Who needs big box stores? You can shop local in Houston to find everything on Santa’s list, including a few treats for yourself.
With inflation through the roof, premium pricing on just about everything, and the holidays rolling in at top speed, we’re all wondering what holiday shopping will look like this year.
If you’ve been boycotting Target since they removed DEI provisions from their corporate policies, you may feel at a loss. Where can you buy gifts under $50 in Houston while supporting local businesses committed to hiring practices that ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Thankfully, this is Houston, and the recent midterm elections showed the world that the people who live here want this city to be a true melting pot. Walk into independent shops and meet local makers, and you’ll be assured that Houston’s diversity is well represented in its small businesses.
So instead of hitting big-box stores like Target, Walmart, and Amazon, build community and shop at locally owned places where you can find gifts under $50.
A custom gift you have fun making yourself
Where can I buy it? Manready Mercantile, 321 W. 19th St., The Heights
How much? $48
Manready Mercantile is one of the most fun stores to peruse—everywhere you look, floor to ceiling, you find quirky, one-off items that encourage you to dig deeper for the next shiny object.
But the back of the store holds the real treasure: the Candle Bar, where you can make a custom candle while chatting with other hobbyists and sipping a surprisingly tasty Old Fashioned. The experience lets you choose from a wide range of scents and blend them as you see fit, so you create a one-of-a-kind candle to match the personality of whoever is lucky enough to receive it.
Every time your friend lights it, they’ll think of you.
Restaurant goodies from a TV chef
Where can I buy it? Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen locations at 6401 Woodway Dr. in Tanglewood and 1140 Eldridge Pkwy. in the Energy Corridor, or online at the website
How much? Products range from $7.95 to $35 for The Enchilada Queen Cookbook
If you’ve ever eaten at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, you can vouch for the fact that this restaurant serves authentic Tex-Mex food cooked with love.
Sylvia Casares, AKA the Enchilada Queen, has appeared on “Beat Bobby Flay,” authored a best-selling cookbook, and won more awards than you can count. Now you can gift her favorite sauces, like chili gravy and salsa verde, to the cook in your life. They’re all inexpensive enough that you can purchase a selection and put together a lovely cooking basket.
Vintage vinyl for a music lover
Where can I buy it? Cactus Music, 2110 Portsmouth, Upper Kirby
How much? My Chemical Romance comes in at just under $50
Selling vintage vinyl LPs in original packaging, Cactus Music is every Deadhead’s dream.
Shop the 5,800-square-foot superstore and discover musical legends like Tom Petty, Amy Winehouse, and Pink Floyd.
There’s enough variety here to meet every musical taste, and once they hear their favorites on vinyl—the way God intended—they’ll be spoiled for any other way.
Up-cycled clothing that gives back
Where can I buy it? Magpies & Peacocks, 2910 McKinney St., Downtown
How much? T-shirts under $50
Christmas is about giving, and at Magpies & Peacocks, your gift purchase is much more meaningful than in your typical store.
Magpies & Peacocks is a non-profit styling curator that produces clothing from reusable material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. On top of that, they teach community members about sustainability and skill-building for future work opportunities.
A T-shirt here will run you just under $50, and that money keeps on giving, supporting your local community.
Something for everyone in the family, all under one roof
Where can I buy it? Kuhl-Linscomb, 2418 W Alabama St., River Oaks
How much? Prices vary, but you’ll have lots of options under $50
Stepping into Kuhl-Linscomb is like arriving at a meandering farmhouse that has been extended and extended, and oh, look! There’s another room back here!
You’ll have so much fun wandering rooms filled with body and bath products, home goods, keepsakes, toys, accessories, stationery, and on and on, that you’ll forget holiday shopping is a chore.
The best thing about Kuhl-Linscomb is that you can literally check off everyone on your list. It’s your true one-stop shop, and it’s local!
Books for everyone who loves to read
Where can I buy it? Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet St., Rice Village
How much? Pretty much everything in the store is under $50
Considered a community hub in Houston, Brazos Bookstore brings together everyone from book club enthusiasts to students in the UH Creative Writing Program.
Brazos Bookstore is owned and operated by a co-op of about 25 local community members who host events regularly, so you can schedule your shopping to coincide with one. The indie bookstore sells everything from kids’ picture books to social commentaries to romance and sci-fi, and it’s so cozy, you’ll want to grab a read for yourself and stay a while.
A made-in-Texas holiday dessert everyone devours
Where can I buy it? Online – easy peasy!
How much? Exactly $50
Contributing to a holiday dinner? Need a hostess present? Or maybe you have a friend who lives far away and misses Texan goodies?
No one does goodies like Goode Co., and its legendary Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie is made right here in Texas. Imagine a rich, gooey pie filled with Texas pecans—that taste is pure Lone Star State, and it’s meant to be shared.
So whether they’re homesick and need a Texas hug or they’re hosting you for the holidays, this pecan pie will fill their stomachs and their hearts. And buying made-in-Texas products gets you bonus points.
For the kids or kids at heart
Where can I buy it? Big Blue Whale, 19th St., Marketplace, The Heights
How much? From a few bucks to the full $50
Big Blue Whale is one of those stores in Marketplace that grabs your attention and pulls you in. It’s the colors, the whimsy, the teleporting back in time that take you right back to your childhood.
And it’s the perfect place to find stocking stuffers and toys that will make you the best aunt/uncle/grandparent around. Shop games, puzzles, puppets, arts and crafts, and an entire section dedicated to “silly stuff” like a nose pencil sharpener and tiny T-rex arms.
Wherever you choose to shop, ‘tis the season to be good to yourself, as well. So enjoy visiting these local Houston shops with bargains that keep your cost below $50. You’ll have enough left over to get yourself your own holiday treat.
