There’s no denying it, the holidays are upon us. Holiday sales are everywhere, shopping centers are crowding up and kids are marking up shopping catalogs with circles and stars next to their “wish list” items. But as much of our holiday joy comes from giving gifts, more and more people are embracing the minimalist lifestyle. You know, that one that encourages us to declutter our homes, make do with items we already own and part with belongings that no longer “spark joy.”
So, how do we balance the desire to share gifts with our loved ones when we don’t want to add more “things” to one’s home?
Enter, the anti-gift guide: a new way to make your “giftee” feel special this season. Just in time for Small Business Saturday, Fresnoland has bundled up a list of fabulous local businesses and operations for gifts at various price points, to help you shop for experiences – not stuff.
KEY: ($) less than $50 / ($$) $50-$100 / ($$$) Over $100
For the nature lover
($) The San Joaquin Valley’s beautifully preserved San Joaquin River Parkway has a slew of outings and adventures for young and old. Purchase a gift card or make a reservation as a gift, and get outside with half-day or full-day canoe or kayak tours, nature walks, ropes courses, or a party on the parkway underneath the Central Valley stars.
($) Grab tickets and make a date to tour the historical site of Forestiere Underground Gardens. The earthen terrain that Sicilian immigrant Baldassare Forestiere transformed into a subterranean complex of grottoes and garden courts, features arches and stonework that reflects his wild and artistic mind. Yes, that’s right here in Fresno!
For the foodie
($) Component Coffee in Fresno’s Tower District (also in Visalia) has a coffee subscription that makes a coffee-drinker’s life a little simpler. Pick the region, size and frequency of your preferred blend and Component Coffee will ship the bag of beans right to your door. Give the gift of caffenation!
($) CookUp is a mobile kitchen offering cooking classes for ages 3 and older. Purchase one kid’s cooking or baking class, a package of classes, or a gift certificate. This makes a lively gift for the budding culinary artist in your home, or even a creative date night. Classes like “Harry Potter Winter” and “Chick-Fil-A Inspired” and “Mini Layer Cakes” make cooking and baking a sweet little adventure.
($$$) The quaint CDT Cocina’s Agave Club is something that no other restaurant in town offers. For $440 a year, this membership of sorts gets you one margarita every day the restaurant is open (or a beer, or glass of wine if you really want one), your name on the Agave Club wall, a birthday meal to use during your birthday month, $6 appetizers,and club member pricing on margaritas and beers for you and your friends anytime! Agave Club memberships can also be purchased with a 3-month commitment for $50 a month. Purchase Agave Club online or in-store. This is the perfect gift that keeps on giving!
($$$) Daniel & Claire’s “Unreasonable Hospitality” Instagram account is gaining local popularity amongst foodies in the Central Valley. The catering team will come to your home or venue and prepare a multi-course meal at around $70 per person, with a menu of seasonal and local ingredients only. This is the ultimate gift of time, food, laughter – really all of the things we love about the oh-so sweet holiday season.
For the wine snob
($-$$) Wine tastings at the locally-owned Marechal Vineyards are just special. The view from their Sanger tasting room is exceptional, the wine is delicious, and the people are the best (Josh Marshall made his name “fancy” and named his vineyard “Marechal”). Take a trip toward the foothills, and pick up a gift card for a wine tasting or a special tasting event the vineyard hosts throughout the calendar year.
($$) Trelio Food & Wine feels like a treat. With an upscale California cuisine menu, inspired by the Italian Apennine Peninsula, Chef Chris Shackelford and his team of sommeliers choose wines sourced from all over the world for their monthly wine club. For $80 a month, wine clubbers get two bottles of wine monthly – these wines are so exclusive they’re usually unavailable in the local market. All wine club members get discounts to everything else Trelio offers: wine classes and cellar raids, parties and dinners. Gift cards are available for purchase by visiting the restaurant in Old Town Clovis.
For the whole family
($-$$) Hands-on experiences at the Fresno Discovery Center make this spot a favorite for kids. So, what if you bought the littles in your life a membership for the entire year? Starting at just $35, members get access to special events and discounts, not to mention support the programming and maintenance at Fresno Discovery Center, which has been around since the 1950s when it was called the Fresno Jr. Museum of Science and Natural History.
($-$$) The destination pride and joy of Fresno, Fresno Chaffee Zoo is a hit with visitors and families alike. The zoo offers gift memberships at a variety of levels–all of them come with animal access perks and shopping discounts.
For the creative
($$) Arte Americas was founded in the 1980s by Nancy Marquez, F. John Sierra, and Lilia Gonzáles Chávez, and for decades this cultural arts center has brought beauty and awareness to the Valley as it preserves Latinx arts. An individual membership for $50 includes free admission to the gallery, to opening receptions, and discounts to La Tiendita and all Summer Plaza Concerts during the year. For the arts and culture lover who needs a little inspiration every now and then, a gift membership here is ideal.
($-$$) Scarab Creative Arts in Downtown Fresno offers classes and workshops from accredited instructors, for both adults and children. Explore new media and techniques with art classes like abstract art, ceramics wheel, clay handbuilding, “art play” for ages 3 to 5, and “Wheel Try Nights” on the first Friday of every month (ages 10+). This is a great spot to bring your friend or your wee one as a memory-making gift!
($-$$) The once-struggling Fresno Art Museum continues to need community support to keep exhibits like the current “The Magic and Flair of Mary Blair” or the upcoming Japanese Woodblock Prints in our midst. The FAM offers gift cards good for tickets or museum memberships, or even visual art workshops for kids and teens.
($-$$) There’s nothing like live music, and the Fresno Philharmonic brings it. Buy a few single tickets to an upcoming concert or organize a group dinner out on the town followed by group tickets to listen to greats like Mahler, Brahms or Gershwin playing on the Central Valley stage in 2024. Order tickets online November 24 to 27 to save 40% on tickets for all remaining 2023-24 Fresno Phil concerts!
($$) Support local theater with a gift card to Roger Rocka’s dinner theater or Good Company Players 2nd Space Theatre. After being around for decades, both theater spaces are still thriving in their humble little spots in Fresno’s Tower District. Upcoming shows include “Beautiful, the Carole King Musical”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “The Sound of Music”, and “Legally Blonde the Musical“. Reedley’s River City Theatre Company is another worthy mention. With shows at the historic Reedley Opera House, gift certificates are available by phone.
For the over-achiever
($$) Fresno Ideaworks is a growing hub on Downtown Fresno’s H Street known as “Central Valley’s first makerspace.” Ideaworks gives technologists, engineers, artists, hobbyists, craftspeople, educators, innovators, and entrepreneurs of all kinds a spot to work and create. Monthly memberships start at $50 per month, and include the use of the Ideaworks workshop areas and tools, discounted classes, voting privileges, and member-only events. This is an ideal gift for the “tinkerer” in your life!
($-$$$) Coders and engineers from all over gather at Root Access to learn, explore and share within this community space built for electronics hobbyists. Root Access opened in 2017, and since then, the “hacker space” has grown to nearly 100 members who come to the Van Ness Avenue building to code, and create on 3D printers, laser cutters, in the woodshop, or fiber arts crafting studio. Discount memberships are offered to teachers and students, active military and veterans, those with disabilities, and immediate family of existing members. Memberships and classes (sewing, soldering, laser cutting) for Root Access can be purchased and gifted online.
($$) We could all use a little uninterrupted self-care and relaxation, so why not give it as a gift? Krystle Healing offers gift cards for “bodywork through intuitive touch and positive energy” at Downtown Healing Collective, and local certified California Massage Therapist (CMT) Valerie O’Brien offers targeted massage, cupping, cold stone facials, all ranging from $45 to $130. Return to the holidays refreshed and renewed!
($$-$$$) Add some namaste to your gift list with a membership or package of classes at Tower Yoga. Classes like sunrise yoga, hot vinyasa, hot lift ‘n’ flow, deep stretch yoga, prenatal yoga, and tea sit & meditation grace the schedule in Fresno’s Tower District – there is something for everyone! The community at Tower Yoga is strong, so be prepared to get hooked on the friendly faces while balancing your chakras.
