Support Small Business Saturday This Holiday Season

Photos courtesy of McGregor Square

Casa Bonita – El Mercado at Casa Bonita:

Bring the magic of Casa Bonita home to family and friends: everyone’s favorite iconic restaurant offers Casa Bonita gifts, housewares, clothing, accessories and more online at the Mercado. They’ve got the usual array of t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats, but their gifts go beyond the expected. Dog lover on your list? Consider the triangle bandana, CB collar or metal pet bowl. Kitchen aficionado? Pick up an apron, margarita mix, cooking sauce, or salsa sampler from Executive Chef Dana Rodriguez. Puzzler or gamer on your list got you stumped? You can’t go wrong with the Sorsoro Magic set or the fantastical Tower Puzzle, made by locally-owned Liberty Puzzles and featuring shapes from Casa Bonita like divers, musicians, sopaipillas and more. Browse online for more gift ideas.

Make a statement with every sip:

If you’re looking for a local gift with giving component, consider Purple Door Coffee, which provides job skills training to young people exiting homelessness. In a gift that keeps on giving, pick up the curated holiday gift box that showcases three bags of coffee, each offering a unique profile that promises to capture the attention of the coffee lover on your list and arrives beautifully packaged to the lucky recipient. Make statement with every sip.

Self-care home spa:

For a thoughtful self-care gift that won’t break the bank, consider a Shower Bundle from ReRoot, local RiNo plant shop offering aromatic bundles of real flowers and greenery, hand selected, assembled with intention and always containing three different types of eucalyptus plus herbs and flowers. Steam from your shower releases the aromatics, turning your shower into a home spa. Choose from the original Shower Bundle ($34), the Verde ($28), or the Magical (42) which includes a real crystal to enhance the aromatherapy effects. 

Merfs Condiments:

Turn up the heat when the weather gets cold with Merfs Condiments, 11 different flavors of small-batch, high-quality hot sauces made with organic ingredients to dot, drizzle, or douse on your favorite dishes.  We suggest the Merfs “Make Your Own” 4 Pack for the holidays; a few fan-favorites flavors to consider include the Merfs Wildfire Whiskey (cranberry, cinnamon and vanilla); Merfs Jamberry, a fruity and spicy sriracha packed with notes of berry and spicy chili pepper; and Merfs Electric Lime, the all-time best-seller that’s savory and fresh bright green, made with jalapeno and hatch green chilies, onions, garlic and fresh lime juice.   

Anti-Big Box Store – Stanley Marketplace:

I know I already sent you the Small Biz Saturday overview of the day for Stanley Marketplace, so just wanted to include a few specific ideas from them here as well if you wanted items for a gift guide:

A hand-curated “Joy Box” from Trunk Nouveau will be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season: this boutique husband-and-wife duo shop does the work for you, asking you a few questions about the recipient who will delight in discovering a variety of delights hand curated and beautifully gift wrapped for you. Each box is stuffed full with “a few of our favorite things,” wrapped up in the signature purple box with tissue and string and creates a gift that’s unique, unexpected and promise to be full of joy. Each box is guaranteed to be filled with $65 worth of gifts for just $50.

Sustainable gifts are on everyone’s lists this year and a visit to Zero Market is a must: consider the unique housewares like reusable paper towels, room aroma sprays or bamboo utensils; body care items like natural bandages, headache ease and skin balms; and you can even find an array of natural makeup and cosmetics, and take care of yourself AND the environment with these re-usable, refillable shaving kits.

For a tasty gift, be sure to pick up a few handcrafted truffles or the divine chocolate chip cookies, wrapped beautifully and ready to go from Miette e Chocolat; everyone knows that the perfect pairing to a chocolate chip sea salt cookie is a light bodied Cabernet so be sure to pop across the hall just the right bottle from Mr. B’s Wine & Spirits.

There’s no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing and the Scandinavians have the market on winter style and smarts. Aktiv at Stanley Marketplace is the exclusive carrier of many Nordic and Scandinavian premium brands for men, children and women; every garment in the shop is personally tested by shopkeeper Nate Axvig who also values sustainability, longevity and quality for every sweater, jacket, glove, boots, bag and gear that finds its way into the store. You can even browse by activity online here.

Producing art and architectural design elements for 20 years, the team at Industrial Luxury Home offers artisan-made home goods, furnishing, hardware, and accessories plus unique lighting and art installations to bring life and character to any space as we cozy up to home in the winter months.

One more for best for the weekend and holiday events consideration, in case it’s a fit: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and McGregor Square in historic LoDo is lit up with the magic of the holidays, officially kicking off the holiday season on Black Friday (11/24) with an evening full of sparkle and fun.

The McGregor Skate ice skating rink opens on 11/24 with a special skate performance at 6:30 pm, Santa will be stationed inside Milepost Zero accepting wish lists and welcoming photo ops from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, and The Denver Gents will be caroling outdoors for all to hear from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. All around the Square there will be things to see, hear, do and enjoy.

For the holiday season, McGregor Square is the place to be. All details on the festive fun, entertainment, activities, pop-ups and more will be shared throughout the season HERE. A few highlights include:

A winter wonderland: McGregor Square transforms for the season into a winter wonder playland, complete with a beautiful ice skating rink, sparkly lights all around, live entertainment, personal s’mores stations, and towering above it all, the grand 33’ Christmas tree anchoring the plaza, decked out for the season with more than 15,000 lights.

Always something to see + do: Embrace the joy of the season with McGregor Square’s lineup of festive events every day and night, including favorite holiday movie trivia nights, live local trios performing traditional carols, Sleigh Days with festive drag performances, DJs spinning favorite tunes while you skate, favorite holiday movies shown on the McGregor Square giant screen, and more. McGregor Square offers a never-ending array of memory-making activities for all.

Something for everyone to eat + drink: Enjoy crave-worthy fare at Caldéro, for your Italian fix it’s Carmine’s on McGregor Square, or choose between 35 taps on the pour-your-own beer wall and the five food counters under one roof at Milepost Zero. And no visit to McGregor Square this holiday season is complete without a stop at Milepost Zero’s holiday-themed popup, Sleigh Bar – complete with festive decor, “nice-list” cocktails and specialty winter warmers.

Cross off your holiday shopping list: shop local and shop small at McGregor Square with unique offerings such as bespoke bouquets and centerpieces for holiday tablescapes and hostess gifts from Flowers on the Vine, gifts for all your Denver sports fans at The Rally Store, and new this holiday season, the popup toy store Peak-A-Boo Toys will be arriving on McGregor Square on 11/24.

Bonus: Visit on Small Business Saturday (11/25) and receive a voucher for one free skating during the season when you make a purchase from Peak-A-Boo Toys, Flowers on the Vine and/or The Rally Store.