Best of all, these shops typically feature specialty items that aren’t available at larger stores and many will gift wrap for free.
Here’s a sampling of the shops that are waiting to welcome you.
The Museum Store at the Dayton Art Institute is now located in a prominent spot near the museum entrance. You don’t need to pay admission if you let the reception desk know you’re headed to the store. Consider shopping today when it’s “Art For All” and admission is free. Lots of fun activities are planned.
Many of the items you’ll see are inspired by the DAI’s permanent collection and special exhibitions; there’s also art-related decor, accessories and gifts. If you’re in search of a beautiful coffee table art book, consider the catalog from the current exhibit, “The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art.”
“We’ve added four more local artists this year for a total of 13 artists represented in the Museum Store, across a variety of mediums including glass, ceramics, jewelry and textiles,” said store manager and buyer Erin Winslow. “It’s all part of the store’s commitment to highlighting an expanding and inclusive variety of artwork.”
Shoppers will discover Tiffany-inspired vases by local artist Celia Hunt, botanical cyanotype jewelry by Suzi Hyden plus items from other artists. If you’re unable to get to the store, you can shop online at daimuseumstore.org. And you might also consider giving a DAI membership as a gift.
The Aullwood Nature Store is a place to buy presents related to birds, animals and nature. You’ll find bird feeders, games, books and jewelry. The Folkmanis animal puppets are popular; art pieces by Motawi Tile Works are a new addition designed in the arts and crafts tradition. And here’s a cool idea: there are family puzzles with smaller pieces on one side for teens and adults and larger pieces on the other side for the little ones.
Other Aullwood options: garden decor and supplies, dozens of nature-themed holiday ornaments as well as handmade wooden troll ornaments featuring Aullwood’s beloved trolls, Bibbi, Bo & Bodil! Aullwood also has 100% wool hats, gloves, scarves made by hand in Nepal by Many Hands. Your purchases will help sustain the conservation and education mission of Aullwood Audubon, including care for the animal ambassadors, improvements for trails and nature sanctuary, as well as helping to reduce the costs for school field trips for local children.
Give kids a gift that lasts all year with a Boonshoft Museum of Discovery pass — unlimited visits, hands-on science demonstrations, planetarium shows, live animal encounters and special member perks.
The gift shop at the museum features a wider variety of science-related items including plush animals that match the animals you can see in the museum’s zoo. There’s even merch and plush of the new Mastodons.
The Little Exchange in Oakwood has donated more than $2 million to Dayton Children’s Hospital in the last 75 years.
“Our holiday gifting best sellers include Fraiser Fir candles, Geometry towels, amaryllis bulbs, ornaments, children’s books and more!” said shop manager Melissa Willenbrink. “Every purchase helps benefit the Family Resource Connection at Dayton Children’s Hospital.”
Check out the website at thelittleexchange.org.
We Care Arts is such a treasure. It’s a special place that not only sells handcrafted gifts but is also magical for the people who create them. The organization’s mission is to empower healing through art and community.
“We welcome adults with physical, developmental, and mental health diagnoses to join and share in the creative experience,” says art curator Lacey Lantz. Artist-clients, who earn a commission on their work, create meaningful, one-of-a-kind creations in many artistic mediums.
We Care Arts operates shops at Town & Country Shopping Center and at the Berkley Center, 3035 Wilmington Pike.
Carillon Historical Park Museum
All sales at The Christmas Shoppe support the museum’s mission to inspire generations by connecting them with the unique people, places, and events that changed Dayton and the world.
Shop nutcrackers, apparel, glass-blown Old World Christmas ornaments, and the Collect the Park Ornament Series, which highlights beloved landmarks and artifacts — from Deeds Carillon to the newly arrived Hawthorn Hill ornament.
In celebration of Carillon Park’s 75th anniversary, a new, deeply researched book, “A Living Landmark: The Story of Carillon Historical Park”, has just hit the shelves.
Rabbit Hole Books in downtown Dayton is a project of the Dayton Book Fair, a non-profit bookstore that provides books throughout the year at just one dollar per book. In addition, the shop always has a wide variety of terrific gifts, including toys, cards, socks, and literary-themed items.
Each year, the Book Fair Foundation gives proceeds to three different non-profit organizations. This year the store is planning a number of special events including visits from Santa each Saturday in December.
Classic holiday is a theme this year with some book-based ornaments, including one that features the original Rudolph story. The organization’s executive director Larkin Vonalt, who buys for the shop, said there are some other nifty items like a kid’s menorah set for Hanukkah, a maple candle in a maple syrup tin, a ‘flip-o-scope’ hand-cranked movie machine and a dish of vintage French porcelain Feves and Santons, tiny figures of historical significance or the nativity used in French Christmas celebrations.
The Westcott Store in Springfield sells items related to famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. You’ll find everything from a 500-piece double-sided jigsaw puzzle featuring photos of both Taliesin and Taliesin West to art glass earrings and glass table accents.
The Museum Store at the National Museum of the United States Air Force is well-known for its wide range of aviation and military-related gifts. The store carries hundreds of Air Force, Space Force and Aviation-themed items ranging from lapel pins to leather bomber jackets. In addition you’ll find rows of books. Model hobbyists will find kits representing dozens of aircraft on display.
The CoSHOP at The Contemporary Dayton in the downtown Arcade features small works of fine art as well as a selection of design-and foodie-forward home goods, wearables, wellness items, and paper goods created by Dayton and Midwest artists and artisans.
A few examples are small paintings by Nancy Dankof, jewelry by Toni Dunbar, leather items by Johnny Glaze, wooden boards by Stephen Columbus, and ornaments by a variety of artists including Jim DeLange, Erin King and Stephanie Beiser.
The Merch Shop at The Neon in downtown Dayton has just launched an “Upcycled Screen Collection.”
“Fashioned from our old screens and stitched by our friends at Dayton Sewing Collaborative, we have tote bags, pouches and card holders/wallets made from the old, perforated screens which helped us present over 66,000 screenings during their 23+ years in our auditoriums,” said the theater’s manager Jonathan McNeal. You can also buy T-shirts, mugs, knit caps, stickers and, of course, gift cards available in any denomination that can be used for admission and concessions.
Each December, the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance opens the Ballet Boutique in tandem with Dayton Ballet’s performances of “The Nutcracker.” Volunteer-led and ran, the boutique is open before and after each performance—as well as intermission—and offers holiday delights for sale, including nutcrackers, ornaments, stuffed animals and toys, collectibles, and other specialty gifts. Visitors can even buy retired pointe shoes—those worn by dancers in rehearsals and in past performances—which are decorated for the holidays.
And don’t forget Hospital gift shops. Both Miami Valley Hospitals (downtown Dayton and Miami Valley South) and the hospital on Kettering Health’s Main Campus, offer a terrific selection of gifts year-round and are currently filled with holiday extras.
You’ll find fresh flowers, great greeting cards, clothing, jewelry, readers. Kettering is known for its extensive baby gift department.
Happy shopping.
Meredith Moss is an arts and culture writer for the Dayton Daily News. She would love to receive your feedback and story suggestions. She is also interested in hearing stories of your memories of Carillon Historical Park, which is celebrating a milestone anniversary and will be featured in one of Meredith’s upcoming stories. E-mail her at meredith.moss@coxinc.com.
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