Shop Small, Shop Local

(2025 edition)

If there’s ever a year to really back off holiday shopping, this is it. The economy is terrible, on purpose, for obvious and correctable reasons. Capitalism is only making the mega-rich richer, and they’re pulling up the ladder, and it has become impossible to pretend that we have a chance at getting rich ourselves, if we just worked a little harder and got lucky. Please do anything within your power to stop giving huge corporations money. They hate you, they’re supporting authoritarianism, and they’re abusing both their customers and their workers. The convenience isn’t worth it.

For a few years now, we’ve been sharing this list of local and/or small businesses to help you find imaginative holiday gifts for your friends and family. Do you need any of this stuff? Nope! We beg you to take a deep breath, talk to your friends and family, and take it easy this year. Agree to back away from consumerist overload and Temu landfill.

But everyone likes giving and receiving a thoughtful gift, so here are a few ideas that will support good people and their families and their communities.

Of course, we’re running a business here, so we’d love your support. Midwest Ephemera is finally up and running in our new shop, and we’d love to work with you. Some ideas:

• We can make unique custom holiday cards (but get in touch now!)
• We can host a letterpress printing class for you and your friends or family—many options, for all skill levels.
• Set up a DJ or record collector friend with customized 45 sleeves
• We make fine custom stationery or notepads or bookplates

Very soon we’ll have handmade beautiful gift certificates that can be used for all the above. But there’s time. You don’t need to shop right now. Take it easy. Stay home this weekend, turn off the computer, and enjoy time with your family, your friends, yourself.

Here are many more ideas. Friends, if I’ve forgotten you, it’s my bad, not yours, I’m happy to add you.

Gifts/Apparel

Buddy part of the Lumpenverse, features products from Chicago artists.
Beside Ourselves candles, scarves, shoelaces, greeting cards
Nerfect Mr. Walters’ awesome plushies, pins, artwork, lots of pugs
Shirts So Good obscure classic rock and pop culture t-shirts
Busy Beaver Button Co. order custom pins, stickers, magnets, and more
Gross Glass glass jewelry, accessories, and art
Field Notes, made-in-USA memo books and accessories

Books

Howling Pages Comic books/zines/graphic novels in Chicago
Open Books a great local resource for used (and new) books
Quimby’s a Chicago book/zine institution
Charles H. Kerr a historic Chicago publisher of leftist/labor books
Matter (Denver) the mighty Rick Griffith’s bookstore/giftshop, heavy on art, design, and social issues.
Thriftbooks.com I sure wouldn’t be offended if you gifted me a used book (or two) instead of spending $35 on a new one (See also: records). Thriftbooks is so cheap I kinda feel like I shouldn’t tell people about it.

Records

Orbit Records my neighborhood shop
Bucket O’ Blood another fave, punk and horror books, movies, and records
Jump Up Chuck Wren’s Ska/Reggae superstore
Revolver Records (Pensacola) my old pal Elvis
Everybody’s and Shake It (Cincinnati) my two favorites, anywhere.

Scooter/Motorcycle

Vespa Club of Chicago and Slaughterhouse rally merchandise.
Tarnish local shop w/great gifts, esp for women motorcyclists
Vintage Scooter Centre, Ken K.’s local repair service.
Support your local scooter shops
(Too many to list, ask for specific references based on location/needs!)

Artists/Printmakers

C’mon Home does what I do, in the same room, if you don’t wanna work with me. : )
Starshaped Press Jen. is. the. best. letterpress. artist. anywhere.
Kent Smith mixed-media pop art paintings, so great.
Chema Skandal posters, zines, slipmats, t-shirts
René Arceo wood and lino-cut prints
Ben Blount posters and books
Brad Vetter (Louisville) music posters
Rob Syers (St. Louis) Gumballhead the Cat and “Space Witches”
Phineas X. Jones paintings and prints
Hoofprint ceramics, prints, zines
Steven Shay mixed-media collages, lots of Chicago content
Paper Perennial why buy real flowers that die when you can buy amazing paper flowers?
Landis Blair bet you didn’t know you need a Victorian gothic pet portrait

I’m lucky to have so many amazing printmaking/artist friends… let me know if you’re looking for something specific and I’ll point you towards it.

Partners in Print and Ladies of Letterpress offer a few gift items, but more importantly offer classes and resources for new printers. If you’re donating some cash this year, I’d love to see it go their way.

Off the List

After many years of telling anyone who will listen to support Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum, the museum’s Board of Directors went way off the rails this year, and is doing its best to destroy this amazing museum. We love the staff, and they’re putting up a good fight, but things look bad.

In the last few days, HWT board has forced out our friends Jen and Abby, both a huge loss to the museum. You can help support Abby by checking out her totally sweet Etsy site, Ordinary Artifacts, full of amazing vintage ephemera and random items.

Experiences/Services

New Rose Catering meal delivery, events, or cooking classes
The Lincoln Lodge comedy events and classes, with creepy clown paintings.
Crybaby Tattoo tattoos by Nina Flomp, or support your favorite tattoo artist.
Get your tickets for Heart of Chicago Soul Club’s New Years Eve party

Online Advent Calendar

The Advent Project is a great cheap, simple gift, an online advent calendar featuring writing and art from Chicago, pay $10 for yourself and then give it to a bunch of friends for only $5 each.

More gift ideas, for yourself and others:

Support BIPOC and LGBTQ folks
Write
Read
Support local music (bands/labels/venues)
Make music
Support museums
Make art
Hire an artist to paint your garage
Support local theater
Go to a puppet show
Produce a play
Support local breweries and distilleries
Support mutual-aid programs
Support local shops and businesses
Support local independent restaurants
Learn something
Teach something
Cook for your family and friends
Grow food
Help a friend clean or repair their home
Buy used goods
Repair things
Customize/modify things
Volunteer
Be happy things aren’t worse
Work to make things better.
Go outside. Breathe. Be thankful, that’s what Thanksgiving is for.

Duh. We all know this, i’m preaching to the choir, we’re all doing the best we can, but please keep fighting, it’s important.