxietea Blend
Help that special person on your list fight off the seasonal stress with a special blend of Anxietea from Mad Hat Tea Company. Guaranteed to take the edge off, this nerve-busting blend will be the perfect present for the stress ball in us all.
About Mad Hat Tea Company
An urban tea house located conveniently in downtown Tacoma, they offer over 250 teas, botanicals, and herbal remedies - selling both the whole leaf and in bulk while only sourcing from fair trade, organic, and hand-harvested products.
Simple Goodness Sisters - Cocktail Farm Club Membership
Give the mixologist in your life the gift of Washington farm-grown cocktail syrups shipped to their door each seasonal harvest with the Simple Goodness Sisters Cocktail Farm Club Membership. This gift includes freshly made syrups, recipe cards, and drink education to take cocktails, mocktails, teas, or whatever else you can justify dumping sugary goodness into (it’s the holidays after all) to the next level.
About Simple Goodness Sisters
With a majority of the ingredients found in their seasonal syrups grown right on their family farm in Buckley, WA, Simple Goodness Sisters takes farm to (bar) table seriously with fresh ingredients that help to elevate craft cocktails (and whatever else you want!).
A Small Speciality, LLC - Salsa & Sauces Large Gift Basket
About A Small Speciality
Gig Harbor based “A Small Speciality” is a self-described small business specializing in the creation of homemade salsas and sauces from the freshest local harvest across the South Puget Sound since 2015. From snacks to seasonal ingredients, there’s something for everyone on your list (just don’t forget to include some chips!).
Johnson Candy Company - Assorted Truffle Set
Satisfy the sweet tooth in your life while shopping local with an assorted truffle set from Johnson Candy Company. This one-pound box of chocolates offers a mix of milk chocolate-flavored treats with either a milk or dark chocolate coating. The only con of this gift is that they likely won’t last long after unwrapping - you can never have just one!
About Johnson Candy Company
Since 1927, Johnson Candy Company has been serving sweet treats to the Tacoma community and while the city continues to grow and evolve, this candy company and its practices remain the same.
Emily’s Chocolates: Chocolate-covered fruits and nuts
What’s better than locally-sourced fruit or nuts? Easy—when they’re covered in chocolate.
About Emily's Chocolates
Emily’s Chocolates have been in business since 1987, are certified kosher, and make perfect gifts for healthy eaters.
Experiences
Skip the stuff and give the gift of a newfound skill, memory, or experience this season with a catalog of local classes, workshops, and educational opportunities sure to spark holiday joy in that hobbyist on your list.
Spun Clay Arts Studio - Sit ‘N’ Spin Class
For the particularly crafty person on your list that leaves you stumped each shopping season, look no further than a Sit N Spin pottery class at Spun Clay Arts Studio. Give the gift of a memorable experience and a take-home pottery piece in one with a 30-minute class on the basics of pottery.
About Spun Clay Arts Studio
Since 2015, Spun has been offering Tacoma and its surrounding communities a space to explore their creativity with affordable opportunities to create art whether you’re new to pottery or a wizard with the wheel.
Old Soldier Distillery - Distillery Tour and Tasting
For the whiskey or bourbon fan on your list, what better gift than an opportunity to sip and see how the magic of the amber glass comes to be? Old Soldier Distillery is offering tours and tasting (Old Soldier Dram glass included!) at their family-owned craft distillery in Tacoma, WA. Booking can be done over the phone or online so pick a lucky person on your list and go together - make it a gift for you too!
About Old Soldier Distillery
With a traditional corn whiskey recipe from a distant relative of the Civil War, two long-time friends opened the first craft distillery in Tacoma with a commitment to creating old fashions from old-fashioned whiskey (pun intended) handcrafted in small batches.
Sew Hip - First Time Quilt Making Class
What better gift than a beautiful quilt to cozy up under during a drizzly Pacific Northwest day? Well, for the people on your list who love to learn, a beginner quilt-making class may be the perfect gift this holiday season. With just a little knowledge of the sewing machine required, you can offer a friend or family member the chance to create their own piece of functional art to keep forever in this instructor-led class.
About Sew Hip
This Gig Harbor small business doubles as a sewing studio and fabric boutique - beginning as a love of sewing and blossoming into a self-described lifestyle of creativity and artistry. The shop offers “modern and designer fabrics for garment sewing, home decor, fabric crafts, and classes for sewing or crafting.
Bath & Beauty
Nothing says “I care about you” better than gifting a self-care item to that special someone on your list this season. From bath bombs to sustainable soaps, each item we’ve listed was locally crafted with care to meet the needs of whoever you’re shopping for.
The Soap Refillery - Luxurious Hand & Body Wash
For the person on your list who prides themselves on being environmentally conscious, consider the Luxurious Hand & Body Wash from The Soap Refillery. They encourage you to leave old bottles on your doorstep during deliveries so they can recycle and reuse the containers to limit waste. As an added bonus, the wash itself is made right here in the Pacific Northwest.
About The Soap Refillery
With a mission to reduce plastic waste, this company founded in 2019 focuses on making access to reusable products easier for the South Puget Sound. Their delivery service offers Pierce County an opportunity to protect the planet while making zero waste easier to achieve with products right to your door.
Celtic Clan Soapery - Personalized Bath and Body Gift Set
Give the gift of a fabulous night in after all the holiday hoopla with a personalized bath and body gift set. If self-care seasonal gifts are your jam, then this set is sure to be a smash hit with handmade soap, lip butter, bath truffles (to enjoy while eating Johnsons truffles), and a personalized gift card.
About Celtic Clan Soapery
This family-run business offers a variety of natural handmade soaps, skincare, bath, body products, and even some home decor items. They’re a mission-driven small business with a commitment to donate 10% of all proceeds to helping their fellow Pierce County neighbors in need.
Soap & Clay - Beard Oil
For the Pacific Northwest lumberjack in your life, or simply the man who takes pride in his well-groomed mustache, we’ve got the perfect gift for them - enter Soap & Clay Beard Oil! Promising to keep even the most unruly of facial hair looking “well-groomed,” this blend of oil in various scents would make the perfect gift for any man in your life from bristles to proud bushy beard.
About Soap & Clay
Founded in 2015, this small business specializes in handmade skincare, soaps, and cosmetics that celebrate natural ingredients and self-care.
Apparel
For the fashionista on your list, look no further than locally made one-of-a-kind fashion items across the South Puget Sound. Move over department stores and say hello to Pacific Northwest brands that will empower you to throw away that return receipt.
eTc Tacoma - Dome Dogz Sweatsuit Pullover
Looking for some one-of-a-kind pieces to wow the fashion-forward friend or family member on your list this holiday? Well, eTc would be a good place to start. They’re selling a custom eTc x RDZ Dome Dogz sweatsuit pullover that takes cozy chic very seriously.
About eTc Tacoma
They are a self-described lifestyle brand with a “focus on community engagement and providing quality, limited quantity, hard and soft goods.”
Tuesday Shop - Hand-Dyed Knee Sweatshirt Smock Dress
Looking for a dress to gift but don’t want to turn to yet another department store? Well, Tuesday Shop is offering hand-dyed, no-waste, versatile fabric dresses like the Knee Sweatshirt Smock Dress that can solve all your present searching problems! And, if that style doesn’t fit the bill, they’re offering a range of unique pieces and designs sure to satisfy any taste.
About Tuesday Shop
A small fashion business in Tacoma that hand makes clothing and accessories with a focus on “zero-waste designs and vintage fabrics in the spirit of traditional Japanese kimono.”
Bleach - Tacoma Cropped Hoodie
Find a gift that brings both fashion and Pierce County pride to the table with the Tacoma Cropped Hoodie. Represent your favorite city with this unique custom hoodie featuring Mount Rainier hand-printed on the front.
About Bleach
The ultimate celebration of all things Tacoma, Bleach was founded in 2010 out of love for the city. With a focus on featuring local artists, this online retailer is the perfect place to shop Black Friday for some Tacoma pride apparel.
Did we leave out any note-worthy local gift ideas? Let us know! Tag us @traveltacoma on Instagram and Facebook.