Why head to the mall when there are lots of unique options for gift-giving here in Waltham?
To that end, the team here at The Times has been gathering ideas. We published our first list last week and are adding to it this week.
Did we miss one of your favorites? Please share them in the comments section below!
The Costume Company rents and sells costumes and vintage clothing – just the place to find a unique accessory or outfit for the fashionista in your life. Located at 144 Moody St, Building #4, items are shown by appointment only.
More Than Words Bookstore has a Waltham location at 56 Felton St. This nonprofit youth-run store is a one-stop destination for books, gifts, music and youth empowerment. They also have an extensive online holiday gift guide that includes great ideas from crochet kits to soy candles to graphic tees. Proceeds fund the organization’s mission to serve youth ages 16 to 24 who are in foster care, homeless, out of school or in the court system. Here they learn to run an online and retail bookstore while also getting full wrap-around support services to tackle barriers and take charge of their lives.
Alex Weder Art & Design. A former schoolteacher and now designer with her own online store, Waltham-based Alex Weder specializes in customized, functional objects fashioned from wood, glass, acrylic and other materials. Gift items include tree ornaments, plaques, portraits, trays, luggage tags and more.
Shop to support the Waltham Land Trust (WLT). Give your friends and family a warm, cozy pair (or two or three) of merino wool socks from Warm Peet (run by WLT steward Rick Oxnard). Use the code “WLT10” to get a 10% off your purchase. All profits tied to that code will be donated to the Waltham Land Trust. Also, buying from the Chateau restaurant is a way to give back while enjoying a tasty feast. Any gift card purchased online with the code “WLT” will earn the Waltham Land Trust 5% of that sale. And every $50 purchased earns a $10 bonus card.
Give a gift of membership to a local nonprofit:
- Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation. Individual ($25) and family ($45) membership benefits include free museum admission during normal operating hours, early-access previews to online content, and museum digital archive sneak peeks, 15% museum gift shop discount, and 10% discount on most museum events. Higher tiers of membership are also available.
- Gore Place. Memberships start at $55. Benefits include discounted (and sometimes free) admission to events, unlimited daytime guided tours of the 1806 mansion, a discount in the museum gift shop and at the annual plant sale, free admission to the annual Sheepshearing Festival – a tradition since 1987, invitations to special members-only programs, print copies of The Agrarian biannual newsletter, and at dual levels and above reciprocity at more than 1,380 other museums, zoos and cultural institutions across the country.
- Waltham Fields Community Farm. Memberships start at $35. Benefits include a subscription to the monthly Farm Friends e-newsletter, early notice for CSA registration, voting rights at the annual meeting (two votes for household memberships), advance notice for all events, discount on WFCF logo gear in the barn, and discounted tickets to the annual fundraiser Sprout! in late April.
- Waltham Land Trust (WLT). A 6-month introductory membership for only $10. Includes The Journal, the WLT’s biannual newsletter just for members, which covers the programs, people and properties of the WLT. Members also receive discounts on registration fees for major fundraising events and yoga sessions.
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