‘Tis the season and with so many gifts to get and so little time to get them, we’re here to help with the Ultimate Gift Guide to Shopping In Portland, Maine and beyond. All items are Maine made and/or available for purchase in Maine-owned shops, so you can feel good about shopping locally and supporting Maine this holiday season.
This year’s Portland Old Port Gift Guide is presented by CHART Metalworks – where every gift holds special meaning.
CHART Metalworks
Perfect For: Everyone and Anyone On Your List
If you haven’t seen CHART Metalworks, or haven’t seen them lately, now is the time! CHART Metalworks has the perfect gifts for everyone on your list – siblings, spouse, parents, neighbors, teacher- we mean everyone!
CHART creates custom, one-of-a-kind keepsakes for your cherished memories ranging from jewelry and barware, to Treasure Boxes and Cribbage Boards. Their team will create your made-to-order piece with custom maps, nautical CHARTs, custom graphics, standard CHART graphics or you can even send them a photo to put in your piece; you’re a part of the final product, every step of the way!
CHART works in Pewter, Bronze and Sterling Silver with most products available in all 3 metals. They use boater’s resin to seal in your personalized graphic which is clear, beautiful and extremely durable. All their products can be additionally personalized by adding your custom engraving to the back.
Some of our favorites gifts from CHART include their Women’s 3-Charm Necklace, and Sterling Small Necklace, and Bronze Hook Bracelet, all of which featured beautiful, custom pendants.
For the guys on your list, give them something they’ll use everyday. Some of our favorites include their 2in1 Golf Tool and their customized belt buckles.
For those a little harder to shop for, CHART has a ton of great, everyday items like Bronze Key Rings, wood Cutting Boards, and Wine Bottle Coasters. Don’t forget to check out their Collections section too, like Ski Mountain, Valerie Paul and their Nautical Signal Flags.
CHART Metalworks retail showroom and workshop are located at 1 Pleasant St, Portland on the Third Floor. They are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (even a little after if you ask nicely – give em’ a call) and weekends during the Holiday season. You can also visit them online at www.CHARTmetalworks.com. Sign up for their product update emails and receive 10% off.
CrateFull of Maine
Perfect For: The Maine Enthusiast
If you’ve got someone in your life that seemingly has everything, there’s always a CrateFull of Maine. Each crate is filled with a variety of Maine-made products that are catered to chocolate lovers, hot sauce advocates, lighthouse fanatics, and more.
Loquat Shop
Perfect For: The On the Go Trendsetter
Loquat Shop
Located in the heart of the Old Port, Loquat Shop offers a selection of collaborations and contributions that directly benefit and empower marginalized people, causes and aesthetics.
For that trendsetting friend seemingly always on the go, Loquat has a selection of handbags and purses, such as the Fresh Cut All Day Purse inspired by classic barbershop posters and hand-painted barber shop signs, and/or the Upcycled Leather Wallet, a 100% cowhide recycled wallet made in Portland, Maine with help from their friends over at 33 By Hand. Wallets range in color from white, green, black, yellow, and more. For the return of fanny pack phase sweeping the younger generation, Loquat Shop has Pineapple Fanny Packs in a variety of colors and made entirely out of pineapple leaves.
You can shop Loquat online or visit the shop at 58 Exchange Street, Portland daily from 10 AM – 6 PM.
Darby Jones
Perfect For: Your Childhood Bestie or Beloved Neighbor
Situated in Portland’s Deering Center (a charming residential neighborhood just parallel to Forest Avenue), the Darby Jones shop (Est. 2018) features a varied collection of “desirable nonessentials” that can help you check just about anyone off your holiday shopping list.
Winning “Best Retail Store” in the Best of 2022 Awards, Darby Jones’ selection includes a handful of items procured from both artisanal start-ups and globally recognized brands, specifically goods imported from Ireland, Scotland, and Britain (Owner Laura Chambers is from Ireland). Catalog ranges anywhere from trendy handbags to humorous socks, handcrafted jewelry and accessories, leisure apparel, baby gifts, pet accessories, Eco-friendly home decor and bar-ware, stationery, greeting cards for every real-life occasion, and more.
You can shop online or visit Darby Jones at 502 Stevens Avenue in Portland, Maine, Tuesday – Saturday 12 PM – 6 PM, Sunday + Monday open leading up to Christmas with holiday hours TBD.
Maine Day Ventures
Perfect For: The Adventurer
For the adventurer on your list, purchase a Maine Day Ventures Gift Card. All activities are fun adventures- highly interactive and authentic. Activities highlight Maine’s culinary scene and colorful history both on land in in the water. Gift cards are available in any dollar amount. Culinary tours are currently $130 and history tours are currently $42. Gift cards never expire or depreciate, and can be redeemed towards any adventure in all of our locations: Portland (year round), Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor and Kennebunkport (seasonally).
Purchase gift cards online here.
Nine Stones Spa
Perfect For: The Workaholic Who Deserves to “Treat Themself”
For the go-getter on your list who could use a “Treat Yourself” day, consider a gift certificate to Nine Stones Spa, winner of the “Best Wellness Center” category in our Best of 2022 Awards.
This full-service spa features nine different treatment rooms, a full service nail salon, locker rooms with both showers and saunas, and a spacious and relaxing lounge for before and after treatments. They have a full range of services including from massage, to prenatal treatments, to nails, and plenty in between.
This is a great gift for that person who sometimes has a hard time taking a second to themselves, and gives them a chance to really find some relaxation.
Nine Stones Spa offers gift cards for services in person and online. The spa, located at 185 Fore St. is open daily beginning at 9am.
Burundi Star Coffee
Perfect For: The Coffee Aficionado
You know that one friend who always has coffee in hand? Can drink anywhere from 3-7 cups of coffee a day? Yes? Go get them a Burundi Star Coffee gift card and/or bagged coffee for the holidays. It will be their favorite gift of the season.
Striving to provide high quality ingredients and top-notch service, Burundi Star Coffee supports sustainable coffee in Owner’s Jocelyne Kamikazi homeland of Burundi. The daughter of a coffee farmer in the Ngozi province of Burundi, Burundi Star Coffee now brings the bold, richly flavored coffee and delicious food of Kamikazi’s childhood to her new community in Maine while giving coffee farmers a voice through fair trade practices and empowering women and girls who are not given the same opportunities regarding education and growth.
In addition to coffee, espresso, lattes, smoothies and cappuccinos at the shop, Burundi features a variety of scones, cookies, muffins, danishes, hand-pies, and more, baked locally by The Purple Whisk and Norimoto Bakery.
Shop Burundi Star Coffee online here or purchase a gift card here. Burundi Star Coffee is open at 261 St. John Street, Portland Monday – Saturday from 8 AM – 4 PM.
X Golf
Perfect For: The Avid Golfer
The perfect, unique gift for dad and/or mom this year is a gift card to X Golf Portland on York Street. With state-of-the-art golf simulators, this is the perfect spot for the golfer in your family to stay loose during the cold months.
X Golf offers private simulator rooms, so no one will see you when you’re working on that slice, and a full bar and food service, so you can make the most of your afternoon on the indoor links. Rental golf clubs are available for anyone that hasn’t fully committed to the golf life yet, and for the golfer who really wants to perfect their game, X Golf offers lessons with actual professional golfers.
You can stop in for a round, or to purchase your gift card with X Golf at 101 York St B, Portland.
Man & Oak
Perfect For: The Spirit Sipper
For the imbibers on your gift list: Man and Oak, the largest bottle club in New England, located in downtown Portland, offers a unique experience. Whether you desire a quiet space to catch up on work, a relaxed, ambient atmosphere to bring friends together, or a hub for spirits education, Man and Oak has you covered.
Man and Oak has over 300 private bottle lockers. Memberships start at $45.00 per month for a small locker (2-4 bottles). Members can access their lockers to pour their own liquor, or make their own cocktails to enjoy while in the club. While sipping your cocktail, you can embark on a variety of educational endeavors as Spirit Suppliers, Brand Ambassadors, and Bartenders offer a variety of classes for members to build their dram knowledge. Recent classes include a Manhattan Class, a Whiskey Blending Workshop, and Amaro World. A monthly membership just might be the perfect, out of the box gift for your cocktail connoisseur friends and family.
Man and Oak is located at 44 Oak St, Portland, Maine. Visit them online to learn about upcoming classes and to reserve a locker for your loved one.
Terrarium
Perfect For: The Plant Guru
Terrarium, an urban garden center nestled in the heart of the Old Port, is a place to shop for house plants, to imbibe, to connect with plant loving folks, and to be creative.
Offering an expansive variety of common and rare houseplants, terrarium building workshops, small bites, beer, wine and more, a gift card is the perfect gift for the creatives or plant loving pals on your shopping list. Have a friend that just moved into a new home? Give their home a welcoming touch with a brand new terrarium and our houseplant.
You can visit Terrarium at 98 Cross St N in Portland, Maine, Tuesday- Thursday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Friday & Saturday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
New Talk Studio
Perfect For: The Home/ Interior Designer
In Portland, Maine we’re all about supporting small, local businesses. One maker you don’t want to miss this holiday season is Stevie McKean, Owner of New Talk Studio.
Stevie’s ceramic creations- mugs, bowls, incense holders, vases, and more – utilize a style that blends the natural world with modern design, bringing a new connection to your everyday objects. Her color palette will bring peace to any space with easily digestible indigos, jades, charcoals and blacks. Current must-haves include the Swirl Tumbler, marbled agateware with a faceted surface and glossy finish, and/or the Squiggle Mug, a big round mug with a good chunky handle.
You can shop New Talk Studio online or at Maker’s Markets at The Point: November 27th and December 18th from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Back Cove Books
Perfect For: The Book Nerd
There’s no better time like the winter season to hunker down and cozy up with a good book. Portland’s newest indie bookstore, Back Cove Books, features a curated collection of books from Maine authors, history, fiction, young adult, art, cooking, biography and more!
For your friend or family member who always has their nose in a book, shop Bestsellers or grab something a little more local, such as Portland’s own John Duncan’s “Take It Easy: Portland, Maine in the 1970s” a remarkable series of long-forgotten black and white images that wonderfully capture the innocence, mood, and spirit of the both the city and the seventies. Whatever it is that your book nerd seeks to read this winter, Back Cove Books is sure to have it.
You can shop Back Cove Books online or visit them at their new location in Odd Fellows block of Woodfords Corner daily; Tuesday – Saturday 9 AM – 7 PM, Sunday + Monday 10 AM – 6 PM.
Wild Sol
Perfect For: The Jewelry Collector
Jewelry as wild as your soul, Wild Sol Jewelry initially caught our attention back in 2019 during the winter Maker’s Market at Thompson’s Point. The delicate approach to jewelry design has had a hold ever since.
Handmade here in Portland, Maine, Wild Sol Jewelry has curated a collection of jewelry inspired by the natural world, including Maine’s moody and dreamy seascapes, dense forest, changing seasons, uninhabited land, and fields of wildflowers. The design behind the earrings and necklaces reflects the beauty and light found within nature and are often light-filled, abstract-shaped, and incorporated with gold, gold-toned metals, and natural stones.
Made for everyday wear, you can shop Wild Sol Jewelry online
Strata
Perfect For: The One Who Has Watched Too Many Episodes of ‘The Bear’ (AKA The Professional Chef)
Chef, please! A city full of restaurants means a city full of chefs. This holiday season sharpen up your gift giving skills with a visit to Washington Avenue’s Strata, a sharpening service and culinary knife and kitchenwares shop resides.
You’ll find a handpicked selection of their favorite culinary knives from around the world, including brand/maker Hitohira, their main Japanese supplier. Strata focuses on sourcing quality steels produced on a small scale, and carrying knives for all skill levels and budgets. They work with craftspeople all over the world to feature the highest quality kitchen tools and accessories they can find. In addition to knives, you can shop sharpening stones and plates, belt knife pouches/sheaths, axes and hatchets, cookware and more.
You can shop Strata online or visit their store at 67 Washington Avenue, Portland, Wednesday – Sunday starting at 10 AM.
Fish & Bone
Perfect For: The Animal Lover
Whether you’re playing St. Nick to your own pooch, or gifting a pet lover in your life, The Fish & Bone has your pet-parent gift-giving covered this season.
The Fish and Bone prides themselves on carrying only the finest and healthiest food and treats for you fur friends, such as the Maine made Growlin’ Gourmet Blueberry Treats with wild Maine blueberries, rolled oats, black strap molasses, and flax seeds for a crunchy treat. Curate your own custom gift basket of treats, bones, chews, collars, and toys.
The Fish and Bone also carries pet apparel, great gifts for pets that brave Maine winter with their owners or those who like snapping a pet selfie in their ‘fits. Shop online or in store their full selection of jackets, fleece harnesses, boots, and more.
You can shop Fish & Bone’s new location at 5 India Street, Portland from 10 AM – 6pm or shop online.
Little
Perfect For: The New Parent
Honoring the magic of childhood, Little offers high-quality, beautifully made children’s ware that inspires joy for the whole family.
Encouraging individuality in even the littlest of tots, Little’s premium children’s brands and clothing, toys, and furniture are playful, timeless, and unique. For example, this season, gift the expecting family Oeuf Knitwear’s Everyday Pants or the Collégien Socks to keep their tiny toes safe and warm all winter long. For bedtime, the cozy crew stuffed animals from Jellycat feature a soft, cozy exterior that will send their bundle of joy off to sleep with the sweetest of dreams.
You can visit Little at 38 Exchange Street, Portland Wednesday – Sunday 11 AM – 6 PM or you can visit their online shop.
Portland Trading Co.
Perfect For: The Fashionista
Your stylish friends always seem the hardest to shop for, don’t they? Ahead of the newest trends, Portland Trading Co. is fashionista approved for every Anna Wintour wannabe.
A one-of-a-kind, well-curated, modernized, lifestyle-themed store that at its core serves as a gateway to showcasing handmade products from the very best, this holiday season you can shop at Portland Trading Co. the easy to wear Jacquard Print Cardigan (available in Caramel and Black). Dress it up or down this cardigan will ease anyone into cold weather season. In the Men’s section, find approachable staples such as the East Harbor Surplus, a wool blend shirt that’s as cool and unique as the man in your life.
Shop Portland Trading Co. online or by visiting their location at 83 Market Street, Portland every day starting at 11 AM.
Eunoia
Perfect For: The One with Beautiful Hair
For the friend or loved one who never has a hair out of place, Eunoia hair salon offers a mindful approach to beauty.
When your friend and/or loved one visits the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere of Eunoia, they will know that they are among friends. The knowledgable and experienced team of stylists are passionate about enhancing women’s natural features to help them look and feel their best, while going beyond exterior, they focus on nourishing the mind and body with an exceptional client experience, which is at the heart of everything they do.
Services available at Eunoia include blowouts (Brazilian included), color retouch, color, all over glaze, event hair, and more.
You can book an appointment here or visit Eunoia’s location at 4 1/2 Milk Street the Old Port Tuesday – Saturday starting at 10 AM.
ViA VECCHiA
Perfect For: The Foodie
Whether it be for date night or a little G.N.O. a gift card to one of Portland’s beloved Italian eateries, ViA VECCHiA, is sure to fare well under the tree this holiday season.
Italian for “The Old Way,” ViA VECCHiA is a chic and authentic small plates Italian-inspired restaurant situated within the heart of the Old Port in a historic brick and ivy-covered building overlooking cobblestone streets. Surrounded by velvet booths in a warm, energetic atmosphere, ViA VECCHiA is home to an exceptional cocktail program combining old world sophistication and new world technique.
You can purchase a gift card online here or make a reservation online with Resy here. ViA VECCHiA is open Tuesday – Sunday starting at 4 PM.
Jenny Ibsen
Perfect For: The Picasso
A relief printmaker, writer, restaurant worker, and storyteller based in Portland, Maine, Jenny Ibsen’s prints are the gift to give to those talented artists and art admirers in your circle.
Illustrating nostalgic stories of food, including the harvesting and nurturing, preserving and processing of food– her work often centers these slow and meticulous transformations. Eye catching prints include Processing, an risograph ode to a special lemon-tree, and Pickle Party, a dramatic scene from the Cumberland County Fair homemade pickle competition. Searching for a stocking stuffer or just something small? Jenny Ilben has a selection of stickers, including Lemon Crush (shown above). Fits on a water bottle, or really wherever you want it!
You can shop Jenny Ibsen’s designs online.
We hope this gift guide finds you well this holiday season! Please continue to support Maine businesses year-round and as often as possible. Happy holidays, from Portland Old Port!
