4 Great Local Gift Ideas in Vancouver

Giving is great and it's even better when you know you're supporting local businesses in the process. Check out these four great locally made gift ideas in Vancouver.

Local mom entrepreneur Lou Lynn, a fashion designer who has loved owls since she was a child, has combined her talents and passions to create wonderful, whimsical Wishing Owls—a stuffed toy that is as popular with adults as it is with the kids they were made for. Lou creates each owl individually, but each has one similarity: a pocket for hiding those special hand-written wishes or teeth waiting for the fairy to pick up. Lou sources her fabrics from second-hand stores, and uses eco-fill for the stuffing and eco-spun (aka felt) for the eyes, both of which are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Green Planet Parties was started by two eco-friendly Vancouver moms who saw lots of waste around them and set their minds to providing families with sustainable gift ideas and party supplies at competitive prices. Their online business now specializes in eco-friendly, locally produced gifts, biodegradable tableware, reusable decorations and green loot bags. Much of their merchandise is nature inspired, like their Wildlife Pencil Crayons, and offers a great opportunity to teach the next generation about being good to our planet.

Goods with Story is an online marketplace selling unique and creative items from passionate Canadian vendors. Most of the goods are all-natural and all of them are locally made.

Melissa Saunders is a local mom entrepreneur with a fun kids' clothing line that includes tees, onesies, dresses and caped-tees. Melissa's idea for Barking Hippo came to her as she tried to find cool clothes for her young son without spending a fortune. Instead of donating her husband's old t-shirts, Melissa turned them into new children's clothing made from inspiring second-hand materials. All of the pattern-making and sewing is done locally and even the scrap material is kept to be made into baby droolers, resulting in minimal waste.