Where to shop small and local this holiday season

With the gift-giving holidays fast approaching, everyone is starting their lists and checking them twice. There’s lots of local options to support small and local businesses. 

There are lots of small businesses around Dartmouth, but Padanaram Village has an especially high concentration.

Padanaram is a Dartmouth staple, from day-to-day shopping to their Shop and Sip events. It’s also great for holiday shopping. Regardless of who's on the nice list, there's something for everyone.

Village Sweet Shoppe

Village Sweet Shoppe has been in Padanaram for almost a year, having opened in May 2024. Kathleen Paltatroni realized there was not a sweets shop in the area, and decided the area needed one. 

The shop has  candy for everyone, from penny candies and bubs to high end and funky candies. Palatroni feels that while this shop is for kids, it’s for kids “...from 1 to 92.” The shop has a few sections; a truffle counter, an international section, jelly beans and seasonally themed chocolates. For the holiday, the store will have “Elf canes” that will be green and yellow to match the outfits of the elves who decorated the village. The store also stocks gifts like shirts and totes from local makers.

Knotty Knit

Knotty Knit has been open for six years. The shop is owned by Rebecca Roth and Heike Daurman. 

The shop has anything a fiber artist may need. They have a wide variety of natural fiber yarns, many of which are international. They have hooks, needles, stitch markers and other knitting and crochet necessities. Classes for those wanting to learn how to crochet or knit can be gifted with gift cards to Knotty Knit. Some of the classes offered are seasonally themed, such as stockings and Christmas balls. Others include winter classics like sweaters and socks. There are opening knitting events, which customers state are a form of social club. 

Strawberry Moon

Strawberry Moon has been in business in Padanaram for nine years, and expanded earlier this year. Andrea MacDonald started the store as a handmade crystal jewelry business and turned into more through the years. 

The shop has a focus on crystals, but offers a wide variety of gifts like ornaments, candles, jewelry, clothing and children’s toys. For those interested in crystal healing, they have many types of crystals, sages, teas, herbs and tarot readings. They are very deliberate with where they source the materials, researching to know where the goods come from and how they came to the shop. They try to make crystal healing accessible for everyone, with a more light environment. 

Bridge St. Gallery

Bridge St. Gallery has been in Padanaram for 12 years. It is an artist cooperative with eight full time members and 28 cosigners. All of the artists are local or from greater New England. 

There are all types of art in the gallery. They have jewelry, sculptures, glass works, photography, paintings and multimedia works. There is a wide range of prices. Some of the festive works they have are wooden gnomes, glass candy canes, stockings and ornaments. 

Seagrass Studio

Seagrass Studio has been around for decades, with it being under the ownership of Elizabeth Crane Swartz since July. She’s the fifth owner, and she used her knowledge of the start-to-finish process of needlepoint in redesigning the shop. 

There are options for all steps of the embroidery process. Crane Swartz sells her self-designed and hand-painted canvas patterns and a complete rainbow of colorful threads because “I love color.” The shop also has her handpainted art and jewelry. 

Padanaram Outfitters

Padanaram Outfitters was founded  eight years ago by Natalie Sine.

The shop offers unique men' s and women’s clothes. There are brands not found in box stores, with lots of locally made goods. The shop owners try to buy and sell small, keeping business within the community. There are many options for local “swag” such as hats and prints. They also offer a variety of goods like decor, mixers, notebooks and ornaments.

Treasures and Co. 

Treasures and Co. has been in Padanaram for two years and was started by Leila Texeira. 

The apparel and home goods store changes the style each season, with the current theme being a minimalist color theme. One of the employees, Linda, describes the vibe as “peaceful,” with lots of candles and a nice smell. She emphasizes that they stock unique goods. 

Details and Design

Details and Design has been in Padanaram for 20 years. It started off as a home decor store before expanding into clothing. Before she moved in, the building was a barbershop and a donut shop. 

The store has a variety of home decor and clothing and are a mix of vintage and new. The owner, Margaret Silvia, describes the vibe as a mixture of New England and California. She makes sure to stock unique goods. 

Shara Porter Designs

Shara Porter Designs has been in Padanaram for six years, but she has been making vintage printed leather for 20 years. She started as a way to fund her graduate degree, but decided to stop following “what I was supposed to do” and start following her love of art. 

She offers a lot of different “cute” and animal-themed goods. She still sells vintage leather goods printed with her designs, as well as new leather goods such as wallets, bags and journals. She has started selling clothing embroidered with her patterns. She also sells knick-knacks that she feels fits the “cute” vibe of her shop, such as cleaning products, finger puppets and hand-made greeting cards.

Folia

Wendy Joblin opened Folia as a wedding planning location, and about 10 years ago it morphed into a children’s clothing boutique. She started attending children’s clothing shows when her grandchildren were born to get them nice clothes and brought some back to sell at her wedding planning store. Eventually she had to buy more and more children’s clothes due to demand and it became Folia. 

The boutique offers a wide variety of children’s clothing from size baby to girls 16 and boys 14. There are many options for style with shirts, bottoms, coats, mittens, hats and more. Joblin said many people who come in are unsure what to get so she is happy to help. She will help with pointing out certain sizes and styles, or helping to pick specific pieces. Her most popular piece are baby hats with large pom poms on them. They also sell toys for kids as well. 

Flora Home and Flora Style

Anne Sadow owns both Flora Home and Flora Style. She opened Flora Home 25 years, and Flora Style 15 years ago. 

Both focus on unique and curated goods. Sadow tries to organize everything into a fun and interesting presentation. Some of the home goods are embroidered towels, hand-made glass cups, aprons and vases Besides home goods, Flora Home includes celebration needs, specialty snacks and apothecary goods like lotions and candles. Flora Style specializes in women's clothing and accessories, including occasion wear. They have sweaters, scarves, shoes, jeans and more.