Dive in and let’s get some amazing gifts for the holidays!! None of this is sponsored content, I curated this whole list from brands I love, things I’ve bought, and people I adore. Tons of local and small businesses as well as some of my favorite national brands that fill out a lot of my wardrobe. Some of these items include affiliate links where I get a small commission.

Don’t miss my guide to volunteering! And my guide to holiday BONUS gift cards at restaurants.

Please forward this to friends!! You can subscribe to my weekly free email too – I send out restaurant and community news plus fun things to do every Friday morning! SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: DeRushaDownload.Substack.Com

LOCAL GIFTS & ART

PENS: I am obsessed with Barry Rubin’s selection of fun and luxurious pens. I have about a half-dozen rollerball pens from Barry, email him NOW with a favorite color or hobby or alma mater and he’ll hook you up. EMAIL: penstore@gmail.com

Gamut Gallery: We shop the Raging Art On every year – ornaments, jewelry, affordable local art. Open Thurs-Saturday until 7pm, also lots online.

Bench Pressed: Hilarious letter pressed cards, great gift selection in Seward Minneapolis.

Other favorite Art stops: Kickernick Gallery in downtown Minneapolis has an amazing selection and Drew Beson Art Gallery in the Shops at West End (it’s his art in my new living room).

MUSEUM SHOPS: The Walker’s shop is smaller than it once was, still tons of cool jewelry and gifty items. Mill City Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts (mia) are huge faves of ours. Textile Center has a holiday gallery shop too.

STATE FAIR TICKETS: Tuesday November 26th Flash Sale, They’re just $14. December 2 they go on pre-sale for $15. Normally $18 at the door. https://fluence-media.co/4fTY4Ua

KIND LIPS HOLIDAY PACK:My friend Josh’s company that fights bullying with kindness. $16/4 – stocking stuffer!

FASHION FOR MEN AND DADS

Jaxen Grey is where I do most of my local shopping. Woodbury, Ridgedale and North Loop. Shop online

Billy Reid: Great store at 50th & France, ask Kristin for fashion advice, she’s the best. BillyReid.com

Todd Snyder: I wish we had a store here – but I shop online at Todd Snyder all the time. I like this Crewneck in bisque 30% right now

J. Crew: I know! J. Crew is back! 50% off most everything Great prices, terrific style and quality too. I have a lot of these Secret Wash cotton poplin shirts.

Madewell: Both Alyssa & I shop at Madewell, great basics, terrific denim. 40% off everything right now. Madewell.com

GQ Box: I’ve subscribed to the GQ Best Stuff Box for at least 3 years. Shows up quarterly, has mens grooming and style products. I love it. $186 for a year, 4 boxes, well worth it. LINK TO GQ BOX

Houston White x Target: Local entrepreneur Houston White designs 4 collections a year with Target. Affordable price point and great style. Get it here.

LOCAL FASHION FOR WOMEN AND MOMS – AlyssaStyled Approved

Requisite: Alyssa loves going to Requisite in the North Loop (now with a full online store too!) Libby is the best – wonderful team there to give advice too.

Goldfine Jewelry: We love Sara Goldfine Baratz, she makes jewelry for the women in your life (we have many pieces) and also for the young women with Little G! Shop online.

Filigree Jewelers:From vintage to modern, Catherine, Brent, Sharon, Tamara – they have impeccable taste and can help you pick out the perfect special gift. North Loop location

De Nova robe: Designed, cut and sewn in Minnesota by a Target exec, I bought one of these for Alyssa years ago.

Flirt Boutique: Amazing customer service from Jessica – don’t be nervous to shop for lingerie or luxury sleepwear! [online store]

Nordstrom: I know, I know, but the Nordstrom sale is fantastic. Black Friday deals + 60% off clearance.

WATCHES

TC Time & Luxury: I get all my watches from David Brenke. He’s spent his career working in luxury watches – he can find anything you need, but his showroom in St. Louis Park is stocked with pre-loved Rolex, Tudor and IWC to more entry-level Seiko. Tell David I sent you, he’ll give you an even better deal than normal! SHOP the online collection

FOR THE FOOD LOVER

Eversharp has the best in-store selection of knives I’ve ever seen and it’s run by just the nicest family in the world. ONLINE: or IN STORE: 344 Taft St NE, Minneapolis.

Brunoise does Whetstone knife sharpening and has subscriptions. Great work, great chef owns this [online]

Umei: Home goods and stationary, just a little treasure of a shop especially if you love the clean lines of Japanese goods.

Delicacies Jewelry: Locally, woman-owned jewelry company with food & ingredients (Baguettes, pickles, etc). Part of profits goes to fight hunger. delicaciesjewelry.com

COFFEE LOVERS

FELLOW: My wife bought me the pre-Christmas gift of the Aiden coffee maker, which mimics the style of a pour-over with the ease of a drip coffee maker. LINK TO AIDEN

Pour-over curious? This would be a nice design-forward alternative to a Chemex, the Stagg Pourover.

TRADE COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION: I’m a subscriber – I love that I get coffee from roasters all over the U.S. You set how often you want to get it and the flavor profile you enjoy. SUB AND GET YOUR FIRST BAG FREE.

MY FAVORITE LOCAL BEANS: UP Coffee Roasters ($16/12 oz is a bargain); S.K. Coffee in St. Paul; GET DOWN COFFEE Co. in North Minneapolis, Duluth Coffee Company, Cuckoo Coffee from White Bear Lake.

COCKTAIL LOVERS

CUSTOM BOURBON BARREL: A Minnesota distillery is bottling a custom bourbon in a small wooden barrel you can have customized to your company or your family. Such a cool gift. LINK TO LITTLE ROUND STILL

GLASSWARE: We love Estelle Colored Glass – great for design-lovers. Riedel is our fave – we adore the drink-specific rocks glass, for wine I use the Performance line

CLEAR ICE: I’m a huge stan for Minnesota Pure Clear Ice – most liquor stores have the cubes, spheres and shards. LOCATIONS: https://fluence-media.co/4f29zbU

INFLUENCER TOOL-KIT

I have an Amazon storefront with the tripod I use, the gimbal I use to stabilize video, the microphones I use – all of it on Amazon. LINK TO STOREFRONT