Blog
Shopping Westchester: Great Gifts Right Under Your Nose
You’ve got a list…and the wish to find special gifts. 
Shopping Westchester would be AWESOME….but time is fleeting, and your laptop is beckoning.
WAIT! Before you fill an online cart with whatever’s trending, consider a gift card for a local experience or event. Many can be purchased online, downloaded in minutes. And OHYES many have holiday discounts going on too!
Tuck it into a stocking, or to really mess with those present snoops and shakers, wrap with a complimentary gift for a two-tiered surprise: Outdoor concert tix in a picnic basket, movie membership with box of Junior Mints, some live herb plants with a cooking class. See-YOU GOT THIS!!
CREATIVE Paint and sip shops abound! Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, White Plains and Yonkers Learn to knit/crochet, make clay masterpieces in Briarcliff, Mt. Kisco, Port Chester. Or make jewelry at beading classes in Mamaroneck or White Plains.
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Check out upcoming events at
- The Capitol Theater in Port Chester
- Mamaroneck’s Emlin Theater
- Peekskill’s Paramount
- Tarrytown’s solar-powered Music Hall.
- Westchester Broadway Theater in Elmsford for dinner with the show
- Family-friendly 2020 Pleasantville Music Festival’s Ticketfest is on NOW!
More alternative choices, smaller venue:
- Rockland’s Turning Point Cafe
- Daryl’s House in Pawling
- Garcia’s in Port Chester.
Under the stars?
- Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
- Caramoor’s classical concerts
ACTIVITIES: Rock climbing, indoor sky diving, race car driving, or an extreme play ninja course. Learn to salsa dance…or make salsa! Or curl! For warmer weather, consider zip-lining or horseback riding lessons.
MEMBERSHIP Movie buffs will enjoy membership at Jacob Burns or Pelham Art House. Best-kept secret IMO is Westchester Fairfield Alliance. Join one museum, you get into the other 7 free ALL YEAR LONG. And yes, AWESOME gift shops, and many with special kids programs too!
ARTISAN Shop handcrafted gifts at these artist collectives: Mamaroneck Artist Guild, the Clay Art Center in Portchester, and Mahopac’s Putnam Arts Council.
BOOKS Book lovers are hardy and passionate people. As are the people who run Westchester’s independent bookstores. Curated offerings, thoughtful gifts, stellar service-what’s not to love? Please consider visiting one or more of your local shops
- Womrath Books/Bronxville
- Scattered Books/Chappaqua
- Galapagos Books/Hastings
- Anderson’s/Larchmont
- Bruised Apple/Peekskill
- Village Bookstore/Pleasantville
- Bronx River Books/Scarsdale
- Booksey Galore/Scotts Corners
ENRICHMENT For the person who ‘has everything’-Westchester County has a terrific selection of venues offering non-credit learning experiences! Opera to Organizing, Cooking to Creative Writing, Belly Dancing to Line Dancing- Check out these course line-ups:
Events and experiences appeal to all demographics and can be enjoyed long after the holiday is over. Shopping Westchester keeps jobs and dollars local, supports small businesses, and strengthens communities. What a great gift for EVERYONE involved!!