6 shop small gift ideas for even the hard to buy for

The message to shop small and support independent businesses is louder than ever these days, but when it comes to gifts,  it can sometimes feel simpler to go " I'll just order them that thing from online" or grab an  easy go-to from the gift section of a big retail chain.

You find an amazing range of (sometimes fantastically specific) gift options by shopping small, at a range of prices, and you can often even get into direct contact with the creator, potentially asking for exactly what your recipient will love. 

Here are six  great gifts ideas which support small and independent business - so grab a brew, have a quick think, then hit up the internet,  markets and lovely local bricks and mortar stores.

Credit to rosiejohnsonillustrates.com!

1. Go for their hobbies, in unexpected ways!

Everyone has things they love, and sometimes that means easy gift go-tos. Get the gardener another plant-your-own kit... But have a look away from the chain stores, and you'll find the tangential ideas, which may well delight them as a change from getting the same kind of thing over and over. How about some really good scrubby and moisturing soap for your the hands of your garden loving recipient?

Try somewhere like Etsy, and search for terms like gardener gift, or West Ham gift, or even Lily Savage gift! However niche you think their interest is, someone will make something for it.

2. Commission something spot on for their needs

A really meaningful gift is showing someone how much you know and listen to them, and that's where getting something made specially comes in. If you can give someone a bag with the size of pockets they always complain they can't find, they'll be astonished. If your ice hockey fan lost their bobble hat recently, really surprise them with one made in their team colours.

Lots of designer makers will happily modify or make from scratch, and commissioning something is often not as expensive, exclusive or complex as you think - but it can take time, so get on it fast, or hand over an IOU, with the gift to follow. Find someone who makes the kind of thing you're looking for, and just ask them about your specific idea - even if they say no, they'll probably point you to someone who can!

The brilliant Bags of Elegance

3. Get personal - ised

Similar to commissioning something, a personalised gift can show just as much thought, but is sometimes swifter to arrange. From the detailed, like getting a mug with their exacting instructions for the perfect brew painted on​, to the more general like a wine glass charm engraved with their initials, it all says "I know you, and what matters to you".

​There's a great bonus here, that if a few of you are struggling for what to get a special friend or family member, you can join forces and get them something a bit more expensive, featuring family names, or birthstones, or other significant details.

4. The best way to the heart is via the stomach

Even the least foodie of people has something they love to consume, but if they're hard to buy for and people know about their preference, it can lead to the same gifts - "Ah, more wine gums...". Small makers often think sideways, and you'll find an unusual alternative that your food fan can enjoy. Wine Gum scented soap? Wine that you can spread on your toast? (It's amazing) 

If you're thinking food and drink because it's an easy generic gift option, then this is a great chance to get something utterly unavailable in the supermarket. Visit a deli and pick up sauces, get locally made cider or jams at a market, pick up chocolate dinosaurs online. It's much better than your recipient feeling that you've thrust a panicked "I forgot about you, and this left on the shelf" box of shortbread at them!

Joyful and Mellow, creators of drinks you can eat!

5. Quality shopping time

For the right recipient, suggesting that you go somewhere together and they can pick their own gift, is a real beauty. It's not just "I don't know what to get you, you choose" it's "I want to spend time with you, you're good people!"

Have a look at upcoming markets and fairs (there are a lot of maker's markets, farmer's markets etc which run monthly) or find out which areas near you have good independent shops. You can even turn it into a day out, and head to city areas with really good indie vibes, like Hockley and Sneinton Market in Nottingham, or go  picturesque with market towns like Stamford in Lincolnshire.

This can be a great last minute "IOU" gift as "Something to look forward to, lunch and a present". ;)

6. Let them make their own something special

With the need to diversify ever knocking on their door, lots of small businesses now also offer experiences, where you can make your own, or have a hand in the process. With a bit of internet digging, you'll find a range of things to do in your area, with a variety of prices and interests depending on your recipient.

Make your own chocolates, make your own stained glass hanging, help press cider, learn to knit, there are a lot of these which can be done in groups too, so you can kill a few birds with one stone and send a couple or a whole family off to spend some fun time together, making memories as well as something tangible.

One of my gifts last year was a glass bead workshop with Bden Glass - Fantastic!

You don't have to run all over the place hunting in strange shops, or spend ages browsing the internet and then waiting for parcels to arrive - Buying even one gift from an independent, or a couple of stocking fillers, or even your nan's "We have to send her one, she likes them." Christmas card, helps keep these treasure troves of the unexpected open for when you do need that special and unusual thing in the future. 

Whose gift needs are you going to solve by shopping small?