If outlet malls leave you cold and big box stores make you irritable, consider Manzanita the next time you plan to shop for gifts.
The small coastal city’s commercial thoroughfare, Laneda Avenue, is lined with locally owned specialty shops selling everything from home decor and furnishings to environmentally sustainable clothing.
Find the former at finnesterre, where proprietor Terri Desaro carefully selects her inventory, which includes art, wine glasses, serving bowls, furniture, rugs and jewelry. In many cases, finnesterre’s stock is locally made.
Unfurl Clothing, meanwhile, carries everything from women’s, men’s and kids’ clothing, shoes and accessories to wall art and assorted gift items. Owners Judson Moore and Suzy Freeman ensure they sell quality, guilt-free items, from fair trade jewelry made with conflict-free diamonds to handbags manufactured with non-toxic dyes and recycled plastic bottles.
Keep walking along Laneda Avenue to find more one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your shopping list. You can find pet-related items such as dog blankets, toys and apparel at Four Paws on the Beach, and a wide range of knitting yarn, tea and chocolates at T-Spot.
Cloud & Leaf Bookstore, where the motto is, “We believe in the printed page,” carries an eclectic selection of fiction and nonfiction for all ages. Ask owner Jody Swanson for recommendations and keep an eye out for announcements about upcoming author readings.
Manzanita Sweets stocks nostalgic candies and top shelf, organic chocolates, while its companion store, Toylandia, carries stuffed animals, games and toy dump trucks, among other items.
Kick off your shopping with a cup of coffee and a pastry at Manzanita News & Espresso, the Coffee Shop, Bread and Ocean, or Sisters and Pete’s Coffee and Treats. Wrap up the day with a massage or other treatment at Longevity Massage or Spa Manzanita, followed by drinks and appetizers at Vino Manzanita or the San Dune Pub.
For dinner, choose among Blackbird, which offers fine, farm-to-table dining, the family-friendly Big Wave Cafe, fresh, healthy Mexican food at Left Coast Siesta, hand-made pizza at Marzano’s Pizza Pie, or Neahkahnie Bistro’s “gourmet comfort food.”
