Special Advertising Section
This holiday season express your love for family and friends with gifts made and sold right here in Northwest Ohio.
Want to put your own time and energy into your gift? Visit Handmade Toledo at 1717 Adams St. for all the supplies and resources for creating that perfect do-it-yourself present.
Go wild on a gift and check out the Toledo Zoo’s gift shop—North Star Trading Post. The zoo has a wide array of items for animal lovers of all ages including stuffed animals, puzzles, clothing, games and zoo gift certificates.
Have your priceless home movie media preserved for future generations at Transfer Me to DVD, 5318 Heatherdowns Blvd just west of Reynolds Road. They will transfer on 8mm/16mm (silent/sound), video tapes, slides/photos, audio reel to reel, cassettes, records, 8- track tapes, camera hard drives/memory cards to DVD, digital, and more.
Author Julie Garwood once said, “Education isn’t just about feeding the brain. Art and music feed the heart and soul.” Forté couldn’t agree more. Both children and adults can benefit from brain-stimulating music lessons. Do you have someone in your life that’s a budding, or former, musician? Whether you’re getting them into the lesson room for the first time, or pushing them to revive an old passion, Forté Music School offers the perfect harmony of professionalism and pleasure. With over 35 music teachers, all with college training or professional performance experience, offering lessons in voice and more instruments than you can name, Forté has a well-earned reputation as the greater Toledo area’s largest music school. Students can learn a variety of styles, ranging from classical to contemporary pop—and everything in between—ensuring everyone finds something.
The Taste of Toledo features favorite local and state-made edibles. Located at 3110 Chappel Drive in Perrysburg, the shop will even ship the present right to your friend or loved one’s home.
The local sports nuts on your list would love a souvenir from the Swamp Shop, 500 Jefferson Ave. You’ll find a huge variety of Mud Hens, Walleye and Holy Toledo fan wear for men, women and children.
Toledo’s used bookstores, NeverMore (2856 West Sylvania also at 302 Conant in Maumee) and Encore (4400 Heatherdowns Boulevard #5), can help you discover some amazing hidden treasures.
The Friends of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library Book Center, at the corner of Reynolds Road and Hill Avenue, has a huge selection of gently used and even new books for $1 or less. There are thousands of books to browse and volunteers will help you find a perfect match for that hard-to-please person on your list. Visit toledolibrary.org/fol for hours.
For the person on your list who never turns down dessert, a pie (or three) from The Cinnamon Stick is a perfect present. For the holiday hostess or someone deserving of a sweet indulgence, find dozens of flavors of handmade fruit and cream pies, from classics like apple and pecan, to more unique selections, like Buckeye Cream, as well as a host of baked goods including cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, brownies, and more (all available by pre-in regular or mini sizes). For the more savory palate, their chicken pot pie and and flakey crust quiches also make great gifts.
Teenagers love all things vintage. Check out the unique, super soft, pigment dyed clothing items sold at Jupmode, 2022 Adams St. Popular items for teen-agers are crew, quarter zip and hoodie sweatshirts, beanie hats and T-shirts.
Give the aesthete in your life artwork suitable for world-famous galleries with a unique gift inspired by the Toledo Museum of Art’s collection at the Museum Store. New this year, the gorgeous, limited-edition TMA 2018 Goblet and the 2018 Bloom Ornament. During the shopping season, TMA members will receive 10 percent off all all eligible items. Non-members can still enjoy holiday promotions during December: nonmembers who spend a combined $35 with the store, café or on exhibition tickets, will receive free parking. Parking is free for Museum members.
It’s all about the kids
The holidays are all about the excitement in youngsters’ eyes when you give them that special gift.
Shop local at Learning Express in Sylvania and Fallen Timbers for your children and grandchildren.
They even offer free gift wrapping—a huge bonus during the busy holiday season.
There are a lot of great toys geared toward preschoolers who usually have a good grasp of fine motor skills and enjoy pretend play.
Here are a couple of unique finds to put under the tree:
Flappy the Elephant—This adorable animated plush sings and plays peekaboo with its ears. We promise it’ll make your baby smile!
Dimpl—Little hands will enjoy popping the colorful silicone bubbles back and forth with this satisfying sensory toy. With safe, durable construction, this toy is great for keeping baby entertained in the car, in the highchair or anytime.
Toddlers
An engaging gift that’s not full of little parts or choking hazards, this toy helps improve fine motor and sensory processing skills:
Gecko Blocks—Blocks are a basic every kid should own, and these lightweight foam blocks stick and stack, making it easy for little hands to build. Coated with a safe adhesive to make them cling to each other and hard services—try in the tub!—this is a great go-to.
By elementary school, kids have plenty of ideas of what they would like for the holidays, but if you need a little inspiration or just want something different, here are a few toys sure to be a hit:
Slime Case Shaker Storage Set—Anytime is slime time and this set makes it easy for your child to create their own, with six metallic slime powder pouches, three shakers, three figurines, glitter, confetti and stickers to customize the slime. Bonus—the mixing helps to teach basics of science and chemistry so your child is learning new concepts as they play.
DIY Journaling Set—Your child can create, personalize and decorate their own journal, fully engaging in the creative process by using 80 die-cut shapes, stickers, glitter tape and more. Bonus—this helps promote language and literacy skills!
For the middle school age group, it’s all about toys that encourage building, creativity and imagination.
Middle schoolers will feel a sense of accomplishment when they successfully build a robot or create something that is uniquely theirs.
Harry Potter themed LEGO Sets LEGOs are a great gift for this age, as kids can practice reading skills as they follow instructions to build specific sets. LEGOs are also great for encouraging creativity and imaginative play as kids build their own creations. Harry Potter themed sets are hot this season.
Happy shopping!
