Pop in Your Local Mom and Pop for a Present for Mom (WORDPLAY!)

Ez at Creature Comforts tipped me off to the 3/50 Project. If half of the employed population spent $50 a month in local shops, we'd generate over 42.6 billion dollars of revenue for the economy!

I know it's hard to shell out money right now, but I've been trying to shop locally and it feels good to help out merchants in my neighborhood that I've come to know and even consider friends.

Here are a few Mother's Day gift ideas from stores in my neck of the woods. PSST! MOTHER'S DAY IS MAY 10, suckas. If you live in Brooklyn you should definitely come check them out!

SCAREDY KAT
229 5th Ave b/w Carroll and President Sts



You gotta get her a card, obvs. Scaredy Kat has really pretty cards with a wide range of messages and prices. If you think a $6 card is ridiculous OR totally affordable, this store is for you!

ONE GIRL COOKIES
68 Dean St at Smith St



You guys, One Girl Cookies' tiny little cooks are the jam. The store itself is a lovely, blue-and-cream colored place to sit and enjoy a treat, but you can order their goodies online too. Prices for gift boxes start at $29. Totally reasonable!

GORILLA COFFEE
97 5th Ave at Baltic St/Park Pl



I stop at Gorilla every day on my way to work. It's the best coffee I've ever had. Plus, the staffers are the nicest and wear crazy accessories (which leads to me and the fella making up secret nicknames for them like "Map Hat" and "Sequin Beret"). Anyway, I could see a boy getting his mom the screen printed wooden gift box of three 1lb. bags of coffee. It doesn't have a distinct "mom vibe" (i.e. pastels) but if you have a cool mom you could pull it off.

COG AND PEARL
190 Fifth Ave at Sackett St/Berkeley Pl

Cog and Pearl, on the other hand, has a TOTAL mom vibe. (Well, a girl vibe.) Lots of affordable jewelry and one-of-a-kind-seeming housewares. These switch plates are a little pricey at $50, but isn't Mother's Day all about doing something special to make your mom's everyday life a little sweeter? She'd look at it often and think what a great kid she has. Then, when you call her to ask her to do your taxes for you, she won't be as cranky about it. Maybe?

Cute Thing! Oh My Cavalier on Etsy

Two Trees
$250

I adore the work of Julianna Swaney, who goes by Oh My Cavalier on Etsy. I bought a charming piece of hers (an image of a bear, drawn on a page from an old book) and it came very nicely packaged with a little free bookmark.

Lots of her stuff is very reasonably priced, but I'm aching for this original drawing of a sneaky berry-toting fox trudging off into the woods. It's currently my desktop image at work. It's the perfect combo of eerie and magical. Loves it!



Wolf Winter House
$30

A less expensive but equally awesome option is this limited-edition print of a wolf. Wait a minute. Does that mean that other image is a wolf too? Looks more like a fox to me. Well, anyway! Pretty great stuff.

Charley and the Old Navy Factory

The delightful Todd Oldham, creative director for Old Navy and self-professed Charley Harper fanatic, has combined his two loves and helped produce a line of Charley Harper products for the chain!



For those not in the know, Charley Harper was a wildlife illustrator who created charming, very modern works that have been reproduced quite a lot for calendars, greeting cards, etc. You can still buy some of his prints on ebay.



His work is a lot of fun, and the man himself seems like he was pretty fun too. The BF just gave me Birds and Words, which features his bird illustrations juxtaposed with his hilariously hokey and dad-humored writings.

Anyway, his stuff is great for kids. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for kids!), the Old Navy items are geared at children, but if you have to buy any gifts for little ones this holiday these would be so well-received.

Aside from the t-shirt featured above, which is $10 and comes in two other styles, there are books, games, and a coloring book.




These alphabet flash cards are pretty darn cute, too, and would look nice framed or even just tacked to the wall with nice metal push pins. (I may buy these for myself!)

Everything is under $15, and for the next few days they are offering free shipping and 20% off if you use the code "20FREESHIP".