The Sioux City area is full of great local stores, brands, and makers who have items for sale that would make amazing presents for Christmas, Hannukah, or your favorite winter holiday. I love that spending some of our holiday dollars with them makes it possible to get unique gifts for friends and family while also supporting our neighbors. There are too many Sioux City and Siouxland local gifts to list all of them, so I definitely encourage you to shop your favorite local places even if they aren't on my list of personal faves yet.
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Best locally owned stores in Siouxland for toys and gifts:
- Thinker Toys
- 4400 Singing Hills Blvd
- The iconic castle toy store just south of the Southern Hills Mall features a wide variety of toys and games, from well-known brands like Lego, Corolle, Brio, Playmobil, Schleich and Melissa & Doug, to quirky independent brands you won't find elsewhere in Siouxland. They also have frisbee golf equipment, which is perfect for Sioux City's various courses. And my kids and I love their mystery boxes, full of fun surprises!
- For more info, check out the Thinker Toys Facebook page.
- Loess Valley
- Goat milk soaps, lotions, balms, and more made by a local mom. My kids adore seeing her goats on Instagram, and I love helping them make the connection of where the things we use actually come from and how they are made. This is one of my top picks for hard-to-buy-for people who already have everything they need, because you always need more soap, and this soap is really luxurious and amazing!
- For more info, visit the Loess Valley website, Facebook page, or instagram feed.
- Sanded Art Woodworks:
- Rick Plathe makes gorgeous custom wooden creations including cutting boards, jewelry boxes, pens, and more. His wooden and acrylic pens are especially reasonably priced.
- For more info, visit the Sanded Art Woodworks Facebook group.
- Katie Cloud
- Katie makes luxurious candles and other deliciously scented things like room spray and wax melts, all from Anthon, Iowa. Her seasonal boxes always sell out, so don't hesitate once you see them on the site!
- For more information, visit the Katie Cloud website.
Best locally owned Siouxland stores for books, music, and art:
- Acme Comics:
- 1622 Pierce St
- Acme Comics features tons of comic books, but also toys, games, books, and more for the fandoms your family loves.
- For more info, visit the Acme Comics Facebook page.
- Book People:
- 2923 Hamilton Blvd
- This cozy bookstore has been sharing unique books with Sioux City readers for 40 years and has books and gifts for all ages and interests, including many you can't find anywhere else in Siouxland. This is one of the best places in Siouxland to find books on local topics or by local authors.
- For more information, check out their website or follow them on Facebook
- The Browns
- This talented Le Mars family has been making music together for decades, to great acclaim (they were nominated for best country or bluegrass song at the 2021 Dove Awards!) and their brand-new Christmas CD would be a great Christmas gift! You can order it on major websites like Amazon or pick a copy up in person at their Century Theater in Le Mars (where they also have a wide variety of other fun gifts from chocolates to home decor!)
- For more information, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
- Art Sux Gallery
- Visit this collaborative gallery on Fourth Street to find works by a variety of Siouxland artists in many mediums. Whether you're looking for a handmade clay Christmas ornament for under $10, or a one-of-a-kind painting to grace your walls for decades, Art SUX probably has an ideal art piece for you.
- For more information, check out my post about Art SUX, visit the Art SUX website or follow them on Instagram.
Best locally owned Siouxland stores for clothes & accessories:
- KJ West Designs
- KJ makes super cute earrings using materials like clay, wood, metal, enamel, leather, and even repurposed antlers! Her earrings range from adorably quirky clay corn studs to upscale and understated pieces like hammered copper cutouts. I have bought several pairs of earrings from her, and my fave so far are the white buttercup studs. They go with everything!
- For more information head to the KJ West Designs website.
- Ambrosia
- Ambrosia in South Sioux City is an exciting jewelry and accessories brand launched by a super talented designer. She specializes in custom jewelry and has options on her website ranging from $19.95 to over $2k, so you're certain to find something in pretty much any budget. I have a pair of her studs and I love them. More than a year after getting them and wearing them lots, they still look in perfect condition.
- For more information, visit the Ambrosia Jewelry website or connect with them on Facebook or Instagram.
Best locally owned Siouxland stores for something delicious
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| Some of the delicious Christmas baskets available from Jolly Time Koated Kernels |
- Jolly Time Koated Kernels: Sioux City is the headquarters of the Jolly Time Popcorn Company. You can get a wide variety of delicious popcorn from their corporate store or local grocery stores, but one of the most giftable options is Jolly Time Koated Kernels' bags of pre-popped popcorn drizzled with chocolate, caramel, and other fantastic flavors. I got to try samples of a few flavors, and they are really pulling out all the stops this holiday season. I especially recommend their peppermint swirl flavor, which is fresh and minty without being overwhelming. Check out their website and Facebook page for more info, and especially watch for their weekly specials!
- Palmer's Candy: How lucky are we to have a popcorn factory *and* a candy factory?!? The Palmer's Candy Shoppe near downtown Sioux City features a wide variety of candy including pre-packaged, bulk bins, factory seconds, and hand-crafted truffles. They also have a nook in the back of the store featuring non-candy gourmet foods. And there's a ton of Palmer's fan gifts, from coin purses made of Bing wrappers to tumblers, sweatshirts, and koozies.
Best locally owned Siouxland options for movie or show tickets as gifts:
- Promenade Theatre: The Promenade Theater in downtown Sioux City is our local movie theater. The Promenade is part of a small regional chain and features lots of fun events for families.You can check out the Promenade on their website or Facebook page.
- Orpheum Theatre: The Orpheum Theatre is Sioux City's home for fine arts, and this holiday season there will be a variety of Christmas concerts and the Nutcracker ballet presented by the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra. You can get more info on the Orpheum website or Facebook page.
- Tyson Events Center: The Tyson hosts concerts, ice bike racing, Sioux City Musketeers hockey home games, and tons of other fun. You can get more information on the Tyson Events Center website.
Best locally owned businesses for gift certificates and gift cards
Sometimes the most fun gift is the gift of getting to choose your own! I recommend gift certificates or giftcards to any of the places already mentioned, but also to anywhere in Siouxland that serves food or coffee, to spas and salons, and to other fun places for experiences and services. Here are just a few of the best:
- Fleurish Flower Farm near Jefferson, SD offers beautiful bouquets and floral arrangements, and in the summer, they host fun pick-your-own events!
- El Fredo's Pizza serves up some of Siouxland's best pizza, with zesty sauce and fluffy crusts.
- Two Finches Spa at the Warrior has a variety of spa and salon services from massages to haircuts and dye services with a side of champagne.
Best Museum Stores in Sioux City and Siouxland
Museum stores can be easily overlooked in your holiday shopping plans, but most actually have some really fun gifts, and buying supports these cool institutions in our community! I'll put more info on experience gifts in the next section, which is another great option from local museums, but here are some of the local museum gift shops in Sioux City and Siouxland that have great physical items you should consider as Christmas presents or as gifts for any holiday or occasion:
- the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center sells t-shirts, plush animals, sticker books, and other great gifts for nature lovers
- the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center has great books for history-lovers of all ages, but also classic and imaginative gifts like coffee and mugs, brass compasses and beeswax candles.
- the Mid American Museum of Aviation and Transportation has t-shirts, books, and cute model planes. Their souvenirs are sure to be a hit with the airplane lovers in your life!
- the Sioux City Public Museum has t-shirts, books (including my book Surprising I-29!), jewelry, toys, and more. They also have great stocking stuffers like pencils, arrowheads, and tiny dinos.
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