DRIFTLESS - This holiday season, the Independent-Scout wants to encourage our readers to ‘shop local,’ and support local businesses when making your holiday shopping decisions. This year of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll, and many shoppers have converted their purchases to online shopping. This pandemic is going to end, and our holiday shopping decisions may determine the future of the local businesses that have been here for us year in and year out.
Rather than ordering online or driving off to LaCrosse or Madison, consider doing your holiday shopping in Gays Mills, Soldiers Grove, Seneca, Ferryville, Liberty Pole, and Viroqua. Our local restaurants have also suffered as many choose not to dine out. A gift certificate as a holiday present is a way of saying “when it is safe, we’ll be back to support you with our business.”
Restaurants
J&J on Main: 608-735-4488
Desperados Wonder Bar: 608-624-3295 or by Facebook messenger.
Country Gardens:608-624-3254
Old Oak Inn:An Old Oak Inn, Acorn Lounge, and Reception Hall gift certificates! Available in all price ranges. Call (608) 624-5217 or email ooibnb2020@gmail.com
No Bull Party Place:608-734-3717
Kickapoo Creekside:608-629-5565
McCormick’s Rolling Ground:608-624-5684
Wooden Nickel:608-734-3999
Swede’s Swing Inn:608-734-9916
Jerry’s Sportsman Bar & Grill:608-734-1234
Spring Lake Inn:608-326-6907
Driftless Café:gift certificates can be purchased directly through their website. www.driftlesscafe.com
Pacificos Mexican Restarant:608-638-1330
Rooted Spoon:608-632-2120
The gift of food
Solar Meats: this Soldiers Grove business specializes in beef, elk, pork and lamb, as well as specialty smokehouse items such as sausages and bacon. Consider a practical gift that will nourish your loved ones in these uncertain times and support a local business. 608-624-5525
Eastman Locker:this Eastman business offers a full range of locally-produced meats and smokehouse items. In addition, they offer some poultry and seafood items. You can’t go wrong with the gift of food, and supporting a local business now with your holiday purchases means they’ll still be there for us after this public health crisis is in the rearview mirror. 608-874-4331
Ferryville Cheese Store:
The store offers cheese and sausage gift boxes. To order, go into the store, call Ferryville Cheese Store at 608-734-3121, or ferryvillecheese.com/products.php?cat=Gift+BoxesThe cheese store also offers cheese and sausage items for all of your holiday entertaining needs.
Klinkner Country Store:featuring family farm fresh-frozen beef and pork, eggs, Westby Co-op Creamery's cheeses, butter, and yogurt, local seasonal goods, country décor, holiday greenery and Christmas trees, and more. Support this local farm store business at S7304A State Highway 82, Viroqua (just west of Liberty Pole), 608-606-0183, galwub@hotmail.com.
Westby Cooperative Creamery:support this locally owned and operated cooperative of dairy farmers, offering holiday gift boxes, and a full range of dairy products, organic dairy products, and specialty cheese and meats. Online orders and curbside delivery are available at their website at www.westbycreamery.com.
Gays Mills
Village Greenhouse: The Village Greenhouse offers all kinds of options for holiday shoppers.The store will be open from now until the day before Christmas, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Greenhouse is your destination for holiday greenery (pine, cedar, dogwood), wreaths and poinsettias. They are also back in business with cut flower arrangements for weddings, birthdays, funerals and special occasions. Shoppers can also purchase potted plants and various gardening items. Come spring, the greenhouse will carry on the tradition of serving gardeners with flower, herb and vegetable bedding plants.
Turkey Ridge Orchard will offer their farm-products such as jams, jellies and syrups. They currently have just a few of their gift boxes left, but going forward, this will be an item that they offer every year.
The store will also feature products from Jesse Brandt’s business, Pure Play Kids. In the store, shoppers can find a variety of do-it-yourself craft kits for kids, non-battery operated toys, coloring cards and envelopes, puzzles and sand art. There will also be home goods such as organic produce bags, cookie cutters and organic cotton snack bag sets.
Oppriecht Acres Tree Farm:if you’re looking to buy a fresh cut Christmas tree for your holiday decorating, this is the local business for you. Open Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
THAIRapy by Jordan:The week of Nov. 30-Dec.5, THAIRapy will be running a special on gift certificates! It will offer $10 off each certificate for example: $50 gift certificate for $40: $60 gift certificate for $50; and $70 gift certificate for $60. You can stop in and purchase or call 608-735-4577 to figure out how you want to take care of it!
Hillcrest Orchard: half off apples plus 15 percent off all items in the store. Holiday gift items, candy and Christmas trees and greenery. They are open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9-4.
Kickapoo Exchange Cooperative: The Co-op offers holiday gift items, beer and wine, healthy seasonal foods and bulk food items.Soldiers Grove
Driftless Brewing Company: Driftless Brewing in Soldiers Grove is one of our area’s most exciting new businesses. When considering your holiday shopping and your holiday celebrations, Driftless Brewing Company can help you with both.
The Brewery offers gift certificates for six-packs and growlers, which could make an ideal stocking stuffer for some of the people on your shopping list. In addition, the Brewery offers branded hats, t-shirts, and coming in December, their new zip-up hoodie.
HOLIDAY SWAG GIVEAWAY at Driftless Brewing Company. Now through December 19th, you can register for our weekly prize by calling in a Curbside Pickup order each weekend. Get a free DBC tshirt, hat, growler, glass or other swag item if your name is chosen in the weekly drawing! Curbside Pickup is Friday 3-6 & Saturday 11-3, call ahead 608 724-5577. See our Taproom webpage for full beer offerings and safe Curbside guidelines. Cheers! #driftless #drinklocal #drinkdriftless #wicraftbeer #wicraftbeerfolk #wisconsinweekend #wisconsincraftbeer #curbsidecraft #beerswagJohn’s Sporting Goods: John’s Sporting Goods sells shooting and fishing sports supplies, firearms, as well as various electronic devices such as scanners. “If you can’t find it anywhere, try Johns!”
Driftless Area Art Festival:Looking to buy local and want to support artists? Check out the great 2D/MIXED MEDIA artists of the Driftless Region! (Once you go to the art festival site, artists who have a website will have it linked to their image). www.driftlessareaartfestival.com/mixed-media-2d.
The Guiding Hand Massage:
Guiding Hands Massage is the name of a new massage therapy business in Soldiers Grove. The business is located next to John’s TV in the Solar Village area. To book a massage or order a gift certificate, call 563-379-8092. Gift certificates available - one hour for $50. The business also offers Farmhouse Fresh, Aura Cacia, and Attitude face/body care products.
Seneca
Johnson’s One Stop:Johnson’s One Stop in Seneca is gearing up for the holidays with a whole line up of gift items, holiday decorating, and Christmas trees. The store is holding its ‘Christmas Kickoff” shopping event from November 27 through December 3, with enticing holiday shopping items and deals/
As always, the store features free gift-wrapping. People shopping for gifts can shop their wide selection of apparel, housewares, toys, and tools.
For those in the mood to kick off their holiday decorating, the store offers Christmas trees, lights and other holiday decorating items. The grocery store will offer plentiful supplies of all of your holiday meal, snack trays, and holiday baking items.
Viroqua
Viroqua Food Co-op: The Viroqua Food Co-op is a local, member-owned business specializing in natural and organic food, personal care, supplements, beer and wine, housewares, and holiday gift items. Shop in-person or order online for curbside pick up at https://www.viroquafood.coop.
VIVA Gallery’s Holiday Artisan Market: VIVA Gallery’s 9th Annual Holiday Artisan Market is underway and includes the creations of 14 guest artists, and new work from the gallery’s 25 member artists. The market, which debuted in November, is a perfect place to find one-of-kind, locally created gifts for the holidays.
VIVA’s member artists create a stunning array of artwork in multiple media: decorative and functional pottery; woven wearables, table runners and wall hangings; eco-printed scarves; deer hide side bags and hats; silver, wire and gemstone jewelry; beadwork and metalwork; photography, prints and mixed media; oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings representing a wide variety of subjects and styles; wooden cutting boards, spoons and bowls; and furnishings and basketry crafted from local natural materials.
Guest artists add a number of new and unusual offerings: elegant tapestry hand bags, woven rugs and bags; clever potholders and printed sack cloth towels; cartoneria (paper mache) sculptures; jewelry made of Damascas steel and carved jade; sculpted candles; vivid abstract paintings and muted walnut ink works; copper geckos and birdhouses; brightly painted lathe-turned candlesticks; wooden coasters and original furniture pieces; and kalimbas, ‘thumb pianos’ originating in Africa.
VIVA Gallery is also a great place to find holiday cards, stocking stuffers and ornaments.
The diverse works of these 39 member and guest artists is on display through the months of November and December. The gallery is located at 217 South Main Street in Viroqua. For more information, contact the gallery at 608-637-6918 or info@vivagallery.net.
The gallery’s First Thursday reception remains on hold. It is normally followed by a dinner next door at Rooted Spoon Kitchen Table, but while restaurants are impacted by gathering restrictions, Rooted Spoon is instead providing themed meals for pick-up each Thursday. Information can be found at www.rootedspoon.com.
Parrish Music: Parrish Music represents a very carefully selected line of instruments that offer the very best quality and value. They don’t carry anything based solely on price; rather, their product choices are based on tone, playability, build quality, and bang for the buck: the ‘best in class’ instruments. They carry the Midwest’s best selection of ukuleles, and often have over 40 models on the wall. In Catherine’s ‘flute corner’ you’ll find new and used concert flutes for sale and available to rent, alongside flutes from Ireland, India, Japan, and South America. They also carry locally crafted Native American Flutes from two different makers.
Blue Dog Cycles: Blue Dog Cycles in Viroqua specializes in bicycles, e-bikes, bike apparel and accessories, snowshoes, and more. Support this local business with outdoor adventure gifts and give the gift of a healthy active lifestyle. Shop online at https://www.bluedogcycles.com.
Viroqua Public Market: Shoppers at the Viroqua Public Market can stroll through the beautiful art gallery or browse the great selection of jewelry, gifts, candy and canned goods, and antiques in the market.
Driftless Angler:This Viroqua business advertises what they offer as ‘unique gear for a unique fishery.’ Their offerings include: rods and reels, waders/boots, flies, tools, accessories, men’s and women’s clothing, packs and vests, and more. This business is a tireless advocate for the Driftless Region’s world class cold water trout fisheries, and a great source of information for anglers coming to the region to enjoy the fishing and contribute to our local economies. To order, go to hwww.driftlessangler.com/.
