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Our Charleston Holiday Gift Guide

The locally-sourced gifts that Charleston’s tastemakers are choosing to give this year— and what’s on their personal wishlist. 
Words by Sarah Nechamkin
Frame 387-2

For many, holiday gift-giving is synonymous with dread. After all, there’s so much to choose from, and, as the months peel by, so little time to choose it. But lest we forget, gift-giving is a love language, so it’s best done with intention. No Big Box store can compare to an immaculately-curated independent shop or weekend market stocked with handmade goods by local makers. 

Luckily, there’s no shortage of these in Charleston; King Street, which runs through the city center, is lined with shops of every stripe, from storied boutiques selling one-of-a-kind antiques to quaint, locally-beloved biscuit shops. To help assuage holiday shopping anxiety, we’ve asked some of Charleston’s most stylish citizens to tell us what locally-sourced, only-in-Charleston gifts they’re giving this year, and what they’d like to receive. From local honey to handcrafted candles, there’s a gift for every discerning loved one on your list— including, above all, yourself.

Coconut Cake
Coconut Cake from Peninsula Grill
Interior Designer

Olivia Mitchell

To Give: 
One of my favorite gifts to give (and one I don't think that many know about) is sending an Ultimate Coconut Cake from Peninsula Grill. You can ship a whole coconut cake from right here in Charleston nationwide! It is a great gift, especially around the holidays. 

To Receive:  
Wentworth has the most beautiful looking and beautifully scented candles, most of which are not so easily found elsewhere. I would love to receive any one of them as a gift! 

Photographer and Director of The Big Night

Lizzy Rollins

To Give: 
I'd give a Smithy cast iron or a classic cookbook like "Charleston Receipts." I should note that I really enjoy holiday shopping at Sewee Outpost.

To Receive:  
Any of my friend Janette's pieces (Carolina Creamware) - her pieces are at the Candlefish Maker's market right now (unless they've already sold out!).
J Stark Minnie
The Minnie from J. Stark
Owner of Ponytail and Co-Founder of Fuzzco

Helen Rice

To Give: 
My friend Erin makes the most beautiful shirts for women (and now men!) and who would not want to be gifted one of her classic beauties. And J. Stark's Minnie Tote Bag is kind of irresistible.

To Receive:  
John Pope Antiques always has something or some things I want and when I last visited there was a porcelain snuff box in the shape of a rat. I could easily live with that for the rest of my life.
Restaurateur

Brooks Reitz

To Give: 
I would give something - anything! - from Wentworth. Maybe a beautiful paperweight or a really great candle.

To Receive:  
I would love to recieve a knife from Middleton Made - beautifully crafted chef's knives that are serious tools for real cooks!
Hart Jewelry
Jewelry from HART
Content Creator

Alexandra Webb

To Give: 
A candle from Candlefish! They have a library of 100 candle scents and they also have daily candle workshops.

To Receive:  
I love HART Jewelry because they are known for custom charms. You can make the cutest bracelets or necklaces, and add as many charms as you want. A great way to remember your trip! Also a great gift to give someone.
co-founder of Boiled Peanuts

Matt Lee

To Give: 
Something I would give is a bottle of High Wire Distilling’s Jimmy Red whiskey paired with a bag of their new Jimmy Red cornbread mix.

To Receive:  
Something I would like to receive is a Middleton Made Damascus-steel 10-inch chef’s knife with an eye-popping multicolor maple handle!

Terre Noire Candle
Terre Noire Candle from Wentworth
co-founders of design studio Public Regard

Diego & Evan González

To Give: 
Chiostro di Saronno Mini Panettone from Welton's Tiny Bakeshop. Weltons Tiny Bakeshop is one of our clients and in their recently completed bakeshop on King Street (designed by our studio Public Regard), they sell the most delicious pastries and have a solid espresso service. In addition, they have a remarkable selection of provisions from regional goods, natural wines, and international products like our favorite Panettone straight from Italy and virtually impossible to find anywhere else in Charleston. It’s a lovely little gift for a holiday cocktail party.

To Receive:  
Wentworth is a relatively new addition to the Charleston scene, a fabulous store of curated pieces and has been our go-to for objets for our home, sourcing for clients, or the perfect gift. This Mad et Len candle not only has an incredible, sophisticated scent but comes in a beautiful blackened iron vessel.

visual artist and designer

Lia Burke Libaire

To Give: 
Any baked good from Weltons is wonderful to give or receive. They just opened an adorable new bakeshop and their honey pie is to die for. 

To Receive:  
I love to receive flowers- small bud vases, or larger bouquets- from Lilly who owns Flowershop- on Spring street. She has the best eye for color and her arrangements are always stunning.
Super saturday Duck Basket
Found Object from Super Saturday
Director of Retail at Wentworth

Neal Rice

To Give: 
When it comes to gifting this year, I’m determined to send my friends and family into the new year organized—or at least stylishly attempting to be. A chic leather planner, calendar, or journal is the perfect way to keep our hectic lives on track and be sure nobody misses a deadline or, more importantly, a cocktail date. Wentworth has some beautiful options right now from Graphic Image that make staying on schedule feel luxurious. 

To Receive:  
And if anyone feels compelled to get me a gift (unlikely, but I can dream), I would be ecstatic to receive anything from @supersaturdaystore on King Street. Its owner and curator, Sally Simms, has one of the most discerning eyes in Charleston when it comes to antiques and curiosities. Whether it’s a 19th-century campaign desk or the tiniest pair of hand-carved wooden Oxford shoes, her collection makes me smile every single time I walk through the door.

stylist at Hampden

Desmond Kinlaw

To Give: 
Veggie Bin for local honey. A tiny little grocery store where they take pride in supporting local farmers! I like to share a piece of Charleston with my loved ones with great honey that was collected just miles away. 

To Receive:  
Bubbie’s Cookies and Treats. I consider myself a sweets connoisseur and these are hands down the best cookies I’ve ever had. The key is they’re so consistent every time, from the first time I had them 10 years ago to now. 
Astier de Villatte incense
Astier de Villatte Incense
Owner of Super Saturday

Sally Simms

To Give: 
As a host gift I would give Feed-n-Wax by Howard. I learned about this wood conditioner from Helen Rice, and she sells it in her store Ponytail. This kind of home-keeping intel is the gift that will keep giving.

For a Holiday gift I would give Astier de Villatte incense from Worthwhile (Nara, but they're all great) Not only do these smell like your life is suddenly 100% more luxurious, the packaging feels like an indulgence each time you retrieve an incense stick.

To Receive:  
What I would love to receive is Ponytail's Silk Flag with Rams. What a thing. I want this for my baby's nursery. And if I were picking from Super Saturday's it's be Japanese Sumida Gawa dishes (the tiny tree trunk is my favorite) - The perfect type of treasure - something usable (doodad dishes are critical), with real history and a sense of humor.