黑料福利社

Doing online Christmas shopping can seem so simple. Just push a couple of buttons on your laptop or smartphone, and virtually any item in the world will arrive on your doorstep. However, you鈥檙e missing a lot if you don鈥檛 shop locally, say Yakima merchants.

There can be many unknowns in looking at a tiny photo on your phone screen and then placing an order, they point out. (And I can personally attest to this, having ordered a teddy bear for my grandson which somehow experienced a growth spurt during the shipping process. Then there were the dresses that looked absolutely stunning online, but somehow looked nothing like the photos when they arrived, with packages bearing undecipherable return addresses.)

鈥淪hopping locally gives you a chance to touch and see and feel the product you鈥檙e buying,鈥� observed Jenn Sharp, owner of Simply Crafted Marketplace + Floral. Walking through the store, you can touch the soft fabrics of Free People and Z Supply clothing, examine Rifle Paper Co. stationery and journals, or page through a cookbook, in addition to checking out Christmas-themed merchandise.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a tactile experience,鈥� agreed Janet Buege, marketing and merchandising coordinator for Fiddlesticks. You can tell the exact size of an item聽鈥� from clothing to a decorative object for the home聽鈥� and 鈥渂e inspired by how things are displayed.鈥� Fiddlesticks is already stocking classic winter clothing to keep you in style, a variety of affordable jewelry for gift giving plus many home d茅cor and children鈥檚 items, among other merchandise.

Another challenge with buying a specific item online is that your options may be limited, added Sue Goertler, owner of Findery Flowers and Gifts. Buying locally means 鈥渂eing able to walk in and say 鈥橧 like this arrangement but can you do it in red and orange flowers?鈥欌�� Often, you can customize your order. The Findery also offers plants, centerpieces, candy, d茅cor items, teddy bears (more reasonably sized than what I bought online!) and balloons for holiday shoppers.

And what if you don鈥檛 know quite what to buy聽鈥� or horrors聽鈥� that item you want is completely sold out, suggests Amy Halvorson Miller, assistant manager at Inklings Bookshop. 鈥淚f you shop locally, you get friendly people (working in stores) who live in your town. You can talk back and forth. They can offer alternatives.鈥�

Shopping in person also offers an experience of sights, sounds, aromas and tastes that online buying can鈥檛 duplicate. Whether it鈥檚 the variety of colors and textures in a store display, Christmas music wafting through the air, the amazing scent of freshly made soaps as you walk through the door of The Little Soapmaker, or tempting holiday treats offered to local customers, the screen on your device just can鈥檛 compete.

Perhaps even more important than your pleasant shopping experience, however, is the difference you are making in your community by shopping locally, merchants say.

It鈥檚 a matter of 鈥渓ocal pride,鈥� knowing that you are supporting 鈥渟omeone who happens to be your neighbor,鈥� observed Nicholas Kline, owner of Yakima鈥檚 Ship Shop.

In addition to supporting local shopkeepers, you often have the opportunity to buy merchandise which is created right here in the 黑料福利社. Kline, for example, stocks a wide variety of Yakima-made Rooted In candles which have become his biggest seller. They include Christmas scents ranging from eucalyptus pine to cranberry orange and sugarplum amber. He also carries the popular Double R Honey, produced in Union Gap, among other local products.

An original design of tee shirts and sweatshirts proclaiming, 鈥満诹细＠� Hop Capital of the World鈥� will be available for holiday shopping.

At Inklings Bookshop, Miller points out that shopping in Yakima helps to keep tax dollars from purchases here in our community. Inklings also prides itself on featuring a selection of books written by local authors from Ellen Allmendinger鈥檚 writings on Yakima history to 鈥淲e Went West,鈥� a volume on Civil Way soldiers who settled in the region; and Rob Phillips鈥� 鈥淎 Dog Life Well Lived鈥� to the Luke McCain mystery series. A variety of Christmas books for all ages also are offered.

At The Little Soapmaker, personnel can tell you exactly what goes into each locally handcrafted item and address individual allergies and sensitivities. They also sell fragrance diffusers and candles and will help put together gift baskets for anyone interested. As of press time, Christmas items including gingerbread-man and pine-tree-shaped candles were already in stock.

鈥淪hopping locally is more fun,鈥� observed Jennifer Schweppe, owner of English Country Market. 鈥淵ou can see the goods in person and make sure it鈥檚 something you really want and love,鈥� she added, echoing the thoughts of other Yakima merchants. With two stores side by side, the English Country Market carries everything from children鈥檚 toys and clothing to kitchenware, personal pampering products, gourmet food products and imported goods. For the upcoming Christmas season, Schweppe predicts that their Mason Cash stoneware bowls in various colors and sizes, Jellycat stuffed animals and chocolate truffles will be among the items most in demand.

But what if in-person shopping just seems too cumbersome聽鈥� looking for a parking spot, fighting crowds? Local merchants have answers for that, too!

At English Country Market (among other stores) staff will work with you to set a private shopping appointment or coordinate orders through text or email, said Ashley Morse, sales manager. They even can help coordinate multiple gifts for employees or friends. As with numerous other places, gift wrapping is free.

Several shopkeepers recommended shopping early to avoid crowds, and preferably on weekdays as opposed to weekends.

鈥淏ring a bag and your Christmas spirit,鈥� advised Miller. That will save you from buying a shopping bag聽鈥� and help to keep the season bright!

Note: This is just a sampling of ideas from local merchants. Numerous other stores were contacted to share their input for this article, however personnel were unavailable to speak or did not return calls. No doubt they鈥檙e busy stocking the shelves for Christmas!