HELLO HAPPY PLANTS IS THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

You’re running out of time to find that perfect gift. We thought we’d pitch in by listing some of our favorite Orlando shops and items, just in time for the holidays.

Looking for a place to shop in real-time? Check out a quick list of our favorite gift shops below:

  • The British Shoppe (Website) In today’s retail landscape, this Mills 50 shop doesn’t really make sense. It’s an anomaly; a specialized store that sells a variety of British teas and food and gifts you can only find across the pond. So let’s support them so they’ll stick around forever.
  • Bronze Kingdom (Website) A jaw-dropping collection of African art and rare items inspired by the museum including textiles and home decor.
  • Discover Downtown (Website) Sporting a custom-made mural by Apopka-based street artist, Boy Kong, the new Downtown Information Center has a curated selection of some of our best local makers all in one spot.
  • Freehand Goods (Website) These boys make everything from handworked leather goods to hand-stamped lithograph T-shirts. They even make their own deodorant. Check them out at East End Market or their new holiday pop-up in The Hourglass District.
  • Lafayette and Rushford Home (Website) This is arguably the best retail shop in Baldwin Park, and it’s all about curation. They swap out their goods every month or so so every time you visit it’s an entirely new experience.
  • Miscellaneous Market (Facebook) We can’t gush about this Ivanhoe Village shop enough. In fact, the best person to tell you about it is our friend, Lemonhearted.
  • The Morse Museum Shop (Website) A collection of goodies inspired by the collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany glass.
  • Paper Goat Post (Website) Another Ivanhoe Village gem, this shop has everything you need to make your gift Instagrammably delicious.
  • R. Nichols (Website) The owner makes everything with paper cutouts before making them digital and mass producing them. Every design was literally carved out from sheets of paper. How cool is that? Check out the shop in Audubon Park.
  • Sam Flax Orlando (Website) The big fish in Orlando’s art supply pond. They’ve got all the best stocking stuffers here. Pick us up some Krink markers while you’re there.
  • St. Nick’s Holiday Shoppe (Facebook) This is a year-round Christmas store in College Park. So, they probably have everything you need to deck your halls.
  • Yay! (Website) Good things come in small packages. This is the tiniest retail shop in Orlando but it’s packed with some of the best finds. It’s tucked in a corner of Swanson’s Ivanhoe Row so you’ve probably blinked and missed it a few times after having train shots at The Hammered Lamb.

100 THINGS TO DO IN ORLANDO – website

Our pal Jon Busdeker loves Orlando so much he wrote a book about it. Well, he co-authored it with John Brown. It’s all about the best restaurants, events, attractions, and activities you can find in Central Florida and it’s an essential read for anyone who calls Orlando home.


APRIL SEELBACH’S TRIPPY PAINTINGS – website

“CACTUS FLOWER” PRINT – $50

This Florida-based artist specializes in retro landscapes juxtaposed with trippy designs peppered into the skyline and she’s a must-have for anyone who loves themselves some Modernist chic.

You can shop her prints online HERE or pick one up in-person at the upcoming Grandma Party Bazaar event on December 14.


BURROW PRESS SUBSCRIPTION – website

2020 BURROW PRESS MEMBERSHIP – $60

Give your book lover friends something to squee over with a subscription to local indie Orlando publisher, Burrow Press. Members get four books by Florida authors sent to their mailbox a year and access to private book-loving events.


CLOVE AND COTTON WALL HANGINGS – website

Mary McCready makes some gorgeous macrame, y’all. She’s even got some handmade snowflakes and star ornaments that you can see on her Instagram.


CUTE AND CLAY’S SKULL MUG – website

“ORANGE SKULL MUG” – $30

Kissimmee-based Rochelle Garcia makes a whole selection of weird, wonderful, and whimsical pieces that would look great on your office desk next to your Bungalower print editions.


DO TELL CALLIGRAPHY ORNAMENTS – website

FLORIDA CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT – $22

Owned by Ivanhoe Village-based maker, Margaret Beles, Do Tell Calligraphy offers a variety of print products including tees, ornaments, drink tumblers, mugs, and beautiful art prints.


HELLCATS USA – website

“DON’T TELL ME TO SMILE” STICKER – $3

These Orlando makers have got everything from paper goods to lapel pins and stickers. And they’re hella cool looking too.


HELLO HAPPY PLANTS – website

“PURPLE DORITOS PLANTER” – $85

Hand-sculptured air plant pots in the shape of urban artifacts, like freaking Dorito bags. Genius. We’re their biggest fans.


HOOP THERE IT IS – Instagram

NOTORIOUS RBG – PRICE NOT LISTED

This local artist embroiders on top of photo transferred fabric, in hoops! The pieces are fantastic and truly one-of-a-kind.


JUST OKAY CO.’S TRASH PANDA SHIRT – website

“DO WHAT YOU LOVE” SHIRT FOR $25

Matt Verdier is fast-becoming one of the best local indie shirt makers in town. His Just Okay brand was launched via Orlando Shirts back in the day but is still going strong.

You can see Verdier all over town selling his fresh designs or you can order one HERE.


LAKE FAIRLANE’S HOUSE PORTRAITS – website

11×14 HOME PORTRAIT – $85

This illustrator made a name for herself by drawing people’s homes. Get a custom portrait of your domicile for $50-150 depending on the size. Requires roughly two weeks for turnaround so be sure to order soon.


ORLANDO AUDIOGRAMS CALENDAR – website

“Audiograms are visual encodings of one-minute field recordings from our travels near and far. An Audiogram is a message from us to you, and from us to ourselves – an artifact of remembrance, of being somewhere, of what it was like to be there at a particular place and time, and to listen.”

2020 Edition: each month features an audiogram from sounds recorded around Orlando. 50 limited edition, signed 18 x 12″ prints on manila paper will be available for sale at Grandma Party Bazaar at Stardust on Sunday, December 15, 2019. For more information and to listen to the sounds that created these images, visit https://nathanselikoff.com/works/audiograms-calendar.


ORLANDO CITY SOCCER – website

“MEN’S ORLANDO CITY SEA COW SHIRT” – $39.99

It started as an April Fool’s Day joke but quickly gained traction and became a real thing. Now anyone can own a shirt for the fictional Orlando City Sea Cows.


ORLANDO COLORING BOOK – website

“ORLANDO COLORING BOOK – NEIGHBORHHOD NATURE” – $15

What better way to celebrate the colors of the City Beautiful than by painting them in yourself? This book includes eight hand-drawn pages of birds, animals, oranges, and local landmarks that will keep you busy for hours.

You’ll be able to skip the delivery fee by buying one in-person at the December 12 Thornton Park Wine and Art Walk in front of The Falcon Bar and Gallery.


ORLANDO FRINGE FESTIVAL’S CAPE – website

“SUPER FRINGER CAPE” – $8

Need to prove to everyone in Orlando that nobody loves the Fringe Festival as much as you do? Maybe you know a friend who lives at Loch Haven Park for two weeks every year trying to see every one of the 200+ shows that are hosted in the various theaters. It doesn’t matter. A purple cape is an awesome gift for anyone.


POTHEADS BY AMBER – website

So many creepy, funny, clever little head-shaped pots waiting for you to plop a plant into them. Get in there, people.


RIFLE PAPER CO. – website

ENAMEL PINS – $8

You’d never guess that this tiny shop in Winter Park’s Hannibal Square was a foothold to an empire that spans the globe. Anna Rifle, who used to sell her work at a table at the Audubon Park Farmer’s Market, heads the empire but always keeps it local. Which we love. Be sure to check out their sidewalk sales too.


SECRET SOCIETY GOODS – website

“THEME PARK SCUM” BACK PATCH – $25

Secret Society Goods makes some of the coolest pins, stickers, and occult-inspired merch around and was founded by cutie patootie Orlando resident Sean Walsh. Check out his “Highway From Hell” sticker if you need a laugh.


SIAN ZENG’S MAGNETIC WALLPAPER – website

Zeng is actually based in England, but when we saw her magnetic wallpaper, we knew we were going to put her on this list anyway. Editorial powers on display! Zeng has dino prints, flower prints, idyllic toile-inspired landscapes with fish kites. It’s all there, and it’s all fully interactive with fancy magnets you can move around to suit your moods.


STORY FARM’S LOCAL COOKBOOKS – website

“THE RAVENOUS PIG” SEASONS OF FLORIDA” – $35

The award-winning book publishing wizards at Story Farm have published a whole library full of books with local foodies, and they’re located in the East End Market. How much more local can you get? Check out their whole lineup by clicking the link above and get inspired by amazing chefs that you can visit in person.


SWAN CITY’S LOCAL GEAR – website

“UNISEX I-4 EYESORE PROCRASTINATION LEVEL” TEE – $25

Another launch via our pals at Orlando Shirt’s, Swan City kind of swooped into the scene just a few years ago and has set itself up as an omnipresent posterchild for Orlando retailers and makers. They’re everywhere. If you don’t own their “Procrastination” shirt yet, then can you really call yourself an Orlandoan?


ZOMBIE HEAD – website

“Voodoo EyeBall Necklace” – $180

Some people are just harder to shop for than others. Which is why God made Zombie Head. We did a whole profile on Krystal Osborne’s salon which you can see HERE. Yes, she does hair too.


Brendan O'Connor

Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com

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