Sometimes our hearts are bigger than our wallets, especially when it comes to gift-giving this time of year. And while pandemic shopping has been made all too easy — and impersonal — with Am*azon, metro Detroit shops and restaurants have been putting in the hard work to make sure they survived long enough to serve the community during the holidays. So, let's support them! Don't worry, you don't have to spend an arm or a leg (or your savings aka your Beanie Baby collection) to shop locally and thoughtfully. For this year's gift guide, Metro Times took our hard-hit budgets into consideration and discovered a whole Christmas list's worth of gifts all for under $50, all of which can be found in metro Detroit. While some stores remain open for in-person shopping, most, if not all, offer online/phone ordering for the homebound gift-giving experience.
Where to buy holiday gifts for under $50 in metro Detroit
By Metro Times editorial staff on Wed, Nov 25, 2020 at 9:04 am
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The Skip
1234 Library St., Detroit; theskipdetroit.comSippin’ Santa, $17; Sippin’ Santa Mug, $35
We might be skipping the holidays, but we’re not skipping out on holiday boozin’, which is made all the more festive thanks to a slew of special cocktails to go from Detroit cock-tail bar The Skip. There’s North Pole Punch (Bourbon, overproof and dark Jamaican rums, creme de banana, maple syrup, cinnamon syrup, and lime juice), or the Blitzen Bowl (Jamaican and Demerara rums, allspice dram, apricot brandy, Tuaca, ginger syrup, lime juice, angostura bitters, almond bitters), Sippin’ Santa (aged Demerara rum, amaro, nutmeg syrup, cinnamon syrup, lemon and orange juice), and a slew of other boozy bevs that come with their own garnishes to make the holidays merry, bright, and dizzy. Want to step up the Santa-ified sipping? The Skip is also selling a limited run of holiday-themed tiki drinkware. We recommend the Sippin’ Santa’s Tiki Tub ($59) be-cause who needs a glass when you can drink from a bowl?
Courtesy of The Skip
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Goldeluxe Jewelry
goldeluxe.comOasis ear cuff, $36
Minimalist jewelry lovers will love local online shop Goldeluxe, which offers versatile handmade pieces made for daily wear and fit for all budgets. Artist Libby Hopper-Trajkovski started her journey where many independent makers make their mark — Etsy. Originally a shop dedicated to reclaimed vintage wares sold out of her tiny Brook-lyn apartment, Trajkovski’s business has moved to Detroit, where she handcrafts stack-able rings from sterling silver or gold fill starting at $22 to pearl bracelets with 14k yel-low gold clasp for $120 and delicate wedding bands in 18k white gold starting at $156.
Photo courtesy of Goldeluxe
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Bombshell Treat Bar
bombshelltreatbar.comCozy-up Holiday Kit, $50
It may be a while until we’re sippin’ on eggnog, making fireplace s’mores, and swapping kisses with strangers underneath mistletoe. To keep the holidays sweet, new biz on the frozen dessert delivery block, Bombshell Treat bar has packed all of their greatest holi-day hits into one “Cozy-up Holiday Kit.” For $50, you can treat yourself (or, obviously, someone else) to dipped ice-cream sandwiches featuring cookies from Detroit Cookie Company, chocolate fondue sampler, and party pops.
Photo courtesy of Bombshell Treat
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DCreated Boutique
dcreatedboutique.com and a href="http://etsy.com/dcreatedboutique"> etsy.com/dcreatedboutiqueMushroom print dress, $31
Oh, baby, baby. Mush it real good! Confused? Don’t be. Detroit-based seamstress Brianna Williams started selling handmade eco-friendly baby clothing and accessories in 2011 under DCreated Boutique. In addition to being budget-flexible ($14-$55), the hustling, bustling online shop features whimsical prints, bloomers, baby bell bottoms, rompers, and vests for the precious little nugget muffin in your life.
Photo courtesy of DCreated Boutique
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Boston Tea Room
1220 Woodward Heights, Ferndale; 248-548-1415; bostontearoom.comWTF is Tarot?, $19.99; White sage with rose bud bundles, $18; Rider Tarot Deck, $22; Modern Witch Tarot Deck, $22; Fluorite tower, $18
If we could cleanse 2020 with sage, you know we would. Since that’s not really an op-tion, our best chance at making sure that next year is not the shitshow nightmare this year was, starts with looking inward and off Twitter. Thankfully, the spiritually in tune folks at Ferndale’s Boston Tea Room (now relocated in Metro Times’s former Ferndale offices) have all the tools, tea, talismans, and tarot to help lay the groundwork for a to-tally grounding holiday season. For the basic witch on a budget, they’ve got stones, pen-dulums, sage bundles, chime candles, and beginner tarot kits. For the wordy witch, explore Boston Tea Room’s extensive book collection, including books on herbology, root-work, dream interpretation, and Wicca. Not sure what to get the nice witch or warlock on your list? Book a session with one of Boston Tea Room’s psychic readers or healers.
Photo courtesy of Boston Tea Room
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Eternal Games
26501 Hoover Rd., Warren; 586-684-4263; eternalgamesllc.comStar Wars X-Wing, $39.99
If 2020 were a game, we —the collective we — would definitely be losing. But head into the inclusive Warren-based game haven Eternal Games and you’ll leave the winner of holiday gift giving. Specializing in tabletop role-playing like Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, Starfinder, and Star Wars: Legion (real nerds know). Eternal has a wide selection of board games, card-building games, dice, gaming accessories, as well as game-specific miniatures and all the tools needed to customize. Oh, and yes. They have the pandemic’s favorite pastime: puzzles.
Photo courtesy of Eternal Games/Fantasy Flight Games
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Melodies & Memories
23013 Gratiot Ave., Eastpointe; 586-774-8480; melodies-memories.business.siteA visit to Eastpointe's Melodies & Memories should come with a warning: Time is but a construct when entering this family-owned music museum/music-lover’s paradise. Oh, and you should set a budget. Not just for those lucky record gift recipients you should be exclusively shopping for, but for your damn self because we know you’re looking for a copy of The Doors’ L.A. Woman with that yellow cellophane window on the cover. Since 1988, Melodies & Memories has solidified its rightful place on the must-visit map for allegedly having more than 100,000 records in stock. They also made headlines twice in recent years: Once for selling the rarest 45 in the world, a copy of Frank Wilson's 1965 soul song "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" to rock star Jack White, and again for scoring a rare test pressing of Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit "Respect" just before the singer's death in 2018 — which they later loaned to the Detroit Historical Museum. What we’re saying is, you just never know what you might find here.
Photo by Steve Neavling
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Pewabic
10125 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-626-2000; pewabic.org2020 Snowflake “Frozen,” $26
2020 Holiday Snowflake collection, $26 for one, $75 for three. A gift from the legacy artisans of Detroit’s historic Pewabic pottery studio (which was established in 1903 and is registered as a National Historic Landmark) says a few things. For starters, it says you know Detroit and you want your gift recipient to have a little piece of the city’s history. And two, it means you’re ballin’ and maybe instead of a gift you should finally just pay back your Uncle Sal for that loan you took out when your ex-girlfriend wrecked your Prius. Anyway, a gift from Pewabic doesn't have to break the bank (but you can if you have a vase-lover on your list.) Take Pewabic’s 2020 Holiday Showcase, which features affordable festive ornament tiles for $26 or sets of three for $75.
Photo by EEBerger courtesy of Pewabic
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Hell Fire Detroit
120 E. Hudson Ave., Royal Oak; hellfiredetroit.comHot Box #1, $45
This year has been hell, right? Like, come on. A pandemic, a shitty president, and frig-gin’ Alex Trebek died. If you’re like us and feel like setting fire to this year but realize that’s not possible, why not just engulf your insides and the insides of a loved one with one of the tastiest most brutal hot sauces this side of Eight Mile. We’re talking, of course, about Hell Fire Detroit, a local purveyor of thoughtfully made hot sauces in a va-riety of flavors that have become a favorite of Hot Ones, the talk show with hot questions and even hotter wings. The perfect budget gift for the hottie in your life comes by way of Hell Fire’s Hot Box # 1, which comes with four flavors of hot sauce, all of which are all-natural, vegan, gluten-free, preservative-free and low-sodium, including: Poblano, Cherry Bomb, Manzana, and Habanero. No, but really. These are really hot. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Photo courtesy of Hell Fire Detroit
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Carhartt
5800 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-1274; carhartt.comKnit insulated face mask, $19.99
It may not be a social holiday season for us Michiganders, but chances are it will be cold and we’ll be alone with nothing but edibles, whiskey, and our social media accounts to keep us warm. To fend off the chill in your bones all while looking like a blue-collar snack, enter 131-year-old Dearborn-born American workwear brand turned-streetwear favorite Carhartt, which has everything from winter-friendly face masks and classic win-ter beanies to sherpa-lined coats and plaid fleece onesies for the future hipster on your list. Why not just stock up on goodies for yourself? After all, Santa is not in your pan-demic pod.
Photo courtesy of Carhartt
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Janet’s Closet + Dungeon 2317 Fort St., Wyandotte; 734-285-2609; janetsdungeon.com
Fetish Fantasy Extreme Chastity Belt Cock Cage, $49.95
It may feel like we’ve been locked in a dungeon for the last five, six, er, almost nine months (what is time, anyway?) but we guarantee that your home dungeon has got nothing on Janet’s Dungeon in Wyandotte. Occupying 15,000 square feet of space, Janet’s has both a closet and a dungeon. Owned by a transgender woman, Janet’s Closet touts itself as “the world’s largest cross-dressing store,” offering a dizzying selection of apparel, breast forms, body-shaping gear, wigs, and toys. The Dungeon, which is under the same roof, is a fetishist’s paradise catering to lovers of electro play, BDSM, chastity cages, chin-dos, ring gags, nipple clamps, and medical play. Oh, and if your safeword is “budget,” you’re in luck. (By the way, our safeword is “Dorito dust.” Don’t ask.)
Courtesy of Janet’s Dungeon
It may feel like we’ve been locked in a dungeon for the last five, six, er, almost nine months (what is time, anyway?) but we guarantee that your home dungeon has got nothing on Janet’s Dungeon in Wyandotte. Occupying 15,000 square feet of space, Janet’s has both a closet and a dungeon. Owned by a transgender woman, Janet’s Closet touts itself as “the world’s largest cross-dressing store,” offering a dizzying selection of apparel, breast forms, body-shaping gear, wigs, and toys. The Dungeon, which is under the same roof, is a fetishist’s paradise catering to lovers of electro play, BDSM, chastity cages, chin-dos, ring gags, nipple clamps, and medical play. Oh, and if your safeword is “budget,” you’re in luck. (By the way, our safeword is “Dorito dust.” Don’t ask.)
Courtesy of Janet’s Dungeon
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Third Wave Music
4625 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-312-0995; thirdwavedetroit.comIf 2020 were a musical genre, it would absolutely be nu metal. Isolation, loneliness, and, well, not to be morbid, but we are in fact “Down with the Sickness.” For those wishing to change their tune, there’s Detroit’s friendly neighborhood music shop Third Wave Music. Third Wave owner Jen David has spun her passion into a place where music nerds can fight over a vintage synth and where newbies can discover that, with a little practice, they too can play the opening lick from “Smoke on the Water.” They have budget-friendly accessories, as well as an ever-changing selection of new, used, and vintage instruments, gear, and accessories. The shop also offers consignment, repairs, and, for pandemic times, virtual guitar, piano, and voice lessons.
Photo courtesy of Third Wave Music
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Rebel Nell
1314 Holden St., Detroit; rebelnell.comBianca bracelet, $62-$75
Glamour on a mission? Look no further than Detroit-based jeweler Rebel Nell, which creates one-of-a-kind pieces from flecks of fallen Detroit graffiti while employing and educating women facing employment barriers. Started in 2013 by Amy Peterson, Rebel Nell hires women as creative designers and then teaches them to craft jewelry from graf-fiti. The independent company also provides additional support for the women they em-ploy, with sales for select items going directly to the women working to make Rebel Nell’s wearable art. As if it couldn’t get any more merry, Rebel Nell’s graffiti wares can accommodate most budgets, with statement wine stoppers for $40, earrings starting at $50, simple necklaces for $65, and large pendant necklaces for $145.
Photo courtesy of Rebel Nell
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Detroit Fudge Company
2251 W. Liberty Rd. Ann Arbor; 734-882-2917; detroitfudge.comMint Dark Chocolate Barracuda Bar, $25-$30
We’d be hard-pressed to find a more iconic duo than cannabis and fudge. Though cannabis and peanut butter are a close second, Detroit Fudge Company has all the cannalicious holiday treats for edible lovers who want nothing more than to watch Die Hard and forget that 2020 ever happened. In addition to their cannabis-infused brownie bites, honey, and peanut butter spreads, Ann Arbor-based Detroit Fudge Company has what is sure to be a new seasonal favorite: mint chocolate bars that pack a punch. The 1:1 bars are equipped with a whopping 100mg of CBD and 100mg of THC and come in milk and dark chocolate varieties, too. Detroit Fudge Company products can be found at licensed recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries in metro Detroit. (Pro-tip: Search Detroit Fudge Company on WeedMaps.com to locate buzzy, fudgy goodness near you.)
Photo courtesy of Detroit Fudge Company
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Literati
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor; 734-585-5567; literatibookstore.comOne of Ann Arbor’s most beloved bookstores, Literati has something for all the readers on your list. Need a copy of Barack Obama’s Promised Land ($45) for Dad and Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics ($50) for Mom, and I Want to Be Where The People Are ($28) by Rachel Bloom for your cynical sis? Literati, which raised $100,000 in 48 hours during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic to avoid permanent closure, is offering online and curbside service to keep us read-y for a homebound holiday.
Photo courtesy of Mike Gustafson of Literati
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Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy Shop
21714 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-771-6770; whistle-stop.comAll aboard the crazy train, y’all. OK — so maybe 2020 was the craziest train, but that doesn’t mean all hope, dreams, and whimsy go out the window. We know you’ve got little ones on your list and while big-box toy stores have mostly shuttered — which has left icons like Geoffrey the giraffe unemployed — mom-and-pop shops are keeping toy-giving on the rails with their curated selection of must-have toys, games, and the classics. St. Clair Shores’ family-operated Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy shop has been serving metro Detroit since 1970, offering an array of model trains, dolls, books, musical instruments, fun educational tools, and, yes, Legos.
Photo courtesy of Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy Shop
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The Lip Bar
1435 Farmer St., Ste. 122, Detroit; 313-506-9679; thelipbar.comBawse Lady, liquid matte, $13
The Lip Bar in Detroit is not just a place to snag a vegan, cruelty-free, long-lasting, totally moisturizing lipstick in a color flattering to all skin tones — it’s a lifestyle. Launched in 2012 by Melissa Butler, who started the company from her kitchen table while working on Wall Street, and later, was turned down by the sharks of Shark Tank, the Lip Bar touts its pout as being one that is inclusive to all. Oh, did we mention it’s perfect for the budget-conscious beauty-lover on your list? More than a dozen shades of lip color in matte, gloss, and liquid, each one pictured on the site in various skin tones. Pro-tip: Do not sleep on their $99 Fast Face kits.
Photo courtesy of The Lip Bar
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Pages Bookshop
19560 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-473-7342; pagesbkshop.comThis bookstore in Detroit’s historic Grandmont-Rosedale neighborhood boasts a care-fully curated collection of books from and about Detroit, and frequently hosts intimate readings from nationally acclaimed authors. Though the Pages staff, including top sales cat Pip, are working to fulfill online-only orders as the store is closed, Pages’ site offers staff suggestions, like Monogamy by Sue Miller and Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. Thanks, Pip!
Photo courtesy of Pages Bookshop
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Lover's Lane
27246 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak | 19190 Eureka Rd., Southgate | 33225 S. Gratiot Ave., Clinton Twp. | 43735 Van Dyke Ave., Sterling Heights | 620 W. Ann Arbor Rd., Ann Arbor | 1527 Washtenaw Rd., Ypsilanti; loverslane.comHome for the Holidays Teddy, $32
Nothing makes us drier than hearing the words “social distancing” or “pandemic pod,” which is why we might need a little help from our battery-operated friends. Whether you’re quarantining alone, with a partner, spouse, or sultry roommate who, like you, is ready to split the water bill (we honestly don’t know what that means, but we are very horny) dil-don’t underestimate the power of Michigan-based Lover’s Lane. Naughty or nice, Lover’s Lane has gifts for all budgets, all tastes, and all holes, including, plugs, harnesses, wands, vibes, and rings, as well as sexy apparel to set the mood and all the lubricants needed to reach maximum pleasure, including new CBD-infused lubes. Into butt stuff? Is BDSM your bag? What about roleplay? Ready to introduce pegging in the new year? No one has a higher sex drive than Lover’s Lane.
Photo courtesy of Lover’s Lane
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