Everyone on your list deserves a gift that’s as unique as they are. Find the perfect pick for everyone in your life at one of Toledo’s many fantastic independent businesses. We took a look at six locally owned favorites and found great gifts that your friends and family are sure to enjoy.
Forté Music School
3208 W. Sylvania Ave.
419-540-0070 | fortemusicandarts.com
9am-9pm, Monday-Friday.
9am-4pm, Saturdays.
Author Julie Garwood once said, “Education isn’t just about feeding the brain. Art and music feed the heart and soul.” We couldn’t agree more. Both children and adults can benefit from the brain-stimulating of 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 that is truly music to their ears.
Royal Deli Foods
112 W. Front St., Perrysburg
419-874-7451
Royaldelifoods.com
For busy friends, to those who have retired from the kitchen, to someone who just needs a little extra help, home delivered meals from Royal Deli Foods are a wonderful way to say, “Relax— I have you covered.” Locally owned and operated since 1956, the meal delivery service brings affordable, nutritious and colorful meals, full of fresh fruits and veggies, to their client’s home twice a week. Every week, clients choose from a diverse menu of a dozen entrees, plus new lunches, and then receive refrigerated, never frozen, meals that only need to be heated. In addition, Royal Deli Foods offers sandwiches, Jonny Almonds, and coffee available for delivery. Meals are developed by Northwest Ohio Area Office on Aging to ensure delicious meals that offer the best in senior nutrition. Ohio Medicaid PASSPORT approved.
Libbey Glass
Factory Outlet: 205 S. Erie St.
419-254-5000.
9:30am-5:30am,
Monday-Friday.
8am-5pm, Saturday.
10am-5pm, Sunday.
Shop online: retail.libbey.com
In 1888, Edward Drummond Libbey moved his father’s 70 year-old company, the new England Glass Company, to Toledo, Ohio. Four years later, he changed the company’s name to The Libbey Glass Company and the rest was history. Today, Libbey Glass proudly carries the Glass City’s torch as the top glassware manufacturer in the Americas. Get friends and family in touch with this important part of Toledo history by gifting them a contemporary and sleek piece of glass or tableware. Finding serving, baking and cooking sets, gorgeous standalone pieces, vintage-inspired barware, and eclectic items that sure to be a favorite in any kitchen. Whether you’re looking for an iconic platter for the cook who has everything, or well-made and sturdy staples for someone just starting out, Libbey Glass will prove themselves a worthy Toledo tradition.
Sidon Lebanese Grille &
Bakery and Middle East Market
Sidon: 4625 W. Bancroft St.
419-558-3900 | Sidongrille.com
9am-9pm, Monday-Satury. 9am-8pm, Sunday.
Middle East Market: 4623 W. Bancroft St.
419-531-3999 | Middleeast-market.com
9am-8pm, Monday-Saturday. 9am-5pm, Sunday.
Like two turtle doves, good things come in pairs. For a holiday duo that suits those with an adventurous appetite, stop by Sidon Lebanese Grille & Bakery and the Middle East Market, located right next to each other on Bancroft. Great gifts for gourmands can be found in the market, which offers ethnic groceries, unique items, bakery and deli treats, fresh Halal meats, and great produce, including fruits and veggies you won’t find in a typical supermarket. For someone who prefers eating to cooking, a gift card to Sidon means plenty of heart-healthy, mouth-watering Mediterranean cuisine.
Firenation Glass
7166 Front St., Holland
419-866-6288 | Firenation.com
10:30am-5:30pm | Tuesday-Saturday
Finding that perfect gift can be difficult— especially when you’re buying for someone who seems to have everything. We think the perfect solution to this common-problem is picking up a beautiful hand blown piece of glass art. Since opening in 2002, Toledo glass artist Matt Paskiet has offered locally made works in his fine art glass gallery and hot shop. Find Christmas bulbs, functional glass objects, and gorgeous pieces of art in the gallery all week long. Stop by the Holiday Open House from 6-10pm on Friday, December 8 for after-hours shopping and live glassblowing demonstrations.
That Special Woman
2461 N. Reynolds Rd. | 419-536-6206
Thatspecialwomantoledooh.com
10am-5pm, Monday-Friday. 10am-2pm, Saturday
While That Special Woman isn’t a perfect fit for everybody, it’s a saving grace for those who need it. A Toledo-based mastectomy, chemotherapy and breast cancer center, That Special Woman is Northwest Ohio’s first and largest Mastectomy and Chemotherapy boutique that helps women who truly deserve to look and feel their best. Owner and breast cancer survivor Kris Beard helps women find exactly what they need, including breast prostheses (available in five styles and all sizes), bras to fit everyone (including “regular” and large size non-mastectomy bras), swimwear, more than 125 wigs, a variety of headwear and miscellaneous items, such as bracelets, mugs, scarves, t-shirts, pins, books and more. Nationally accredited since 2006, the boutique participates with Medicare, most Ohio insurance companies and Ohio Medicaid, and some Michigan insurance companies. No appointment needed. Housebound and nursing home visits are available. If you cannot call to verify your coverage, the boutique will call your insurance company at the time of your visit.
