We don’t need to make any billionaires even richer this holiday season — instead, let’s just agree right now to instead patronize the lovely artisans, artists, toy designers, bike builders, hatmakers, sticker-creators, and more who actually live in the Bay Area.
To that end, we’ve collected a few of our favorite Made-in-the-Bay presents, from $5 stickers that any native SFer will appreciate (and possibly make cry) to a $999 assembled-in-Marin bike that just dreams of being used for long, winding, magical trips through the hills.
Here’s hoping we all see our wishes come true in 2022, and beyond.
Karl the Fog Enamel Pin (pictured top)
You know how sometimes you just want a tiny little gift? Maybe something to slip into a card? This — the Karl the Frog enamel pin, $13.99 — is that. (We also love the same brand’s MUNI transfer receipt (RIP, it’s been a hard four years without you) sticker, $4.99.)
Yosemite Inspired Print
Oakland illustrator Allie Ponce makes incredible celebrations of California’s natural world (there’s some pieces from elsewhere, but why do that). Our pick: This 11”X17” print inspired by the Yosemite Valley, $30.
Butterfly Blocks
Know a stylish kid? Or maybe some parents who insist that their kid’s taste be as refined as theirs? Mill Valley’s Emily Fishman can help, with these elegantly geometric building blocks — if you’re looking for a colorful Cali take on Scandi style, this’ll get you going. Butterfly Blocks, $110.
R18 Drop Bar Bike
If your definition of “made in the Bay” permits “design, final assembly, and fine-tuning” in Marin while fabrication is done in Taiwan, there’s no better gift on this list than an R18 Drop Bar bike ($999.99) from Public.
Modern Fiber Wall Hanging
If a high-glam, super-organic take on ’70s design feels right to you, or someone on your gift-giving list, see Santa Cruz artist Kelsey Cerdas’s scene-stealing textile art. Prices for pieces that would make a good gift start around $450.
Little Reflections Scarf
A certain portion of women (our estimate: 38%) love nothing more than an artisanally produced scarf. For that woman in your life, consider this merino wool shawl ($55) from a Berkeley-based former biologist-turned-textile entrepreneur.
Tea Starter Kit
God knows we could do an entirely separate round-up just of Bay-produced food stuffs, but for something you might not have already seen at Oxbow, here’s tea from an SF-based brand importing their organic, single-origin, small-batch tea from their farm in the Miyazaki prefecture. The Tea Starter Kit is $18.
Everyday Olive
Everybody wears hats! (Pretty much.) Truth be told, our favorite model from S.F.’s Storied Hats is currently out of stock (keep an eye on Retro Stripes — it’s the winner) — but there’s lots more to like (beat everybody else to their new staple, the Everyday Olive, $38).
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