Staying local promotes a sense of
community, encourages entrepreneurship, increases job opportunities for
people in the area and ensures that your money will stimulate Lansing’s
economy since local businesses invest a much larger share of their
revenue back into the community than the “big box” chain stores with
home offices in other states (or other countries). A study by the
Austin Independent Business Alliance determined that if you spend $100
at  a locally owned
business, $45 stays in the local economy; spending $100 at a national
chain put only $13 back into the community.

Our gift guide features stores with
distinctive gifts for everyone on your list, from art to antiques to
outerwear to flowers. Many of these businesses are also a part of our
Save! Lansing webstore (www.savelansing.com), which offers discounted
gift certificates for 26 local businesses that can save buyers up to 55
percent off on goods and services.

This week, 10 percent of profits from
Save! Lansing will be donated to the Greater Lansing Food Bank, a
non-profit organization that provides emergency food to needy
individuals and families in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. What
better way to give thanks than by giving back to those in need?

Read on for ideas to help you cross every last person off your list.

Absolute Gallery

307 E. Grand River Ave., Lansing

(517) 482-8845

Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

www.absolutegallery.net

Absolute Gallery, located in Old Town,
features custom framing and a variety of decorative pieces. The wax
pottery ($20), which is also cat-proof, works well for those who like
the scent of candles but don’t like the flame. The gallery also has a
wishing tree ($39.45), which can be decorated to suit the season, and a variety of vintage Michigan-themed travel posters ($30).

Apparel Printers

3505 S. Cedar St., Lansing

(517) 882-5700

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. www.apparelprinters.com

Apparel Printers specializes in custom
screening on several wearable items. In addition to t-shirts (starting
at $15.95) and sweatshirts ($20-25), the company also prints on
jackets, uniforms, hats, bags and athletic wear. This gift is
especially good for businesses wanting to give company gifts to their
employees.

Save! Lansing Merchant

Bonilla Salon and Spa

635 S/ Waverly Road,  Suite A, Lansing

(517) 886-7424

Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

www.bonillasalon.com

Create your own gift basket at Bonilla
Salon and Spa, which features the complete product line of Redken Hair
products, Bedhead, Paul Mitchell and Matrix: Prices range from
$25-$125. Gift certificates are also available for massage specials,
pedicures and manicures. Bonilla sells an exclusive speciality lines of
Wim'in'fok' shirts and sweatshirts produced by the local female-owned
clothing company; prices range from $15-30. Save! Save! Lansing Merchant

Capitol City Grille

111 N. Grand Ave., Lansing

(517) 267-3459

Hours: Restaurant: 6:00 a.m.-2 p.m.
every day. Lounge: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.; 11
a.m.-midnight. Friday and Saturday; 6:00 a.m.-11 a.m. Dec. 24.

The Capitol City Grille, a contemporary
American restaurant located in the Radisson Hotel, features a Christmas
Jazz Show for their lounge guests from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Dec. 18. The
restaurant also be hosting a New Year’s Eve party in the hotel banquet
rooms (details to be determined). The dining room will feature more
intimate options, including a couples menu and champagne specials,
along with the regular menu. Gift certificates are available in any
amount, but call ahead of time to have them printed up. 

Save! Lansing Merchant

Gallery 1212

1212 Turner St., Lansing

(517) 999-1212

Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

Gallery 1212 has a wide assortment of
prints, wall mounts, glass lamps ($180-$450), dishes and pressed
bottles ($15). Original art by B. Craig Cossey hangs on the walls in
the back room, where the owners host classes focusing on fused glass,
pottery, sculpture or watercolor. Gift certificates are available. Petting the resident cat is free of charge. 

Save! Lansing Merchant

Grove Gallery Co-Op

325 Grove St., Suite A,

East Lansing

(517) 333-7180

Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday

grovegallerycoop.com

Shocking pops of color are all over this
gallery, be it on prints of an amusement park ($125-$350) or glass
flowers ($225). A unique tiled window ($350) is just one of the pieces
by in-house member MargaBeth Cibulka. Cheaper options are beaded
jewelry, scarves and textured wall art.

Katalyst Gallery

1214 Turner St., Lansing

(517) 708-8916

Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

Katalyst Gallery features a unique
assortment of beaded jewelry, candles, home d'cor and handbags
($58-$158). A modern-looking fish tank ($35) will warm the heart of the
pet lover on your holiday list. Katalyst is located next door to
Gallery 1212, and the galleries pride themselves on their different
inventories.

Kellie’s Consignments

4800 Okemos Road, Okemos

(517) 574-4523

kelliesconsignments.com

Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sunday

The motto here is “expect the
unexpected.” Kellie’s Consignments specializes in men’s, women’s and
children’s clothing, home d'cor and furnishings. That stylish person on
your list will appreciate Coach purses starting at $20, $300 designer
jeans for less than $100 and unique gift items, such as Waterford
Crystal bowls for $40. “People think you can’t shop at consignment
stores for gifts, but we have many brand-new items mixed in with gently
used items,” says owner/operator Kellie Johnson. “We also have
something else no other consignment store in town offers: returns
through Jan. 10.” Save! Lansing Merchant

Lamb’s Gate Antiques

1219 Turner St., Lansing

(517) 999-2617

Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Noon-5 p.m. for First Sunday Gallery Walk

Lamb’s Gate Antiques literally has
something for everybody, and its reasonable prices don’t hurt either.
The store has pottery, toys, furniture, and costume and classic jewelry
in the neighborhood of $24-$55. For the cold-blooded fashionistas on
your list, explore the vintage clothes and outerwear lining the back
walls.

Laundry Pure

(517) 927-4342

www.ecobusiness.com/peterhurth/products

Laundry Pure is a new product that aims
to save consumers money and clean clothes in a greener way. It washes
clothes in cold water only and eliminates the need for detergents and
bleach, all the while promising to make clothes brighter, fluffier and
longer-lasting. The product has been featured on Fox News and is
estimated to save about $1.25 per load. Call for more information.

Love, Betti

100 E. Grand River Ave., Lansing

(517) 484-2131

Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday

This Old Town boutique is a spot for
finding unique gifts for that person on your list with discriminating
tastes. You can never go wrong with a little bling: used and new
jewelry ranges from $8 rings to $275
necklaces. A vintage ice bucket ($24) is just the thing for that guy
who just finished building a bar in his basement. Leather jackets, fur
hats, vintage lamps, cards, and contemporary/mid-century furniture
(including a gorgeous wood-and-metal coffee table) are all available
here. Love, Betti also features work from local artists, allowing you
to support local arts and brighten up a wall in one fell swoop.

Mackerel Sky

211 M.A.C. Ave., East Lansing (517) 351-2211

Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sun. 

Holiday Hours: Monday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday (Dec. 13)-Friday 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Mackerel Sky gives you a taste of
holiday spirit from the moment you step inside and see the ornaments
($10-$25) hanging on the Christmas tree. The store features everything
you need to prepare for your holiday celebrations — linens, host gifts,
dishes, cards — as well as everything you’ll need to fashionably take
on the cold weather: hats, scarves, coats, handbags, jewelry and
hand-blown glass ($275).

Save! Lansing Merchant

Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine

shop.msu.edu

What better way to support a local
student group and give the perfect gift to that pet-lover on your list?
Gift ideas include dog bowls ($12), "Sparty Dog" leashes ($20) and
"vanishing" thermal mugs ($17) that reveal X-ray images of a cat, cog,
horse or cow when tfilled with a hot liquid. Proceeds support the MSU
College of Veterinary Medicine student programs.

Polka Dots Bead-A-Full Boutique

1207 Turner St., Lansing

(517) 267-1479

Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; Noon.-4 p.m. Sunday. 

www.polkadotsbeads.com

In addition to beads and beading
supplies, Polka Dots Bead-A-Full Boutique features an array of
decorative and wearable items, such a magnets, shoes and on-the-go
coffee mugs. Some of the popular products are the Curly Girl brand
items ($12-$35), the vintage headbands ($16) and the Lori Mitchell
holiday figurines ($22-$40). The shop also features several of artist
Kelly Rae Roberts’ items ($20-$39).

The Record Lounge

111 Division St., East Lansing

(517) 574-5889

Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. www.therecordlounge.net

There’s something to please any music
lover on your list in the bins of this East Lansing staple, which
carries everything from vintage vinyl to new pressings of classic
albums and recent releases from local musicians. Need to find a
Japanese issue of “The Beatles: 1962-1966” ($60), or a limited-edition
virgin vinyl copy of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love” ($24)? Look no
further. And if you’re hunting for hard-to-find used records, check out
the Record Lounge’s bins. Whether it’s Pigmeat Markham’s comic “The
Hustlers” (featuring the unforgettable “Smelly Ice Cream”) or Paul
Davis’ mellow “Cool Night” (which includes his Top 10 smash “’65 Love
Affair”), you can take it home for 50 cents. The store also sells
stereo equipment (a Technics turntable is $55) and some fun, funky
artwork: Celebrate the heyday of Peter Fonda with reproductions of
posters for “The Trip” and “Easy Rider” ($6 each).

Saper Gallery

433 Albert Ave., East Lansing

(517)351-0815

10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday through
Wednesday, and Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday; open 1-4
p.m. on the first Sunday of each month. www.sapergallery.com

For 33 years, Saper Galleries has been
offering paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, and mobiles, which
has made it a destination for local art enthusiasts. Gift ideas under
$100 range from hand-blown glass, hand-crafted wooden boxes, ceramic
tiles and kinetic art media. Got a Grinch-y person that’s hard to shop
for? Saper Galleries features artwork by none other than Dr. Seuss.
Pieces by Michigan artist Kathleen Chaney Fritz start at under $20,
with other recent acquisitions this holiday season including unique
work from Brazil and Costa Rica. Don’t worry if you’re shopping for
someone out of town: Saper Galleries ships across the world and
displays links to what's new on its home page.

Schuler Books and Music

1883 Grand River Ave., Okemos (517) 348-8840

Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

2820 Towne Center Blvd., Lansing (517) 316-7495

Hours: 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30
a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
www.schulerbooks.com

Schuler Books and Music carries several series box sets,
such as “The Inheritance Cycle” (currently on sale for $71.58 for
hardcover) and “The Hunger Games” ($53.94), as well as Harry
Potter-themed gifts, such as the complete DVD set ($78.99) and a
complete behind-the-scenes movie guide ($75). They also have a
fair-trade section featuring international items (45-$30). Gift
certificates are available in any amount and can be used in store or
online. The store will be having a Black Friday sale with up to 50
percent off select items.

Tallulah’s Folly

1220 Turner St., Lansing 

(517) 485-4166

Hours: 10 a.m. -7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Tallulah’s Folly features Michigan-made
products, including books aMitten-made hot sauce, mustard, relish and
Bloody Mary mix is hidden in the back. Coffee, fudge and festive
Christmas music are sure to warm your spirits.

Smith Floral and Greenhouses

1124 E Mount Hope Ave.  Lansing 

(517) 484-5327

Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday. 

www.smithfloral.com

Holiday decorating is made easy at Smith
Floral and Greenhouses. This 105-year-old business sells poinsettias,
Christmas Cactus, indoor and outdoor wreaths and garlands, Kissing
Balls and a broad selection of Christmas gifts. Smith also specializes
in holiday floral arrangements of both fresh and silk flowers and
delivers to Bath, Dewitt, Dimondale, East Lansing, Grand Ledge,
Haslett, Holt, Lansing, Mason, Okemos, Potterville and Williamston. To
ensure on-time delivery of your flowers, place your order at least one
day beforehand. You can order via email at smithfloral@tds.net or call
(517)484-5327.  Save! Lansing Merchant