Give gifts that were #madeinmichigan this holiday season. There is something for everyone in Calhoun County, from handmade chocolate to gift baskets.
Stocking stuffers
We have two Michigan-themed gift shops to highlight: start with the Battle Creek Welcome Center Store, and then head to Marshall for Living Ml. Both stores celebrate love for the Great Lakes State with socks, artwork, coffee mugs, puzzles and shirts. Store items come from Michigan designers and makers. Small business bonus: Profits from the Welcome Center go back into helping the Battle Creek community.
For an adult stocking stuffer, New Holland Brewing offers mini bottles of their Beer Barrel Bourbon.
And what is a Christmas stocking without some sweet treats? Yellow Bird in Albion makes chocolate from directly sourced ingredients. Your chocolate bar could have beans from Ecuador and cinnamon from Vietnam, but they are made from scratch in the store building. Truffles are also a popular gift, such as the chocolate ganache beer truffles that were inspired by Albion Malleable Brewing’s oatmeal porter.
Gift packages
Make the holiday season easier by letting the experts arrange appealing gifts.
A gift basket from Simply Sensational Berries can be as straightforward as a handmade cocoa bomb with a mug, or you can go full sweets with a personalized gift basket. Cocoa bombs, chocolate coffee stirrers, peppermint pretzel sticks, jumbo Rice Krispie treats, cookies and cake pops make a delicious gift – just let SSB do the work for you. And while you’re playing Santa for others, make sure to pick up some of the shop’s namesake chocolate-covered strawberries as a treat for yourself.
Horrocks & Company is a holiday tradition in Battle Creek. The market is foodie heaven, stocking products that are made in Michigan or come from small businesses. But it’s the gift baskets that make holiday shopping such a cinch. Visit the gift station for everything from traditional fruit baskets to baskets brimming with salty snacks or gardening gifts. Try a package that includes Michigan beer, drinking glasses and nuts.
Brewing
Show the brew connoisseur in your life some love with swag from unique breweries. T-shirts are a popular choice. Handmap Brewing Co. features the state of Michigan, Territorial Brewing Co. pays homage to German beers, Dark Horse Brewing Co. is a Michigan classic and Albion Malleable Brewing Co. honors the city’s foundry history.
For spirits, New Holland Brewing Co. has a still here in Battle Creek. Their store not only has bottles of Michigan-made whiskey, bourbon and gin, but lots of t-shirts, dog toys and other fun items.
Another gift-giving pro tip: Buy a gift card to a brewery and pair it with a Michigan-themed drinking glass from the Battle Creek Welcome Center Store.
Speaking of brewing, Cafe Rica in Battle Creek has some of the best beans for coffee. We recommend the award-winning Black Honey roast, with a naturally sweet honey-forward taste and notes of chocolate, Fuji apple and cranberry.
Experiences
Don’t need more stuff? Experiences are a great gift-giving option.
Membership to Binder Park Zoo is great for all ages. It grants unlimited visits to one of the best zoos in Michigan, where visitors can feed giraffes, learn about dinosaurs and climb up high on the ropes course. The animals are always up to something, so every visit is different. There are also great walking paths for exercise.
A family membership to Kids ‘N’ Stuff in Albion covers a year of visits for two adults and all children younger than 18. Fill an afternoon with imaginative play: there are costumes and a theater stage, all kinds of building materials on Block Mountain, a farm and shopping mart, an auto garage, water table and an air wall. Kids ‘N’ Stuff is about more than toys – it’s about inspiring kids to be creative, to get messy, to engage in parallel play.
Paint a canvas or a ceramic, like the cute little owl at The Busy Paintbrush in Marshall. Offering DIY classes or walk-in painting sessions, you can gift someone a solo session or put together a group project.
Help your giftee bust some stress at Viking Warrior Axe Throwing in Marshall. It uses real axes and wood targets, but video projections allow for a more varied game experience.
