Holiday Gift Guide

We’ve created this Holiday Gift Guide in hopes that it will help with your gift giving this year. Here you will find a carefully curated selection of our favorite places to find gifts that are personal, thoughtful, and Unique.

Experiences:

• Wake Foot Sanctuary: Give someone the. unique experience of a specially formulated herbal soak and rejuvenating massage that is sure to de-stress and re-energize.

• Plaid Apron: Gift someone a meal or gift card at this great eatery in our community that prides themselves on bridging the gap between farmer, restaurant, and mouth.

• Top Golf: Give the sports lover in your life a gift certificate to Knoxville’s newest entertainment venue. The bays are climate controlled all year long and even if you aren’t a golfer, it’s a great way to spend a few hours having fun!

• Help You Dwell: Give the gift of HYD’s services to a friend, loved one, family member or neighbor. Our services are a wonderful way to show love to a new mama, a transitioning homeowner, or just someone you love. This gift card can be used towards organizing, packing, and/or unpacking services.

Goods:

• Reece: This is one of our favorite shops for one-of-a-kind pieces! They have thoughtfully sourced home goods from all around the world and offer services to help you style your space and can also source custom or antique pieces that will be unique to your home.

• Happy Envelope: We love this shop for so many reasons! They offer luxury letterpress wedding invitations, custom stationery, art prints, and gifts that will make your heart smile.

• Minimal Optimist: This shop is a lifestyle boutique that specializes in sustainable, eco-friendly, and nature-inspired goods and unique gifts. They also have great gifts for your plant-loving friends!

• Union Avenue Books: Downtown Knoxville's locally-owned independent bookstore with a great selection of the newly published titles. They also host a variety of local, regional and nationally known authors for readings and book signings. We love to support local shops as well as local authors!

Unique Seasonal Items:

• Bradley’s Gift & Home: In addition to hundreds of handmade sweets, you can find unique home goods and special gifts for any occasion. We love all the different ornaments, candles, and decor they have for sale during the different seasons of the year.

• Fig & Co.: FIG exists as an avenue to provide unique and one-of-a-kind goods for the home, including accent decor, art, furniture as well as gifts. Their selection of holiday decor and gifts is amazing!

• Back Porch Mercantile: This shop is a unique space that offers specialty finds for baby, home, gift items and accessories that are inline with a modern farmhouse aesthetic and southern hospitality. Their seasonal merchandise is beautiful and like no other.

• The Painted Perch & Co: This market has over 30 vendors offering goods such as antiques, painted furniture, Haitian artwork and handmade pieces (all proceeds go back to Haiti), new and repurposed furniture, gourmet food, hand crafted textiles, gourmet pet items, boutique adult and children clothing and jewelry like Myra bags, Fusion paint, reclaimed wood pieces, gift items/baskets and so much more! They have a huge selection of holiday items that would be great for anyone on your Christmas list.

Local Holiday Markets:

• Stanley’s Greenhouse-Located across the river south of downtown Knoxville, Stanley’s is a locally owned greenhouse and plant farm. Shop with them on Small Business Saturday (November 26), or visit on Sundays in November and December for their Holiday Marketplace for one-stop shopping for gifts and decor.

• Riverview Family Farm-Located in West Knoxville, Riverview Family Farm is holding their annual Holiday Barn Sale on Friday, December 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, and Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop by and see local vendors with a variety of goods.

• Ijams Holiday Market-Located on Island Home Avenue, go celebrate the holiday season by supporting local artisans and makers at the ninth annual Ijams Holiday Marketplace on not one, but two dates this year: Nov. 27 and Dec. 4 from 10 am-3 pm! You'll find crafty delights, including beautiful jewelry, all-natural body products, glass, pottery, apparel, local food trucks, a beer garden, hot drinks, and so much more!

• Foothills Holiday Market-Located in the Smithview Pavillion in Maryville, this market is going to be open Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a variety of gifts and items from local vendors, as well as food trucks for snacks and lunch.

Happy Shopping Friends!

When shopping becomes a hobby...

As organizers, we spend a lot of time thinking about stuff. What to do with it, why we keep it, how we got it, why we continue to buy it... and the list goes on. We live in a culture of fast fashion, gimmicky marketing, and consumerism. If we are being honest, it's incredibly hard for anyone to not feel the the tug of "keeping up with the Joneses" from time to time. Goods are cheaply made and cheaply sold now a days, which makes it that much easier to purchase items that we don't need, won't last, and clutter up our homes.

Because so many goods are made in a foreign country, made cheaply, and mass produced, for the first time in history, prices are affordable enough to make shopping a hobby for people in America. Have you ever hopped in the car for a Target fix when you are bored? Have you ever had a long stressful day at work and then gone home to spend your evening online shopping and sipping a glass of wine? Over at HYD we are not above it--- we've totally been there. Shopping in America IS AN ADDICTION. It's fun, it takes your mind off of other things for the moment, it feels good, and there are endless options--especially if your finances allow you to shop without thinking about it!

We are trying hard to hold ourselves accountable and walking with clients who are trying to do the same. One HYD'er is taking a year off of shopping (inspired by this article), another is taking a new approach to keeping better tabs on spending and sticking to a budget, and others are simply trying to be more mindful about purchases.

Whether you need to do something extreme or just be a bit more intentional, we encourage you to take the time to think through your vision for your home, your style, etc. When you get the urge to shop out of boredom or stress, hit pause and remind yourself of what you want for your home and your life. Over the last few years, a small shift has occurred where people have started to value quality a bit more than in the last few decades. The maker movement is making a come back and we couldn't be more excited! Working towards smarter, more quality purchases is a great goal!

We would love to hear what ways you are working to curb your shopping habits.

If you'd like to support a new local business geared toward selling high quality menswear, check out Felding Co's grand opening on May 4th!

What is "Stitch Fix"?

What is Stitch Fix?

The simplest answer is: an online subscription and personal shopping service in the United States. They put in the work of styling an outfit for you behind the scenes. Then it ends up on your door step. Pretty clever and convenient, right? We wanted to try it out because we are dedicated to bringing simplicity and intention to even your wardrobe. 

How does it work?

3 easy steps: 1- Fill Out a Style Profile, 2- Request a Fix Delivery, 3- Keep What You Want.

The process was in depth without feeling endless. They gather the information once, to be able to meet your needs over and over again. Their hope is to save their customers time and money. They have developed a system that streamlines the shopping process and provides you with a few fresh clothing pieces that you might not have found on your own. 

The Cost:

You pay $20 stylist fee, but this payment goes toward any items of clothing that you decide to keep & purchase. It's a minimal investment to get a feel for their process and see if it is a good fit for you. 

Image via Stitch Fix.

Our Review:

Stitch Fix has really fine tuned their process to be as painless and simple as possible. It was convenient and fun! Enjoying items that were specifically picked for you, can be such a treat. Shopping can feel overwhelming and burdensome as far as time, money and energy go. Another perk is that they put together an entirely new outfit for you, even if you don't choose to keep each piece - they've provided a fresh look from top to bottom. We can all so easily get in a style rut with the clothing we have. Their packaging was pretty and simple, everything was delivered in great condition and their instructions are very easy to follow. Overall, even if you don't keep any of the items in your Fix, it is a fun experience. We really enjoyed getting to see new brands, and items we don't typically see in most department stores. The downside: if you are a bargain shopper and love to search for the best deal - this might not feel as satisfying to you. If you also love to browse endless aisles and racks of different options - this could feel limiting to you. 

What are your experiences with online clothing/style subscriptions? 

Shopping with conscience this Holiday Season

Are you having trouble this holiday season finding the right gift for a loved one? It can be hard to find well made and meaningful gifts while on a budget but we have compiled a few ideas and along with a list of some of our new favorite shops to help you with those last minute gifts on your list.

Over at HYD we are trying to adopt a few new shopping practices...

1. We are learning to buy less but to buy better.

2. We are working on curbing our impulsive purchases and implementing the discipline of saving up for items that will last longer, are better quality, are made ethically, and are ultimately more meaningful.

With those things in mind, here are a few shops we have stumbled across recently that fit our broader vision. Keep reading to see our top picks from each shop.

1. Spartan Shop 

Japanese Cloth Napkins

Wooden Walking Elephant Toy

Black amber and turquoise pocket knife

2. The Citizenry

hand crafted Mexican glassware

Apron

Ceramic Pitcher

3. Lost and Found

Brass and leather key chain

Bud vase collection

Mama cat and Kitten finger puppets

4. More & Co.

Jams and Marmalade made in Maine

city scape puzzle

throw blanket made in the USA

5. Rala

Downtown Knoxville tote bag

Farmers Market baseball tee

National Park explorers guide

If you would prefer not to purchase a physical item as a gift we have ideas for that as well!

-Consider making a donation in someones honor to a Gatlinburg relief fund to help victims of the tragic fire in our very own Smokey Mountains

-Purchase tickets for a play, musical or concert to give as an experiential gift

-Plan a dinner date to the restaurant of a loved ones choice and make a home made certificate saying "dinner's on me".

-Give the gift of organization and purchase a Help You Dwell Gift card for a friend or family member.

A Community Shopping Event

Help You Dwell cordially invites you to join us for a boutique clothing pop up shop from 2-5pm on Sunday August 23rd at 854 North Central Street! For all of the details check out the facebook event page. We are partnering with Angie Hamstead, curator of Colettes Closet for a unique (one day only) shopping experience. Bring your friends and come out for an afternoon of light refreshments and top of the line brands of clothing at consignment prices.

You can expect to find the following brands: Parker, Joie, Elizabeth & James, Anthropologie, Rebecca Taylor, BCBGMaxazaria and more. The images below are a few of the items available to purchase at the pop up.

Angie has an eye for clothing and for styling outfits. We are so excited to offer an exclusive shopping experience. Colette's Closet includes a wide range of styles including "not your typical" orange clothing for the stylish vol fan, stylish work attire, fun casual pieces, funky jewelry, and unique dresses.

A note from Angie...

"Colette's Closet began two years ago as a way to honor my mom. I am blessed to be the daughter of Mary Colette Thompson Scott. She is a beautiful person with a nurturing, caring soul and loving spirit. As her only daughter, we have logged many hours of shopping together over the years. Over the past decade we have grown a special love for consignment shopping. We have so much fun "treasure shopping" for great finds at awesome prices. We have always had champagne taste on a beer budget! In February, 2013 my mom had an unexpected heart attack that resulted in a six bypass surgery. We are so blessed that she came through the surgery and recovery with flying colors. The inspiration for Colette's Closet came to me while sitting in the ICU waiting room the day after her surgery. Colette's Closet has proved to be a great avenue for spreading the love for consignment shopping and the thrill of finding designer clothing at affordable prices. Last year I had the privilege of hearing the Dalai Lama speak in Birmingham, Alabama. He told the audience that "when one has, one shares." In that spirit and in honor of my mom, I donate 10% of all proceeds to an organization that benefits women or children. Smile Train was my charity of focus last year. I am proud to support Thistle Farms this year."

If you aren't familiar with Thistle Farms, it is "A community of women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction. They believe that in the end, love is the strongest force in the world for change."

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