With over 200 food, retail and activity options right here on the island, Coronadans have their gift purchases all wrapped up!
If you think about it, shopping local is a bit like using a store loyalty card that gives you bonuses down the line, only instead of a free pastry or a sample-size mascara, you get a thriving community! It is exciting to think just how much this mutual benefit is in our hands (and wallets!) If every household in Coronado spent $100 shopping locally, that would bring a $100,000 to the island. During the holiday season the potential is even greater – according to the finance experts at Fortunly, Americans spend an average of $500 on gifts, yet high income households are the ones doing the greatest percentage of their gift shopping online – 59%! With Shop Small Saturday coming up this weekend we have more incentive than ever to support our local businesses, many of whom are offering fun free gifts and refreshments along with fantastic discounts. (Check out the Coronado Main Street Facebook page for details.)
To make sure you are not missing any gems, stop by the Chamber at 1125 Tenth Street and pick up our brand new Orange Ave brochure listing all your shopping opportunities by category.
In the meantime, here are some of the wonderful offerings from our Chamber members:
CHARISMA
The hottest item of the season is a collection of Coronado-themed candles with a 60-hour burn time – choose from Coronado Island, Ocean Boulevard, Orange Ave and The Village. (Coronado Christmas sold out in just 2 days but will be back in stock for the Holiday Parade on December 6th.) The glass-cased, soy candles are hand-poured in the USA by a husband and wife team and cost $29.99 a-piece. As a delightful touch, all shipped items arrive wrapped in pages of the Eagle & Journal – talk about news traveling…
CORONADO VINTAGE
Celebrating the coastal element of a Coronado Christmas, this treasure-trove of a store has a selection of beach-inspired decorations including glass baubles filled with sand and shells and mini picture frames with vintage images of the Del, neatly presented in gift boxes. You’ll also find Santa dressed in beach hues of pale blue and gold, and a darling pom pom beanie for your (Boston or Bichon-sized) dog!
FAIR TRADE DECOR
With Fair Trade your giving goes even further – every item is eco-friendly and helps offer sustainable working environments in communities from Cambodia to Cameroon. The range of tree ornaments is dazzling and comes in every texture from raffia and pottery, to tin and crochet – with an especially cute penguin in a bobble hat! Or, how about a colorful Peruvian woven stocking? The hand-crafted element adds extra charm to seasonal celebrations and harks back to cosier, homespun times. How apt that A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is playing at the cinema nextdoor…
VILLAGE THEATRE
Movie-going remains one of life’s most affordable pleasures – for the price of two lattes you can be spirited away to other worlds, be it whizzing around the Le Mans racetrack with Matt Damon and Christian Bale in Ford V Ferrari or discovering the origin of Elsa’s magical powers in Frozen 2. The art deco stylings and cityscape paintings make this one of the prettiest cinemas in the land. Gift cards come in $25 increments and can be used for tickets and concession treats.
FEAST & FAREWAY
If you need more sustenance than popcorn and Raisinets, gift cards are available at the gorgeous new Coronado Golf Course restaurant Feast & Fareway. Here you can enjoy tasty items from Triple Bacon Omelets to Tres Leches Cake, Duck Mac & Cheese to a Vegan Tomato Coconut Soup, all served with sweeping vistas from the golfing greens to the bay and bridge. Every Thursday is Date Night where $49.95 per couple includes two glasses of wine, one appetizer, one salad and two entrees.
THE GONDOLA COMPANY
If you are looking for a gift that will create a special, lasting memory, consider cruising the idyllic Coronado Cays canals in a Venetian gondola… Your tranquil voyage lasts 50 minutes and you can opt for sunshine and shimmering water, a dreamy sunset or – the most romantic option – after dark with twinkling shore lights and star-scattered skies. Gift certificates are available with prices starting at $95 for two people, with options to include wine and chocolate truffles – you can even add a mandolin player!
Check out images for these items and many more gift ideas on the Coronado Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and on Instagram.
