Give the gift of Rochester this holiday shopping season! Support small and local Rochester businesses and find unique gifts and experiences that your loved ones will enjoy all year round.
GIFTED ROCHESTER EXPERIENCES
New and different experiences will create new memories for you and your loved ones. Gift a unique experience for now or later.
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In-person cooking classes with New York Kitchen.
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Classes from the Rochester Brainery. Sample from a wide range of topics and courses, including crafts, history, flower arrangements, cooking, art and so much more.
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Take an art class with Flower City Arts Center.
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Find or create a gift for your favorite creative at Scents by Design, Rochester’s pour-your-own candle and custom fragrance bar. Visitors can explore the candle wall, choose what they like best, and create a candle of their very own!
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Host an exclusive exhibit experience at The Strong National Museum of Play. Organize an outing your friends and family won’t soon forget with private exhibit time and access to select exhibits after regular museum hours.
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Combine gifted passes to the Memorial Art Gallery, where Yayoi Kusama- INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM - LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER, 2017 is on view through May 5, and gift a unique find from The Store @ MAG.
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A gift certificate to a GCV&M camp for a day learning a trade with their 19th century craftspeople.
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Visit the historic landmark home of Susan B. Anthony when you gift passes to the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. Follow up your tour of the museum with a visit to Mount Hope Cemetery and view the graves of Anthony, along with fellow Rochesterian and civil rights leader, Frederick Douglass.
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Did you know the Seneca Park Zoo is open all year round? Make your visit extra special with a private guided tour of the zoo. Your tour guide will lead you on a 90‐minute journey through the Zoo where you’ll get a deeper insight on the animals in its care and different areas of the Zoo. Your guide will gladly answer questions and share information on the Zoo’s mission to save animals from extinction.
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Plan for warmer weather next summer and purchase a gift certificate for a cruise on the Erie Canal with Sam Patch and Colonial Belle tour boats, or cruise the Genesee River on The Riverie.
GIFTS FOR FAMILIES
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Quench your need for exploration, curiosity, and wonder with tickets to the temporary exhibit at the RMSC Museum & Science Center, Survival of the Slowest.
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Gift passes or a membership to local museums that are the perfect fit for families including the Strong National Museum of Play, RMSC Museum & Science Center and Genesee Country Village & Museum.
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Spend the day with the animals and support conservation efforts with a family membership or gift passes to the Seneca Park Zoo.
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Pay a visit to DICK’s House of Sport Rochester, a DICK’s store with interactive spaces to practice and try new sports. Find any sports gear, memorabilia, and apparel in this brand-new space.
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Start planning for next summer now and gift passes to Seabreeze Amusement Park, the oldest family operated amusement park in the country! Enjoy a ride on Seabreeze’s Jack Rabbit roller coaster, the oldest continuously operating wooden roller coaster in the United States.
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Hit the slopes this winter with passes to Bristol Mountain, located just outside of Rochester and home to the highest peak between the Adirondacks and the Rocky Mountains.
GIFTS FOR FOODIES
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Give the gift of chocolate hand-crafted in Rochester, with delicious options available from Hedonist Artisan Chocolates, Laughing Gull Chocolates and Stever’s Candies.
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Give the gift of several restaurants in one. With a gift card to the Mercantile on Main, the recipient of your gift can visit multiple kitchen vendors in the heart of Rochester.
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Some dishes you can only find in Rochester, like the Zweigle’s “white hot.” But did you know that you can order Zweigle’s online and send it to anyone on your shopping list, wherever they may be?
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Crepes, anyone? Give your pals a gift card to Simply Crepes Pittsford, so they can ‘treat themselves’ to some French cuisine.
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Send your favorite foodie a sample of Rochester’s signature sauces like Boss Sauce, PepperNutz ROC City Hot Sauces, Guglielmo’s Marinara Sauce and Dinosaur BBQ Sauce.
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Give the gift of holiday spirits. Choose from wine, gift cards or merch from Casa Larga Vineyards, Living Roots, Unwine’d and Flight Wine Bar Downtown, or spirits from local distilleries like Black Button and Iron Smoke.
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A night out to Velvet Belly can be a real treat. This Rochester offering serves upscale coastal cuisine. Bring your loved one out for the night or grab a gift card for next time.
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Give the gift of something sweet with delicious, homemade maple products from Flint’s Maple and Kettle Ridge Farm.
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Rochester has a reputation as one of the best cities for coffee in the country. Gift offerings from Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Locals Only, Neutral Ground Coffeehouse, or Village Bakery.
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Get many more gift ideas for foodies with our Rochester Foodie Gift Guide. Or score a gift card to a top local spot, see our recommendations for Rochester restaurants here.
GIFTS FOR CRAFT BEER LOVERS
Rochester is one of the best cities for beer in the country! With more than two dozen breweries in Monroe County alone, Rochester is brimming with gifts for fans of craft beer.
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Gift cards for a future visit to one of your favorite Rochester craft breweries.
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Merchandise from Rochester craft breweries. Shop online stores from Rohrbach Brewing Company, Genesee Brewery, and Strangebird.
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A popular pandemic pastime is completing puzzles. Now you can gift the craft beer fan in your life a 200-piece Rohrbach beer label puzzle, available online here.
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Treat the beer lover in your life to a subscription to BeerPass Rochester. With BeerPass, subscribers have access to one free beer a day at any of the partner locations. It's a great way to get out, explore and try something new!
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Sample a little bit of all things local at a tasting room like Once Finger Lakes or Red White and Brew. Gift a loved one a gift card, or bring them along to try a wine, beer, or spirit tasting together!
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And last, but certainly not least, give the gift of fresh craft beer brewed here in Rochester, NY. Order in-person or online from some of our favorite Rochester breweries.
WHERE TO SHOP IN ROC
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Locals will tell you that “The Record Archive is the Place to Go!” And it really is the place to go for music, movies, vintage clothing and so much more. The Record Archive is one of the largest record stores in the northeast, and it is filled with unique gifts for all ages and musical interests. Shop in store or online here.
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Shop a fully vegan shop at Cleo + Kin, a boutique lifestyle shop with a focus on sourcing sustainable, independent brands and women run businesses. The shop offers a wide selection of goods from women's clothing + accessories, a newly opened section including men’s clothing + accessories, to houseplants and home goods.
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For gorgeous seasonal flower arrangements, visit Fabulous Flowers and Gifts or Stacy K Floral. Both offer gift cards or the option to order online as well.
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Rochester museum gift shops are filled with unique gifts and treasures perfect for gifting.
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Find unique pieces of art, clothing, jewelry and more at the Store @ MAG.
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The museum shop at The Strong National Museum of Play features gifts themed around the museum’s permanent exhibits, like Sesame Street and Berenstain Bears, along with assorted puzzles, crafts, educational games and toys featured in the National Toy Hall of Fame.
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Shop products made by the tradespeople on site at Genesee Country Village & Museum at the museum’s Flint Hill gift shop. The shop also featured games, activities and candy inspired by the 19th century, as well as cookies and confections baked by museum staff. Shop the gift shop online now.
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The Shop at RMSC Museum & Science Center is the perfect spot to shop for the future scientists on your list! Find a wide range of items at the Shop at RMSC, including telescopes and binoculars, DIY science kits and museum merchandise.
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Get Rochester themed tee shirts, mugs, stickers and more at Peppermint. And be sure to check out Peppermint's pop-up market, THEMATA.
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The Rochester Brainery shop is filled with products created by local makers. Even better, if you see an item you like, there is a good chance you can take a class with the maker at the Brainery and learn how to make your own, from pottery to macramé and much more.
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The Living Roots gift shop is filled with local products and bottles you can gift the wine lover in your family.
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Browse boutiques on Park Avenue. Shops are open both in-person and online. See the Park Ave Merchants Association for a full list of merchants, but highlights include Stever’s Candies, Parkleigh, Salty Boutique, Mansa Wear, Statement and Bones Dog Bakery.
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Score running shoes, apparel and other gifts for runners at Fleet Feet Rochester.
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Who doesn’t want to give the gift of rest and relaxation? Purchase a spa gift certificate for a future massage, facial or other service from the Spa at the Del Monte Lodge, Ape + Canary, Woodcliff Hotel & Spa or Glenna’s CBD & Spa.
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Shop vintage, handmade and upcycled fashion and accessories at The Op Shop.
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Find handmade, high quality jewelry at Figgy Studio & Shop. The shop also features clothing, unique accessories, Bills gear and other items from over 40 local artists and small business owners.
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Book an appointment for permanent jewelry at Laura Mady’s Boucher Jewelry, where new chains are added on a regular basis. You can also purchase unique and timeless jewelry pieces with various gemstones at the shop.
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Give the gift of an eco-friendly lifestyle this holiday season! Find sustainable products at Marilla’s Mindful Supplies– with items ranging from home care products, body care, and so much more.
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Shop alpaca products including hats, scarves, blankets and more online or in-person at Lazy Acre Alpacas.
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Finger Lakes Goods offers customers a large selection of locally made artisanal products ranging from clothing to Finger Lakes wines and various products in between.
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Find anything from wood and pottery creations to jewelry, a huge card selection and other unique items at NOTION.
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The reader in your life will enjoy Day Trips Around Rochester, NY– a guide to fun and unique things to do around Rochester within two hours of home.
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Find fine art created by local artists at Pittsford Fine Art and UPSTAIRS Galleries.
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Locally made gifts including artisan candles, pottery, soaps, handmade jewelry and more are available for purchase at FingerLakes Cannabis Co.
SEASONAL HOLIDAY MARKETS
November 17-19 | RMSC Museum & Science Center
Come celebrate the 51st Anniversary of the Holiday Bazaar Arts & Crafts Sale November 17-19, 2023. The Holiday Bazaar is a juried show with five floors of displays across the RMSC campus. A spectacular variety of exhibitors will showcase creative, unique, hand-made items including: ceramics, fiber arts, glass, jewelry, mixed media, paintings, photography, prints, sculpture, woodwork, and more.
Holiday Market & Preparing for Winter
November 18-19 | Genesee Country Village & Museum
Prepare for winter yourself by shopping at the Holiday Market and see how Western New Yorkers prepared for winter in the 19th century. The perfect family activity to kick off the holiday season!
November 19, 26 | Radio Social
100+ of your favorite local vendors offering top notch sustainable and secondhand goods every Sunday 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
November 24 | Record Archive
You've filled yourself to the brim with stuffing and gravy, now it's time to fill up on music as well! Nov. 24th is Black Friday, and Record Archive is here to keep you busy with the family after all the doorbusters. They'll be opening an hour early at 9am and have tons of exclusive Record Store Day Black Friday vinyl releases as well as their famous dollar records.
November 24-25 | The Hungerford
Skip the malls and big box stores this year and support local makers! You’ll find a unique shopping experience without the crazy crowds. Visit with artists in their studios and see where they create their beautiful work. It’s truly a unique experience as each artist’s studio is a glimpse into their creative world.
Through November 27 | Corning Museum of Glass
Visit The Shops for the best holiday deals in town! You’ll find great discounts on holiday items and gifts, from glittering ornaments and jewelry to home decorations and handmade glass items from around the world.
November 24-25 | Culver Road Armory
This market at the Culver Road Armory features handmade artisans, independent designers and artists that sell high-quality, well-designed and ethically made products. We believe in showcasing diversity, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as encouraging creativity and community participation.
November 26, December 3, December 10, December 14 | City of Rochester Public Market
A Rochester holiday tradition for more than 26 years, Holidays at the Market features dozens of holiday-focused vendors (trees, decorations, holiday foods and crafts, gifts, and more), visits with Santa, hayrides, cookie decorating and more!
Roc Holiday Village Shopping Village
Wednesdays-Sundays December 1-23 | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square
Shop a unique selection of treats and treasures from retail vendors at Roc Holiday Village!
December 17 | New York Kitchen
Join New York Kitchen in Canandaigua on Saturday, December 17th, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a holiday market! There will be 20+ artisans available with everything from jewelry to home-décor to stationary, candles, candy and more!
