You know that saying, “When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a happy dance?” It’s not an urban legend – it’s real, and it comes from the joy of sharing the creations of your heart and hands. The longer we live and work in the Downtown Kitchener community, the more we fall in love with the little shops and services that make DTK a unique place. Our small business neighbours are our friends, our partners and the truth is, they’re actually really awesome!
There’s another saying about the intersection of consumerism and community: “When you buy from a small business, you’re not helping a CEO buy a third holiday home.” When you buy from small, local businesses in DTK, you’re helping a young adult make rent and chip away at student loans, or helping parents put food on the table for their family. The dollars we earn and spend do have significance. Shopping local and small serves multiple purposes: your loved one gets a treat, a local business owner or maker succeeds, and you connect to your local economy through an individual relationship that you can feel good about.
In this post, we’re highlighting a few of our favourite downtown places for gift-giving inspiration (and maybe a smidge of treating yourself, too). We highly recommend you check them out, and inspire real life happy dances in our downtown core!
Queen Street Yoga’s round-up of DTK Holiday cheer!
- Legacy Greens and their Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 1st from 1:00pm-4:00pm: you’ll find the basics like fresh produce and delicious snacks, and also luxurious handmade soaps and essential oil-scented candles. Keep your eyes peeled for their online Christmas Shoppe that returns every November/December.
- The Queen Street Commons: a cafe and shop helmed by the Working Centre. The goods on sale range from works of art to body-care products, all made by local artisans just getting their small businesses started.
- A Second Look Books: a cozy space with an amazing selection of curated fiction and non-fiction books, and films. Make sure you clear your schedule for this one, you could be browsing the stacks and taking in that old-book smell for longer than you think!
- Golden Mean Wellness: part shop, part clinic, this space is dedicated to all things health and wellbeing. These folks are dedicated to offering the highest quality products that the industry has to offer.
- The Holigay Market @ Fresh Ground on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 9:00am-1:00pm: this market features the best local LGBTQ2+ artists and is a fundraiser for the Rainbow Reels Queer & Trans Film Festival.
- The Christkindl Market gathers in front of Kitchener City Hall from Dec 6-9. This festive market features plenty of local small businesses and artisans.
If you’re stopping by Queen Street Yoga this holiday season, we’re hoping to spread a little extra coziness and cheer by putting all of our retail selections on sale at 15% off. We sell locally handmade beeswax candles and eye-pillows, and yoga props, yoga mats, and massage balls from Canadian companies. If you think someone special in your life might enjoy the gift of yoga, we are making that more affordable by selling $50 gift cards for $40, and $100 gift cards for $75.
Here are the folks at QSY that will do a happy dance when you shop with us this holiday season: Monica, Andy, Leena, Leslie and Emma! We live and breathe Queen Street Yoga, and love sharing movement and mindfulness practices with the community.
We hope this little DTK guide helps you feel good about your holiday spending choices. We believe in a win-win-win situation that supports both the spirit of the season and your local community. We hope to see you out and about in the next few weeks!
The Branches 