In honor of Buy Local Week (Nov 26-Dec 4), I am planning on featuring a different locally made product every day until December 25th. A couple of days ago I featured Second Sail bags made by Buffalo entrepreneur Jason Schwinger. Today the locally made product is a handsome wine caddy that I discovered at NEO Gifts on Elmwood. What makes this balancing wine caddy so different from other versions is the built-in coaster that allows you to place the bottle right on the caddy once it is open.
You will also notice that the board has a buffalo silhouette gracing the top, making it the perfect gift for Buffalo and wine lovers. Built by Buffalo artisans Bill Salt and Suzanne Holancin, the caddy features a buffalo and is sold at an Elmwood gift shop… that’s about as local as it gets. The caddy retails for $18.50 – not a bad price considering the work that went into making it.
NEO Gift Studio
512 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222-2014
(716) 884-1119
From Sarah Bishop, Executive Director Buffalo First:
As the 2010 holiday shopping season ramps up, Buffalo First urges you to make sure that our community, rather than the big box stores, benefits from consumer spending.
Buy Local Week has started (see BRO post) and runs through December 4. Each day, the Buffalo First blog will feature some of the great reasons to give local a chance this holiday season, highlighting what makes this time of the year all about the intangibles tucked away and found in the crevices of the city.
Buy Local Week is a time to do what the name says (buy local), but also to experience local. Our daily suggestions and the week’s events won’t be just about shopping, but about seeing the places around you. We all know about the shopping on Elmwood and the bars in Allentown – but what about the small art galleries and retail in the Amherst-Grant area, or the Irish neighborhoods in South Buffalo?
Above all, Buy Local Week is a reason to go somewhere you’ve never been in Western New York. Find a new place, see a new sight, and in the spirit of the season, be thankful for the great things that make Buffalo such a great place to live.
The culmination of Buy Local Week will be Buffalo First’s infamous Buy Local Bash, held at The Eights Bistro (888 Main Street) on Saturday, December 4. We invite those in a Main Street state of mind to join our celebration — and those not, come and let us convince you!
Our marketplace (which runs 7pm-8:30pm) will allow local artisans and vendors to show off their best and make you wonder why you ever settled for anything less than one-of-a-kind. Local songwriters Jon Herr and Ethan Steigerwald will also be playing acoustic sets.
The Bash will continue throughout the night and into the early hours with a full-out celebration of local after the market closes. Bring your dancin’ shoes, because Fudgy Chewy, DJ Cutler and Bashar Deeb will be bringing the beats and sprinkling in some holiday cheer along the way. Door prizes, courtesy of local businesses, will be raffled off throughout the night.
Buffalo First’s 2011 All-Local Coupon Book will also be available for sale. This year’s edition features coupons from over 100 local businesses – Lexington Co-Operative Market, Sweetness_7 Café, merge, Talking Leaves…Books and Korona Jewelry, just to name a few – which add up to thousands of dollars in savings. If you want a copy to use during Buy Local Week, it’s already available in local retailers throughout the city.
The Coupon Book also contains valuable information and resources to educate the community about the importance of shopping locally. Thinking, buying and being local has never been more accessible. A complete list of participating vendors can be found at www.buffalofirst.org.
Admission to the Buy Local Bash is $5 with a nonperishable food item or $7 without an item. All donations will go to the Food Bank of WNY. Vendors wishing to participate in the local marketplace should contact Buffalo First at 716.725.6100 or info@buffalofirst.org.