A Handmade Holiday, From Winston-Salem with Love

Our charming downtown shops and unique gallery spaces are brimming with locally made, locally grown, and locally produced gifts and goodness just waiting to be picked for your best holiday lists. Better still, most places even have classes, demonstrations, and workshops for you to try your hand at being a maker, too. In Winston-Salem, the choices are as wild as your imagination. So make your list, check it twice, and support small businesses and local artists this holiday season.

Browse Our Local Boutiques

Choose an original piece of art from dozens of North Carolina artisans working in clay, ceramic, glass, metal, canvas, wood and mixed media at the Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery. Want something out-of-the-box? Sample and share the sweetest cookies, chocolate, pastries, expertly baked macarons or freshly roasted coffee. Then wash it all down with an award-winning craft beer, artisanal spirit or regionally produced (nationally recognized) wine. Or how about a vintage Southern holiday from our version of the 5 & 10, Mast General Store? You could even go way back with a host of turn of the century Moravian items, still made in the traditional way and available for sale at Old Salem. Choose from handmade beeswax candles and hand glazed pottery, to linen dolls, gardening tools, toys, furnishings and, of course, classic Moravian cookies, cakes and sweetbreads. With literally hundreds to list, you’re bound to find something to love. Take a stroll through our online directory to map out your favorites.

Deck the Halls with a Gift from the Sawtooth School for Visual Art

Looking to hone your skills as an artist or just curious about the techniques involved in your favorite handmade items? Visit the Sawtooth School for Visual Art for a one-of-a-kind gift for the art enthusiast, live demonstration or hands-on class. Group sessions are also available for an unexpected evening with friends, family or traveling companions. Bring the kids to create in clay a whole new way. Get your hands dirty as you explore the art of screen-printing on paper, fabric, canvas or silk in an afternoon. Or listen and learn from an inspiring artist in one of Sawtooth’s many collaborative one-on-one interviews, exhibitions and presentations. See their class schedule here.

Shop Them All at the Sawtooth Holiday Market (Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023)

The annual Sawtooth Holiday Market artisan/craft fair is an annual tradition, showcasing quality, handmade works crafted by regional artists. The tradition continues this year with a year-end celebration of fine art, craft, and community featuring one-of-a-kind artworks perfect for holiday gift-giving. Highlighting the work of over 50 artists and incorporating hands-on activities, demonstrations, local food trucks, refreshments, and fun for the whole family, this event is not one to be missed! Held on Saturday, December 2, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event is open to the public with a suggested $5 donation for entry.

Make A Memory, Leave with a Gift at MIXXER

In as little as two hours, you can make-and-take your own 3D printed masterpiece, hand embossed note cards, laser cut your own wooden-etched jewelry, build a Christmas tree from recycled material, or craft your own Christmas stocking! From blacksmithing to welding to watercolor, Winston-Salem’s MIXXER, a community maker space for technology and fabrication enthusiasts, has it all. Visitors can cut, weld, print, carve, design, and shape all sorts of things using specialty tools in the community Studio. Grab a day pass and let inspiration be your guide or sign up for one of their many classes open to the public! No time to DIY? Gift certificates and memberships make an excellent (and unexpected) holiday gift.