by Adele Flail
How you can mix the convenience of shopping online with the shop local ethic.
No matter how early the holiday season begins, I still find myself in the nightmare scenario of dashing around at the last second through hellishly crowded stores (although I should be thankful that, unlike other nightmares, I tend to be fully clothed). All that changed when I found Etsy two years ago. With an emphasis on handmade and vintage goods, www.etsy.com is my primary procrastination go-to and, hence, my primary gift-shopping tool. And getting to know an artist, seeing their connection to their art or craft, and then being able to take home —or give away—the fruit of that artist’s passion can be totally addictive. Many of the artists and craftspeople I’ve bought from in the past have been seriously far away—like, Australia–far-away, or Ireland-far-away. But Etsy gives you the option to search by location—and I am finding an astronomical number of talented artists and craftspeople right here in Utah. So, fellow procrastinators, check out some of my local favorites bellow. This holiday season you can shop local, while still shopping (so conveniently!) online.