If the world has gone crazy, maybe a little shopping therapy is the balm. This is the season of giving and good vibes, putting money into the local economy and encouraging local makers to keep doing that creative thing they do. What would life be without them?
Here are 12 places in South Florida that will be open between Black Friday and late December, where you’ll find distinctive, local gifts that imply extra thoughtfulness when you give them. Plus, many of these venues will be serving cookies and festive drinks. Also a balm.
Black Friday Record Store Day: With participation at nearly 20 independent South Florida record stores, from Rust & Wax in West Palm Beach to Sweat Records in Miami, this holiday-season edition of RSD on Friday will have vinyl heads on the move. Among the rare titles that may resonate here: Billy Joel’s “Live From Long Island,” a triple album recorded at New York’s Nassau Coliseum on Dec. 29, 1982, in a new, remixed edition. Also, Talking Heads’ “Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live,” with recordings that began in 1974 when Chris Frantz and David Byrne were students at Rhode Island School of Design. Visit RecordStoreDay.com. Talking Heads fans know that Byrne will be at The Fillmore Miami Beach on Dec. 5-6, with only resale tickets available at Ticketmaster.com.
Florida Panthers Black Friday: The team shop for the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, when you can pick up one of the sweet new jerseys the team will wear for the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 2 against the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park in Miami. These adult jerseys go for a little more than $200, with a variety of Winter Classic jackets, hats and other merchandise also available. Visit FlaTeamShop.com. Tickets for the Winter Classic are hot; see Ticketmaster.com. Visit NHL.com/panthers.
Advent & Christmas Market: Convivio Bookworks in Lake Worth Beach hosts this three-day Old World market this weekend, featuring a wide variety of thoughtfully curated items from around the globe, with homemade cookies and Löfbergs Coffee from Sweden to enjoy while you shop. (And keep an eye out for the Christmas stollen from Germany.) Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Visit: Facebook.com/conviviobookworks.
So Flo Finds: The vintage thrift boutique in Delray Beach will host a three-day Shop Local Vendor Weekend from Black Friday through Sunday, offering a variety of curated items from a rotating lineup of vendors, live music, yoga and more. Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit Instagram.com/soflo_finds.
Small Business Saturday: This is the day to drop in on that favorite shop in your community. Places like The Wander Shop on a buzzy stretch of Northeast 12th Avenue in downtown Oakland Park, filled with fashion and home goods curated by the discerning eye of owner Marisa Folz (you may remember her Airstream pop-ups back in the day). Folz will host a Small Business Saturday festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 60 local businesses represented. Visit Instagram.com/tothewandershop.
ChainBridge Distillery: While you’re at The Wander Shop, consider a stroll across Dixie Highway to visit this family-owned spirits maker, which recently earned the title of Best Craft Gin in USA Today’s 10Best awards. ChainBridge makes a traditional clear gin ($36.99) and a bourbon barrel-aged version ($39.99). If you can’t make it to Oakland Park, ChainBridge offers its gin and other spirits (they also make vodka, brandy and rum) at the Southwest Ranches Community Farmers Market each Saturday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.-4 p.m.). Visit ChainBridgeDistillery.com.
Museum Store Sunday: Many major South Florida museums will have their shops open on Sunday with shelves filled with jewelry, books, stationery and children’s gifts. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has the Monopoly: Fort Lauderdale Edition board game ($49). Visit NSUArtmuseum.org. At the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, the book, “Jackson Pollock Splashed Paint and Wasn’t Sorry,” by Fausto Gilberti (Phaidon Press; $17.95) is irresistible. Visit Shop.Norton.org.
The Jamboree Flea: A relative newcomer to the South Florida flea scene, but not lacking in style and swagger, the Jamboree Flea is planning to fill the parking lot in front of 26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen in Pompano Beach with more than 40 vendors on Dec. 6-7, from noon to 7 p.m. each day. Visit Facebook.com/thejamboreeflea.
The Flamingo Flea: Founder Carley Sumner takes her long-running caravan of local makers and creative types to Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton, where dozens of vendors will set up for a holiday market on Dec. 13, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/theflamingoflea.
Indie Craft Bazaar: The OG of South Florida maker markets, created by Atlantic Studios’ Amanda Weiner and Chris Gaidry more than 15 years ago, will take place at noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 14 in the swank War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park. Expect more than 85 vendor booths offering vintage and artisan items, free DIY maker stations, festive drinks, food, baked goods and more. Admission is free. Visit IndieCraftBazaar.com.
Sunny Side Up Market: The ladies of SSUM will be celebrating six years of vintage vibing during a holiday edition of the market in the 800 block of Northeast Fourth Avenue in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s MASS District on Dec. 14, from noon to 4 p.m. The family-friendly outdoor market will feature dozens of vendors, holiday treats, interactive fun for kids and Santa photo opportunities. They’ll be collecting new, unwrapped toys for Broward Partnership. Visit SunnySideUpMarket.com.
The Rust Market: A holiday edition of the monthly event, hosted by Kelsey Vintage Goods in the Lake Park Arts District, will display more than 100 vendors in the 700-800 blocks of Park Avenue from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 20. This market specializes in unusual and interesting vintage finds, along with music, food and beer. Visit Instagram.com/therustmarket.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.