With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time to start prepping your gift idea lists for your friends, family, and maybe even your coworkers. If by chance, you have been tasked with choosing this year’s corporate gift for your entire office, that’s additionally daunting on top of your own holiday shopping, but we'll get to that below.
A recent study found that almost 83% of shoppers prefer to buy locally versus buying from a larger corporation. Even if you consider yourself to be in that 83% of shoppers, “buying local” can mean different things to different people, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin.
We're based in the Bay Area, so this article focuses on how to support local business owners in San Francisco. But the good news is, San Francisco doesn’t need to be “local” to you in order to make a local impact.
San Francisco Gift Ideas for All of Your Holiday Gifts
One way to lessen the stress of buying many different gifts is choosing a theme that can appeal to the variety of people and personalities in your life. The Bay Area, or more specifically, San Francisco, is a magical place that has captured the heart and imagination of so many across the globe, even if they’ve only experienced its allure from afar. Below you will find some fun facts about the Bay Area and ideas for what to include in local San Francisco gift baskets.
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Fun Facts and Corresponding San Francisco Delivery Gifts for the Holidays!
Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco by Levi Strauss for the Gold Rush miners who needed tough, comfortable clothing.
California drew massive amounts of people towards the west coast during the gold rush. The impact the gold rush had on Northern California is reflected in myriad ways. One such local business grew from a common phrase encouraging people to “stay gold” by recognizing and honoring the nuggets of gold inside of everyone formed from each person’s unique ideas and experiences. Consider staying fashion-forward this season by shopping from this San Francisco based streetwear brand and boutique: Benny Gold.
The Chinese Fortune Cookie was Invented in San Francisco.
It’s possible that fortune cookies are a special treat that everyone loves. Even if the flavor isn’t for you, the small thrill of reading your own funny, accurate, or wildy wacky fortune after cracking open a cookie is a true joy. Consider custom ordering your very own fortune cookies to send this holiday season by checking out the Bay Area’s very own, 60-year old business: Oakland Fortune Factory.
The City Hasn’t Always Been Named San Francisco.
In the 70 year period after the city was first incorporated yet before it was renamed, European settlers named the city “Yerba Buena.” Translated from Spanish, the city was named “Good Herb” for the wild mint growing in the area. Support two native Californian women by purchasing some holiday gifts from Urb.Apothecary. Or for anyone you know that prefers to transform herbs into their own delicious goodies, find the perfect holiday herbs by shopping from San Francisco Herb Co.
5 Tips for Finding Local Gifts in San Francisco and Beyond
1. Visit Saturday markets, Christmas bazaars, art markets, flea markets, etc. At these events you'll find countless new local artists and have the chance to talk to them and learn about their craft.
2. Check out Etsy.com and be sure to use the search feature "Local artists near me."
3. Do some online research! Though this isn't as fun as walking through a seasonal market, with some specific keywords you're bound to find new local businesses and artists.
4. Ask your friends. Perhaps someone you know is an artist, chocolate maker, etc. and would be thrilled to help. It doesn't get more local than your very own community!
5. Partner with a gifting professional who's passionate about finding local and meaningful gifts!
What Constitutes The Best Food Gifts from San Francisco?
It was made in San Francisco.
It may not always be that simple but part of the excitement is that you know exactly where it came from.
It was grown and sourced in San Francisco.
If you’re eating a food item that was made in a certain area, the cherry-on-top bonus would be if the food used to create that item was grown in the same place it was manufactured.
It reflects something unique about San Francisco.
Whether it’s cultural, geographical, or even historical, experiencing food that not only highlights something delicious but also unique to an area makes it that much more special.
It supports a small local business.
There’s nothing inherently negative about purchasing San Francisco local foods from large corporations. Alternatively, though, there is something exceptionally satisfying about finding small businesses doing something grand and supporting their efforts by purchasing their products.
It tastes delicious.
This one might seem like a given, but let’s be honest, not all food is created equal. And we promise we’d never steer you in the wrong direction.
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Do San Francisco Food Gift Baskets Need One of Everything?
Absolutely not! Don’t overthink it. Consider finding one larger gift between $15-$30 or two smaller gifts in the same range as the main focal point. From there, even a seemingly “food-themed” basket can be rounded out with a little something different.
Where Can You Find San Francisco Gift Basket Delivery?
It seems like it might be your lucky day! Bestowe Gifting has put together a delightful delivery basket to Support Local Businesses in Northern California. Each item was intentionally chosen and thoughtfully produced in the Bay Area. This gift set combines an array of local products to engage your senses and satisfy your palate. Additionally, 15% of the proceeds from this box go to an organization called Direct Relief, established to help those in crisis obtain necessary medical supplies.
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Corporate Gifting San Francisco
As mentioned, if you're tasked with sourcing your company gifts this year – we're ready to help! With diverse teams, tastes, and preferences it can be difficult finding the right gift(s). With many years of experience, we're passionate about quality gifts that everyone can appreciate. One important aspect we've learned along the way is that everyone appreciates a local, handcrafted gift, especially from their city. Important note: we are based in the Bay Area but have connections, artists, and contacts all over the country to find the best local gifts for your area!
We've partnered with countless corporate teams to get to know their ideas and preferences in order to completely customize their corporate gifting. Click here to learn more or to get started!
Consider Bestowe Gifting to Make Your San Francisco Gift Ideas Come to Life
Bestowe Gifting is located in the heart of Northern California and features many locally-made products by some of these artisans. Show your support with the Shop Local: Northern California ready-to-ship gift basket or, consider crafting your own custom basket! Now that we’ve shared our San Francisco gift ideas, do you have any to add to the list? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
