Unique Gifts for the Holidays

It's not hard to find a special holiday present when you shop around Lincoln Square this December. Plus, plan a special meal for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with some of our local eateries. 

For a unique present to surprise friends and loved ones, check out a long-time local antique store The Emporium Ltd. (at 20 West 64th Street), where you'll find a large collection of fine art, antique home décor, and estate jewelry that you won't find anywhere else. For other one-of-a-kind art, jewelry gifts, and more, stop into the museum shops at the American Folk Art Museum (2 Lincoln Square at Columbus & 65th Street) or the Museum of Arts & Design (at Columbus Circle and Broadway). The American Folk Art Museum shop has many handmade items for kids, too. Pop-up store An American Craftsman (2007 Broadway) sells handmade crafts and goods from puzzle boxes to clocks to wall hangings. Any of these stores are terrific destinations for special and unique gift options. 

Additionally, there are two holiday markets happening around the area you won't want to miss if you love handmade gifts and seasonal holiday shopping. At the West Side YMCA (5 West 63rd Street), you can shop the 41st Annual Holiday Crafts Fair on Thursday, December 12, Friday, December 13, and Saturday, December 14 which will showcase over 500 handmade, one-of-a-kind ceramic art pieces and hand crafted jewelry from ArtWorks artists. Each day of the crafts fair will host a special event, including a chance to meet the artists on Friday. And at the southern end of the district, enjoy the Columbus Circle Holiday Market at Merchant's Gate, with more than 150 vendor stalls at which you'll find more art, jewelry, home goods and delicious eats from local artisans and designers. The Holiday Market operates through Tuesday, December 24 until 8:00pm.

Of course, there are a ton of other stores to head to in Lincoln Square for holiday gifts, including specialty spots like Toytoise (in The Shops at Columbus Circle) which offers novel toys and gifts that are classic and contemporary, electronic destinations like Best Buy (1880 Broadway) and the Apple Store, Upper West Side (1981 Broadway), book stores with gifts for adults and kids like Amazon Books (The Shops at Columbus Circle) and Shakespeare & Co. (2020 Broadway), or a department store with something for everyone like Century 21 (1972 Broadway), and more.

There are also a number of restaurants in the district offering special meals for December 24 or December 25. If you're still looking for plans for a nice meal out, look no further than these spots in Lincoln Square:  

Bar Boulud
Bluebird London
Boulud Sud
The Smith
Rosa Mexicano

Don't forget to stop by any of our local bakeries or grocery stores for party foods and desserts too: Breads Bakery (1890 Broadway), Épicerie Boulud (1900 Broadway), or Bouchon Bakery & Café (The Shops at Columbus Circle), Le Pain Quotidien (60 West 65th Street), Gourmet Garage (155 West 66th Street), and Whole Foods Market (The Shops at Columbus Circle). 

Check out our Neighborhood Guide for more places to plan a dinner this December and more places to shop.

Happy holidays!

Photo credit: Hayley Young