FOR THE TECHY
Modern 207 E. 5th Ave. Ste 105
This Lomography smartphone film scanner ($60) lets you instantly scan your 35mm film negatives to your smartphone! Turn on this portable scanner’s backlight, insert your film, take a photo of it using your smartphone and use your phone’s camera to edit and share. Your giftees will instantly be hooked up with a way to email and share their archives of old-school film photos.
The Duck Store: Digital Duck 895 E. 13th Ave.
Sol Republic Tracks Collegiate University of Oregon Headphones ($99.99) are totally modular and interchangeable, so each piece can be removed and replaced or mixed with another set for your own look. Prink Technology Wood-backed iPhone 4s and 5s cases ($34.98) are laser-engraved with different UO logos on cherry, walnut or bamboo. Moshi Digits touchscreen gloves ($29.95) are ultra-comfortable and stylish winter gloves that allow touchscreen use with all 10 fingers.
FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
The Dancing Weasel 30 E. 17th Ave.
This Janod brand adjustable-height art easel ($86.95) comes with a magnetic dry erase whiteboard on one side, a chalkboard on the other and an 18-inch paper roll on a holder across the top. Also comes with magnets, two no-spill paint pots, chalk, marker, eraser and natural wood style. So much creative potential!
Elephant’s Trunk Valley River Center and Fifth Street Public Market
Whether boy or girl, young or old, the kiddos on your list will surely love Magna-Tiles (32-piece set $49.99). Available in both clear and color, and in larger sets, these tiles attract on all sides and offer endless design options. Who doesn’t like having fun with lasers? The Laser Game by Khet 2.0 ($39.99) is a setup similar to chess in that your pieces (Egyptian-themed) are spread around the board and you attempt to eliminate your opponent’s pharaoh. But, the fun is that real battery-operated lasers are deflected by the pieces, and you have to strategize how to channel the light so that it blasts the piece you want it to.
Burch’s Oakway Center
Did you know Bogs shoes were invented here in Eugene? They were. And, they are made from high quality, natural rubber for a durable, completely waterproof boot. Around the Willamette Valley, that’s definitely what kids need. Available in many colors and in sizes from 10 toddler to 6 youth, with easy pull-on handles. Shown is the Sweet Pea Classic, $82.
Down to Earth 532 Olive St.
Match Stacks offers a fresh, sustainable and portable twist on the classic memory game. Each set comes with 16 wooden discs featuring eight pairs of designs from your choice of themes (shown is Woodland Animals, On The Farm and Camping Trip, $19.99 each). The discs stack neatly in their tube holders and are suitable for kids who can read or who aren’t quite there yet — they can stack and sort by shape and color. These Tree Hopper Toys are made from sustainable hardwood with non-toxic ink in a wind-powered workshop in Illinois.
Bambini 205 W. 5th Ave.
Exclusive to Bambini this year and locally made by Heartwood Natural Toys, these wooden kitchens are handmade from pine (no plastic at all!) and finished with non-toxic linseed oil. Your kids might not notice the high-quality craftsmanship in every detail, but they will notice how much fun they are to play with. Amenities such as burners, fridges, faucets and knobs that turn will let them make enough food to feed a make-believe army ($199-$399).
FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO EAT AND DRINK
Urban Lumber Company 28 E. Broadway
Working in cooperation with city governments, neighborhoods and homeowners in our area, master woodworker Seth San Filippo of Urban Lumber salvages, harvests or reclaims wood and turns it into beautifully crafted products. The cutting board ($65), pepper grinder ($87.50), small boxes ($12 each) and salt bowls ($9 each) look great, feel great, do their jobs well and would be welcome in anyone’s kitchen.
The Tap and Growler 207 E. 5th Ave.
For just $15 through Dec. 31, purchase a Holiday Gift Pack from The Tap and Growler for your beer or wine lover, which includes a 32-ounce growler filled with any beer of their choice or $10 off a fill of any wine, and either a tulip glass for beer or stemmed glass for wine. While filling up, sample from T&G’s selection of 70 taps or try the delicious and affordable cheese and charcuterie platter — only $10 for seven items. The Tap and Growler offers on-tap beer, wine, cider, mead, kombucha, cold brewed espresso, soda, root beer and even sake.
Midtown Direct Smoke Shop 133 E. 13th Ave.
Nothing turns on the taste buds like a smoking session. For your giftees who enjoy electronic cigarettes, give them Scorpion Bros. candy cane oil, one of 17 flavors the Eugene-based company makes for e-cigs ($12.50). The flavor of butane is not welcome at the party, so avoid that by using Maritime Hemp Company’s hemp wick. For only $3.50, get 10 feet of hemp wick that can be lit and used to light your blunts. Fantasia’s electronic hookah provides 800 tar-free, tobacco-free and nicotine-free puffs in a delightful Washington Apple flavor ($14.99). The Atmos Junior is a svelte version of the useful device that turns your favorite herbs into vapor ($115). Give someone the portable, battery-operated essence of basil … or whatever.
FOR THE ATHLETE
Tactics 375 W. 4th Ave.
It’s not just teenage boys riding longboards anymore. The team at Tactics says they’re popular as a means of transportation for young and old, male and female. This 27-inch Nickel Holiday series board in blue resin by Penny Skateboards ($109.95) is one lightweight, smooth ride.
Title Nine Fifth Street Public Market
These wool tights are a luxury. SmartWool or Krimson Clover tights are soft, warm, comfortable and look fab with boots or skirts. Your gal may not spend the money on them for herself ($47), but she sure would love to get a pair as a gift. Title Nine, which specializes in women’s athletic apparel, is planning a gentlemen’s night Dec. 9. Women will come in and create a Christmas list, and the staff will share their sizes and preferences with significant others on this night only. Shop safely alongside other men who also don’t have a clue about what their ladies might like, and get free gift boxes.
FOR THE URBAN HOMESTEADER AND GARDENER
Down to Earth 532 Olive St.
Help your favorite gardener learn how to preserve their harvest all year long with this book, Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin ($24.99). The book covers everything about fermenting including the process, the tools and recipes. Chapters cover fermenting vegetables for sauerkraut and kimchi, fermenting dairy products, fruits, meat, soy and beverages, including mead, kombucha and ginger ale.
The Eugene Backyard Farmer 501 Washington St.
Made on Bainbridge Island, these colorful signs will make your giftee’s urban farm even more beautiful. Many other sizes, messages and colors to choose from (chickens sign, $26.99; honeybees sign, $34.99).
Passionflower 128 E. Broadway
Save your seeds! This lovely seed-saving kit makes it simple to collect, store and trade seeds. It contains eight airtight, glass-topped aluminum containers for storage, labels, a marking pencil, garden stakes, glassine envelopes with labels and a booklet complete with seed collecting, cleaning, drying and storing instructions. Everything fits into the sleek reusable aluminum case ($28).
Outdoor Elements Fifth Street Public Market
Scatter joy with Seedbombs and a weapon of mass green-struction, a slingshot. Greenaid Seedbombs offer employment opportunities and a living wage to formerly homeless or economically disadvantaged men and women from the Los Angeles area. Each bomb is made of a mixture of clay, compost and hundreds of seeds. Launch them into vacant lots, sidewalk cracks and parking lot medians. Shown are bombs containing seeds of cool weather edibles, native wildflowers and pollinator-friendly plants ($7.25 each for two seedbombs; wooden slingshot, $8.25).
FOR THE EARTH MAMAS AND PAPAS
Swahili Imports Fifth Street Public Market
Swahili Imports works with African artisans to distribute their handcrafted products. Their items are 100 percent handmade and fair trade. Many of them utilize reclaimed materials, such as these car ($34), scooter ($38) and airplane ($34) sculptures made from aluminum cans by artists in Senegal. Each car features moving parts, including hood, trunk and car doors. No two sculptures are the same.
ECO Sleep Solutions 25 E. 8th Ave.
You can’t get much more earthy than taking sheep’s wool and turning it into something beautiful and functional. In addition to organic bedding, ECO Sleep Solutions displays work by six local artists, including Eugene fiber artist Tylar Merrill. She hand-felts colorful items such as these trivets ($35) and pincushions ($25), bags, pillows and more.
Down to Earth 532 Olive St.
Blue Q bags, such as this messenger bag ($18.99), are made from reclaimed grain sacks that are melted into rolls of plastic, printed with eye-catching graphics, cut and sewn — ultimately each bag contains 95 percent post-consumer material. The bags have heavy-duty straps and strong magnetic closures. One percent of each purchase supports the work of The Nature Conservancy.
Star Gate 1374 Willamette St. Ste 1
Star Gate stocks the largest selection of tarot cards in town. One of many newly released decks is the Kuan Yin Oracle ($26.95), inspired by the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Kuan Yin’s gentle energy reaches out from each of the 44 cards in this radiant deck. The 144-page illustrated guidebook provides inspirational messages, healing prayers and practical exercises for each card.
FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER
Uncommon Scents at the Meridian 1801 Willamette St. Ste 120
Movember is over, dudes. Shave it. Shaving accessories are a timeless classic. Skip the uncomfortable boar’s hair bristle and go for the badger bristle shaving brush by Kingsley ($28.50) and a drip-dry acrylic stand ($5). Altesse shaving soap ($10.75), a shaving mug ($15) and Bay Rum aftershave ($19.50) complete the package.
Out On A Limb Gallery 191 E. Broadway
Everyone could use a reminder to dream. Woodworker and artist Tim Boyden creates beautiful furniture and whimsical signs, such as this Dream sign ($25) from natural elements. This sign is made using red twig dogwood and black locust.
Good Clean Love Call (541) 344-4483 to find a retailer
Imagine how sweet your Christmas night could be if you give the Love That Works gift set from Eugene’s Good Clean Love ($65). The kit contains a handbook on cultivating successful loving relationships written by the Good Clean Love founder, three samples of Love Oil, lubricant and edible body candy. Choose from Almost Naked (shown) Cinnamon Vanilla or Lavender lube; Origins, Indian Spice or Caribbean Rose Love Oil; or Cocoa Mint, Spicy Orange (shown) or Vanilla Chai Body Candy.
FOR THE LOVER OF THE OUTDOORS
Plume Red & Heritage Dry Goods 861 Willamette St.
This new store, known as PH, is really two stores in one. Two different shopkeepers share the same space and offer a rustic combination of European and American-made items. Delight your outdoorsman with timeless and sophisticated items such as the vintage Thermos ($20) and the Opinel mushroom knife ($29.50), which has a thin, curved blade with a serrated back and a genuine boar-hair brush for easy removal of soil. The Harris Tweed flask ($49) goes with anything, and the Twill Flap Musette by Archival ($110) holds it all.
Belle Sorelle 27 W. 5th Ave.
Rain can’t slow down the mademoiselle dressed in these romantic accessories from Belle Sorelle, a boutique with French flair. Pink, black and white Wellingtons ($60), a lacy umbrella in a black and beige can-can design ($40) and beaded gloves ($18) make puddle jumping, gardening and going to market even more of a pleasure.
TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND BLING
Passionflower 128 E. Broadway
Give your loved one a protective sterling silver talisman necklace cast from an authentic 19th-century wax seal, like this one, called Creativity ($159). This seal features a sparrow holding a sprig of leaves in her beak. The sparrow is a master of flight and camouflage, and reminds the wearer to use her creativity and higher ideals to solve problems.
The Gold Conspiracy 17 W. 5th Ave.
These shiny stud earrings made from sterling silver and amethyst ($65), peridot ($50) or garnet ($50) go with everything, from bikinis to boardrooms.
Footwise 181 E. Broadway
The Jesse slipper by Haflinger ($93) is a luxe indulgence for hard-working feet. The boiled wool uppers are colorful and comfortable, warm and supportive. The durable sole can handle multiple trips to the mailbox or the coffee pot.
STOCKING STUFFERS
Jim the Shoe Doctor 458 E. 11th Ave.
At this shoe repair and shoe shining shop (established in 1903!), they have taken a shine to socks of all stripes. Their goal is to have 600 or more unique sock designs, and they are well on their way to that number already. For $10 you can have your choice of so many sock styles that you’ll be tempted to cry. These Science socks and Stocking Dead stocks are just the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
Out On A Limb Gallery 191 E. Broadway
Artist and woodworker Tim Boyden creates “Driftwood Wisdom” sticks with painted messages — some profound, some witty — that tuck nicely into any stocking ($1 per stick).