There are tons of festive events happening in the area this weekend, including one of the biggest local shopping events of the year, a new restaurant grand opening party, a craft show opening, a big FREE holiday family event, a dance party supporting a local non-profit, and more. More information about these and other upcoming events is below. If you want to buy a Christmas tree or holiday wreaths, greens and decorations this weekend, check out this post. For local gift ideas and more holiday shopping opportunities, visit our “Buy Local for the Holidays” page.

Friday, Dec. 4

• University City Arts League Holiday Craft Show Opening Reception, 6 – 8 p.m., 4226 Spruce St.

Thirty local artists will present their wares—just in time for the holidays! This is a great opportunity to shop for hand-made gifts for you and the whole family, such as cards, pottery, soaps, t-shirts, and more! Complimentary drinks and eats will be offered while you shop during the opening reception this Friday. The Craft Show is open daily Dec. 4-20. Monday-Friday, 5-8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12-6 p.m. Closing reception will take place on Dec. 20, 4-6 p.m. The list of 2015 vendors is available here.

• Clarkville Grand Opening Party, 5 p.m., 43rd and Baltimore

New Baltimore Avenue bar and restaurant, Clarkville, is opening this Friday. The grand opening party kicks off at 5 p.m.

• West Philly jeweler Amy Neukrug presents her holiday collection at Hello World, 5 – 9 p.m., 3610 Sansom St.

• The Bald Soprano opens at Curio Theatre, 8 p.m., 48th and Baltimore  Continue Reading

Shopping local is a way to keep more of your dollars in your own community. Our 2015 local holiday shopping guide, “Buy Local for the Holidays,” is here. Check out this page for information on holiday specials and events and for some great local gift ideas from a variety of West Philly businesses – bookstores, jewelers, gift shops, art galleries, bars, cafes and restaurants, and more!

This Week’s Holiday Specials include:

• Monday, Nov. 30: Cyber Monday? How about “Cider Monday” at Penn Book Center, 130 S. 34th Street. Enjoy hot cider and holiday treats as you spend a cozy Monday shopping locally. 25% off sale on select Random House titles kicks off today! The store is open until 6 p.m. Mon-Fri.

• Thursday, Dec. 3 – Saturday, Dec. 5: Holiday Kick-Off at Hello World, 3610 Sansom Street – Featuring jewelry designed by West Philly jeweler Amy Neukrug. Thursday and Friday: 5-9 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Friday, Dec. 4: Opening reception for the University City Arts League Annual Holiday Craft Show, 6-8 p.m., 4226 Spruce Street. The show features hand-crafted one-of-a-kind gifts by 30 local artists.

• Saturday, Dec. 5: The Baltimore-Lancaster Avenue Shoppers’ Trolley (BLAST), 12-5 p.m. Featuring: great gifts and discounts galore from dozens of local businesses and free trolley shuttle service between Baltimore Avenue and Lancaster Avenue. The event is organized by the Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA) and People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PEC-CDC).

For more information about these and other local holiday events and specials, visit: www.westphillylocal.com/buy-local-for-the-holidays-2015

Forget about Black Friday. A great way to kick off your holiday shopping is by shopping locally on Small Business Saturday on November 28. Small Business Saturday was founded six years ago and has quickly become a great holiday tradition and one of the most important shopping days of the year.

We have a lot of great businesses in West Philly. From local gift and craft shops to book stores to small groceries to coffee shops and breweries, you can find unique holiday gifts and support your neighborhood tomorrow. For every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 returns to the community. Your perfect holiday gift may be waiting for you just around the corner!

There will be a bunch of festive events this Saturday and Sunday, including some great local holiday shopping opportunities and Christmas caroling at Clark Park. Plus Santa will make a stop at a local bar, so bring your camera! For more upcoming events, visit our Events Calendar.

Go West! Holiday Craft Fest at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut)

Over 50 local craftspeople will present their work at this year’s holiday edition of the popular Go West! Craft Fest. The event will be held on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). Stop by to check out beautiful handmade items like jewelry, ceramics, warm knitted accessories, prints, stationery, soap, candles, home accents, children’s items, and more (here is the full list of the vendors). If the weather is clear, vendors will be indoors and out. There will also be sweet treats by West Philly’s Weckerly’s Ice Cream and the Lil’ Pop Shop.

UPDATE: The fest organizers sent a note that Walnut street will be closed to traffic on Sunday due to construction work across the street from The Rotunda. The street will be open to pedestrians, but no cars will be allowed on Walnut between 40th and 41st streets between 6:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

40th Street AIR Holiday Art Sale (4007 Chestnut St)

Work by West Philly artists in the 2014-2015 40th Street Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program – Althea Baird, TenBroeck Cripps, Brujo de La Mancha, Aislinn Pentecost-Farren and Lorna Williams – will be featured at this weekend’s 40th Street AIR Holiday Sale. The sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday, from 12 – 6 p.m. at the AIRSPACE Gallery at 4007 Chestnut Street (1st floor). Many guest artists will also take part in the event, including AIR alumni.  Continue Reading

Bartram’s Garden signature wreath. (Photo courtesy Bartram’s Garden)

There will be a few local holiday shopping opportunities this week, which we are happy to pass along. We’ll start with a great festive annual event at the historic Bartram’s Garden.

On Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bartram’s Garden will be holding a Greens Sale and Holiday Market. The Greens Sale is a great opportunity to shop for beautiful handmade wreaths, centerpieces, and pine roping. Fresh evergreens and poinsettias will also be available for sale. There will also be an opportunity to decorate your own wreath at the DIY craft station or you can just purchase one made by volunteers.

The holiday market is a new event at the garden. It will feature local vendors and unique gifts for everyone on your list, including jewelry, pottery, handmade bags, natural apothecary and more! The event will also feature music and fresh apple cider.

The Bartram House, a national historic landmark, closes for restoration work next year, so guests are also invited to its tour while it’s still open.

Bartram members will get first pick of this year’s selection of wreaths and fresh cut greens during the preview party on Friday, December 5.

Bartram’s Garden is located in Southwest Philadelphia, at 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard (#36 Trolley line). For more information, click here.

Like helping clean up a park, organize a block party or attend a civic meeting, the holiday shopping season can offer a chance for community engagement. Where you shop and what you buy matters.

Here are five reasons we hope you will buy local during the holidays (and the rest of the year too for that matter):

1. An estimated 68 cents of every dollar spent locally goes back into the community. So you get to help feed this virtuous circle of convivial commerce. That makes you awesome in our book.

2. Local non-profits receive an estimated 250 percent more assistance from local businesses than they do from national chains. When was the last time Applebee’s offered to cater a University City Arts League event? That’s what we thought.

3. You can find high-quality, locally made items. For example, VIX Emporium sells locally made nail polish with West Philly themed colors like “Kingsessing Crimson.” You think you’re going to find that at Target? No mam.

Locally made West Philly nail polish at @vixemporium Baltimore Ave burgundy, Fiume fuscia, The Gold Standard pic.twitter.com/61EfpBLAOH

— West Philly Local (@WestPhillyLocal) November 4, 2014

4. Small business owners are our neighbors and friends. Typically, they’re in the neighborhood for the long haul. Among other things, that means we can yell at them if they don’t shovel the snow in front of their shop.

5. Locally owned small businesses don’t need much to operate so they are better for the environment. They don’t tax the infrastructure or gobble up tons of land. Local businesses are usually located along a public transportation route, they often have bike racks and they very rarely have big parking lots.

For those reasons and a ton of others we are doing our best to promote local businesses this holiday season. Pleas check out our annual “Buy Local for the Holidays” campaign page to see what our partners – local shops, restaurants, arts, and other organizations – have to offer this holiday season.