It’s around a month until Christmas, and your favorite local stores are ready for the holidays. Are you? Waiting until after finals to find the perfect gift for your family can put a lot of pressure on you. Albion is the perfect place to get your shopping done. Here are four places to do some one stop shopping for your family.
The college bookstore always has something for everyone. You can pick up a t-shirt or sweatshirt with school spirit for any of your family members, including toddlers or dogs. There are shirts and sweaters that say “Albion College Mom” and “Albion College Dad”. Let your parents bask in pride over their favorite child’s school with an “Albion College Mom” or “Albion College Dad” sweatshirt or shirt. There’s even apparel for your grandparents. Canines have Christmas spirit too, pick up a Albion leash so the most important member of your family doesn’t feel left out. There are Albion shield Christmas ornaments to put on your tree and even Albion squirrels holding snowballs. The bookstore’s website also has a variety of items to pick from.
Stepping off campus and into the town, there are a lot of stores where you can buy gifts for your family. Books and More is just one example. Beyond new and used books, you can buy Hanover Michigan Mints, games, jewelry, cards and even clothing made using alpaca fur. You can never go wrong with buying chocolates, and returning home with something fun like a board game can bring your whole family together after opening gifts. They also sell whole bean and ground coffee by the pound for the coffee addict in your family.
If you have musically inclined family members, stop by Dickerson Music Company to buy books of sheet music, reeds, valve oil, mutes or instrument/music stands for them. If you don’t know what to get, any of the store workers would be happy to make suggestions about accessories for instruments. Can’t stand to go home and listen to your brother’s guitar playing? Buy headphones that plug into an amp and have a long cord for jamming out.
Just because you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t ignore other local shops. Shopping local as opposed to at big resale stores this Christmas helps put money back into the community. According to the article “Why Buying Local is Worth Every Cent” by the Huffington Post, shopping locally can generate three and a half times more money for a local economy than shopping at a large chain store would.
Photo by Clare Kolenda
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