Reasons to Shop Locally

Despite the ease of online shopping, there is still reason to buy locally, especially during the December holidays, when seeing, feeling, and, in some cases, tasting or smelling something nice for a friend or loved one can’t be topped. To fill your list, we want to suggest some of the East End’s many bazaars and gift fairs organized by charities and churches. 

The list of places where your dollar goes to help good causes is too long to complete here, but a rundown of holiday events is included with this issue. A few we can recommend to get a jump on shopping are the Clay Art Guild show at the Bridgehampton Museum Archive and a Christmas fair at the Montauk Community Church. The Ladies Village Improvement Society will stay open late on Friday, Nov. 30, for after-work browsing. Dec. 1 and 2 offer a whirlwind of events, with gift fairs at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Bridgehampton, Ashawagh Hall in Springs, and, if you need to take a break from the Tanger mall, a wood-carvers sale at the Suffolk County Historical Museum in Riverhead. Temple Adas in Sag Harbor has a Hanukkah party and shopping on Dec. 2, and in Amagansett the Life-Saving Station hosts an artisans market that afternoon.

Think of shopping locally as a one-two punch. You get unusual gifts to give and get a feeling of doing good at the same time.