For Black Friday: Go Local!

Uploaded to flickr by Breakmould

This past July I issued myself a challenge:  to spend an entire month doing all my shopping and entertaining on the Hill.  I won’t lie — I had mulled over the things that might cause me to cheat, like going to a movie theater or needing a new pair of running shoes, but I never did.  Skeptical?  The best proof I can offer is that our one and only television died at the very end of June so we went without because my hubby couldn’t get to a big electronics store or order one online in time.  In the end, though, I received a happy surprise.  It was almost too easy.  There were actually more things to do than I could get to.  So I offer this experience to you, dear readers, to let you know that on the Friday after Thanksgiving you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to trudge out to a suburban mall or search for a parking space in Georgetown that, let’s face it, does not exist.  While you’re saving yourself time and hassle, you’ll also be doing something good for the neighborhood.  Our friends at Monkey’s Uncle told me about the 3/50 Project, a great philosophy for using your buying choices to support what’s important to you.  The 3/50 Project challenges shoppers to choose three independent businesses each month in which to spend $50.  This benefits our neighborhood because when you buy local, more of your money stays local — $68 out of every $100 to be precise.  It’s probably the best free gift you’ll give all year.

Where to start?
Our neighborhood offers a plethora of creative gift ideas.  Saturday and Sunday at Eastern Market is just the tip of the iceberg.  That’s the perfect place to pick up a gift in almost any price range.  But don’t forget all the other options!  Want to learn something new?  Check out a class at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th Street, SE).  CHAW has everything from photography and jewelry design for adults to music lessons and tumbling for kids.  You can also finally learn how to do all those tango moves you’ve seen in the North Hall at Eastern Market on Thursday nights with a gift certificate to Joy of Motion’s Atlas location (1333 H Street, NE).  Looking for a gift for that adrenaline junkie on your list?  The Trapeze School of New York, which has been camped out at the old convention center site the past several months, is in the process of building an indoor facility at 4th and Tingey Streets, Southeast near the Department of Transportation.  This is the last week for classes at the convention center site, so they’re winding down operations now but will be back up and running (flying?) in late January/early February with classes ranging from $45-55.  They’re already brainstorming some fun Valentine’s-themed classes.  I took a class in October and, despite being afraid of heights, found myself ready to sign up for more.

If you’re looking for a more mellow gift, try Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill (410 H Street, NE) or Capitol Hill Yoga (614 Pennsylvania Ave, SE) for those friends looking to release their inner yogi.  Or maybe some pampering from one of the many neighborhood salons.  Spots like Headlines (326 Massachusetts Ave, NE) offer a variety of services at different price points, along with indulgent spa packages.  And your manly man need not go downtown for his grooming.  Make him an appointment at Michael Craig and he’ll relish the classy, masculine environment.  They’re currently putting together their holiday specials, but the salon is currently offering a shave and a haircut for $65 (regularly $90).

Need something for the little ones?  Spoiled and Rotten Kid’s Boutique and Spa (1204 H Street, NE) is the place to go for your mini me’s mani-pedi.  Then there’s Dawn Price Baby (325 7th Street, SE), Monkey’s Uncle (323 7th Street, SE) and Merry Go Round (1244 H Street, NE) for clothing and accessories.

Though we may have lost our local movie theater (though I doubt there’s much sadness about that), we have a number of places to see live shows.  For the theater-goer on your gift list, pick up some tickets to H Street Playhouse’s Black Nativity (December 10 – January 3) or Constant State of Panic (January 13-31).  Just down the block, Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H Street, NE) will be staging Nobody’s Perfect (February 12-13) and Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado (weekends, April 9-25).  Orestes, A Tragic Romp runs from January 27 to March 7 at Folger Theater (201 E Capitol, SE).  They wrap up their season with Hamlet from April 21-June 6.

There are too many fantastic local retailers and restaurants for me to mention, but rest assured they’ll all have great options the holidays.  So sleep in on Friday, have an extra cup of coffee and don’t stress… instead, go local!

What are your favorite gift ideas from local businesses?