Image: Austin Public Library
As the holiday season approaches and Amazon shipping windows begin to slide shut, the ambient state of panic already in the air thanks to the pandemic has become electrified. Maybe you bought all your gifts months ago — maybe your 2020 has been different than ours and you’re using this time to get organized. Maybe. For the rest of us, these last-minute gifts are available for pickup at local businesses around town.
Coloring Austin Watercolor Art Books
Images: Coloring Austin
We’re proud owners of a watercolor rendition of the Texas Chili Parlor from local artist Avery Price, who captures quite a few local landmarks at Coloring Austin. Even if you just moved here, your coffee table will appreciate the native vibes of her latest art book Austin Classics, containing takes on longtime local spots like Deep Eddy Cabaret and Scholz Garten. ($28, shipping and local pickup available)
Easy Tiger Pretzel Party Pack
Image: Easy Tiger
The phrase “pretzel party pack” does most of the heavy lifting here. Local bake shop and beer garden Easy Tiger is offering a kit including four of its giant soft pretzels, a recipe card for beer cheese, and a package of pretzel salt — plus they’re throwing in a tote bag, bar key, and coaster set for good measure. It’s a pretzel party, you know? ($50, local pickup from North Austin location)
Madam Mam’s Roasted Chili Oil
Image: Madam Mam’s / Yelp
Real Mam’s-heads know the local Thai eatery sells jars of its insanely addictive sweet-and-spicy roasted chili paste, which goes with everything from popcorn to pizza to actual Thai food. It would be silly to order this without getting a meal out of the trip, so you know what to do. ($8 to $15, local pickup)
Recycled Reads’ Wooden Grackle Ornaments
Image: Austin Public Library
The Recycled Reads gift shop at Austin’s Central Library has your grackle fix, with wooden ornaments featuring our city’s best birds painted in varying shades of anger by local artist Carly Weaver. ($9, local pickup)
Carpenter Hotel Robe
Image: Carpenter Hotel
The Carpenters Hall restaurant at the Carpenter Hotel in South Austin has the only burger and fries so good I’ve eaten them for lunch two days in a row without thinking. They also make a pretty nice custom robe, in 100 percent organic cotton with incredibly goofy stripes. ($95, local pickup)
Face Pots by D. Edward Murray
Images: Prima Dora / D. Edward Murray
Funky South Austin boutique Prima Dora sells a variety of sculpted “face pots” by local artist D. Edward Murray, and the fusion of hilarious and terrifying going on with the expressions seen here seems appropriate for a difficult year. Real conversation-starter, plus it’s local! ($20 to $95, local pickup)
Trail Foundation Commemorative Brick
Image: The Trail Foundation
Making a donation in someone else’s name is really noble and also not a very satisfying gift. The Trail Foundation makes that easier by installing a custom brick with your chosen name on it at Lakeshore Park along the Hike-and-Bike Trail, which makes the recipient feel like they actually got something. ($250 to $800)
St. Elmo Chico Pale Ale Soap
Image: St. Elmo Brewing Company
You know you’re a grown-up when you catch yourself getting excited about soap, but when it’s beer soap there’s still a certain cool factor that makes you feel less like you’ve got one foot in the grave. This bar comes from our friends at St. Elmo Brewing Company, crafted with its delicious Chico Pale Ale. You ought to pick some of that beer up to-go while you’re at it, since you can’t eat or drink this soap. ($7, local pickup)
Good Apple Organic Produce Boxes
Image: Good Apple
Local produce startup Good Apple delivers curated seasonal boxes of fresh organic fruits and vegetables sourced from area farms to any home in Travis County — and for every box delivered to you, another is delivered to an area family facing food insecurity. ($24 to $30, with weekly, biweekly, and monthly subscriptions available.)
Garden Seventeen Fish Chiminea
Images: Garden Seventeen / Facebook
If you’re looking to symbolically burn away the challenges of the past year, you might as well do it in this improbably fish-shaped chiminea from north central nursery Garden Seventeen. They also sell regular-shaped ones, but we’re hung up on the fish. ($164.99, local pickup)
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