You’ve been earning and learning in your pajamas, so why not do your holiday shopping in them, too? Artisans, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs throughout Ohio produce a wide range of exceptional items that you can buy online or by telephone. No mask is needed, and you’ll be giving twice — once to family and friends and again to Ohio’s economy.
Antiquation, Medina
Antiquation, Medina
Designer Eric Schultz creates rustic and highly original home décor from reclaimed wood and metal. His Ohio-shaped cutouts cleverly showcase both materials and can be made to your specifications. If you like his style but don’t know what to choose, Antiquation offers gift cards that come in a string-drawn burlap sack.
7Thirty8 Apparel, Zanesfield
Designer and screen printer Matt Overholt makes every T-shirt, hoodie, and sweatshirt that he sells. People love the softness and quality of his garments, and Matt’s Ohio Adventure Club line combines state-themed graphics with his love of the outdoors. He also takes custom orders, and for special events, his food truck-inspired mobile print shop serves up made-to-order tees and tote bags.
Blue Jacket Dairy, Bellefontaine
Angel and Jim King not only turn local cow and goat milk into artisan cheeses but also give their products names — like Hull’s Trace, a semi-hard cheddar — that reference Ohio history. Their fresh cheese curds come in several yummy flavors; Gretna Grillin’ tastes like a toasted cheese sandwich without the bread, and spreadable Cranberry Quark glides onto crackers for an easy appetizer.
Copper Moon Studio, Holland
Led by Stacy and Dan Owen, the artists at Copper Moon Studio excel at creating fun and functional items — including clocks, coasters, and suncatchers — from metal and fused glass. Their “Family Is Forever Tree” is a customer favorite that features a plasma-cut steel tree with multicolored glass leaf magnets that you can personalize with names and dates.
Dietsch Brothers, Findlay
Making fine chocolates and ice cream for generations, the Dietsch family operates two landmark sweet shops in Findlay, where their famous chocolate-covered pretzels and exclusive Snowballs — vanilla cream dipped in dark chocolate and hand-rolled in coconut — are sold year-round. Dietsch’s Candy Cane Bark is ideal for stuffing stocking, but be advised: Its scrumptious brittles — peanut, coconut, and sea salt caramel — are available only from mid-October to Christmas.
Just Pizzelles, Cortland
Pizzelles are a beloved Christmas cookie in Italy, but Christina Benton offers more than the traditional flavors of anise, vanilla, amaretto, and lemon. She bakes the world’s largest selection of pizzelles — more than 90 different kinds ranging from Apple Butter to White Chocolate Raspberry. Her holiday assortments include handwritten gift cards and festive flavor options such as Candy Cane, Gingerbread, and Sugar Plum.
Lisa Inglert Jewelry, Cincinnati
Customers call Lisa Inglert’s necklaces, bracelets, and earrings “happy jewelry,” because her vibrant colors and whimsical designs brighten their day whenever they wear them. Joking that she plays with fire in her studio, Lisa handcrafts dazzling glass beads that she envelops in sterling silver and gold-filled metal. Her bestselling collection — Secret Garden — features enchanting butterflies, bees, and blossoms.
Lucky Levi’s Leather, Logan
At his workshop in the Hocking Hills, leatherworker and South Central Power Company member Jerry Swank expertly crafts Old West holsters and gun belts year-round. At Christmas, he makes splendid-looking stockings from suede and vegetable-tanned leather. Available in various colors, the stockings can be personalized and are sturdy enough to hold plenty of goodies...or lumps of coal.
Melody Elizabeth, Hamilton
Melody Elizabeth Doyel has been sewing since age 7. She loves antique textiles and is a fashion aficionado. Doyel employs those traits to transform vintage needlepoints and tapestries into handbags and totes. Add leather backings and feminine details like bejeweled ribbons, tassel fringe, and rhinestone closures, and — voila! — her items are durable, beautiful, and unique.
Michael’s Artisan Chocolates, Bexley
Since chocolatier Michael Gillam specializes in little works of edible art, it’s no surprise that customers often say his Belgian chocolates look almost too pretty to eat. Michael’s vividly colored pecan turtles truly are eye candy, and his spicy caramel collection — handmade soft caramel infused with ghost chili and other peppers — delivers a sweet-spicy flavor combination like no other chocolate.
Packer Creek Pottery, Genoa and Perrysburg
Holiday cheer takes on a whole new meaning with Packer Creek Pottery’s bright and boldly colored majolica. Founder Jan Pugh and owner/artist Julie Harbal produce imaginatively patterned pieces — including realistic cabbage leaf platters and bowls in red and green — at their Genoa studio and display their gorgeous wares at galleries in Genoa and Perrysburg.
Prospect Jam Co., Cincinnati
Owner Emily Hutton crafts jam and marmalade from locally grown fruits and organic cane sugar and takes pride in using the traditional French method of small batches cooked in copper pots. Her repertoire of innovative flavors includes Black Currant Preserves with Bergamot and Dark Chocolate, Strawberry Jam with Rosemary and Terroir Gin, Blood Orange Marmalade with Rye Whiskey and Vanilla Bean, and Yuletide favorite Red Pear with Gingerbread Spice and Molasses.
STEM Handmade Soap, Lakewood and Shaker Heights
Using natural ingredients and formulations developed in-house, owners Dave Willet and Steve Meka make wonderfully aromatic artisan soaps, body butters, and bath bombs. Holiday scents include Sugar Plum and Frankincense and Myrrh, but for a one-of-a-kind gift, get their six-pack of beer soap. It’s made from local microbrews and includes an IPA, lager, pilsner, stout, hefeweizen, and lambic.
The Fat Cat Factory, Parma
Forget about trite and tiresome tomato-shaped pincushions. Kathleen Schmid sews pincushions with personality. Based on her fat cat, Spooky, Kathleen’s original patterns include animals, occupations, hobbies, and holidays, and with their weighted bottoms and large bellies, her pincushions are practical as well as playful. Tip: Her new Plague Doctor pincushion makes a perfect 2020 memento.
The Happy Groundhog Studio, Cincinnati
Groundhogs and narwhals and owls, oh my! Art Academy of Cincinnati graduate Melissa Bracken hand-stitches cute and cuddly stuffed creatures and pillows made from eco-friendly felts and upcycled sweaters. Everything Melissa creates — even her three-eyed monsters — has a small red heart that signifies the love she puts into her work.
White Collar Woodsmen, Monroe
In 2015, Patrick Gorden made his first scented beard oil for the groomsmen at his wedding. Today, he and his wife, Sarah, hand-make an entire line of affordable beard oils and waxes that smell great and feel luxurious. White Collar Woodsmen’s signature gift set features five popular scents — including After the Storm, a refreshing blend of jasmine, lemon, and rosemary — handsomely packaged in a charred wine box or crate.
